MONTREAL — It’s not often that assistant captains in team competitions do much more than driving a cart, fetching sandwiches and holding their trusty walkie-talkie. But on Thursday at the 2024 Presidents Cup, U.S. Assistant Captain Kevin Kisner and International Team Assistant Captain Camilo Villegas added a new twist on the job, engaging in a war of words.
“They took gamesmanship too far and over the line on sportsmanship and lose some integrity,” Kisner told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis. “I thought it was pretty bush league and I told Camilo that if that’s the way they want to do it, then game on. If you can piss off my No. 1 player in the world, then I’m all for it.”
Kisner’s comments relate back to the eighth hole, where Tom Kim sank a birdie putt and tried to stir up the crowd with fist pumps and shouting, “Come on!” What riled up Kisner was seeing Kim and partner Sungjae Im exit the green and head to the ninth tee to talk to Villegas before Scheffler had attempted his putt to tie the hole. It’s an unwritten rule among golfers to wait, or simply the courteous thing to do, and Kisner didn’t like it one bit.
Golf Channel’s John Wood was walking with the group and he expressed surprise too: “Kim and Im have left. They have gone to the ninth tee box and have absolutely left. They are 60 yards away and are not watching. Things are definitely getting a little chippy right now.”
@GolfChannel reporter @ToddLewisGC joined @GolfCentral at the @PresidentsCup tonight to discuss the exchanges between U.S. vice captain Kevin Kisner and INT vice captain Camilo Villegas regarding Tom Kim/Sungjae Im leaving the 8th green with Scottie Scheffler still putting. pic.twitter.com/x1oFjbySq4
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) September 26, 2024
Golf Channel’s Paul McGinley later chimed in: “That’s bordering on bad behavior. That’s disrespectful in my opinion.
“I’m a great believer in that you don’t want to give the opponent energy, you don’t want to put a chip on their shoulder and give them the moral high ground. Their behavior was not the moral high ground. They didn’t pay the respect of watching their opponent’s putt. That’s not a good psychological position for the Internationals.”
But when Scheffler was asked if it bothered him, he claimed that he didn’t see it. His partner, Russell Henley, however did. “It bothered me a little bit.”
But not as much as Kisner, who confronted Villegas. “When Kim and Im walked off the eight green, it looked like Villegas instigated it,” Wood explained. “He said let’s go and they walked over there. After that hole, the American vice captain with this group is Kevin Kisner and it looked like he and Camilo had some words. I couldn’t hear what was said but it didn’t look that friendly to be honest with you.”
Captain’s Assistant Camilo Villegas of Colombia and the International Team speaks to the media following a practice round prior to the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Later, Kisner texted to Golf Channel’s Brad Faxon exactly what he had said: “If you’re going to do that, then it’s game on.”
The kerfuffle continued at the 16th hole after the U.S. side claimed a 3-and-2 win. According to Lewis, Villegas said he told Kisner, “Why are you being so sensitive?”
“Because I play by the rules,” Kisner responded, according to Villegas.
Villegas shot back: “Nothing against the rules of leaving the green.”
While that it may be the case, it is behavior that is usually frowned upon. When Kim was asked at a post-match press conference why they left the green, he said, “We just were focusing on our game. I made a putt, and whether he made it or not wasn’t going to make a difference. There was no reason to stay there and look at him putt. It doesn’t help us at all. It wasn’t trying to be cheap or do anything like that. We were focused on our own game.”
One thing is clear and it was summed up perfectly by Xander Schauffele, who was referring to Scheffler, the world No. 1, but may as well have been taking about Kisner: “From my perspective, it looked like he poked the bear.”