“We don’t want guys to do something they’re not comfortable with,” said not-so-impressed Mike Weir. The reason? The skipper for the international team was alluding to Tom Kim’s antics on the first day of play at the Presidents Cup. Be it owing to the same or not, the South Korean golfer was benched for the second day of play. But amidst all this drama, how does the man in question feel? Well, look no further, for he came out candid regarding the same.

The 22-year-old was spotted in an interview following the second day of play at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. And when asked about his role on the course on Friday, he, interestingly so, took on the role of the bigger person. “Knowing that I was going to take the day off,” divulged the pro, “As a player, you want to go out and perform, but at the same time, this week isn’t about performing; it’s about being a good teammate.”

And a ‘good teammate’ he was, for the athlete took on the role of an “Energizer Bunny,” as per a certain reporter, who went ahead to further dub him a cheerleader of sorts. “I had one goal today,” added Tom Kim, “and that was to get there before everyone got to the 1st tee and get the crowd going for my guys. Our fans brought it. Our I-N-T fans really brought it today, and I couldn’t be more thankful.” 

“I just wish they could bring it on the weekend as well,” said Kim as he expressed how his team needed the same. He also took to recount the day’s happenings before expressing his gratitude for the remarkable performance that the team dished out: “It was so much fun to be next to my teammates and just go nuts. I’m starting to lose my voice a little bit. But these guys just played so unbelievable, and I’m so grateful.”

Did his cheerleading pay off in the end? Well, what do you think? Of course, it did!! The international team dominated the second day of play at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. The team managed to tie the overall score 5-5 by winning all the Friday foursome matches. Suffice it to say, it wouldn’t be wrong to attribute some part of the victory to the support of the fans (and Tom Kim as well), whose cheering added to the mood of the day. It seems like Mike Weir will have to rethink the words that he said the previous day.

Mike Weir had spoken his mind on Tom Kim’s actions on Day 1

The 54-year-old golfer, after the Thursday Fourballs, was asked about Kim and his expressiveness on the course and whether he would prefer the same. His reply? “Not necessarily; I want them to be themselves.” He then went ahead to recount his days as a golfer before revealing his expectations for the athletes on his team. “We have guys that are more reserved,” he said. “We have guys that are a little more outgoing. You want them to be themselves, not something they’re not.”

That’s not all. Mike Weir also took to call out the South Korean golfer alongside Min Woo Lee before conveying how he wants the professionals to be themselves. “Guys like Tom and Min Woo and a number of other guys on our team like to get the crowd going,” said Weir. “But it’s got to be authentic. We don’t want guys to do something they’re not comfortable with.”

Anyhow, the second day of play was quite surprising, especially after the Thursday Fourballs, which saw the Jim Furyk-led squad dominate the International team. On the other hand, although he was criticized for his decision to bench Tom Kim by the fans, seeing as how it all worked out well, Mike Weir will surely have a good night’s sleep on Friday.