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TSN Senior Reporter

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It may have been a surprise to many that Si Woo Kim captured the Players Championship, but it wasn't to his coach.

Sean Foley said that despite the fact Kim hadn’t shown any great results this year – just a single top-10 finish in the 2016-17 season – he saw some positive indications that things were turning around.

“He was hitting some great shots in practice rounds and was so excited, he would let out a whoop and run after it,” said Foley, the Burlington, Ont.-born instructor who now resides in Orlando.

He stated that Kim is one of the most talented students he has had in his stable over the years and felt it was only a matter of time before he broke out.

On Sunday morning, Foley sent his young charge a text message that said: “Go out and show off.” That’s exactly what he did, especially with his short game that shined. Kim had 13 one-putt greens, sunk 104 feet of putts and got up and down a perfect nine out of nine times.

One more thing Foley mentioned was Kim’s love of hitting driver off the deck. Kim hit one of those shots during Saturday’s play that impressed just about all who saw it. Foley said his student may be the best he’s ever seen at that shot and plays it quite frequently during practice and, more and more often now, in tournaments.

 

Bad Timing

It’s bad enough to hit a shank, but to do it on the last hole of a big tournament is bordering on humiliating. That’s what Ian Poulter did during Sunday’s final round, hitting his second on the 18th almost straight right. He wasn’t shy about admitting his flub.

“Oh, it was a full one,” he stated. “Yeah, it was a lovely one. Make no -- it was a shank. You'd like me to spell it for you?”

Poulter called that shot one of the worst of his career. But he made up for it on the approach to the green, which he guided from the pine straw through the trees to two feet. He said that one was one of the best in his long history of golf.

 

Staying Hot

Quebec golfer AC Tanguay is having a hot season on the Symetra Tour, the minor-league circuit of the LPGA Tour. She finished third on Sunday in the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women's Health Classic in Greenwood, S.C. That was her fifth top-10 finish in six events this season and she’s currently atop the tour’s money list with just under $40,000.

The top 10 finishers at the end of the season will earn varying degrees of exemption on the LPGA Tour.

Tanguay split her time between the LPGA and Symetra tours last year and had limited success on both. This year she is playing most of her golf on the Symetra Tour although she has made one start on the LPGA Tour at the Silk Bahamas Classic where she missed the cut.

 

Cooling Off

David Hearn enjoyed a good opening to the Players Championship, sitting at five-under after 36 holes, just four off the lead. But on Saturday, he struggled in the tough conditions and, despite feeling as if he wasn’t that far off, ended up shooting 80.

That left him open to some less-than-friendly comments on social media, where he was mocked for his third-round score.

He took to Twitter to remind readers that golf is a hard game and that it was one round in one tournament in his career.

“Last yr on Saturday I shot even par & moved up 30+ spots. Today TPC got the best of me but that is why this course is great. #bettertomorrow,” he wrote in the Tweet.

Hearn was not too worried about his play on that particular day, instead focusing on the long game.

“I’ve played about 260 tournaments in my career and it’s likely I’ll play another 260,” Hearn told me after his final round on Sunday. That’s great perspective.

The Brantford, Ont., native has been working on some swing changes with his new coach, Jeff Leishman. Despite recent results, Hearn believes he’s close to seeing some better results and feels the next round could be the breakout he’s been looking for.