A Bizarre Moment on the Green
Golf often produces strange moments, but few are quite as unusual as what happened during the second round of the LOTTE Championship. Nine-time LPGA Tour winner Hyo Joo Kim found herself in the center of a peculiar incident involving her ball and a playing partner’s marker. While chipping from the edge of the green, Kim struck the ball cleanly, only for it to land directly on the coin marking a teammate’s spot. The impact sent the marker bouncing into the air before it rolled about 10 feet away. Kim dropped to her knees, laughing at the sheer absurdity of the event.
Despite the laughable nature of the play, the outcome was serious for her tournament hopes. According to Yahoo, Kim finished the round at two-under for the tournament but ultimately missed the cut by a single stroke. It was a heartbreaking finish for a player who has enjoyed a fine 2026 season with two victories already in the books. The incident highlights how unpredictable the game can be, even for seasoned veterans who have won nine times on tour.
The Rules Behind the Coin
When a ball strikes a marker on the green, many players immediately assume they are in trouble. However, the rules of golf are quite clear on this specific scenario. As noted by Yahoo, Rule 13.1d explicitly states that no penalty is assessed in this situation. The rulebook reads: “There is no penalty if any player (including you) accidentally moves your ball or ball-marker on the putting green.”
Under these regulations, the player must simply replace the ball on its original spot. If the exact spot is not known, it must be estimated. In Kim’s case, she had to replace her ball and continue play without any stroke penalty added to her score. The incident occurred during her second round, where she also managed to hit 14 of 14 fairways. That level of accuracy is rare and impressive, yet it wasn’t enough to save her from missing the cut by that single, narrow margin. The rules provided relief from a penalty, but they couldn’t change the final scoreline.
The tournament conditions played a massive role in the overall difficulty of the week. A Lim Kim, who took the lead after the first round with a 7-under 65, noted the difficulty of the weather. “Trajectory for control and then putting (are) really important (on) this course because (it’s) very windy,” she said. She added, “And then today, rain is back and forth, back and forth, so tough conditions. But it was really good play today, yeah.”
Other players also faced the challenge of the elements. Yu Liu, who finished tied for second after the first round, commented on the wind. “It was definitely (a) very challenging course, especially with the windy condition, but I felt like today the wind didn’t (get) too strong, which is on the friendly side,” Liu said. She felt she could “score, make some good scores out of the calmer conditions.” Ina Yoon, who was also in contention, mentioned her putting success, saying, “I made a lot of like mid-range putts today.”
By the second round, the leaderboard shifted again. Jeeno Thitikul and Polly Mack shared the lead at 12-under. Thitikul, seeking her fourth LPGA win of the year, managed a bogey-free 65. She noted, “It it was lucky for us enough to not have that much gusts.” Mack, who matched her score, felt her hard work was paying off. “It feels really good,” Mack said. “It feels like the work I’ve put in recently, but all year, really comes to shine right now.”
This incident serves as a reminder that golf is a game of fine margins. Hyo Joo Kim missed the cut by just one stroke, a difference that could easily be attributed to the bad luck of hitting a marker or a single missed putt. For a player of her caliber, with six top-10 finishes in 2026, missing the cut is a rare occurrence. The fact that she hit every fairway in the second round shows her skill remains sharp, but the randomness of the game can still intervene.
The rules are designed to be fair, and the lack of a penalty in this situation was the correct call. Accidents happen, and the sport has mechanisms to handle them without punishing players for things out of their control. However, the psychological impact of such a moment cannot be ignored. Seeing a ball marker fly away after a well-struck shot can break a player’s rhythm, even if the rules say they are fine. Kim’s reaction of laughing on her knees suggests she took it in stride, but the pressure of the tournament remained high.
The LOTTE Championship has historically been a strong event for Kim, who won the tournament in 2022. The stakes are high as the tour heads toward a month of tournaments in Asia. The next stop is the Buick LPGA Shanghai, scheduled for October 15-18. Players will look to regroup and find their form before the season continues overseas. For Kim, the focus now shifts to the Asian swing, where she will need to bounce back from this narrow miss.
Looking Ahead to Asia
The action in Hawaii is concluding, and the tour is set to move quickly to the next leg of the season. Beginning Oct. 15-18 with the Buick LPGA Shanghai, a month of tournaments in Asia follows the tournament.
