Wyndham Clark has become the latest player to weigh in on the ugly spat between the United States and International teams at the Presidents Cup, with Tom Kim at the centre of the controversy
Wyndham Clark has shrugged off any insinuations of undue conduct, downplaying the role he and his US teammates took part in during the fiery Presidents Cup face-off in Canada.
At the Royal Montreal Golf Club, Clark and the American team triumphed, clinching victory with a score of 18.5-11.5 against their International competition, after shining in Sunday’s singles matches. Despite the definitive end score, the contest remained tight throughout the week, culminating in a fiercely contested battle on the greens.
Emotions ran high during the four-day tournament in Canada, with Tom Kim frequently finding himself at the heart of the tension. At 25 years old, this was Tom Kim’s sophomore effort at the Presidents Cup since his 2022 debut.
The first day saw him engaging with Scottie Scheffler and, in Saturday’s foursomes, Kim, along with his teammate Si Woo Kim, got into a verbal scrap with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. A memorable moment unfolded when Si Woo brilliantly chipped in from a bunker on the 16th hole and celebrated with Steph Curry’s iconic “Night, Night” gesture.
However, merely two holes later, Team International succumbed to Cantlay and Schauffele. Witnessing the furore as an observer, Clark couldn’t resist mocking the Kims, imitating the “Night, Night” celebration himself. The incident followed allegations made by Kim later that evening, in which he claimed the US team swore at him and his fellow International players.
This was confirmed by his caddie Paul Tesori, who spoke to SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio this week, revealing: “I witnessed three [incidents] where members of the US team emphatically got personal with Tom and cursed at him and got very personal.”
Not long after, US golfer Clark shared his perspective. Speaking to Golf Digest’s The Loop Podcast, he recounted: “Earlier that morning [Keegan Bradley] and I played Tom and Si Woo,” and added, “And we witnessed them making tons of putts on us and playing unbelievable and then obviously witnessed all of the celebrations that they were doing.
“And then just some of the other antics that maybe people weren’t seeing on TV, that obviously just kind of gets you to where you’re a little frustrated because some of it was extreme, in my opinion. Some of it seemed a little fabricated and so it almost didn’t seem authentic, especially for someone that’s usually pretty quiet, and so it almost seemed like they were trying to do something.”
Clark also touched upon the incident involving Si Woo Kim at the 18th green, stating: “So we could feel that. And so [Keegan] and I lost, they beat us fair and square. They played unbelievable.”
He justified his reaction to the mocking of Si Woo, explaining that it came after the International stars had celebrated in front of his teammate Tony Finau.
“He did that right in front of Tony Finau and I,” he revealed. “And we looked at each other. We’re like, ‘It’s a tight ball game. I don’t understand why you would do that? ‘ And then we go to 18, obviously, and we both were sitting there and we’re like, ‘Man, if we win this hole, we’re for sure giving them we’re putting it right back in their face’.”
