Tom Kim was at the center of controversy following his 12th-hole meltdown at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. His poor closing stretch saw him drop 28 places at the event, all but ending his playoff hopes and much more. But apart from his performance, it was the way he took out his frustrations that became a point of debate.

On Sunday, August 18, after missing a birdie putt at the par-four 12th, Kim stamped his putter on the green, causing a divot in the surface. Moreover, he didn’t repair it before walking off. After much public backlash, the South Korean international has released a statement apologizing to the fans.

Kim revealed he wasn’t aware of the dent on the greens. Taking to his Instagram a day later, Kim posted a story that read, “It’s been brought to my attention about my frustration shown yesterday on the 12th green. I will never lie to my peers and fans because I have to much respect and gratitude towards them.”

“I wasn’t aware that I had made that big of a damage on the green cause if I did I would’ve never just left without repairing it, but I was clearly wrong and will take full responsibility of my actions and will be better going forward. Thank you and I apologize again and thank you for your support throughout a tough year,” he wrote in the rest of the post. Some reports noted at that time that his caddie, Paul Tesori, fixed the green. But it generally falls on the player to fix the damage.

His frustration stemmed from the fact that he appeared to secure his playoff place after the first 15 holes before it all unraveled for him.

He played the first 15 holes in four-under-par, without any bogey, made four birdies, and appeared to be set to qualify for the BMW Championship until a final-round meltdown destroyed his chances. He stood 46th in the standings as he prepared for the 16th tee and it went downhill from there.

On the 16th, the three-time PGA Tour winner picked up a bogey. Then, on the final two holes, Tom Kim made two successive double-bogeys. Kim went tumbling down from 46 to 47 and then 49, before finishing T-50, with Keegan Bradley going through in his place.

The unraveling, however, started on the 12th, it would appear. The missed tap-in birdie putt got him in a state of frustration and he never quite recovered.

Speaking afterward, Tom reflected on his poor play toward the end. “I was actually cruising. A bogey on 16 cost me a lot. Then hit a good drive and then another really poor missed shot, just anywhere left is fine and missed it right.”

He also talked about how this season has been a challenging one for him. “Just this year, man. This year has been really tough for me personally. I went through a lot of changes. I played some good golf and had probably five bad rounds that cost me possibly one top 5, one top 10, and something like this,” he said.

As a result, Kim is now out of the playoffs and is projected to drop from 46 to 5 in the FedEx playoff standings. This means he will also miss signature PGA events in 2025.

Without a victory, Kim will have to rely on either sponsor exemption or the AON 5 swing, unless he wins a tournament next year to qualify for all the signature events. The fatal blow to his FedEx Cup hopes also came on the heels of his Olympic heartbreak and a ruined chance of relief from the country’s stringent military duties.

Can Tom Kim evade the mandatory conscription?

A few weeks ago, Kim narrowly missed a chance at an Olympic medal. A podium finish at Le Golf National would’ve exempted him from the mandatory military service in South Korea. The East Asian country gives leeway to those who earn a medal at the Olympics or a gold medal at any Asian Games.

Otherwise, every male between 18 and 35 has to sign up for mandatory 18–21 months of military service. Previously, Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi served in the military. On the other hand, Kevin Na obtained U.S. citizenship after moving stateside at the age of eight. Na lost his South Korean citizenship, thus also avoiding the mandatory conscription.

Interestingly, when asked about the military exemption at the Olympics, Kim emphasized that was the last thing on his mind. He was more focused on bringing a medal to his country, which he failed to do. It’s truly been a rough couple of weeks for the 22-year-old, which culminated in a FedEx St. Jude meltdown.