Major Winner Involved In Peculiar Ball Marker Incident At LOTTE Championship
Hyo Joo Kim managed to somehow land her golf ball on her playing partner's ball marker during the second round of the LOTTE Championship, leading to a rather humorous moment
Golf has the tendency to produce some bizarre moments, but even we would have struggled to predict what happened during the LOTTE Championship.
Hyo Joo Kim, who is enjoying a fine 2026 with two victories, was the culprit, with the South Korean managing to land a chip shot directly on a ball marker that was lying on the green.
Although it's unclear as to which hole the incident occurred at, Kim was seen playing a short chip shot from the edge of the green.
Taking the club back and making impact, the ball was bang online before landing on her playing partner's marker on the green, with the coin bouncing in the air and rolling some 10-feet before coming to rest.
As the ball finished a few feet from the flag, the moment caused Kim to drop to her knees while laughing, as the nine-time LPGA Tour winner couldn't quite believe what had occurred during her second round.
In terms of the ruling, Rule 13.1d states: "There is no penalty if any player (including you) accidentally moves your ball or ball-marker on the putting green.
"You must replace your ball on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated) or place a ball-marker to mark that original spot."
Kim has six top 10s in 2026, earning two wins at the Fortinet Founders Cup and Ford Championship
Following on from the humorous moment, Kim went on to finish two-under for the tournament and, in the process, miss the cut by a single stroke; this was despite hitting 14 of 14 fairways during her second round.
It's just her second missed cut of the season, after Kim failed to make the weekend at the US Women's Open back in June.
