Before flying to Toledo, where Kim will compete in the Drive On Championship, the three-time LPGA winner showed she’s taking COVID-19 travel precautions seriously. Very seriously.

Safety first for my flight to Toledo. No chances being taken. pic.twitter.com/Rxk1oe7VtG

— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) July 27, 2020

Better safe than sorry, right?

To be clear, Kim is not making light of the situation. And she spent much of Monday responding to people on Twitter.

It can be warm, but I think it’s well worth a little discomfort. https://t.co/3ymA57ChYb

— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) July 27, 2020

How is this insulting? I spent $30 on a suit I bought off amazon, $15 for the goggles. I’d rather be paranoid and overly cautious than just assume everyone around me is taking precautions and socially distance themselves enough that they couldn’t be an asymptomatic carrier. ?? https://t.co/0rF9njOtkn

— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) July 27, 2020

Would rather be silly and overkill than risk flying over and finding out I contracted the virus on the flight. Pretty simple. I don’t care if I look ridiculous. https://t.co/fzdpZnWQ98

— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) July 27, 2020

Good for you, Christina. And hey, it’s always nice to have a way to pass the time when travelling.

The post LPGA star takes COVID-19 travel precautions to a whole new level appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

WE’RE BUYING

Jon Rahm: The 25-year-old Spaniard is golf’s newest king after ascending to World No.1 with a dominant victory at the Memorial. Of course, it didn’t look quite so dominant after that late penalty (more on that later), but regardless, what a performance in what felt like his first major title given the field and difficult scoring conditions.

Andy Lyons

Rahm became the third-youngest, the fifth-fastest, and the second-ever Spaniard (after Seve Ballesteros) to reach No. 1. Impressive stuff from a guy who only seems to be scratching the surface. Golf fans should expect to see plenty of a different shade on Sunday for the next couple decades or so.

Christina Kim’s next career: The LPGA pro was a delightful addition to the golf broadcast this past week and we’d love to hear more of her. After her playing career is over, of course. She certainly had Golf Twitter chuckling when after Bryson DeChambeau expressed shock at missing a green left, she blurted out, “The ball’s above your feet, I mean, it’s probably going to draw.” Boom. You’d figure a scientist would know that. Anyway, our Brian Wacker caught up with her during the week to talk about her productive week while the LPGA is still off.

Matt Fitzpatrick on a Sunday on a tough track when he starts way back: In the two rounds with the highest scoring averages this season—the final rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial—Fitzpatrick has posted the only two scores in the 60s to make huge climbs up the leader board. I’ve got to remember this the next time I see wind in the forecast and a final-round pin sheet like this:

R4 hole locations for the ⁦@MemorialGolf⁩ ? pic.twitter.com/DcnlhEJWSB

— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) July 19, 2020

WE’RE SELLING

Jon Rahm’s penalty: What a bizarre bogey that turned out to be. Did his golf ball move? Yes, but there’s no way he could see it. And didn’t the PGA Tour get away from HD replays being involved in rulings? Also, here’s a great point:

Imagine if in the NFL, 1 team was allowed video replay and the other wasn’t. That’s what you have on @PGATOUR. Not every shot is videoed the same way, with same scrutiny or with same # of angles. Going back to replay for rules infractions is an unfair playing field. #Memorial

— Will Strickler (@wstrick17) July 20, 2020

And here’s another tour pro offering his take on the situation in a slightly different way:

You know what moved…the tip of my junk when he holed it from there. Y’all can kick rocks

— Mark Hubbard (@HomelessHubbs) July 20, 2020

Seriously, that was one heckuva shot, especially given the situation. And I’m glad a replay didn’t cost Rahm the win. Full disclosure: I also bet on him to win so. . . yeah. . . I might have been just a bit biased.

