Scottie Scheffler bites back at golf rival – who’s later blasted for his ‘bad behavior’ during day one of Presidents Cup

Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim had a fiery moment on the seventh green of the Presidents Cup Thursday as the friendly golf rivals barked at each other after birdies.

Kim, who is paired with Sungjae Im in today’s USA vs. Rest of the World competition, went first and dropped a long putt before looking at Scheffler and opening his fist in celebration.

But Scheffler got some payback moments later when he made a birdie himself.

The world number 1 then said ‘what was that?’ towards Kim before giving his teammate Russell Henley a high five and a smile.

Kim and Scheffler are known to be good friends and the former, born in South Korea, also couldn’t help but grin at the moment.

Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim stood jaws on the seventh green after sinking dueling birdies

However, he soon did something that an announcer said was “disrespectful.”

Instead of waiting for Scheffler to finish laying the eighth hole, Kim and I walked away to the ninth hole, 60 yards away.

Former Irish golfer Paul McGinley said on NBC: “That borders on bad behavior… that’s disrespectful in my opinion.”

Up to 11, Scheffler and Henley were ahead of Kim and Im by one stroke.

U.S. team’s Scheffler plays his shot from the ninth tee during Thursday’s four-ball matches on day one of the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club

As the Presidents Cup approached, the international team tried to inspire its players to an unlikely victory with a bold battle cry.

In an effort to encourage the players, the team’s shield has appeared in central Tokyo on the sidewalks of Seoul, in a nature reserve outside Montreal, in graffiti art in Cape Town and on a beach in Melbourne.

The international team consists of a large number of top players, including Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Si Woo Kim, Min Woo Lee and Corey Conners.

Their American rivals also include world number 2 Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Keegan Bradley, Tony Finau, Max Homa and Sam Burns.