Presidents Cup 2024: ‘Disrespectful’ move from Tom Kim and Sungjae Im was reportedly not their call

Headline: Controversy Arises After Tom Kim and Sungjae Im’s Decision to Skip Green During Presidents Cup Match

Tom Kim and Sungjae Im’s choice to walk off the eighth green at Royal Montreal and head straight to the ninth tee while Scottie Scheffler still had a birdie putt in their fourball match created a significant stir on the first day of the Presidents Cup. The U.S. team’s dominant 5-0 sweep on Thursday might have left little room for discussion, but the incident managed to generate a fair share of controversy nonetheless.

The moment drew immediate criticism from NBC analyst Paul McGinley, who pointed out the situation even before a single point had been tallied. “That’s bordering on bad behavior there,” McGinley remarked, adding, “It’s disrespectful, in my opinion.”

The controversy gained further traction later that evening on Golf Channel’s “Live From” program. Brandel Chamblee echoed McGinley’s sentiments, and Johnson Wagner, who replaced McGinley on the show, also weighed in, calling Kim and Im’s actions disrespectful. Wagner shared his own disdain for such behavior, mentioning that he “hated” it when players did the same during his time on the PGA Tour. “The only excuse is if you have to go to the bathroom,” Wagner commented.

However, according to Golf Channel reporter Todd Lewis, the International team had no intention of being disrespectful when they left Scheffler to finish putting on the eighth green. Nor was it an act of gamesmanship. In fact, it wasn’t Kim and Im’s decision at all. The move was reportedly suggested by assistant captain Camilo Villegas.

Lewis, who spoke with the 42-year-old Colombian, explained that Villegas had advised Kim and Im to move on to the ninth tee after they made birdie on the eighth. The reasoning was to avoid escalating tensions between Kim and Scheffler. The situation had been tense just a hole earlier when Kim sank a long birdie putt and celebrated energetically, only for Scheffler to follow up with his own birdie and respond with a shouted “WHAT WAS THAT?!” directed at Kim.

U.S. assistant captain Kevin Kisner, however, took offense to Villegas’ intervention, reportedly considering it to be poor sportsmanship. Kisner confronted Villegas, calling the move “bush league,” indicating his disapproval of the assistant captain’s suggestion.

Despite the uproar, it seems this incident has been somewhat overblown, a common occurrence in golf controversies. Given the lack of drama following the U.S. team’s sweep on the first day, the incident might have been magnified out of proportion. Still, one thing remains clear—attempting any form of psychological tactic against the world’s top-ranked player, especially when your team is already an underdog, may not be the best strategy.