Brooks Koepka: The four-time major champ finished solo seventh at Hilton Head a few weeks ago. Since undergoing a stem-cell procedure on his knee in the off-season, however, here are his eight other results on the PGA Tour: MC, WD, T-43, MC, T-47, T-32, MC, T-62. I’m not a doctor, but that knee might need some work. And if only there had been a three-month pause in the season to get it fixed. . . Of course, if Brooks reads this, he’ll probably sweep all three majors this year.

The World Handicap system: I had high hopes for the new system implemented by golf’s governing bodies this year, but it’s a total disaster. At least, for me. After entering seven (bad) scores, my handicap index hasn’t moved. Not a single tenth of a point. In either direction. Nothing. The result is I’m putting up embarrassingly bad scores for someone who is supposed to be a 7.8—and I’m running out of time to get more strokes before my annual golf trip/tournament next month. Please let me know if anyone else has experienced anything similar. Misery loves company. And other bad golfers.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to the Land of 10,000 Lakes for the second annual 3M Open, AKA that tournament with a lot of water in play where Matt Wolff drained a walk-off eagle last year and Bryson DeChambeau gave us this classic reaction:

Bryson DeChambeau when he found out Wolff hit that putt… pic.twitter.com/JcN9FOxTQV

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) July 7, 2019

He didn’t even look that stunned this past Friday when he made that 10 at Muirfield Village.

Random tournament fact: Bryson is not playing this year. In fact, a lot of big names are skipping with a WGC and a major in the next couple weeks.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Matt Wolff will win with a walk-off eagle again: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
—I will win the 1 MILLION contest: 1 BILLION-to-1 odds
—Bryson will still be talked about a LOT during the broadcast: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Sam Greenwood

Again, penalty or not, that was awesome.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

The European Tour has done it again, this time having three pros compete in a closest-to-the-pin contest from 300 yards. By hitting driver off the deck. And Marcus “The Bullet” Armitage stole the show:

The #DriverOffTheDeck Challenge ?@CallawayGolfEU ? | #MavrikThinking pic.twitter.com/VRluayZVGI

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 17, 2020

Damn. These guys are good.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (FAIL DIVISION)

No longer in the running for “2020 Volunteer of the Year." pic.twitter.com/gBlrBCPQlV

— Skratch (@Skratch) July 19, 2020

I hate to say it, but. . . dude, you had one job.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’ve been preaching about [the golf ball going too far] for, goodness gracious … 43 years [ago] I first went to the USGA. I mean, that’s a long time to be studying something. Guys, stop studying it and do something! Will you, please?” —Jack Nicklaus, who took matters into his own hands by basically turning Muirfield Village into Winged Foot on Sunday. Glad to see I’m not the only person upset with golf’s governing bodies. Maybe Jack is ticked off at having a low handicap index as well.

THIS WEEK IN PROS ARE JUST LIKE US!

OK, so it’s a screenshot, but this was remarkable. It’s Sergio Garcia after stroking possibly the worst putt in golf history:

That’s tough to do.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Once again, there was a lot. Phil putted one from 78 yards:

A putt from 78 yards.
A full swing from 34 feet.

"Phil the Thrill" makes par. ¯_(ツ)_/¯#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/jCwFdzGvys

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 19, 2020

And he LAID UP on a par 3:

Phil just LAID UP from 173 yards on the par-3 16th pic.twitter.com/nZwkvhA7Qd

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) July 19, 2020

Incredible. But the best Phil being Phil story comes from The Action Network’s Jason Sobel, who reported on an old bet Mickelson won with Colt Knost that Jon Rahm would reach the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking within a year. “There was a comma involved,” Knost told Sobel of the wager. Well done, Phil. I actually won some money off Rahm winning this week. Sadly, there wasn’t a comma involved.

