Golf pro Bio Kim has been suspended for three years by the Korean Tour for flipping off a fan during the DGB Financial Group Volvik Daegu Gyeongbuk Open last week. Kim ended up winning the tournament, with the incident happened in the final round on the 16th hole. According to the Golf Channel, Kim got upset when he heard a cell phone camera go off during his downswing. That led to him making the gesture to the crowd, and he then slammed his club to the ground.
Along with being suspended for three years, Kim was fined for the U.S. equivalent of $8,350. There was an emergency tour meeting on Tuesday, and he was seen kneeling in front of television cameras.
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“Kim Bi-o damaged the dignity of a golfer with etiquette violation and inappropriate behavior,” the tour said in a statement.
Once the incident was seen on social media, many people weighed in on if Kim should have been suspended.
One fan said, “Idiot in the gallery, should be ejected. No suspension, but a fine is more like it. 3-year suspension a joke.”
Another fan said, “Obviously not a player-run tour! The PGA Tour can use some of this is instead of appeasing to a bunch of primadonnas.”
A THREE-year ban, for this! pic.twitter.com/O3HZPueY2s
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) October 1, 2019
The comments continued to roll in with one person saying “And this guy is the tour money leader. Not happening on PGA to a star player. This is the punishment the PGA is saving for a teenager from China.”
Another person said, “This is absurd. Maybe they should suspend the photographer who took the picture mid-swing instead?”
Before Kim was suspended, he was Korea’s money leader and he was the leader in Player of the Year Points. But with him being suspended, Kim won’t win Player of the Year since he won’t be able to finish out the season.
Kim turned pro in 2010 and lost his PGA Tour card in 2011 according to ESPN. After 2011, Kim made 39 combined starts in 2012 and 2013 and earned $117,542 on the Korn Ferry Tour. Kim has won the Korean Tour twice in his career and was named Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year in 2010.
So can Kim golf in other countries like the U.S. since he’s just suspended in Korea? As of now, the PGA Tour has said he’s not eligible to play until they complete their own review on Kim.
