Korean Rookie Inspires Presidents Cup Fightback

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Or in this instance, arise Tom Kim Joo-hyung, a 20-year-old baby-faced Korean rookie.

The boy who took up his English name due to a liking for Thomas the Tank Engine – a children’s locomotive cartoon character – almost single-handedly stopped the United States juggernaut in its tracks at the Presidents Cup on Saturday by starring in two massive wins for the International Team at Quail Hollow Club.

Down 8-2 overnight following an American domination in the Foursomes and Fourball sessions, Kim, who was defeated in his opening two matches, partnered fellow debutant KH Lee in the third round’s Foursomes session in the morning to beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, the world number one and 12 respectively, 2 and 1.

In the afternoon, Kim teamed up with another Korean, Kim Si-woo, to pull off a thrilling one-up victory over Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele which featured breathtaking moments and shots, including a 10-foot winning putt at the 18th hole which sparked wild celebrations.

Kim’s heroics put the International Team back in the fight for the Presidents Cup, with the US leading 11-7 ahead of Sunday’s 12 singles matches.

“I just told myself: ‘I got this’. I wouldn’t want anyone else to hole that putt except for myself. I really wanted it,” said Kim, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion whose has risen to global prominence on the PGA Tour in recent months.

Two-down through 10 holes, Kim nailed a 54-foot eagle putt on 11 to spark a fightback before Si-woo snared a 22-footer for birdie on 13 to tie the match.

Playing the 18th, Kim proved he’s a superstar in the making. With 233 yards to the pin, he rifled a glorious two-iron approach to set up his team’s winning birdie. International Team Captain Trevor Immelman could only marvel at Kim’s brilliance.

“He’s been such a tremendous gift to our sport,” said Immelman, a former Masters champion. “He’s about 240 yards out. He’s probably 60 yards behind his opponents. I look back and I see the Who’s Who of American golf in golf carts behind him.

“I see (Justin) Thomas, I see (Jordan) Spieth, I see (Tony) Finau, I see (Max) Homa, I see (Collin) Morikawa, all of them sitting on carts 15 yards from him. And this kid pures a two-iron to 10 feet and makes the putt. To me, that’s impressive stuff, shows some guts. That made my heart warm right there. I’m extremely proud of him.”

Im Sung-jae and Sebastian Munoz and Adam Scott and Cam Davis secured vital wins late in the day when at one point the leaderboard was dominated by red numbers favouring the US.

Australian Scott, a veteran of 10 Presidents Cup teams but yet to be victorious, believes the Internationals have the momentum against a US Team which features 12 players ranked inside the world’s top-25.

“Over the course of my career in this, there hasn’t been many times I’ve felt momentum going our way. We certainly have it finishing this evening, and it will be great if we could keep it rolling tomorrow,” said Scott, who has contributed two points so far for the Internationals.

If Scott has been the spiritual lead of the team this week, Kim has taken up the talisman role with his youthful exuberance, boundless energy and wild celebrations.

Kim, who won multiple times across Asia before hitting the jackpot with his victory at the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour in August, said he was determined to prove a point to the Americans.

“It’s huge, especially if you beat someone like Xander and Patrick. I have huge respect for them, but I wanted them to know, and I wanted the American team to know that we’re going to fight,” said Kim, who will face Homa in the singles.

“I’m just trying to bring energy to the team. I feel like that’s the least I can do. I just want to get the crowd going. We’re on American soil, and it’s not easy for us. I’m trying to use it as my motivation and definitely using it as my energy. I’ve thrown a lot of fist pumps.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to hole that winning putt for the team. I’ll remember this for a while.”

Schauffele, who took his Presidents Cup record to 5-3-0, said: “He played incredible golf. He beat us. He hit some incredible shots from all over the property.”

Immelman is convinced Kim can become the next big superstar in the game. “He (Tom) has an ability to be a global superstar. I know he has the game. We’ve seen he has the game. But what I’ve learned about his personality and his heart and what he stands for this week … I’m a huge fan.”

The International Team includes four former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) participants with two-time AAC winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan joined by Australian Davis and Koreans Kim Si-woo and KH Lee Kyoung-hoon.