THIS AND THAT

Davis Riley is now one Korn Ferry Tour title away from the coveted and rare BATTLEFIELD promotion to the PGA Tour following win No. 2 at the TPC San Antonio Championship. Unfortunately due to COVID, that’s the only way he’s getting to the bigs before next season. . . . Congrats to Jack Nicklaus for edging Tiger Woods in the “Open for the Ages,” but my favourite part was Rory McIlroy’s final-round 63. Even in fake tournaments he continues to rack up backdoor top 10s! And finally, congrats to Nicole Rae and Liam Byrne for winning Golf Digest’s fourth annual Trainwreck tournament:

That being said, after winning by four, their handicaps are officially under investigation.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How many actual majors will Jon Rahm win in his career?
What country club(s) would I join if I won $1 million?
Would more on-course drinking improve my handicap?

The post Jon Rahm’s controversial finish, Phil Mickelson’s brilliant bet, and an unexpected TV star appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“I’m a little bit of a golf nerd,” she says. Kim adds that she also finds driving cathartic.

If nothing else, it was also a respite from the rules controversy and ensuing backlash that the 35-year-old three-time LPGA Tour winner found herself entangled in after reporting a violation that involved Dewi Weber and Kendall Dye during Thursday’s sixth round of LPGA Q-Series at Pinehurst No. 9.

As Weber had prepared to play the par-3 17th (the group’s eighth hole of the day), Dye motioned to Weber’s caddie to confirm what club Weber was hitting. Doing so is a violation of Rule 10-2 under soliciting advice. Kim saw the interaction, and after the group putted out says she alerted an official who was behind the green.

“I said, ‘I think I saw an infraction,’ ” Kim told Golf Digest in a phone interview on Monday. “I said, ‘Is this allowed?’ and made a motion. I was not exactly given a clear answer of yes or no.

“Given that we were chasing daylight, I wasn’t going to [carry on]. I was 99.99 percent sure it was a violation. [The official] asked if I wanted to handle it now or later, and I said we’ll handle it after the round. That was my choice, because I needed to make sure from this individual that it was a violation. I didn’t receive any confirmation that it wasn’t.”

RELATED: Controversy erupts at LPGA Q-Series following rules violation and how it was reported

The result was a two-stroke penalty for Weber and Dye, even though Weber was unaware of the communication at the time. When the two-week Q-Series concluded on Saturday after the eighth and final round, Dye and Weber missed out on LPGA Tour cards—Dye by four strokes, Weber by nine—with Weber conceding that the penalty had affected her weekend play.

Kim, who did secure her card, says she feels horrible about that but remains resolute in her decision to report the violation.

“A lot of people think it’s [bad] that I waited,” Kim said, “but I didn’t want to make an accusation if there was a chance it was going to be a false accusation.

“I was very surprised [they didn’t know the rule]. I don’t want to say I am disappointed in them as individuals, but I am disappointed in the fact that [the violation] was even a possibility, that people claim to have seen it thousands of times. What shocked me was their lack of knowledge of the rules. Does that suck? Royally. Is it excusable? Absolutely not.

“I think everybody, myself included because I don’t know all the rules verbatim, [should know the rules]. There’s no harm in knowing the Rules of Golf. This isn’t basketball, where it’s you can foul someone but [are told] don’t get caught. That’s the antithesis of everything golf is founded on.”

Not long after the story first broke, a firestorm ensued on social media, particularly after Kim’s first tweet following the incident, which read, “Quick PSA-if you’re a golfer, please read and know the rules. PLEASE!!!”

Quick PSA-if you’re a golfer, please read and know the rules. PLEASE!!!

— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) November 1, 2019

The responses that followed ranged from support of Kim, to calling her a narc, or worse.

Though Kim has spent much of the past few days defending her actions on Twitter, she says she also spoke to all parties involved each of the next two days, including before the final round.

“I was shaking in the two hours after [I talked to them]; it did rattle me” said Kim, who had eight putts through her first three holes of the final round. “I told [both players], ‘I hope you shoot 62 today.’ ”

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Their responses, Kim said, ranged from supportive to just trying to move on and focus on what was at stake.

Days later, Kim continues to feel for both players but doesn’t regret her decision to report the infraction, or the manner in which she did it.

