Tom Kim raises ‘sportsmanship’ issues after wild Presidents Cup match

MONTREAL — Si Woo Kim’s final putt of the final match on Presidents Cup Saturday had barely stopped rolling before he and partner Tom Kim were whisked away — leaving their opponents in the center of a swarm of celebrating Americans on the 18th green — and under the ropes, in the direction of the interview room.

The dynamic duo of Kim and Kim had just gone toe-to-toe with the Americans’ formidable pairing of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in a back-and-forth match that began to feel like a must-win for the Internationals as the team deficit grew. Si Woo had tied it up with a miraculous holed chip shot at No. 16 and the sides were tied heading to No. 18. But then they’d lost, 1 down, when Cantlay poured in a 16-footer for birdie in front of the clubhouse — and every remaining fan on property — as night fell on Royal Montreal Golf Club.

The preceding three hours had been a rollercoaster ride. Team Kim had gone 2 down early but fought back with a mix of fist pumps, chest thumps and wild, running jumps that electrified the pro-International crowd. Tom has taken the mantle of emotional leader, and he let loose: when he wasn’t given a short putt for par at No. 7, when he made a birdie bomb at No. 10, and when Si Woo barely found his ball but made birdie anyway on 16.

Now, as Tom Kim walked off No. 18, he screamed into the night, one loud, frustrated expletive, before climbing the stairs and into the press room.

Still, he kept his composure as he took the first question, offering praise for his partner.

“We took Keegan and Wyndham down pretty good in the morning, and we fought really hard at the end,” he said, referring to the duo’s 4 and 3 morning win. “It was really obvious I did not have my best in the afternoon. My partner saved me a lot today. It’s frustrating because I really feel I could have done a lot more. Hopefully we’ll have opportunities to have better finishes from time to time.”

But there was something else on his mind, too. Asked whether he’d run out of gas at the end, he explained that something the Americans had said — though he didn’t specify which Americans — fired him up to keep going.

“I think the start of the round was definitely a little harder [to stay energized], but as it got towards the end, it got a little feisty out there,” he said. “I could hear some players cursing at us. That part wasn’t really — I don’t think there was good sportsmanship there. But it’s all part of the fun. I understand it. So the U.S. team definitely motivated us to go out there.”

A reporter asked in a follow-up whether Kim was frustrated or angry at the sportsmanship issues he’d referred to.

“No, absolutely not,” he said. “I do it too. You see me out there throwing fist pumps and jumping on the green. It’s all part of it, I get it. I just don’t think there’s a need to look at someone and curse at them. I just don’t think there’s a need for it.

“I understand it. I don’t get hurt about it. My feelings don’t hurt at all. I hope there’s no negative comments. That’s not what I’m trying to do here. I just feel like there’s always little things, like what could I have done better? It’s just certain things like that. I put my partner in some tough positions, and that to me is the most frustrating part of the day.

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“He and I talked about when we got down early let’s just push it to 18. Obviously we did, and they had to play good to beat us, so claps to them.”

A few minutes after the International players wrapped their presser, four Americans came in to take questions, including Cantlay and Schauffele. Asked whether the hostile crowds and demonstrative opponents had crossed the line, Schauffele shook his head.

“I think you know you’re showing up to a tournament on foreign soil, and whatever people say, they say,” he said. “The only thing that’s satisfying for us is to win a point, and that’s what we did.”

Asked whether they knew what Kim was referencing with his comments about “players cursing at us,” Schauffele said he had no idea.

“I felt like Pat and I, we treated the Kims with the utmost respect,” he said. “We’re trying to quiet the crowds down when they were hitting. We’re trying to quiet the crowds down when we were hitting. It was fair take, give and go. I have no clue if anyone was doing any of that. I don’t believe any of our guys would do something like that. So I’m not sure what he was hearing.”

Like Schauffele, Cantlay said he had no idea what Kim was referring to. And, as on the course, he had the final word.

“I don’t care what they do. I know they’re going to get amped up if they make birdies,” he said. “They made a ton of birdies. They got amped up in front of the home crowd. Home crowd loved it. That’s great. That’s great for golf.

“We just made one more birdie.”