It was the 7th hole of the Thursday Fourballs. Scottie Scheffler had just shot a crucial birdie at the par-3 hole. Just then, he yelled at Tom Kim, “What was that?” Surprised? So were the commentators. But the story doesn’t quite end there. The next hole saw the Kim and Sungjae Im duo vacating themselves away to the 9th tee box after raking in a point and just before the world No. 1 finished his hole. “Bordering on bad behavior,” and quite “Disrespectful,” dubbed an enraged Paul McGinley. But the question undoubtedly came up in the minds of many; Was there any rift between the two best friends?

Well, look no further, for the American golfer himself revealed the answer to that curious query in an interview following the Thursday round. “It’s all in good fun, I think,” said Scheffler as he emphasized again, “That’s all I’ve got to say. It’s good fun.” That’s not all. He went ahead to recount the day’s play as he added, “We’re out here competing, doing our best.” It appears there is no bad blood between the South Korean golfer Kim and the 2-time major champ.

Hard to refute what the pro said about them dishing out their best. Especially so after looking at the scoreboard showcasing the figures 3&2 in the American’s favor. “Like Russell [Henley] said, Tom obviously loves this stage,” continued the 2024 Masters champ before commending themselves, “But Russell and I were a good match today and we did some good stuff out there.”

‘A good match’, they were, for sure. For the pair managed to take the lead after the par-4, 1st hole itself. Quick to dish out compliments for his teammate, Scottie Scheffler pointed out, “Russell did some good shots early in the match and hit some key shots late. Really glad to have this guy on my team.”

In what can be called a bogey-free match, Henley went ahead to card a total of four birdies, all of which helped the American pair increase their lead over the South Korean duo. No wonder Tom Kim went ahead and “poke the bear,” as per Scheffler.

Scottie Scheffler comes out candid on Tom Kim’s so-called ‘bad behavior’

“From my perspective, looked like he poked the bear,” said the golfer as he alluded to the South Korean professional’s reaction on the par-3, 7th. “I think we were 2 up in the match and he made a putt on 7, had a big reaction,” recounted the world No. 1 as he added, “And I made a big putt, as well. So it was important for me to make sure that we kept the momentum in the match”

The golfer then recalled the crucial birdie that Tom Kim carded on the next hole before walking out 60 yards away to the 9th tee box. However, if you think Scheffler was affected back then, you thought wrong. The pro said, “I guess he made a big putt on 8 and they walked off the green to the tee or something like that, and then I saw a video of him yelling at me, but I actually didn’t notice any of that. I just kind of played.”

In the end, it’s all just part and parcel of the game. And the two, competitive as they might seem, are nothing short of close friends. Their friendship is something that is built on mutual respect and a love for the sport. So, it would take much more than this to damage that kind of relationship, frankly speaking!