Smylie Kaufman has shared what Tom Kim did in the final round of the Travelers Championship that he actually really did not like as the South Korean was beaten to the title by Scottie Scheffler.
Tom Kim missed the chance to secure his fourth PGA Tour title at the weekend, with the 22-year-old losing out on the first play-off hole in Connecticut.
Kim pushed Scottie Scheffler further than any of the other runner-ups for the world number one’s six wins this season, and Scheffler had nothing but praise for Kim after their duel ended on the 73rd hole of the week.
Kim himself alluded to the play-off feeling similar to a practice round given how often he plays with Scheffler, and it seems that some do not think that their friendship helped the youngster at all.
Smylie Kaufman didn’t like what Tom Kim did on Sunday at Travelers Championship
Speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman suggested that Kim had an opportunity to show that he can be extremely ruthless and the ultimate competitor, as he had been for much of the 2022 Presidents Cup. But instead, he made the environment almost too comfortable for The Masters champion.
“Scottie’s laughing it up, and so was Tom Kim, they’re obvious friends. From my perspective, I didn’t like that, I would’ve rather have seen Tom just act like he didn’t know Scottie Scheffler,” he said.
“I know he celebrated awesome on the 18th hole and that’s the type of dog that Tom Kim can be, we’ve seen that at the Presidents Cup, and I know these guys are friends, but part of me as somebody who’s watching on TV, they could be best friends in the world, but I want them to act like they hate each other in the moment. That’s what makes for good TV.”
Deep-rooted rivalries may largely be a thing of the past
What is often forgotten about Scheffler is just how young he actually is as he appears to be such a wise player, rarely getting carried away with the amazing achievements he has had this year.
The pair had a combined age of 50, and it seems highly likely that they are going to compete over plenty of titles in the years to come.
Some players will generally benefit from staying in their own bubble and blocking out all of the noise, but it would appear that Kim is not that player right now.
A lot of the world’s best appear to be a lot closer to each other nowadays in terms of how they bond away from the course, particularly with a lot of their schedules now looking very similar. And with that, it is going to be less and less common for these battles to include that spice that Kaufman craved.
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