You probably have competed in a golf event earlier than or have had the possibility to play a prestigious golf course like Augusta Nationwide, Pine Valley, or Pebble Seashore, all about first tee jitters.
Nerves tickle up and down your backbone, and you may solely hope your membership makes contact with the ball. It’s a nerve-wracking sensation that each golfer has felt in some unspecified time in the future of their life. In case you fail to make contact — or God forbid you prime one off the primary tee — you’ll doubtless really feel embarrassed for the remainder of the day.
However golf is a humorous sport, and generally, stuff like this occurs to the perfect gamers on the earth.
Simply ask Tom Kim.
Taking part in within the penultimate pairing alongside Tony Finau and Andrew Novak, Kim started his third spherical at 10-under, 4 pictures behind 36-hole chief Sepp Straka. Kim has performed in loads of Important Occasions earlier than, however someway, he topped his opening tee shot on the par-4 1st gap at Pebble Seashore.
Numerous amateurs have executed that loads of instances through the years on the primary tee at Pebble.
However a PGA Tour professional?
It doesn’t occur usually — though Francesco Molinari instantly involves thoughts. 4 years in the past, the 2018 Champion Golfer of the 12 months topped his opening drive on the identical precise tee. Humorous sufficient, that shot additionally got here in the course of the third spherical of the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am.
However in contrast to Kim, who went on to chip in for a birdie on the primary gap in spectacular trend, Molinari may solely summon a bogey and went on to shoot a 4-over 76 that day. The Italian finally completed 59th after starting the weekend in a tie for fifteenth.
As for Kim, the 22-year-old made one other birdie on the par-5 2nd to maintain himself in rivalry as he eyes his first victory of 2025. With the climate anticipated to show borderline unfair, something can occur on Saturday in Monterrey — even a gap prime.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
