Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim are close friends on the PGA Tour, but the two were not afraid to get into it during the Presidents Cup on Thursday in North Carolina
Scottie Scheffler had three words for Tom Kim after a brief back and forth (
Image: Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
Emotions were high as Scottie Scheffler faced off against his close friend on the PGA Tour, Tom Kim, during a nail-biting moment at the President’s Cup.
The drama unfolded on Thursday at the 7th hole, where Kim landed an impressive long birdie, much to the delight of the International team, as they squared off with Scheffler and Russell Henley representing Team USA. Kim couldn’t contain his excitement, letting out a victorious roar after sinking the challenging putt, seemingly clinching the hole.
However, Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, wasn’t about to be overshadowed. He responded in kind, dropping a lengthy putt himself, beating the young South Korean talent.
As the ball dropped into the cup, Scheffler spun around, locked eyes with Kim, and shouted: “WHAT WAS THAT? ” towards his opponent.
Kim could only respond with a grin and a casual wave, as he and his teammate Sungjae Im headed off to the next challenge. The psychological warfare continued onto the eighth hole, where Scheffler lined up for another long putt.
Before he could take it, Kim and Im had already moved on to the 9th tee box, an act branded “disrespectful” by commentator Paul McGinley.
Scheffler’s subsequent miss added fuel to the fiery competitive tactics both teams were employing, and NBC Golf’s McGinley felt the South Koreans’ actions potentially tarnished the sport’s integrity.
“That’s bordering on bad behavior,” the 57 -ear-old remarked. “That’s disrespectful in my opinion. I know it’s competitive out there, but it certainly shows you there’s an underlying edge here that it’s not all fun and games.”
Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler had a fierce contest but are good friends off the course ( Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Whispers of a frosty moment on the fairway surfaced when both Scheffler and Henley seemingly ignored their South Korean opponents during play. The Americans later explained, with a hint of surprise, that they didn’t notice Kim and Im’s departure. Scheffler revealed he was only made aware when the South Koreans brought it up.
“Look, we’re all out here competing, trying to win points,” Henley commented, indicating the rivalry was friendly. “I play so much golf with those guys. I love both their caddies, Pauley and Willie. So like Scottie said, it’s all in good fun, and we’re just trying to win points.”
Scheffler also weighed in, suggesting he understood why Kim and Im might have stepped away during his putt. “To be fair to them walking off, I did like scream at them on the hole,” he conceded. “I’m not going to say it was their fault, you know what I mean?”.
Prior to teeing off, Kim speculated on the dynamics of competing against a dear friend and strategised about how to rattle the world’s top golfer.
“If I can play with Scottie, that would be very fun,” Kim said, according to the PGA Tour. “We’re comfortable with each other, I play a lot of golf with him back home. For one week, I absolutely dislike him. … He’s always going to play really, really well but at the same time, if I can do something special on Sunday (singles session) against a player of caliber like him, it’ll be huge for our team.”
“You know, my first Presidents Cup was just so passionate and I want to do so much for our team. I’m trying to be a bit of a small voice for our team. I want my teammates to know I’m playing as hard as I can.”
