Saturday sure was a dramatic day for the International team. More so, for Tom Kim, who, alongside Si Woo Kim, clinched both a win and a loss at the Four-ball and the Foursome matches, respectively. However, the loss for the South Korean golfer seems to be just one of his worries. For the community appears to have ganged up on the athlete owing to the antics with his putter at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.
In a tweet, Flushing It expressed disappointment in Kim’s actions, describing his decision to lay down his putter to signal how the putt should have been given at the par-3, 7th hole during the Saturday Foursomes as uncool. “This putting the putter length down to say a putt should have been given thing is so lame,” wrote the handle as they shared a picture of the athlete in action. “If it’s so short it should be given, then you should have no issue knocking them in.”
This putting the putter length down to say a putt should have been given thing is so lame. If it’s so short it should be given, then you should have no issue knocking them in. I’d be making them putt everything after that. pic.twitter.com/FzoCeycPJl
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) September 28, 2024
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Do you think Tom Kim’s putter antics were justified?
Yes, it’s part of the game
Not sure, but it was entertaining
Do you think Jim Furyk’s fatigue confession will impact his performance in the President’s Cup?
Maybe, but he’ll push through
Are you planning to attend the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship?
What do you think of Mike Weir’s relationship with Michelle Money?
What makes Medinah Country Club so special?
What happened exactly at the seventh? Well, the International team duo were 2- down against the likes of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay when the American golfers were ‘given’ a par putt for the hole. Kim, on the other hand, managed to chip the ball 2.5 feet from the hole, all the while asking for a ‘gimme’ which, unfortunately, was denied. And following his tap-in, the South Korean laid his club on the ground to signal the absurdity of not providing him with a ‘gimme’. Suffice it to say, that didn’t sit well with the golfing fans.
The golf community gangs up against Tom Kim over putter antics
The 22-year-old golfer, along with his teammate, Si Woo Kim, carded a total of six birdies, and a bogey over the course of the Saturday foursomes. As for the other 11 holes, they managed to par putt six of them while receiving a gimme for the rest seven. The American team, on the other hand, carded a total of five birdies, and 11 par putts while receiving just two ‘gimmes’. Maybe the numbers got to a fan as they were spotted rebuking Tom Kim through the comment, “stop the bi**hing and just make the damn thing. Point of the game is to put the ball in the hole.”
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South Koreans, regardless of who they are, have to mandatorily serve in the military. The same is the case even with athletes, that is until they bring some international honor to their country. Golfers, meanwhile, can only be exempted if they claim a medal and a podium finish at the Asian Games or the Olympics, both of which Kim has failed to do. A follower alluded to the same while issuing a jab at the pro, “Kim’s act is tedious and lame. Maybe the army will teach him a little humility.”
The first day of the Presidents Cup witnessed the American team decimating the International squad in the Thursday Fourballs. And Tom Kim, while paired with Sungjae Im, also faced a devastating defeat at the hands of Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, who won 3&2. Addressing the media after the loss, Kim said, “I think it was a little too quiet today being on home soil,” before conveying his expectations for the fans. “I don’t think the fans were really — I wish they would have helped us out a bit more, especially being in Canada. I know how much they love golf.”
Quite a bit of a controversial statement, as the golfer (kind of) attributed the loss to the unenergetic fans. Couple that with the recent drama that took place on the seventh and a couple of users on X went ahead to comment, “Tom is a beta male who thinks he’s alpha,” and “Tom Kim gets more unlikeable every day.”
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Let us travel back to the first day of play at the Presidents Cup once more. As the Scheffler-Henley duo were readying themselves to hole their ball on the greens of the par-4, 8th hole, Kim and Im slowly vacated themselves away. Where did they go? The International pair went away to the tee box on the 9th hole after carding their birdie and before Scheffler finished his hole. Even Paul McGinley wasn’t impressed with their behavior, leading him to dub the same as “disrespectful.” Fast forward two days to Saturday and his putter antics seemed to be the breaking point for many, including a fan who responded, “Tom Kim’s behavior pretty poor during this Cup.”
Do you agree with the fans? Or do you think it was all part of Tom Kim’s ploy to keep the spectators at the Royal Montreal Golf Club excited and on their toes? Anyhow, the golfer’s actions sure did create a whole lot of buzz in the community!
