Arrived On Crutches, Finished Second In The Open – The Remarkable Week Of Tom Kim

Tom Kim arrived at Royal Liverpool on crutches and left it with a share of second place after a brilliant 67 on Sunday.

The Korean, the second youngest two-time winner on the PGA Tour, suffered a Grade 1 ankle sprain at his accommodation on Thursday night and spent the rest of his week in a cast.

“Where I'm staying, there is like this patio and it drops down to the grass. There is like half a yard of mud and my foot got caught and slipped and popped,” Kim explained. “I'm barely walking but it's cool how I got away with it. I can't take off my shoe really. I don't know how I really walked. But once the adrenaline popped in I got away with it. Now I'm surviving," the 21-year-old explained.

“I was told to suck it up. I certainly did that and played well. It was very close to calling it off and not playing, get home and try to see a doctor because it's pretty bruised. My trainer did tell me it was definitely playable. I taped it up a lot where it's not going to get worse. I do need a wheelchair going to the clubhouse."

In between there was a lot of treatment and ice and he finished his eighth Major with his best effort yet. There were a number of half swings and plenty of shots off the back foot on Sunday and it was a genuine masterclass in getting it round. There was an eagle at the 5th, after knocking in an approach from 249 yards to 12 feet, along with four birdies. In the end he shot a 67 to finish the week at seven-under to share second with Sepp Straka, Jason Day and Jon Rahm.

"It actually lasted better today. I took off my cast and kind of saw and it actually got a lot better, which was really nice to see. My team and my medical team have done a great job of protecting it and making sure it's not moving as much as possible. Obviously coming down the stretch of a Major when you're playing well the adrenaline kind of hits and makes sure you're kind of in it."

The Sunday weather was the worst of the week, raining throughout a miserable day, but Kin was up to the challenge, whatever that was. 

"You could slip really easily. The last thing I need right now is another twist or another slip. Obviously being kind of chilly, it tends to be a little bit more sore. I was thinking about pulling out of my second round and the third round. But I'm kind of glad I didn't."