It’s not every day that you see someone get disqualified from a tournament because of a clerical error by the tournament hosts. But that’s exactly what happened with Minkyu Kim in R3 of the Kolon Korea Open. Kim signed for a three-over 74 for the day for a share of 39th spot when, after the round, he was disqualified for a scorecard error. Kim shared his side of the story following the moment.

“Hello, this is Kim Mingyu. This incident was due to an error in the scorecard recording process, and I respect the competition regulations and the final decision. However, despite both the player and official records recognizing the same total score during the post-round check, it is regrettable that the specific clerical error was not caught in the hole-by-hole verification process before final submission. Rather than blaming anyone, I believe this incident serves as an opportunity for both players and tournament organizers to reflect on the importance of accurate verification procedures,” Minkyu Kim wrote on May 24.

According to the Seoul Economic Daily, the mistake happened on the 16th hole: Kim scored a bogey but recorded a par on the scorecard.

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

On Which Hole Jordan Spieth’s Ball Got Stuck Under a Trashcan?

14th 15th16th 17th

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

On a more basic level, in stroke play competitions, a player’s score is recorded on the card by an official, most commonly called the “marker.” After each hole, the marker should double-check the player’s gross score and jot it on the card. When the round ends, the marker must certify the recorded scores. The rule is actually to certify the scores, not to total them; adding up the numbers isn’t the marker’s job.

However, it is generally considered the player’s responsibility to ensure their scorecard is correct.

That’s because there are grave consequences:

• If you certify a hole with a score higher than what you actually made, there’s no penalty, but the higher score stands.

• If you certify a hole with a score lower than your actual score, you will be disqualified.

• There’s one exception: if you failed to mention or include an unknown penalty. If that penalty is found before the competition closes, the committee will adjust the hole score to include it and update the total accordingly.

So, it is the player who pays the price for it. Considering that, Kim added, as per Golf Monthly, “Through this experience, I will also approach the game with a more cautious and responsible attitude. I sincerely thank everyone who always supports and believes in me. I will greet you all again next week with a better version of myself.”

Meanwhile, he is not the only pro to have faced such a crisis. You might remember Jordan Spieth and his blunder at the 2024 Genesis Invitational. In R2 of that event, Spieth recorded a par on the par-3 4th instead of the bogey he had actually made, hence putting him safe inside from the Friday cut. It put his score at a two-over 73. He was still well within the cut line; however, he realized his mistake a little too late and was eventually disqualified.

On the other hand, for Kim, a member of LIV Golf’s Korean GC, this must have been a hard pill to swallow. He sits 41st in the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit and 53rd in LIV Golf’s Individual Standings. This season, Kim has finished inside the top-10 just once, at the Asian Tour’s Maekyung Open. Needless to say, every start matters to him.

However, he was hardly the one to face a tough week. Apart from Kim, some other big names missed the cut for the last few rounds.

Minkyu Kim was competing with a major winner and the brother of a PGA Tour player

Sitting 33rd on the Genesis points table, Kim would be eager to earn more points on the KPGA rankings. But he faced two major threats at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club this week.

One was Brooks Koepka‘s brother, Chase, who was also competing. Unfortunately, he missed the cut, shooting 5-over par.

Another American pro who joined the event for the first time after 20 years was Bubba Watson. But even he failed to impress, missing the cut by shooting a 7-over par in the first two rounds.

All three rounds of the 68th Kolon Korea Open have been quite eventful so far. It will be interesting to see what happens on Championship Sunday as Jiho Yang goes for the win.