Michael Kim had an unbelievable day at the Black Desert Championship, where luck was definitely on his side.
During the first round, Kim hit two terrible tee shots into the lava rocks and wild terrain left of the 18th fairway. Yet somehow, after a series of fortunate events and lengthy talks with rules officials, he found himself putting for birdie on the green.
His par putt was successful, leaving him with a big smile because it was one of the luckiest pars he’d ever achieved. People often say scorecards don’t show how you got there, but this hole deserved its own storybook.
Unexpected Turn of Events:
Mark Immelman commented that if someone had offered Kim a five after those disastrous tee shots, he would have sprinted to accept it. The sequence began with both his initial and provisional drives veering far left into lava rocks. The first stroke of luck came when they actually found his original ball among all that chaos.
The ball lay awkwardly in a hole surrounded by rocks and plants. While most would think an unplayable lie was inevitable, Kim called over an official to see if an animal burrow could give him a free drop. After some radio chatter with another expert, they granted him relief due to abnormal course conditions—another lucky break!
Fans might think this is one of those rare moments where everything just falls into place perfectly for a player.
Matt Every noted that many players wouldn’t even consider asking for such relief. He humorously pointed out how golf’s rules can be strange: hitting straight down the fairway might land you in trouble without relief, while ending up in “jail” can sometimes work out better for you.
Kim’s adventure continued as he played out from the rough onto the green and narrowly missed a birdie putt before securing his remarkable par. Every couldn’t believe how fortunate Kim was that day: “This is an all-world break.”
Immelman also felt relieved that Kim didn’t make four strokes because it would have been like stealing! Afterward, Kim humorously shared his good fortune online by saying he should buy a lottery ticket given all the breaks he’d received.
What do you think about such lucky moments in sports?
