Sad: Christina Kim Protects The Field And Gets Villified
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By now you’ve likely seen the story from LPGA Q-Series: Christina Kim witnessed playing partner Kendall Dye asking for the caddie of Dewi Weber what club was used on the par-3 17th, their 8th hole in the round. Kim first broached the subject with an official not long after, then the issue was fleshed out after the round, resulting in two-stroke penalties for Dye and Weber (because her caddie gave information, a violation of Rule 10-2).
Beth Ann Nichols with the full report here for Golfweek.
And here is my column for Golfweek on this being yet another strange story that you could chalk up to stunning ignorance of the rules, or the bizarre cultural elements that entitle players to believe they are should get the information, lie or good fortune they want.
The column was penned in part based on Kendall Dye’s assertion that this was a private matter but also part of life on the LPGA Tour (which means there are daily rules violations if so).
Kim retained her card, while Dye and Weber did not. She spent her day fending off charges of sensationalizing the situation by taking to Twitter, and from the oddball mob and LPGA sycophants who surface whenever a player suffers shame for bending or breaking the rules. Especially if they are American.
From Brian Wacker’s GolfDigest.com report:
“I was very surprised [they didn’t know the rule]. I don’t want to say I am disappointed in them as individuals, but I am disappointed in the fact that [the violation] was even a possibility, that people claim to have seen it thousands of times. What shocked me was their lack of knowledge of the rules. Does that suck? Royally. Is it excusable? Absolutely not.
On Morning Drive, the assertion by Dye that this behavior is a regular occurrence on the golf course seems utterly ridiculous, or utterly problematic for the LPGA if so. Adam Woodward with a round-up of that peculiar off-shoot debate in this saga.
SiriusXM’s Michael Breed had some interesting remarks on the trolls going after Christina Kim for doing her job as a playing partner. That she waited until after the round seems like a superfluous way of ignoring that a player believed she was entitled to ask others what club they hit to give aid in her decision-making.
