Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler locked horns during the opening Presidents Cup matches, and Xander Schauffele is the latest player to share his thoughts on the incident.
Kim was pumped up during the early exchanges, and tensions boiled over on the seventh hole after Scheffler holed a vital birdie putt. “What was that? Huh!?,” The usually measured Scheffler shouted in Kim’s direction.
Scheffler played down the incident after his 3&2 victory alongside Russell Henley at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
Schauffele has now admitted that the South Korean’s decision to rile up Scheffler was ill-advised.
Xander Schauffele: Tom Kim ‘poked the bear’ at the Presidents Cup
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Speaking alongside Scheffler during the USA’s post-round media scrum, Schauffele claimed Kim made a mistake.
The Open champion said: “It looked like he poked the bear from my perspective!”
Scheffler said on the incident: “We were two up in the match and made a putt on seven and had a big reaction. I made a big putt as well, so it was important for me to make sure we kept the momentum in the match.
“Then he made a big putt on eight, and I guess he walked off the tee or something like that. I saw him yelling at me, but I didn’t notice any of that; I just kind of played. On ten, I don’t think anything happened—really not much, to be honest with you.
“To me, it’s all about trying to get a point, and Russ and I were fortunate to get a point today.”
Tom Kim must stick to golf as Presidents Cup continues
Kim’s decision to go head-to-head with Scheffler was bold but ultimately always doomed to fail. The 22-year-old would have been far better off concentrating on his game and giving the fans something to shout about.
Kim criticised the Canadian support on what was a day to forget for Mike Weir’s side. Perhaps the International Team’s first port of call is to give the home fans something to shout about.
The USA are usually dominant in the foursomes, and it’s going to take something pretty special for Weir’s side to carve into the current five point deficit.
Friday’s action will be without Kim, who was left out alongside Min Woo Lee.
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