Scottie Scheffler had three words for Tom Kim after a brief back and forth (Image: Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
Emotions surged as Scottie Scheffler went head-to-head with his good pal Tom Kim at the Presidents Cup on the PGA Tour.
The tension reached a fever pitch during Thursday’s play at the seventh hole when Kim scored an impressive long birdie, igniting cheers from the International team as he took on Scheffler and his team-mate Russell Henley for Team USA.
Kim celebrated heartily, roaring in triumph as he made the challenging shot, seemingly securing the hole.
But Scheffler, ranked No.1 in the world, swiftly countered with his own brilliant shot, nailing a long putt that outshone the South Korean man’s effort.
As his ball found the hole, Scheffler spun to face Kim and loudly exclaimed: “WHAT WAS THAT?”
Kim, unfazed, merely smiled and waved nonchalantly, walking off with partner Sungjae Im to tackle their next hurdle. However, the mind games were far from over advancing to the eighth hole, Scheffler prepared for yet another distant putt.
Bringing the energy ⚡️⚡️ Tom Kim makes. Scottie Scheffler answers.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR)
Unexpectedly, before Scheffler could attempt his shot, Kim and Im left for the ninth tee, a move deemed “disrespectful” by TV analyst Paul McGinley.
Scheffler missing the putt intensified the high-stakes psychological battle between the sides. NBC Golf pundit McGinley expressed concern that the behaviour of the South Koreans might have sullied the esteemed reputation of the game.
“That’s bordering on bad behaviour,” the 57-year-old remarked. “That’s disrespectful in my opinion. I know it’s competitive out there, but it certainly shows you there’s an underlying edge here that it’s not all fun and games.”
Rumours of a chilly exchange on the course emerged when Scheffler and Henley appeared to snub their South Korean competitors during the game. The American duo later said, somewhat taken aback, that they hadn’t noticed Kim and Im leaving.
Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler had a fierce contest but are good friends off the course (Image: Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
It was only after the South Koreans mentioned it that Scheffler became aware.
“Look, we’re all out here competing, trying to win points,” Henley said, suggesting the competition remained amicable. “I play so much golf with those guys. I love both their caddies, Pauley and Willie. So like Scottie said, it’s all in good fun, and we’re just trying to win points.”
Scheffler added his perspective, acknowledging why Kim and Im might have walked away during his putt. “To be fair to them walking off, I did like scream at them on the hole,” he admitted. “I’m not going to say it was their fault, you know what I mean?”
Before the match began, Kim pondered the complexities of playing against a close friend and contemplated tactics to unsettle the world’s leading golfer.
He said: “If I can play with Scottie, that would be very fun. We’re comfortable with each other, I play a lot of golf with him back home. For one week, I absolutely dislike him.
“He’s always going to play really, really well but at the same time, if I can do something special on Sunday (singles session) against a player of caliber like him, it’ll be huge for our team.”
Kim also reflected on his Presidents Cup experience and his role in the team: “You know, my first Presidents Cup was just so passionate and I want to do so much for our team. I’m trying to be a bit of a small voice for our team. I want my teammates to know I’m playing as hard as I can.”