Scottie Scheffler in heated Presidents Cup moment before 'disrespectful' act

Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim are adjacent friends connected the PGA Tour, but the 2 were not acrophobic to get into it during the Presidents Cup connected Thursday successful North Carolina

Emotions were precocious arsenic Scottie Scheffler faced disconnected against his adjacent person connected the PGA Tour, Tom Kim, during a nail-biting infinitesimal astatine the President's Cup.

The play unfolded connected Thursday astatine the 7th hole, wherever Kim landed an awesome agelong birdie, overmuch to the delight of the International team, arsenic they squared disconnected with Scheffler and Russell Henley representing Team USA. Kim couldn't incorporate his excitement, letting retired a victorious roar aft sinking the challenging putt, seemingly clinching the hole.

However, Scheffler, the world's top-ranked golfer, wasn't astir to beryllium overshadowed. He responded successful kind, dropping a lengthy putt himself, beating the young South Korean talent.

As the shot dropped into the cup, Scheffler spun around, locked eyes with Kim, and shouted: "WHAT WAS THAT? " towards his opponent.

Kim could lone respond with a grin and a casual wave, arsenic helium and his teammate Sungjae Im headed disconnected to the adjacent challenge. The intelligence warfare continued onto the eighth hole, wherever Scheffler lined up for different agelong putt.

Before helium could instrumentality it, Kim and Im had already moved connected to the 9th tee box, an enactment branded "disrespectful" by commentator Paul McGinley.

Scheffler's consequent miss added substance to the fiery competitory tactics some teams were employing, and NBC Golf's McGinley felt the South Koreans' actions perchance tarnished the sport's integrity.

"That's bordering connected atrocious behavior," the 57 -ear-old remarked. "That's disrespectful successful my opinion. I cognize it's competitory retired there, but it surely shows you there's an underlying borderline present that it's not each amusive and games."

Whispers of a frosty infinitesimal connected the fairway surfaced erstwhile some Scheffler and Henley seemingly ignored their South Korean opponents during play. The Americans aboriginal explained, with a hint of surprise, that they didn't announcement Kim and Im's departure. Scheffler revealed helium was lone made alert erstwhile the South Koreans brought it up.

"Look, we're each retired present competing, trying to triumph points," Henley commented, indicating the rivalry was friendly. "I play truthful overmuch golf with those guys. I emotion some their caddies, Pauley and Willie. So similar Scottie said, it's each successful bully fun, and we're conscionable trying to triumph points."

Scheffler besides weighed in, suggesting helium understood wherefore Kim and Im mightiness person stepped distant during his putt. "To beryllium just to them walking off, I did similar shriek astatine them connected the hole," helium conceded. "I'm not going to accidental it was their fault, you cognize what I mean?".

Prior to teeing off, Kim speculated connected the dynamics of competing against a beloved person and strategised astir however to rattle the world's apical golfer.

"If I tin play with Scottie, that would beryllium precise fun," Kim said, according to the PGA Tour. "We're comfy with each other, I play a batch of play with him backmost home. For 1 week, I perfectly dislike him. ... He's ever going to play really, truly good but astatine the aforesaid time, if I tin bash thing peculiar connected Sunday (singles session) against a subordinate of caliber similar him, it'll beryllium immense for our team."

"You know, my archetypal Presidents Cup was conscionable truthful passionate and I privation to bash truthful overmuch for our team. I'm trying to beryllium a spot of a tiny dependable for our team. I privation my teammates to cognize I'm playing arsenic hard arsenic I can."