Don’t be surprised if Sung Kang packs a little more conservatively the next time he prepares for the final round of a PGA Tour event.
Kang was in the mix at the Quicken Loans National Sunday and facing a 4-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole that would have given him a share of the lead when a pop-up storm raced across TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. The issue for Kang was that he had neither rain gear nor an umbrella in his golf bag because the forecast earlier in the day had called for sunny skies.
“It said zero percent chance of rain all day. Like no chance of thunderstorms at all,” Kang told CBS after his round.
The storm left Kang and his caddie, Jason Shortall, scrambling. With no way to protect himself from the elements, Kang turned his hat backwards on the 16th green amid the downpour but still missed the short birdie putt. After a five-minute weather delay, he strode to the par-3 17th with his shirt still wet and proceeded to put his tee shot in the water, leading to a double bogey that ended his chances of winning.
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“We didn’t expect it was going to rain this hard,” Kang said. “We thought it was just going to be five minutes and gone, but it was pouring down pretty bad. It was just bad timing.”
Kang ended up in a tie for fifth, three shots out of a playoff between Kyle Stanley and Charles Howell III. Despite the weather issues, all was not lost for Kang as his finish was good enough to snag the fourth and final exemption to Royal Birkdale, where the 30-year-old will make his Open debut in three weeks.
“I’ve never played the British Open before,” Kang said. “Another major, so it’ll be really fun to play.”
Source: Internet
