Presidents Cup sure was feisty! Don’t believe us? Take Tom Kim’s word into account, not ours, for he had said, “It got a little feisty out there,” while alluding to the Saturday foursomes. But even after hearing him, Xander Schauffele wasn’t one to believe the golfer either. But it seems he was wrong, this time around, despite the South Korean athlete being the one who apologized for the accusations. And it’s all thanks to Paul Tesori, Kim’s caddie!
“Obviously I witnessed three scenarios where members of the U.S. team emphatically got personal with Tom, and yes, you know, cursed at him,” divulged the looper in an interview with SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. “These two guys that had done it, I don’t think it’s in their character at all,” added Kim’s caddie before recounting how one of them also expressed regret to the 22-year-old for the whole ordeal. “I know one of them apologized which is a great thing, the heat of the moment got to him.”
How did Tom Kim react to the whole situation? As you know, he shared his experience with everyone at the press conference. And Tesori, his caddie, was unaware of the whole thing until after he addressed the media. “I didn’t know he had done it,” recalled the athlete’s looper while referring to the presser.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But even so, he made sure to give his advice to the young professional. “I said, ‘Tom, you have every right to feel the way you did’… But, Tom has to have thick skin,” continued the caddie as he recounted his conversation with Kim. “And, at the end of the day, he can’t go to the media and pronounce that. You’ve got to go talk to your captains about it… teammates about it. It’s a learning experience for Tom.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Quite a dramatic turn of events that was, even after the passing of a week following the end of the 2024 Presidents Cup. Regardless, Tom Kim can assuredly say that he came out a better person. How is that? Well, it’s all thanks to the apology he made towards Xander Schauffele and Jim Furyk following the end of the final round on Sunday.
Tom Kim apologizes to Xander Schauffele and Jim Furyk
The South Korean golfer, after the loss of the International team, was spotted having a conversation with the two American golfers. When asked about it later in an interview, he said, “So I went to him and I said, I didn’t mean it that way. I apologize if it came out wrongly. It was just this and this happened, but if it affected you guys so negatively, I do apologize. I didn’t mean to do it in that way.” Unfortunately, American golfers in question at that time faced backlash. However, all’s well that ends well!
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
That’s not all. Kim also expressed how he felt when the curses were aimed at him. He did so while reasoning why the 22-year-old was candid on Saturday after the foursome round with Patrick Cantlay and Schauffele. “Some comments that I’ve heard was at that time, just coming off the green, it came to me so personally and just I felt like it was right to share,” said the golfer.
In the end, the two teams, especially Kim dished out a really dramatic Presidents Cup at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. But if they were to get the chance to go through the experience all over again, would they make the same choices? Tom Kim, for sure, would have done some things differently!