“The only thing that has been difficult is knowing that there was a truly innocent unknown rules violation,” she said. “That hurt me. It sucked.

“It’s tough, too, because I know the people involved. They’re good people, but mistakes happen. Those mistakes have severe consequences, but that’s not to say they can be excused. I’m not going to [ignore the violation], because then I’m complicit and all three of us would deserve to be disqualified. It was a tough decision to make in that I care about these people, but I also care about the 95 other players in field. The only thing I regret is people had to be affected by an honest mistake, and it was all avoidable. I feel sad about that.”

At the same time, Kim was overcome with emotion after her tie for 24th to secure her card following a season in which she missed the cut 13 times in 20 starts.

“I told myself to make it a two-week journey,” she said of the Q-Series. “I could approach it as, ‘Woe is me; I failed this year,’ or that I had an opportunity to showcase that I belong out there.”

Kendall Dye. Photo: David Cannon

So Kim packed up her car and made the eight-hour drive to Pinehurst. Along the way, she listened to podcasts and pumped herself up. She even carried her bag the first four rounds before calling in a caddie for the final four.

“It was a tough year,” she said, noting personal and professional struggles. “At times the light inside of me dimmed. I felt like I was in Barrow, Alaska, and it was December 21, and I was waiting for the sun to rise, and you can’t see it coming.”

Things started to turn when her swing changes started to take hold. She’d also switched to a low-carb keto diet, switched to more blade-like irons within PXG, and leaned on those in her inner circle, including her boyfriend.

All of it led to her feeling rejuvenated, she said, and it showed on the course with a tie for 20th at the Indy Women in Tech Championship in September. It was her best finish in two months and stopped a streak of four straight missed cuts.

Then came Q Series and securing her card.

“I knew it was going to be OK,” Kim said. “Aside from the dumpster fire that took place the last few days, it’s been really cool.”

The post Kim feels sad about the rules controversy at LPGA Q-Series but stands by her actions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Christina Kim, one of the sport’s more colorful characters, captured an LPGA Tour card for the 2020 season. Unfortunately for Kim, she has spent most of the weekend defending a called rules violation rather than celebrating her feat.

The controversy involves Kim, Dewi Weber and Kendall Dye during Thursday’s sixth round of LPGA Q-Series at Pinehurst No. 9. According to Golfweek, as Weber prepared to play the par-3 17th (the group’s eighth hole of the day) Dye gestured to Weber’s caddie to confirm what club Weber was using. This motion breaks Rule 10-2 under soliciting advice, resulting in a two-stroke penalty for both parties—even though Weber was unaware of the communication at the time.

Kim, however, saw the interaction, but choose not to say anything until the end of the round. At that point, she informed a rules official and the players about the violation.

Both Dye and Weber’s caddie admitted they had exchanged gestures, although Dye told Golfweek she was unaware it was an infraction. “I had no idea that was the Rules of Golf. Lesson learned,” she said.

Dye and Weber both told Golfweek that they were not pleased, however, with Kim’s timing, preferring to have known the issue right after it happened. They were further incensed when Kim wrote, “Quick PSA-if you’re a golfer, please read and know the rules. PLEASE!!!”

The fallout was immediate, as Kim spent the next two days on social media defending her actions and comments. She made an appearance on Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive” to plead her case.

“I’ve been called a nark,” Kim said. “Unfortunately, the Rules of Golf don’t really care about who [are] your friends, don’t really care about your personal emotions, and one thing I pride myself in is my integrity and just knowing that I had to do the right thing. If I was going to sit there and try to protect my two friends, one, I’m in breach of the Rules, which is something I hold sacred, and two, that’s unfair to the other 95 players in the field, so it was a really tough decision.

“I wasn’t trying to start any drama,” Kim said. “All I was trying to do is just remind people, hey, if you’re going to do something just make sure you do it within the confines of what is and isn’t allowed.”

