Presidents Cup star has five-word message after calling US rivals 'unsportsmanlike' | Golf

Presidents Cup star Tom Kim exclaimed ‘I just said I’m sorry’ to Xander Schauffele after accusing US players of ‘unsportsmanlike’ behavior following penultimate day of action in Canada . The United States was victorious against the international team, winning the contest 18½-11½.

Kim faced Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay alongside teammate Si Woo Kim in the foursomes on Saturday, with the American duo winning the points for their team.

The South Korean star, however, let his frustrations boil over at one point in the match, when he put his putter down and used it as a measure after his opponents refused to concede a point-blank putt.

Kim then launched the attack after the action ended, accusing the American players of insulting him.

“I could hear some players insulting us,” he said. “That part wasn’t really…I don’t think there was good sportsmanship there. But that’s all part of the fun. I understand it.

Schauffele denied the allegations, explaining: “I have no idea if anyone was doing this. I don’t think any of our guys would do something like that. So I’m not sure what he meant.

And after the final day of play, Kim admitted to contacting Schauffele to apologize for his comments. “It was just my comments yesterday,” Kim revealed. “I just told him, ‘Hey, I didn’t mean for it to come out in such a negative way.’ If so, I just said I’m sorry.

“It just felt like what I heard yesterday, some of the comments I heard at that time, were just coming off the green. This came very personally to me and I felt it was only right to share.

“I really didn’t intend to do it…because when I was playing with Patrick and Alex, we obviously fought a few times and they were always really good competitors. They never… I always felt like there was such good sportsmanship between us.

“It was just off the ropes, and I felt like it was a little misunderstanding on my part, that I should have explained better.

“So I went to him and said, ‘I didn’t mean it that way. I apologize if that came out wrong. It was just that and it happened, but if it affected you so negatively, I truly apologize. I didn’t want to do it that way.

The 22-year-old added: “This event is about doing things you would never do, creating energy and doing all those things. I do certain things on the greens when I make putts, and I expect them to do the same thing. It’s all part of the game. It was just about that.