Moments After Making Into US Open Records Book, Tom Kim Gets Support From the Defending Champion Over a USGA Blunder: ‘Very Poor’

Tom Kim’s meteoric rise to the top has resulted in him picking up two PGA Tour wins by the age of 20. Now, as we head into the final round of the US Open, Kim is among the top contenders for the trophy, thanks to his blistering third-round performance.

Despite his heroics, however, the 20-year-old couldn’t help but express his disappointment over one aspect of the Los Angeles Country Club, the host site of the major. Kim’s frustrations have also been seconded by Matt Fitzpatrick, the reigning US Open champion.

Tom Kim relays his frustrations despite history-making round

Records continued to tumble at the LACC on a moving day, with Tom Kim equaling a sensational US Open record. The South Korean golfer had entered Saturday 11 shots behind leader Rickie Fowler, with many having dismissed his chances at winning the coveted title. But Kim proved them wrong, and how!

Day 3 of the tournament saw the golfer kick things off with a brilliant front-nine 29. In doing so, he became only the fifth player in US Open history to card a 29 in a nine-hole stretch. The last golfer to do it was Louis Oosthuizen in the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay. Later, a couple of misfires on the back saw Kim close the day with a 4-under 66, putting him at 3-under 207.

However, despite finishing in the top 10 at the end of the round, Kim couldn’t help but feel peeved about the hushed environment at the major venue. “I think they restricted the people to 20,000 people. Man, I would have loved to see this place packed,” said Kim. “It’s LA and it’s in Beverly Hills. It is an amazing venue.”

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Defending US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick also slammed the LACC and USGA on Saturday, saying that the venue was simply not his cup of tea.

Reigning US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick latest to slam US Open venue

The penultimate day of the US Open saw England’s Matt Fitzpatrick make some critical remarks about the LACC to Barstool‘s Dan Rapaport. He also blamed the USGA for applying capacity limitations and even slammed the club members for exploiting the ticket policy.

“Very poor . . . It’s disappointing on the USGA side,” said the World No. 8. “They want a great tournament—from what I’ve heard a lot of members bought tickets and that’s why there’s so many less people.”  The English golfer further hoped that future editions of the major wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes.

Prior to Fitzpatrick, another former US Open winner had also slammed the Los Angeles course for its low-scoring conditions. “I am not a huge fan of this place,” LIV pro and 5-time major winner Brooks Koepka had said on Friday. Per Koepka, the US Open should be one of the most daunting tests in golf.

After receiving widespread criticism over the lack of spectators and unusually low scores, the USGA will definitely be hoping for a thrilling final day to put an end to the woes of the golf community.

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What did you think of Tom Kim’s third-round performance? What was your favorite moment from day 3 of the US Open? Tell us in the comments!