The international team gained the classes at Quail Hollow Golf Club on Saturday, and within the course of, Tom Kim secured successful the week. Despite coming into eight matches on the third day of play on the 2022 Presidents Cup down 8-2, Kim walked in putts all around the Americans and dragged his team again into a contest that appeared to be fully misplaced. In the method, the 20-year-old star launched himself to the remainder of the world.
In the morning foursomes match, Kim and Ok.H. Lee took down World Nos. 1 and 12, Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. Though the Americans led on the flip, Kim made a nasty eagle on the par-4 eleventh gap, which he walked off as onerous as anybody at any team occasion within the historical past of team occasions has walked off a putt. The Lee-Kim duo by no means trailed after that and went on to win 2 and 1.
The afternoon was even higher — as if that had been even potential. Kim paired with Si Woo Kim, they usually took on the seemingly invincible twosome of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in four-ball. Kim once more eagled the par-4 eleventh on a monster putt, however it appeared as if Cantlay and Schauffele had been going to have the ability to maintain them off and safe at the very least a half level.
After Si Woo birdied the sixteenth to tie it up, the groups remained deadlocked going to the final. Kim hit the 2-iron of his life to 10 toes. He stalked the putt for a very long time, undoubtedly questioning if he had any celebrations left within the holster after a day filled with them. He struck the birdie putt that may win a full level towards Cantlay and Schauffele, however he by no means noticed it go in.
Kim bellowed one last “Let’s go!” towards an international facet that was chomping on the bit to canine pile him on the inexperienced. It was the right exclamation level to one of many nice singular days for an International participant in Presidents Cup historical past.
What has grow to be clear, as the week has worn on, is how determined Kim is to embrace the second. You may nearly see him formulating celebrations in his thoughts as he walked to and across the greens of Quail Hollow, and he was nonplussed at having to tackle the titanic twosome of Cantlay and Schauffele.
“[I] 100% [wanted that moment],” stated Kim after the matches. “I was already thinking in the back of my mind, ‘What am I going to do, how am I going to celebrate?’ … It was an amazing feeling for that to go in because the team was behind and they were watching. I wanted it more than anything in the world.”
Rick Gehman and Greg DuCharme recap Saturday’s motion on the 2022 Presidents Cup. Follow & take heed to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The 20-year-old turned the primary golfer born within the 2000s to win a PGA Tour occasion when he gained on the Wyndham Championship simply over a month in the past, however his legend has been rising since lengthy earlier than that. His given identify shouldn’t be Tom Kim however slightly Joohyung Kim, although he began calling himself Tom as a result of he had a “Thomas the Tank Engine” lunch field as a baby.
He’s a simple participant for which to root. A self-decribed fast food savant, he was voted by his teammates as the participant that eats probably the most within the team room this week at Quail Hollow, after which he proved it by splitting two pairs of pants earlier within the week. He celebrates prefer it’s each the primary time it is ever occurred and the final time he’ll ever have the chance. He is, in a typically joyless pursuit, an absolute revelation. Nothing is as a lot enjoyable as watching a golfer delight (and thrive) in his first team expertise like Tom Kim has carried out.
Whether he ever turns into the worldwide celebrity others have predicted stays to be seen, however one factor is for certain after Saturday’s present: If the Cup will get shut late within the day on Sunday when Kim performs Max Homa within the tenth match off in singles, there’s no one else the International would need on the market. Kim proved that on Saturday. And you realize what? I’m undecided there’s anybody else we’d slightly watch.