Tom Kim’s sarcastic response to Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay breaking an unwritten golf rule at the Presidents Cup had shades of Bryson DeChambeau.
Paired with Si Woo Kim on the International Team, the South Korean let his emotions show at the seventh hole on the third day at The Royal Montreal Golf Club. Team USA’s putt was conceded, and when Si Woo chipped and landed within three feet of the hole, he hoped for the same courtesy.
However, Schauffele and Cantlay broke the unwritten golf by denying Kim a ‘gimme’ putt in good faith, forcing the 22-year-old to tap home. After duly putting, Tom placed his club on the ground to highlght that the distance between the ball and the hole should’ve mean it was conceded but Cantlay and Schauffele weren’t there to see his gesture having already walked off to the next hole.
Tom was seemingly still annoyed after he retrieved his ball, shaking his head as he caught up with his teammate. The South Korean has come in for some criticism for his actions on social media but it is nothing compared to the stick DeChambeau copped for doing the same thing three years ago at the Ryder Cup.
On the par four first hole of the 2021 Ryder Cup, The American tanked his ball before chipping onto the green around 30 feet from the target. He putted his next shot to within around three feet of the hole, before looking toward Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland to see if they would allow him a ‘gimme’.
However, the Team Europe pair stayed silent, forcing DeChambeau to tap his ball home for par. DeChambeau shook his head as he stepped up to take the shot, before staring at Hovland and Fleetwood while laying his putter down to show the distance between the ball and the hole.
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While his sarcastic gesture received a roar from the American crowd, Sky Sports commentators Butch Harmon, Andrew Coltart, Nick Dougherty and Ewen Murray didn’t hold back their condemnation. Harmon said: “Come on Bryson, that’s just not good. It’s not right, we don’t need it. Just play golf. He was ridiculous. Classless is what it is.”
Meanwhile, Paul McGinley added: “This is out of order in my view. Come on, just get on with it. I guess we shouldn’t make too much of a deal of it. It was just a bit of petulance.”
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Team USA ultimately won the Ryder Cup in 2021 with a record 19-9 victory over Europe at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, with DeChambeau picking up 2.5 points from three matches. Team USA currently lead at the President’s Cup, beating the international team 5-0 in the Thursday Fourball, 3-1 in the Saturday Fourball and 3-1 in the Saturday Foursomes but it is Kim’s rows with his American counterparts which have been the biggest talking points.
Kim had a run-in with Scottie Scheffler earlier this week when he shouted “let’s go” and fist-pumped after a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-three seventh. The world No 1 responded with his own birdie to halve the hole and yelled: “What was that?” towards his opponent. Kim celebrated strong again when sinking a putt at the eighth before being accused of ‘disrespect’ by leaving for the adjacent ninth tee before Sheffler’s birdie attempt.
Tempers have also flared between Kim, Schaffuele and Cantlay with the former claiming the two Americans had been swearing at him and his International team-mate Si Woo Kim – a claim that Schaffuele has emphatically shot down.
The International Team’s sole win thus far comes as a 5-0 in the Friday Foursomes, with the Sunday singles matchups yet to be announced. With an 11-7 lead overall, Team USA look in prime position to secure a tenth consecutive Presidents Cup.
