PGA Tour’s Tom Kim Owns Up to ‘Mental Barrier’ Slowing Him Down After His Playing Pace Caused an Uproar

Tom Kim’s struggles with slow play are not news for anyone following the world of golf. Most recently, at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the South Korean golfer took a long time to ready his approach shot. Despite the time taken, the shot fell out of bounds, leaving everyone stunned.

Frank Nobilo, who was on the broadcast during the time, had some thoughtful words to say. “It wasn’t worth the wait,” Nobilo opined. Michael S Kim also poked fun at Tom Kim’s expense tweeting, “He’s slow. Everyone knows that haha what else is there?”  This was happening at a time when the slow play debate was at a crescendo and calls for immediate action were being made.

Tom Kim knows that this issue exists in his game. And he knows that it is getting to a problematic stage. And he has improved on the pace, over his last two PGA Tour starts. Kim made the cut at both events, finishing at an identical T44 at the Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational. Post his game at TGL for the Jupiter Links GC, the three-time PGA Tour winner commented on his improving pace of play, stating, “Torrey was a really good week for me. My pace of play got really improved starting from Waste Management, too. It’s something I’ve been working on.”

The fact that TGL has a shot clock has been proving very fruitful for Tom Kim. The golfer feels that the clock helps him refocus and remove any distractions in his mind. “It’s nice. I think I’m comfortable over the shot clock. I’ve struggled with the pace of play due to a lot of fighting with some mental stuff, but it’s getting a lot better,” the South Korean stated.

Maybe this is something the PGA Tour should adopt. The pace of play has improved over the last few events on the Tour, but that has been a result of thoughtful effort from the players, rather than any rule changes. Over time, this could fall back into the same pattern. It would be easier if the PGA Tour enforced rule changes now. “It helps when I feel like over the shot clock here, I know I’m comfortable over it, so I know I’m not struggling; it was just a matter of going out in tournaments and consistently doing it and beating that mental barrier.”

However, the renewed focus wasn’t enough to grant the Jupiter Links Golf Club victory.

Can Jupiter Links Golf Club qualify for the playoffs?

Tom Kim and Co. Have their work cut out. In the absence of Tiger Woods, the Jupiter Links Golf Club crumbled to defeat against the table-toppers and unbeaten Bay Golf Club. The crucial 9 hole of the triples decided the fate.

The hole, which was decided by the hammer, ended up giving three points to the San Franciso-based team whose co-owner Andre Iguodala was in attendance today. Despite a spirited effort by both Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner in the singles matchup, it was not enough.

Now, Jupiter Links Golf Club has a clear path to the playoffs. The only problem, it depends on the results of the other teams. The Boston Common Golf will need to beat the New York Golf Club and the Jupiter Links need to beat the Atlanta Drive GC to move to the playoffs. Do you think they can make it?