By Andrew Both
AUGUSTA, Ga. (Reuters) – It was a case of no putter, no problem for Kim Si-woo at the Masters on Friday.
After breaking his putter in anger, the South Koran used a three-wood to putt on the final four holes at Augusta National.
A frustrated Kim broke the shaft of the club when he slammed it into the turf in frustration while waiting to putt at the 15th hole.
But the faux pas probably did not even cost him a shot, because he deftly two-putted from mid-range over the closing stretch to remain only three shots behind halfway leader Justin Rose.
“The last few holes, I only had birdie putts, so no pressure to make (them),” he said after a three-under-par 69. “Yeah, I think it’s just I got lucky there.”
South Korean Kim acknowledged that frustration had gotten the better of him after he lipped-out a short putt at the 14th hole and then hit a mediocre chip at the 15th.
“That’s not on purpose, but it was broken,” he said.
When reporters tried to quiz him further on the incident, Kim replied: “I don’t want to answer anymore, sorry.”
Kim’s performance at the Masters follows hot on the heels of the joint second place by compatriot Im Sung-jae at last year’s Masters.
No Korean has won the tournament, but hope springs eternal.
“When I was kid every time I watched the Masters and every major. It’s an honour and I’m proud of myself. I hope I’m still there Sunday.”
Kim has won three times on the PGA Tour, including the prestigious Players Championship.
This is the fourth straight time he has made the halfway cut at the Masters.
(Reporting by Andrew Both, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
