Surprise Downpour Dooms Kang’s Chances at TPC Potomac

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A very crowded leaderboard made for a crazy Sunday at the Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac, as roughly a dozen players still had a chance coming in.

 
One of those players, South Korea’s Sung Kang, found himself at an enormous disadvantage when sunny skies briefly broke into a torrential downpour.

While champion Kyle Stanley, among others, were able to ride out the surprise storm, neither Kang nor his caddy had packed an umbrella, or any other rain gear.

During the downpour, Kang missed a short birdie putt on No. 16 that would have tied the lead. The horn then sounded, signifying a weather delay, one that only ended up being five minutes long.

Once play resumed, a drenched Kang was still out of sorts and double-bogeyed the 17th hole, ending his chances of a first career PGA Tour victory. At -4, Kang finished in a share of fifth place.

Bullets

  • Unprepared: Sung Kang was one of a large group of players who still had hopes of winning the Quicken Loans National down the stretch. The 30-year-old had a share of the lead at one point on the back nine, and was just a stroke out with three to go when the skies suddenly went dark. A brief downpour soaked Kang, who had not brought any rain protection gear, making his finish difficult.
  • Missed Opportunity: Less than four feet away from a 16th hole birdie that would have re-tied the lead, a drenched Kang missed the birdie putt in the rain, settling for a par.
  • Soaking Wet:T ournament officials stopped play due to excessive rain, a respite that only lasted about five minutes. When play resumed, Kang was forced to play his last two holes in heavy, soaked apparel. He double-bogeyed the 17th and then parred the 18th to finish three strokes behind Kyle Stanley.
  • Open Invite: There was a silver lining for Kang, however. The top four finishers in the field received exemptions to this month’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The final spot came down to Kang and a handful of others who were tied at -4. At No. 87 in the world, Kang was the highest ranked of the group, and as a result, was given the spot in the Open.

Quotable

“It said zero percent chance of rain all day. Like no chance of thunderstorms at all.”
Sung Kang


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