‘Temper Tantrums’ Leave PGA Tour Pro Frustrated After Controversial Q-School DQ

Frank Kennedy may have made the biggest mistake of his career in Spain. His disqualification from the Final Stage of the DP World Tour’s Q-School on Sunday is now catching the eye of PGA Tour pros. In this case, 2018 John Deere Classic champion Michael Kim hopped on social media to express his frustration over what he described as Kennedy’s tantrums.

“I’ve played with many golfers that have temper tantrums on the golf course that would make 5 yr olds cringe,” Kim wrote on X. “I hear the excuse ‘they’re great off the golf course’ or ‘I’m a passionate player, it’s who I am’ all the time. But at a certain point, it’s a work environment. At no work setting would breaking computers, loudly cursing, etc ever be ok.”

Kim’s dig at the 21-year-old Englishman came in response to a tweet from Monday Q Info. The account reported on Kennedy’s disqualification from Q-School after the golfer Kennedy’s disqualification from Q-School after the golfer allegedly damaged “a green.” Kennedy was reportedly 15-under-par through the first four rounds, having carded scores of 72, 66, and 64 over the opening three days of the event.

So, what exactly did he do to get booted out of the tournament? Well, according to the X account, sources told them that Kennedy had taken out “a divot” from the green on the 11th hole. Even worse, one of the players competing in the event reportedly described the damage to the course as “a one-foot divot” located just four feet away from the hole.

The DP World Tour itself released a statement on Kennedy’s exit, revealing that the disqualification stemmed from “serious misconduct, after causing deliberate damage to the course.” From the looks of it, his exit falls under Rule 1.2a of the Rules of Golf, which deals with “serious misconduct” by a player during a tournament.

The rule specifically lists “deliberately causing serious damage to a putting green” as an example of conduct that can result in a player’s immediate disqualification. But, to Michael Kim’s point, Monday Q Info also reported that Kennedy had been arguing “for a long time” with the officials after being informed of his disqualification from the tournament.

Meanwhile, the X account also reported that Kennedy’s father could be looking to turn the disqualification into an “injunction,” potentially forcing the Tour, the club, or a governing body to allow the young golfer to continue competing in the event. However, no official developments regarding such a move have emerged at the time of writing.

Kennedy himself has yet to comment on his exit from the final stage of Q-School at INFINITUM Golf. In any case, it is worth noting that he finished fourth in the second stage of the event at Isla Canela Links in Huelva, Spain. The 21-year-old is also believed to have enjoyed a decorated amateur career in Europe, highlighted by his victory at the Euram Bank Open in 2024, when he was just 18 years old. That win earned him €43,200 ($48,481) in prize money.

His disqualification, meanwhile, could prove particularly painful given the promising position he appeared to be in before the incident. After all, the top 15 players and ties at Q-School will earn DP World Tour cards for the 2027 season. Not to mention, those players will also receive fully exempt Category 5 status on the HotelPlanner Tour. 

And players who finish in the top 40, including ties, will receive Category 9 status on the HotelPlanner Tour, giving them another route to compete at the professional level next season. That said, while Kennedy might not like his disqualification, seven other players greatly benefited from it, which includes LIV Golf star Luis Masaveu.

The thing is, if Kennedy had stayed, it would have meant that those seven players would finish outside the top positions required to make the cut for the 5th round. But with the 21-year-old gone, all seven are safe to move on to the next round. As the tournament enters its final two rounds, 24-year-old Matteo Cristoni isat the top of the leaderboard. 

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