Tom Kim on the Presidents Cup on Sunday.
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MONTREAL — Tom Kim, his match on Sunday with Sam Burns completed and his Presidents Cup over, packed up his golf bag to the appropriate of Royal Montreal’s 18th inexperienced, did an interview with Canadian TV and one other with Golf Channel, then labored his means via the cameras and people gathered round to make his technique to two individuals he’d noticed towards the again of the inexperienced. They’d been on his thoughts, truly.
Xander Schauffele and Jim Furyk.
A day earlier, Schaufelle, together with Patrick Cantlay, had been in Kim’s crosshairs. Throughout Presidents Cup alternate-shot play, Kim and Internationals associate Si Woo Kim went stroke for stroke with arguably the American facet’s greatest pairing. Schauffele and Cantlay led 2 up after 8. The match was sq. after 10. Schauffele and Cantlay led 1 up after 13. The match was sq. after 14. Schauffele and Cantlay led 1 up after 15. The match was sq. after 16. Issues completed as you’d determine — on 18, in close to darkness, Cantlay rolled in a 17-footer, and the Individuals received 1 up.
Afterward, because the U.S. facet celebrated, the Kims, together with teammate Taylor Pendrith, had been carted to a press convention tent, the place, seven questions in, this question was posed:
“For all three of you, it was clearly a protracted, emotional, exhausting day. Did you guys really feel such as you had loads of gasoline left on the finish, or was it arduous to form of push via?”
Solely Tom Kim answered. His response created headlines.
“I believe the beginning of the spherical was positively somewhat more durable, however because it received in direction of the tip, it received somewhat feisty on the market. I might hear some gamers cursing at us. That half wasn’t actually — I don’t assume there was good sportsmanship there. However it’s all a part of the enjoyable. I perceive it.
“So the U.S. staff positively motivated us to go on the market.”
Feisty? Cursing? Unsportsmanlike?
Actually? You hear chirps in staff golf, however swearing appeared excessive, if true. And if Kim was being honest, ought to he have shared that?
Minutes later, in a U.S. press convention, Schauffele was requested for a response, and he appeared caught off-guard.
“I imply, I can communicate for myself. I felt like Pat and I, we handled the Kims with the utmost respect. We’re making an attempt to quiet the crowds down after they had been hitting. We’re making an attempt to quiet the gang — return on movie, quiet the crowds down after we had been hitting. It was truthful take, give and go.
“I’ve no clue if anybody was doing any of that. I don’t imagine any of our guys would do one thing like that. So I’m undecided what he was listening to.”
Kim seemingly caught the following response.
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He thought issues over. He’d share his facet. The second got here to him as Schauffele and Furyk, the U.S. captain, took within the final strokes of Kim and Burns’ singles match, which they halved.
A GOLF.com reporter watched. Kim did many of the speaking. There have been handshakes. Ultimately, after about two minutes, Worldwide captain Mike Weir pulled his participant away.
What was mentioned?
“Yeah, it was nearly my feedback yesterday,” Kim mentioned. “I simply advised him like, hey, I didn’t imply it to go in such a unfavorable means. If it did, I simply mentioned I’m sorry. It was simply I felt like what I heard yesterday, some feedback that I’ve heard was at the moment, simply coming off the inexperienced, it got here to me so personally and simply I felt prefer it was proper to share.
“Undoubtedly, I didn’t actually at the moment, simply didn’t assume it could be so unfavorable. I actually didn’t imply to — as a result of after I performed with Patrick and Xander, clearly we’ve battled a number of instances they usually’ve all the time been such nice opponents. They’ve by no means — I’ve all the time felt like there’s such an excellent sportsmanship between us. It was simply exterior the ropes, and I felt like that was somewhat misunderstanding on my half, which I ought to have defined higher.
“So I went to him and I mentioned, I didn’t imply it that means. I apologize if it got here out wrongly. It was simply this and this occurred, but when it affected you guys so negatively, I actually do apologize. I didn’t imply to do it in that means.
“This occasion is all about doing belongings you would by no means do and creating power and doing all this stuff. If I — I do sure issues on the greens after I make putts, and I count on them to do the identical factor. It’s all a part of the sport. It was nearly that.”
Did Kim have that behind his thoughts, that he’d method the participant and captain sooner or later?
“Completely” he mentioned. “It got here so negatively, which I by no means meant to do. I simply wished to search out the appropriate time and share my ideas as a result of I don’t need my staff to really feel uncomfortable. I don’t need their staff to really feel a sure means about us. It’s all enjoyable. It’s all a part of the sport.
“I felt prefer it was proper for me to go up and share the best way — you recognize, what the that means was coming from that remark.”
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Was Kim’s gesture shocking? Possibly, particularly after how tense Saturday grew to become. Did it reveal greater than any shot right here? You can make that case, too. Clearly Saturday’s occasions and Kim’s public response to them had been weighing on him.
Schauffele, when requested in regards to the assembly in his press convention Sunday, declined to share what Kim had mentioned to him. “It was in personal,” he mentioned. However a number of questions later, he mentioned this, when requested of the 4 Korean gamers on the Worldwide staff: the Kims, Sungjae Im and Ben An.
“They bring about the fireplace to that staff,” Schauffele mentioned. “I do know we’re in Canada, and there was a number of Canadians on that staff they usually had been getting rooted on by the crowds, however Si Woo, Tom, Ben, Sungjae — you recognize, Sungjae might be the tamest of all of them, however we have a look at him as an murderer in his personal proper, he hits it so dang straight. Then Tom and Si Woo collectively, I imply, these boys — this course is perhaps, I don’t know, 7,000 yards, however these boys cowl about 9,000 yards in a spherical of golf, a minimum of those that I performed in opposition to them.
“They hit unbelievable photographs. P.C. [Patrick Cantlay] and I noticed it. They had been very arduous — P.C. and I needed to carry out a few of our greatest stuff to beat them final night time. They got here out to the final gap.
“It’s actually good for golf. As a competitor, I respect it. It’s not how I’m going about my enterprise, however I respect it as a result of that’s how they play. If I used to be working round and getting fired up, I’d make bogey on the following gap, however these boys are working round and birdieing each frickin’ gap on us. I’ve a variety of respect for everybody on that staff, however the Koreans positively carry the warmth, little question.”
