Tom Kim is looking for a good time, and a win, at Presidents Cup

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Tom Kim is looking for a good time, and a win, at Presidents Cup

Published: 24 Sep. 2024, 15:28 Updated: 24 Sep. 2024, 18:04

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Tom Kim celebrates a putt made by teammate Kim Si-woo on the 13th green during day three of the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Country Club on Sept. 24, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. [GETTY IMAGES]

Tom Kim returns to the Presidents Cup teeing off at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada on Thursday where he expects to feel “so much joy” playing with his teammates as the International Team take on the United States once again.

The Presidents Cup is a series of men’s golf contests between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe.

This year marks Kim’s second appearance in the President Cup after participating in the 2022 tournament, during which he stood out by securing two points in his debut.

“It’s definitely up there,” Kim told the PGA Tour, a content partner of the Korea JoongAng Daily. “It’s very unique. It's the one week where we get to play in a team environment and it's something where after the last one, I wanted to be on the next team again. There's so much joy, and it's just one week.

“You're really not playing for yourself, you're playing for your teammates and you have this burden of trying to not let down your partners or let down your team, or let down your captain. I'm really excited.”

Tom Kim will be competing alongside fellow Korean golfers An Byeong-hun, Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae on the same team this year under the Shield — the International Team’s logo.

Ahead of the Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour spoke with Kim about how he feels about competing in the tournament again.

The following are edited excerpts from the interview.

Q. What does Tom Kim bring to the International Team?

A. Energy. You know, I'm very passionate. I think energy is a big thing, especially as a young guy. I’ve shown a lot of emotions out there and my first Presidents Cup was just so passionate and I wanted to do so much for our team. I'm trying to be a little bit of a small voice for our team as I want my teammates to know I'm playing as hard as I can. When you can have a few fist bumps or a few roars, that I think can definitely get a team going, gives the team a little boost.

What do you want to dial in specifically after the PGA Tour season as you get closer to the Presidents Cup?

I've definitely played a lot better this summer and the game is in a really good spot. All I need to do is to figure out the golf course and have a good game plan and literally execute to what I see. Building up to this Presidents Cup, putting will be a big difference. You can hit a lot of good shots, but in match play, momentums are made by making putts. I think just around the greens, I want to be really sharp and kind of have that edge of making one more putt a round would definitely make a difference.


The Presidents Cup brings out a lot of emotion and camaraderie from both players and fans. How much fun is it as the player to let out those big celebrations?

Number one, when the emotions come out, it's from playing within yourself. I had a little bit of a moment in my last Presidents Cup where the whole team was just watching over you. And my teammates, my captains want me to make that putt, you know, more than me. I know that emotion because I felt that way for my teammates and just having that camaraderie environment for literally one week of the year, it's so special and it brings friendships closer. I think that's how we bond together.

Where you surprised with the emotions that you showed at Quail Hollow two years ago?

It's definitely something I wasn't expecting. I think when I got to the first tee, there were a lot more nerves than I would have expected. Luckily, I now have one experience under my belt, especially on the opposite side in the U.S. And I think going to our home ground, it's going to be with the crowds which is going to be great. They're going to be very feisty. And, you know, I can't wait to get those Canadian crowds going.

International Team Member Tom Kim asks the crowd for more noise as he arrives on the first tee during the final round singles matches of Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Sept. 25, 2022, in Charlotte, North Carolina. [GETTY IMAGES]

Obviously, the team showed a lot of fight but lost in Quail Hollow. What did you take away from that week?

I think there were a lot of new guys on that team and what we saw was a lot of us weren't as sharp as we needed to be. And despite that, we still brought in. We still had a very, very slim chance on Sunday. And I think when you see those things, when our team wasn't really up there in foreign soil, it shows you there's so much good golf to be played by the international players in the future. With the loss, it was heartbreaking, but just a lot of good momentum and feeling that, man, Canada could be a really special week.

How often do you reflect on that week as you grew in stature internationally?

It was a big week. It definitely gave me a lot of confidence. I won my second PGA Tour event, literally in my next event after the Presidents Cup, because the experiences that you get out of those team events, because you're playing for more than yourself, you know, the amount of pressure that goes in your mind. In your heart, there's so many things going on and there's not a single event that brings the same amount of emotions and nerves that come with a team event. I think if I can have a few more of these under my belt by the time I finish my career, I'd be pretty proud.

What do you recall about the walk up to the first tee? You were revving up the crowd and soaking it all in at Quail Hollow.

I mean, just gosh, there's something about these team events going up to the first tee and I think the one reason I loved about playing on foreign soil was a lot of people were rooting against us. And I just love that environment because as soon as I saw the first tee, I kind of went into mindset of you know, we'll show you kind of thing. Obviously, we lost, but it just got very, very aggressive and I was feeling like I was about to go to war with my teammates and captains and just all that stuff. I think it brings such a special moment.

How do you connect with what the Shield represents for the International Team?

The Shield definitely brings us internationals a little closer, instead of not from one country. We're players from different countries. And to have one logo for us players brings everyone together and makes us feel a closer as teammates. We haven't really had much success in the Presidents Cup but I think if we keep knocking on the door, we'll have our chances. And when we do win our next Presidents Cup, it's going to be very, very special in the history books.

There are three other Korean players on the team. How big is this for golf back home in Korea and Asia?

I think more than at home. I think it's really big for Asia because America feels really far away, the PGA Tour feels really far away. You work really hard. All you think about during practice is kind of making it to the tour. And you have that grit and that swag and mentality of being hungry and we all kind of bring that mentality of I'm going to try and beat you. So that survival mode, I think is really important, especially in these team events, because they can get very competitive and you're playing for a lot more than yourself. I think when we can bring that momentum to the team and have success, it would not only be good for our team but it would be good for golf internationally.

Fans can watch the Presidents Cup on JTBC Golf and Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]