Tom Kim Breaks Down in Tears After Scoring at Olympics After Scottie Scheffler Sends Words of Support
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Scotty Scheffler embraces Tom Kim on the 18th green during Day 4 of the Olympic Men’s Golf Tournament. Photo credit: Kevin S. Cox/Getty Images
Jack Mirko has been playing golf since he was 5 years old. Though he has yet to hit a hole-in-one, he has a master’s degree in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. One of the largest sections of the golf male contest in Paris was rotated around Tom Kim, a 22 -year -old Korean.
However, the plot quickly turns into an unusual situation, and fortunately, most people do not need to experience it. All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve 21 months in the military by the time they turn 35. To avoid that, athletes need to win an Olympic medal, and Kim was aiming to win one in Paris this week. But he came up four shots short of a bronze medal, finishing at 13-under overall to post a solo eighth finish.
That led Kim to tear up in the scoring tent after. “I’ve never really been emotional after a round,” Kim said after his 3-under 68 on Sunday.
“I think those emotions are surprising, but I think it’s just because of all the hard work I’ve put in this year to put myself in this position, those things come out.” “What Scottie [Scheffler] said to me after the round really hit home, and I’m just trying to hold on.”
Kim didn’t reveal specifics about what Scheffler offered, but rest assured his words carried a lot of weight, likely with a heavy dose of support.
“He’s a really good friend of mine,” Kim said of Scheffler, who won the gold medal and played with Kim on Sunday. “We’ll probably play golf again next week. He understands what I’ve been through. It means many things for only these things and friends say that after what he did. »» »
The cheper looks like Kim’s older brother because the two players have the same birthday. Every year, in many cases, two golf star players celebrate dinner in the evening at Gols des Voyageurs du Connecticut. Earlier this year, Kim and Scheffler, along with Sam Burns, visited Kim’s beloved world famous pizzeria, Sally’s Apizza in New Haven, and just a few days later, Kim lost to Scheffler in a close playoff at TPC River Highlands, but proved to the world that she has no fear in her game and can hold her own against the best. Similar sentiments can be expressed about Kim’s performance this week. He opened at Le Golf National on Sunday with four birdies on the front nine and was eliminated at 4-under 32. But three 14-foot putts on the par-3 11th hole halted his momentum, and a double-bogey six on the final hole dropped him to 13th in the championship, far short of the goal he set in Paris.
But just getting to Paris had ensured he’d achieved one of the goals he’d set for himself at the start of the season. “I was struggling earlier this year. I wanted to go to the Olympics,” Kim said.
“When this decision was made, it was as if I had a heavy burden from my shoulder. Then it was time to go to the Olympics and it was a tough two weeks to prepare and get through, and then once the round was over, that was it. I think the emotions I had inside me this year came out.”
Luckily for Kim, he won’t have to go into service right away. He’ll have another chance to medal at Riviera in 2028, when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympics. But the young South Korean wasn’t thinking Sunday about the service he has to render to his country. He was thinking instead about the importance of representing his country, something that all the athletes felt this week in Paris. “I didn’t really think about it at all,” Kim said when asked about the military.
“Just try to win a medal for my country and not for myself.”
Jack Milko is the golf writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf news, don’t forget to check out @_PlayingThrough and you can also follow him on Twitter @jack_milko.
