PGA Tour veteran Kim Si-woo selected for 3rd Presidents Cup

All News 08:47 September 04, 2024

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korean PGA Tour veteran Kim Si-woo has been chosen to play at his third Presidents Cup.

Mike Weir, the Canadian-born captain for the International Team, made Kim one of his six captain's picks in Montreal, the host city for this year's event, on Tuesday (local time). The Presidents Cup is a biennial match play competition pitting the International Team, featuring non-European players, against the United States.

The six automatic picks were finalized on Aug. 25, based on players' world ranking positions, and three South Koreans were on that list: Im Sung-jae, An Byeong-hun and Tom Kim.

Kim ranked 14th in the International Team standings, but Weir picked him ahead of the likes of Cam Davis (eighth in the standings), Nick Taylor (12th) and Adam Hadwin (13th).

In this Getty Images file photo from Aug. 25, 2024, Kim Si-woo of South Korea reacts after making par on the third hole during the final round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado. (Yonhap)

This year's Presidents Cup will be played at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal from Sept. 26 to 29.

"When I was younger, I was always watching the Presidents Cup, and it looked fun to me. I wanted to compete with the best golfers in the world," Kim said. "The most important thing is to get passion. I want to give my energy to all the team players. Hopefully, we can win this year."

Kim previously played at the 2017 and 2022 Presidents Cups and has a 4-3-0 (wins-losses-halves) record. At the 2022 competition, he was one of only three International Team players with a winning record, as he went 3-0-1. Most notably, Kim defeated former world No. 1 Justin Thomas in the singles. After making a key putt on the 15th hole during that match, Kim shushed the pro-U.S. crowd at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina -- an unusually defiant gesture for the usually stoic player.

In this Getty Images file photo from Sept. 25, 2022, Kim Si-woo of South Korea, playing for the International Team team, shushes the crowd after making a putt on the 15th green during his singles match against Justin Thomas of the United States during the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Yonhap)

"Si-woo brings a wealth of experience to our team room, as well as a great record in the Presidents Cup," Weir said of the four-time PGA Tour winner. "He has been a stalwart on PGA Tour leaderboards since 2016 and has demonstrated an ability to perform his best when the pressure is at its highest, which will be a great asset for us in Montreal."

South Korea is best represented with four players. They are joined by three Australians (Adam Scott, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee), three Canadians (Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes), one South African (Christiaan Bezuidenhout) and one Japanese (Hideki Matsuyama).

The U.S. has won 12 of the 14 competitions so far, with one loss and one tie. The lone International victory came in 1998 in Melbourne.

The Americans will be favored once again this year, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has won seven PGA Tour titles this year, leading the way.