A fiery contest between the Internationals and the Americans was doused on Sunday as the Americans took only six matches to get the winning point in the Presidents Cup. The competitiveness was given a sour note with accusations of unsportsmanlike behavior and a little tete-et-tete between some players, including Wyndham Clark and Tom Kim.
Wyndham Clark again expressed a controversial opinion in his post-round interview on Sunday when he said, “Yeah, we are a very close team. Contrary to what people thought last year at the Ryder Cup, we were in my opinion closer than the Europeans. The media tries to divide us apart, and this year we were just as close if not closer.” The point of contention is that the Americans were at odds with each other in the last Ryder Cup, according to a report by Jamie Weir.
According to the report, Patrick Cantlay had apparently refused to wear his cap as a protest against not getting paid for his Ryder Cup appearance, and some players did not agree with him on his stance. However, the Team USA members have repeatedly denied that there is any discord or fracture within the dressing room. Cantlay himself has reiterated that it was never about the money, it was always about the cap not fitting his head.
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Did Wyndham Clark just cross the line with his Ryder Cup comments? React!
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Even in the face of defeat against the Europeans, Wyndham Clark continues to emphasize the exceptional team spirit that prevailed. He said, “We had so much camaraderie and positive energy between us. When things weren’t going well, we still were all picking each other up. It was an amazing team room.”. Whatever may be the case, it sure looks like the spirit is back in the American camp. They have been very together since the first day, even after a second-day sweep by the Internationals. In the face of prickly behavior by the Internationals, they have responded as a unit.
Wyndham Clark stirs the pot in the Presidents Cup
The needle began when Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim got up to their usual showy antics on the course and Si Woo Kim made a premature good night taunt borrowed from Steph Curry. The Internationals lost their round, but in the press conference, Tom Kim accused the Americans of unsportsmanlike behavior on the course.
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Byeong Hun An, then made a targeted post after the round saying that there are some people on Team USA who just trash talk and don’t contribute to the team. Although he later deleted that post. Clark also got involved in the discussion and responded to a post about An’s post, saying something along the lines of An shouldn’t be talking like this as he didn’t even play on Saturday.
The whole war of words has given a somewhat sour tinge to the very competitive and high quality of golf that was presented by the Presidents Cup. However, it is all just part of the sport and adds to the drama and tension of the competition and engages fans in a more passionate manner, which is always a good thing.
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