Dye, for her part, wasn’t buying it, saying she was “very disappointed” in Kim’s “unprofessional and very public” action.

pic.twitter.com/P3L1i6KdqO

— Kendall Dye (@Kendall_Dye) November 3, 2019

When Q-Series was over on Saturday after the eighth and final round, both Dye and Weber missed out on cards. Weber conceding the penalty affected her weekend play. “It shouldn’t have,” Weber said after a Saturday 82 submarined her chances. “That’s absolutely, 100 percent on me.”

Dye came to the final hole needing an ace to get inside the top 45 and earn her tour card. She went for broke, but pulled tee shot into the water resulted in a double bogey.

The post Controversy erupts at LPGA Q-school following rules violation appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Her resolve didn’t make it beyond her obligatory media conference on Monday morning let alone the first tee Wednesday but the tears she shared will have a far greater impact than any shot she hits in this week’s season-ending Ladies European Tour (LET) event. Perhaps any shot she ever hits again.

Golf’s undisputed social media queen broke down when she recalled the online abuse she encountered after her professional debut at last year’s Dubai Ladies Masters where she missed the cut and finished tied last on 15 over par.

The Scottsdale, Arizona 23-year-old admitted she had struggled with depression and anxiety as faceless online trolls went to work on her rounds of 77-79 on the Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis layout after she had been granted a sponsor’s invite.

Probed by Golf Digest Middle East for the extent of the cyber bullying that followed, Spiranac needed time to compose herself as she recalled how online abusers called her a “disgrace to golf” and even questioned her sexual habits.

“I think it’s really important…people need to see how much it actually does affect me, and the things they call me,” Spiranac started.

“I feel like I was raised right from my parents, and for them to attack my parents and attack what I’m doing, it’s really difficult. I struggled with a lot of depression after it, because as a 22-year-old, you feel like you’re not worth anything.

To have all these people say that I’m not a good golfer, I’m not a good person, you know, I’m promiscuous or make these judgments about me that are not true, it’s really hard, just because I like to wear Spandex on the golf course. – Paige Spiranac

Spiranac avoided social media for three weeks afterwards and even considered quitting the game as the “extremely cruel” abuse from “the hardest experience of my life” amplified.

She admitted it was difficult talking about the abuse even now but feels compelled to speak out with teenage suicide rates rising.

“And they think it’s because of cyber bullying. And so if I can share my story, and I’m okay with being emotional about it and I’m okay with kind of expressing what happened to me, because people don’t realise how hard it was on me…people saying the world is better off without me.

“Cyber bullying is a huge problem and no one ever discusses it. It’s no longer funny. It’s not the cool thing to do to make fun of other people, and you need to be supportive and I think that’s really important.”

SEE ALSO:
Spiranac eyes Omega Dubai Ladies Masters return
Paige Spiranac and her crazy professional debut

Spiranac credited tour LPGA Tour stars Natalie Gulbis and Christina Kim, the latter having courageously emerged from her own mental health issues, for reaching out during the darkest post Dubai days.

As well as switching swing coaches (Tyler Hall has worked on simplifying her swing and controlling her ball flight leading into this week), she also enlisted the guidance of a mental coach. Dr Nick Molinaro has enabled her to navigate the demons of Dubai and the inevitable pitfalls of being “liked” by in excess of one million followers across her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

The early signs are encouraging. Spiranac won her first professional title on the Cactus Tour in Phoenix earlier this year and was thrilled to make the weekend at the Ladies Scottish Open despite opening up with bogey, double bogey, par, bogey at Dundonald Links.

Still, she refuses to set goals beyond trying to enjoy herself in Dubai, raise awareness of cyber bullying and continuing to grow the game via her social media following.

“It doesn’t matter how I play this week, it really doesn’t. But the fact that I’m here and I’m sharing my story, hopefully can save someone’s life, I think that’s so much more important than if I make the cut or miss the cut,” she said.

The post VIDEO: Spiranac hopes to ‘save someone’s life’ by speaking out on cyber bullies appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.