Even the greatest friendships can be affected by the heat of competitiveness. That was pretty much what happened between close friends Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler in the opening round of the 2024 Presidents Cup. They were paired up against each other with Kim from Team International and Scheffler from Team USA. As the game of four balls began they had a heated exchange in the middle of the match in Royal Montreal. Tom Kim holed a lengthy putt on the 18th hole. This brought in a rather extensive celebration. When it was Scheffler’s turn, the World No. 1 would not let his swing go to waste.

He carded a long putt himself, resulting in the hole to half the score. He then shouted in Kim’s direction saying, “What was that?” As they reached the ninth hole, the atmosphere was already tense enough. The 22-year-old carded a birdie, tying with Scheffler. They were beaten by their opponents ultimately. However, when it was Scheffler’s turn, they did not wait until he putt the ball. Both the members of the International Team left. Now, the problem is, that this is considered to be a bad spirit of sportsmanship. So, will there be any consequences for it?

Paul McGinley was witnessing the entire thing from the commentary box, and he even stayed, “That’s bordering on bad behavior there.” According to him, he disrespected his open. He also added that although it is extremely competitive at the Presidents Cup, it shows that there’s an underlying edge and it’s not just fun and games. “You outsmart yourself. The instigator is the one who suffers more than the recipient of what happened. It was very uncharacteristic behavior,” added the Irishman.

Rich Been also agreed with him and stated that they should have stuck by the side of the green. However, the NBC on-course reporter stated that vice-captains Kevin Kisner and Camilo Villegas went to have a word with the duo, which was when they immediately walked away. He was not sure what it was, but it looked rather intense. However, whether there will be any actions taken or not, has not been stated officially, but Kim surely was accused. Well, the golf phenom was not unarmed. He did have his explanation for the incident prepared.

Tom Kim said he was focused on his game

At the post-round press conference in Royal Montreal, when Tom Kim was asked about the whole incident he stated that he and Sungjae Im were focused on their game completely. This was why after finishing the hole, they moved on to the next. “I made a putt, and whether he made it or not wasn’t going to make a difference. There was no reason to stay there and look at his putt. It doesn’t help us at all. It wasn’t trying to be cheap or do anything like that,” he said.

He even added that while the answer might be boring to listen to, they were pretty much in a state that they did not care what happened after they had made the putt. What is your take on the incident? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!