Tour pro jokes about going "full Tonya Harding" to get into US Open
A PGA Tour pro said he would go "full Tonya Harding" to get into this week's US Open field.
A PGA Tour pro joked that he would go "full Tonya Harding" to get into this week's US Open field.
The 123rd US Open is set to be begin Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club in California.
Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick is the defending champion after he earned his first major championship last year at The Country Club in Massachusetts.
This year's event will mark the third major championship of 2023, with Jon Rahm (Masters) and Brooks Koepka (PGA Championship) the two current major champions.
Qualifying for the tournament has been a hot topic over the past few months, as LIV Golf's Talor Gooch discovered a slight rule change meant he was no longer eligible.
Despite winning back-to-back LIV Golf tournaments earlier this year, Gooch did not ultimately qualify for this week's major and will not be making the trip to Los Angeles.
Someone whose US Open dreams are still alive, however, is 2018 John Deere Classic winner Michael Kim.
Kim, 29, joked that he was going to go "full Tonya Harding" to try and get into the major field after realizing he was the first alternate on Sunday.
I’m currently the 1st alternate for the US open… I’ll let Twitter decide who I go full Tonya Harding on and break their leg… who’s it going to be??? pic.twitter.com/s4Y8OMMC71
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) June 11, 2023
Harding was an Olympic figure skater from the US, who's known for being involved in one of the most infamous sporting scandals of all-time.
A group, including Harding's then-husband, arranged for her opponent to be injured so she could have a better chance at winning the US Nationals and qualifying for the Olympics.
A few hours after Kim referenced this infamous event, a clip of Canadian Adam Hadwin went viral when a security guard at the RBC Canadian Open mistook him for a fan invading the course, taking him down in a full-blown tackle.
Adam with the weapon of choice, a bottle of champagne https://t.co/M4cs3qNXRs
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) June 11, 2023
Fortunately, it appears Hadwin is OK, and will still be making the trip out west for the major.
Kim then joked that he was secretly behind Hadwin getting tackled:
Everyone, Adam is fine, he’s on the charter… clearly I paid the wrong security guard for the job….
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) June 12, 2023
In the end, the USGA announced on Monday that Kim, along with a few others, had been added into the 156-player field.
Kim, who was raised in California, will be making his second US Open appearance.
