Tom Kim slapped with punishment for causing locker room damage after painful loss

Tom Kim has been given a formal warning after damaging a door in the locker room at last month's Genesis Championship. The 22-year-old lost a playoff to Byeong Hun An and could not control his anger following the defeat in his native South Korea.

A disciplinary committee met on Wednesday to determine how Kim would be punished for his behaviour, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. They concluded that Kim 'failed to maintain dignity' but only gave him a warning rather than a stronger punishment.

The report states that Kim's agent was present for the meeting, with the golfer himself not in attendance. He issued a written apology shortly after the incident, making it clear that he never intended to cause any damage in the locker room.

On Instagram, Kim wrote: "There has been a lot of false reporting, and I wanted to clean things up. It’s important that the information comes directly from me, openly and honestly.

"After the loss I was frustrated, yes absolutely, but I can assure you with absolute truth that I had no intent of damaging any part of the locker, not a single bit. I addressed it with the DP World Tour and the KPGA right after the incident saying that the door came off.

"I’m grateful to everyone that’s reached out with messages of support, but to them and everyone else that I may have let down, I apologise with all my heart."

An image which circulated on social media appeared to show the door fully removed from its hinges, but Kim said it was due to 'safety concerns'. He added that he considered the matter closed after agreeing to pay all expenses for the damage he caused.

It is not the only controversial incident that Kim has been involved in over the last few months. At the Presidents Cup, he made a sarcastic gesture behind the backs of his Team USA rivals after he was denied a gimme on the seventh green.

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele refused to concede the putt, meaning Kim had to finish the job with a simple tap-in from around three feet. Afterwards, he laid down his club next to the hole to illustrate just how short the putt was.

Kim refused to let his frustrations die down, shaking his head and throwing his arms around while following his team-mate to the next hole. He was clearly adamant that he should have been awarded a gimme rather than being made to play the shot for par.