Victory secured and less important questions addressed, the U.S. side was nearing the end of its winner’s press conference Sunday at the Presidents Cup when anyone who was eager to respond was asked about party plans —and Tony Finau answered this way:
“In the wise words of Travis Kelce,” he started, referring to the Kansas City Chiefs tight end …
“You got to fight …
“For your right …
“To party,” Finau shouted, referencing Kelce’s line in February at the Super Bowl (which referenced the Beastie Boys).
Only there was a concern:
How long could they fight? The bus ride from Royal Montreal to the team hotel was some 45 minutes, Kevin Kisner said. Vibes would be lost somewhere along the Montreal streets. But disaster, along with sobriety, was avoided.
A DJ played, and Jim Furyk freestyled to Eminem.
Seriously. Here’s the story as told by Kisner, one of the U.S. vice captains, on the recent “The Smylie Show” podcast (which you can listen to in full here). The show’s host, Smylie Kaufman, also an analyst on NBC’s broadcast of the Presidents Cup, had asked Kisner for celebration detail, and it started this back and forth:
“One of my favorite parts of the celebration,” Kisner said on the podcast, “is you obviously get back to the team room at the course, everybody’s partying, raising cane, dancing, music, but then you have to pack all your stuff up, get on a bus to get back to the hotel where the big party’s going to be. But the bus drive is like a 45-minute drive. So you’re kind of worried, like, man …”
Asked Kaufman: “Is there a bathroom?”
Answered Kisner: “There is a bathroom, but you’re also worried that the vibes are going to go down, right? We got to sit on a bus? Well, if anywhere was the biggest party, it was the bus, and it was incredible because we basically had a DJ at the front of the bus, we’re playing music full blast, we got police escorts, and at the very end, Jim, we let Jim — everybody gets to pick a song, right, and then you get up and sing it.
“At the end, Jim Furyk picks ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem, puts his hood up and dances freestyle down the aisle and high-fives every person on the bus as we pull into the hotel.”
Said Kaufman: “That is epic. … I think nothing else needs to be said. …
“‘Lose Yourself’ by Jim Furyk, boy, do I need to see that music video, with the hood up from Jim.”
Indeed.