If you are the Jupiter Links Golf Club and you are playing in the TGL, you are guaranteed an embarrassing moment. Don’t believe me? Let’s recap… Kevin Kisner, in the opening match for his team, and the second match of TGL, had an incredible shot that hit the flag pole and bounced off. The chip shot was so powerful that he had people ducking for cover. A few days later, it was Tiger Woods‘s turn. In a must-win match against the New York Golf Club, Tiger Woods hit an approach shot from 199 yards that was well short of the green. He misheard it as 99 yards and had used a sand wedge to cover the distance, only to be left shocked. ““You said 99 yards!? I heard you say 99, not 199,” Woods remarked after realizing his mistake.

Again, in the next match, Kisner was involved again when his shot barely hit the simulator during the Jupiter Links’ crucial fourth match against the Bay Golf Club. And now during the last match of the regular season, Tom Kim has found himself being trolled mercilessly for his slip-up on the course at the SoFi Center in Florida.

Tom Kim was at the 8th hole, ready to hit his shot. He chipped it in and it looked good initially. The South Korean could not believe himself and was ecstatic. He threw the club to the side in baseball style and started celebrating. However, alongside him, Max Homa was in stitches, barely able to control his laughter. Why though?

Turns out, Kim’s shot missed the hole.

It was a moment to remember in TGL, especially since it came on the last day of regular season play. Despite that, one section of fans were not particularly impressed with Kim’s antics on the court.

Fans criticize Tom Kim’s celebration

Who remembers Nick Young doing this on the basketball court? In a match against the New York Knicks in March 2014, Nick Young shot a three-pointer, that looked to be heading in the basket. In his excitement, Young turned and celebrated before the shot went in, only to realize that the ball had hit the rim and bounced off. Embarrassing? Yes. Legendary Meme? Also yes. And now TGL has a similar one of its own.

The parallels are unprecedented. One fan delivered the funny comparison, posting the Nick Young gif.

One fan felt that what Kim did was manufactured and not a natural reaction from the golfer. The aura of his behavior post the shot did not match his level and style of play, they felt, saying: “He def cringe. Like he’s trying too hard. It’s not natural. He doesn’t have it.”

Another fan was short and sweet, not mincing his words. “Yes. He is ridiculous,” the netizen stated on X, after Tom Kim’s premature celebration. Some viewers also felt that it was a bit uncharacteristic from Tom Kim to do as such and likened it to a choreographed sport,  where all actions were decided beforehand before execution. “Everything about TGL is to much, it’s boring choreographed entertainment. TGL = wrestling,” one disappointed fan stated.

One fan used the instance to call out Tom Kim’s slow play on the regular course. The South Korean is well known for his tendency to take time with his shots, including one instance at the AT &T Pebble Beach Pro- Am, when he took too long for a shot which eventually went out of bounds. This forced Frank Nobilo, who was calling the event to say, ‘Not worth the wait.’ The miffed man stated funnily that he “Can’t stand him. Slowest golfer alive. Human rain delay.”

In the end though, TGL is an entertainment platform, a way for making the viewers understand the sport of golf at a very close level. Do you think such hits-and-misses, and funny reactions keep the tournament entertaining? Or do you think that golf should go back to the way it was?