Former PGA pro reacts to Tom Kim's fist pump controversy with Scottie Scheffler- "I am definitely not getting in his face"
Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim got into it at the Presidents Cup, sparking a min-feud between the two golfers during their head-to-head match-up. Kim and Scheffler were going back and forth, talking trash to one another, and the former was leading the charge on that.
While Kim momentarily had the upper hand on Scheffler and let him know about it, the lead didn't last. From then on, the world number one didn't lose a hole and led the USA to a dominant opening round win.
Former pro golfer Carl Paulson couldn't believe that Kim was so bold. He said:
"If I'm playing Scottie Scheffler, and I make a putt on him, I'm going to do a fist pump and I am out of his way. I am definitely not getting in his face. Are you kidding me? You get a guy, and you make him mad and he's going to react."
The golfer continued, saying that Scheffler did indeed react. Paulson loved that Russell Henley, Scheffler's playing partner, got involved even though he had nothing to do with it. He believes what Henley did helped Scheffler more than what Scheffler did helped Henley in achieving the win.
Kim and Sungjae Im had played well, but they couldn't recapture that after the initial incident and went down to Scheffler and Henley. The International Team didn't win a single event on Thursday.
Tom Kim explains decision to get into Scottie Scheffler at Presidents Cup
The International Team has not won the Presidents Cup in a long time. In the entire history of the event, the team has one win and one tie. If Mike Weir's team is to spring a surprise win this year, it will take some fired-up performances.
Unfortunately, the fired-up nature that Tom Kim brought to his opening bout with Scottie Scheffler backfired. Scheffler said Kim "poked the bear" in prompting the Americans to dominate the rest of the way.
Via ESPN, Kim said it was just how he and Scheffler, who do have a good relationship, play:
"I knew it was going to happen. It's all fun. I made it on top of him, and he gave it to me, and I gave it to him back on the next hole. I don't shy away from him. He's a good friend. But at the same time, this week I don't like him. I want to beat him so bad, and I'm sure he feels the same way."
Scottie Scheffler said for the most part, he wasn't in tune with Kim's talking. He primarily kept the focus on the match and was able to keep the momentum rolling and earn a big win for the United States.