PGA Tour star Michael Kim couldn’t resist a dig at Bryson DeChambeau.
It came after DeChambeau struggled to get along with his approach play in the opening round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow on Thursday.
DeChambeau, who was recently victorious in South Korea, has started the second major of the season in poor form.
The LIV Golf star struggled with the opening nine holes, playing the front in one-over-par, after making eight pars and one bogey at the par-four third.
He wasn’t the only big name to begin poorly, with Rory McIlroy also making a slow start.
Matters became worse for DeChambeau when his form was mocked on social media, with Kim taking part in it.
“Give him [DeChambeau] time til tomorrow. He’s not used to playing on Thursday,” Kim posted on X.
Kim is taking aim at LIV’s 54-hole tournaments, which start on Fridays and play three rounds to determine a winner.
PGA coach Jon Sherman also expressed his shock at DeChambeau’s start.
“Bryson’s distance control is shocking for a guy who works so hard on the range and has all the numbers dialed in. Legitimately perplexing,” he wrote on X.
Kim himself was in action in the morning, as he fought to a level-par 71 in a modest start.
Although the 2018 John Deere Classic champion had an issue with one aspect of Thursday’s action
@Mike_kim714 via XThe post amassed thousands of likes quickly[/caption]
Like world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, Kim criticised the use of the mud balls, with the PGA of America not using the preferred lies despite the heavy rain.
“I hit in the middle of the fairway, you’ve got mud on your ball and it’s tough to control where it goes after that,” Scheffler said.
“It’s frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it’s going to go.”
Xander Schauffele also slammed the use of mud balls..
“The mud balls are going to get worse. That wasn’t your question, but they’re going to get worse as the plays dry up,” Schauffele told reporters.
“They’re going to get in that perfect cake zone, where it’s kind of muddy underneath, and then picking up mud on the way through.
“I mean, you just keep – I don’t know, maybe hit it a little bit lower off the tee, but then unfortunately the problem with hitting it low off the tee is the ball doesn’t carry or roll anywhere.
“So then you sacrifice distance. It’s a bit of a crapshoot.”
Tourament organisers often prefer not to use preferred lies due to the perception that it would devalue the tournament.
