Tom Kim defends himself after controversial walk away from Scottie Scheffler at the Presidents Cup
Tom Kim explained the situation on the greens after a controversial moment during the first day of the 2024 Presidents Cup. The biennial tournament kicked off with its first-day matches on Thursday, September 26. In the match featuring Tom Kim and Sungjae Im of the International team and Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley of the USA team, one incident caught the attention of golf fans.
During their four-ball match on the eighth hole, Kim and Im completed their game first and walked ahead to speak with their vice-captain, Camilo Villegas, on the ninth hole. However, Scheffler had not yet completed his play on the eighth hole. As the International team players did not wait for the American, the incident sparked controversy on social media.
In a post-round press conference, Kim was asked about the situation. The South Korean golfer responded that he and Im were focused on their game and, so after completing the hole, moved on to the next. He said (via ASAP Sports),
"We just were focusing on our game. I made a putt, and whether he made it or not wasn't going to make a difference. There was no reason to stay there and look at him putt. It doesn't help us at all. It wasn't trying to be cheap or do anything like that.
"We were focused on our own game. I think that answer is pretty boring, but literally it was just 'I made a putt, and whatever happens happens.'"
Before this incident, on the seventh hole, Tom Kim celebrated his birdie putt by fist-pumping and shouting loudly. Scottie Scheffler, who was nearby, later made a birdie putt of his own on the hole and looked toward his opponents, shouting,
"What was that?"
Tom Kim also addressed his energetic celebration on the seventh hole and playing alongside Scheffler during the post-round press conference. He said,
"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. Those boys played great today, but definitely for our team it kind of felt like I played great, so being short kind of sucks. But we'll figure out a way."
The first day of the Presidents Cup featured some remarkable performances. Team USA dominated on Day 1, winning all five four-ball matches and taking the lead. In the match between Scheffler-Henley and Kim-Im, the USA team emerged victorious, adding one point to their overall score.
Is Tom Kim playing in the Friday foursomes at the 2024 Presidents Cup?
Tom Kim will not compete on Friday, September 27, at the 2024 Presidents Cup in the foursome matches. Five foursome matches will take place on Friday. However, two players from each team will miss the matches.
Sungjae Im will compete on Friday in a team with Hideki Matsuyama. They will play against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley again team together for the foursome match on Friday and will face Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An.