“The scariest looking Scottie Scheffler I've ever seen” – PGA Tour pro details the World No. 1’s altercation with Tom Kim
Scottie Scheffler’s trash-talking side came out during the 2024 Presidents Cup. The World No. 1 golfer was seemingly unhappy with the 22-year-old Tom Kim’s celebrations during their round at The Royal Montreal. The ace golfer shouted ‘WHAT WAS THAT?’ with passion after the former shouted ‘LET’S GO!’ after making a birdie putt.
The duo, who have a healthy relationship off the greens, shared some heated moments during their round. Interestingly, Kevin Kisner was closely watching Kim and Scheffler’s antics elevate. The 40-year-old revealed that he was nearby the duo when the ‘shouting’ incident happened. However, he claimed that the words weren’t as clear to him on the field.
Despite not fully understanding the altercation at the moment, Kisner noted ‘that was the scariest looking Scottie Scheffler he’s ever seen.’ The American star said he “thought it was bullsh*t” but it looked like the Masters champion’s “demon came out of him.”
Speaking about the Tom Kim - Scottie Scheffler incident on the latest episode of the Fore Play podcast, Kevin Kisner said (at 55:20):
“Tom (Kim) was about to putt and I'm like, ‘he's going to miss it left’ because everybody is. And sure enough, his ball is breaking a miss left and hits something and goes back in the middle of the hole and Tom goes running around the green. It was so loud I couldn't even hear what Tom exactly said.
"Then Scottie stands over his putt and I'm like, well, hopefully he somehow makes it too. This ball is like 2 ft from the hole and Scottie's already turned his back to the hole and does this (an action with his body). I'm like, ‘holy sh*t, look how big he is’ and he looks straight at Tom and goes, what did you say? And I was like, ‘oh God! this is just made a big turn.’
"…When I saw Scottie do that, I feared a little bit for my guys. Like, that was the scariest looking Scottie Scheffler I've ever seen. So, I just didn't want him to make another putt and something go all right. I'll take your word for it. But I still thought it was bullsh*t. It looked like his demon came out of him, man.”
It is pertinent to note that Scottie Scheffler addressed the incident after it happened and said it looked like Kim “poked the bear” from his ‘perspective.’
Tom Kim defends himself after heated moment with Scottie Scheffler
Tom Kim received flak for his behavior on the field with Scottie Scheffler. However, he later claimed that it was all in good fun. The golfer admitted that his passion came from his desperate wish to beat the World No. 1. He made the comments after losing out 3&2 on the opening day, which led to Jim Furyk’s US Team taking a 5-0 lead over the International side.
Kim said after his fiery round with his ‘friend’ Scheffler:
"I want to beat him so bad… He (Scheffler) was being himself. That's how we play back at home, and 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.”
Kim reiterated that Scheffler is a ‘good friend.’ He further defended his own behavior by stating that passion ran high at the international team event. He said it was the same way during his Presidents Cup debut at Quail Hollow last time out.
It is pertinent to note that Kim was also criticized as he and his playing partner Sungjae Im made their way 60 yards off to the next tee without waiting for Scheffler to finish his putt. The move was labeled ‘disrespectful’ on TV coverage by Paul McGinley and stirred an uproar from fans online.