Scottie Scheffler and South Korea’s Tom Kim found themselves in a heated moment during the Presidents Cup as the United States dominated the opening day with a 5-0 lead over the International team. Scheffler, the world number one, and his partner Russell Henley, beat Kim and Im Sung-jae 3&2 in their fourball match, but tensions rose after Kim celebrated two long birdie putts on the seventh and eighth holes with energetic fist pumps.

Kim’s celebrations included leaving the green before Scheffler attempted his birdie on the eighth hole, which Scheffler ultimately missed. US assistant captain Kevin Kisner accused Kim of crossing the line with his behavior, while Sky Sports pundit Paul McGinley deemed it “disrespectful.” Kim, however, defended his actions, saying he was simply focused on his own game and didn’t intend to show disrespect.

Despite the exchange, Scheffler downplayed the spat, suggesting it was all part of the competition: “We’re friends after. We’re not friends during.” Both players acknowledged the competitive tension, with Kim stating that he wanted to beat his friend badly, especially during such a high-stakes event.

The US team’s dominance continued throughout the opening fourballs at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec, with victories in all five matches. Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley, and Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns all secured wins to give the Americans a commanding lead.

Kim will not feature in Friday’s foursomes, but the US will aim to maintain their momentum, with pairings like Cantlay and Schauffele taking on Matsuyama and Im Sung-jae in key matchups.

The Presidents Cup follows a match-play format with a total of 30 points available. The event is spread over four days, with teams competing in various formats including fourball, foursomes, and singles. The first team to reach 15½ points wins the competition.

Current Standings (Thursday Fourballs)
The United States leads the International team 5-0 after Thursday’s matches:
1. Schauffele/Finau beat Day/An – 1 up
2. Morikawa/Theegala beat Scott/Lee – 1 up
3. Scheffler/Henley beat Im/Kim – 3&2
4. Clark/Bradley beat Pendrith/Bezuidenhout – 1 up
5. Cantlay/Burns beat Matsuyama/Conners – 2&1

 Friday (Foursomes) – Matches from 18:05 BST
– Cantlay/Schauffele vs. Matsuyama/Im
– Theegala/Morikawa vs. Scott/Pendrith
– Homa/Harman vs. Bezuidenhout/Day
– Clark/Finau vs. Conners/Hughes
– Scheffler/Henley vs. Kim Si-woo/An

Saturday
– Fourball matches from 12:00 BST
– Foursome matches from 18:40 BST

Sunday
– Twelve singles matches starting from 17:00 BST

The format alternates between fourball (better ball) and foursome (alternate shot), culminating in the singles on Sunday to determine the final winner.