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 fitting of Royal Montreal’s 18th inexperienced, did an interview with Canadian TV and one other with Golf Channel, then labored his means by means of the cameras and people gathered round to make his method to two folks 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 aspect’s finest 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 gained 1 up.
Afterward, because the U.S. aspect 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 an extended, emotional, exhausting day. Did you guys really feel such as you had loads of fuel left on the finish, or was it arduous to form of push by means of?”
Solely Tom Kim answered. His response created headlines.
“I feel the beginning of the spherical was undoubtedly a bit more durable, however because it received in direction of the tip, it received a bit feisty on the market. I may hear some gamers cursing at us. That half wasn’t actually — I don’t assume there was good sportsmanship there. Nevertheless it’s all a part of the enjoyable. I perceive it.
“So the U.S. workforce undoubtedly motivated us to go on the market.”
Feisty? Cursing? Unsportsmanlike?
Actually? You hear chirps in workforce 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 once we had been hitting. It was honest 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 aspect. 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 a lot of the speaking. There have been handshakes. Finally, 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 instructed 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.
“Positively, I didn’t actually at the moment, simply didn’t assume it will 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 occasions they usually’ve all the time been such nice rivals. They’ve by no means — I’ve all the time felt like there’s such an excellent sportsmanship between us. It was simply outdoors the ropes, and I felt like that was a bit 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 vitality and doing all these items. If I — I do sure issues on the greens after I make putts, and I anticipate 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 strategy 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 needed to search out the fitting time and share my ideas as a result of I don’t need my workforce to really feel uncomfortable. I don’t need their workforce 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 way in which — you recognize, what the that means was coming from that remark.”
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Was Kim’s gesture stunning? Perhaps, particularly after how tense Saturday turned. Did it reveal greater than any shot right here? You might make that case, too. Clearly Saturday’s occasions and Kim’s public response to them had been weighing on him.
Schauffele, when requested concerning 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 workforce: the Kims, Sungjae Im and Ben An.
“They create the hearth to that workforce,” Schauffele mentioned. “I do know we’re in Canada, and there was a number of Canadians on that workforce 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 may be, I don’t know, 7,000 yards, however these boys cowl about 9,000 yards in a spherical of golf, at the least 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 convey out a few of our greatest stuff to beat them final evening. 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 operating round and getting fired up, I’d make bogey on the subsequent gap, however these boys are operating round and birdieing each frickin’ gap on us. I’ve a number of respect for everybody on that workforce, however the Koreans undoubtedly convey the warmth, little question.”
