As if Scottie Scheffler’s year has not been lively enough, the unassuming world No 1 was involved in an on-course flare-up with his great friend Tom Kim as the one-sided Presidents Cup turned all Ryder Cup for a while.
In a contest that is such a pale copy of the ultimate, and much older and competitive team brawl, Scheffler probably did not expect the tensions to boil over on the first day of the match between Team USA and The Internationals (the rest of world without Europe), especially as he was playing against his close ally.
However, Kim, 22, was evidently keen to get under the skin of Scheffler, as the home side at Royal Montreal attempted to win for just the second time in the 30-year existence of the PGA’s unashamed cash cow.
It did not work. Scheffler and Russell Henley prevailed 3&2 against Kim and Korean countryman Sungjae Im as the US whitewashed the opening fourballs session 5-0. The scoreline was pathetically predictable in this biennial mismatch, but at least golf saw Scheffler, AKA Mr Nice, raise his hackles.
Granted, Scheffler was put in a jail during the USPGA in May but that was only after an enthusiastic police officer arrested him for a traffic violation, for which he was later exonerated.
The Texan is regarded as the most easy-going character on Tour and Kim was quick to rattle the cage, rushing up behind Scheffler on the seventh after he holed a lengthy putt for a birdie and screaming “Come on!”
As he does, Scheffler then converted his own sizeable effort for the half and turned on his heels before yelling back at Kim: “What was that?!”
With everyone aware of their relationship – at the Olympics in August, gold-medallist Scheffler reduced Kim to tears with his kind words on the 18th – it seemed on the banter side of good natured. Yet on the next hole, Kim crossed the line.
Kim gallantly birdied that par four but as Scheffler lined up his putt out for a half, Kim and his partner walked 50 yards to the ninth tee, without looking back. Scheffler missed and in the Sky Sports booth, former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley was unimpressed. “That’s disrespectful in my opinion,” McGinley said. “Bad behaviour. And don’t poke the bear.”
The respective vice-captains following the match, Kevin Kisner and Camilo Villegas, “had words” following the incident according to another analyst. “It did not look all that friendly,” John Wood said.
All of which would have music to the ears of the PGA Tour brass who crave for the Presidents Cup to emulate the Ryder Cup. A laughable ambition.
Needle is vital as is ribaldry, but Canadian Mackenzie Hughes was short of the mark when downing a can of beer on the first tee to try to gee up the crown. Only one thing was downed: the Internationals – again.
