SEOUL– When South Korean golfer Kim Si-woo saw his name drawn against that of the American star Justin Thomas for the singles at the Presidents Cup on Saturday in North Carolina, he was intimidated at first.
After all, Thomas is a two-time major champion and a former world No. 1, and had gone undefeated in four matches over the first three days of the match play competition between the United States and the International Team, made up of players from outside America and Europe.
Kim had also suffered a devastating, 6 & 5 loss to Thomas in the first round of the 2018 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on the PGA Tour.
Over the early holes of their singles match Sunday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, Kim’s fears seemed to materialize. Thomas birdied two of the first four holes to go 2-up and maintained that advantage at the turn.
Kim tried to stay composed and not worry about what Thomas was doing. Five birdies later, Kim delivered a 1-up victory for the Internationals in the very first singles match of Sunday.
“It was not an easy match because I was playing from behind early on, but I tried not to get too angry and keep on smiling,” Kim said in an interview with the PGA Tour afterward. “As soon as I saw Justin Thomas’ name in the pairings last night, I was afraid. He’s an incredible player, and I knew it was going to be a tough match. But I wanted to keep the focus on my own play.”
Kim and his countryman Kim Joo-hyung had teamed up for an emotionally-charged fourball victory over the favored tandem of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele on Saturday. Si-woo said it provided him with a much-needed shot in the arm.
Thomas and Kim were all tied after Kim’s birdie at the 14th. On the next hole, Thomas made his par putt first and let his opponent know about it with an exuberant celebration. Kim calmly stepped up and drained his par attempt as well, and that’s exactly when Kim knew his time had arrived.
“I tried to pump myself up with celebrations, too, and I think that helped me with my play the rest of the way,” said Kim, who showed off some fist pumps after his clinching birdie at the 18th.
Kim was one of captain Trevor Immelman’s six additional picks, after finishing well outside the top eight automatic spots in the points standings. Kim stumbled a bit toward the end of the 2021-22 season, but Immelman valued Kim’s experience from the 2017 Presidents Cup, especially with eight rookies on this year’s squad.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d get selected, because I didn’t play well late in the season,” Kim said. “But once I was picked, I wanted to reward the captain for his faith in me. I practiced hard and tried to have a great finish.
Kim Si-woo was part of the largest South Korean contingent in Presidents Cup history, joined by Kim Joo-hyung, Im Sung-jae and Lee Kyoung-hoon.
Lee, a Presidents Cup rookie, was also impressive in the singles, beating Billy Horschel 3 & 1 without trailing once.
“This was such an exciting match. I am so happy to beat a strong player like Billy,” Lee said. “I was enjoying myself, but at the same time, I wanted to win so badly.”
Lee, who finished with two victories in his debut, said it was “an unforgettable experience” to play before such a huge crowd.
“A lot of moments from this event will stay with me for a long time,” Lee said. “And I will never forget winning the singles match today.”
Despite these two victories by Kim and Lee, the Internationals lost 17.5-12.5, as the U.S. stretched their winning streak to nine Presidents Cups.
Source: Yonhap News Agency