The Presidents Cup needs this ‘villain’ to step up

Golf Digest

It’s rare for an MVP to come from a team that loses a championship in a North American pro sport. Excluding the NHL, where six men have claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy despite not lifting the Stanley Cup, it’s only happened once in the NFL (Chuck Howley in Super Bowl V), NBA (Jerry West in the 1969 NBA Finals) and MLB (Bobby Richardson in the 1960 World Series). Unofficially, however, you could add Tom Kim at the 2022 Presidents Cup to that list.

Then 20, Kim played much better than his 2-3 record at Quail Hollow indicated. His spirited performance, which included daring shot-making, clutch putts and the most ferocious fist pumps golf fans had seen since prime Tiger Woods, lifted both the International Team and the overall event.

As Joel Beall writes, Kim became an even bigger Team USA agitator in 2024, possibly taking his act too far into villain territory. But there’s no doubt that he has the potential to bring some juice to an event that needs it. And there’s also no doubt the Internationals are going to need another big effort from their South Korean star. Here’s more on Kim, our experts’ favorite Presidents Cup picks and the young American star who could emerge this week at Medinah.

Tom Kim is the agitator the Presidents Cup desperately needs

The American team can’t stand Tom Kim and he should take that as a compliment. Athletes don’t hate what doesn’t matter.

By Joel Beall

What You Need to Know

Stephen Hennessey

Medinah No. 3 will look way different for this week’s Presidents Cup than the last time you saw it. A transformative renovation was completed a few years ago by Geoff Ogilvy’s design firm, re-energizing one of our country’s great championship layouts. For a preview of the biggest changes that occurred at Medinah, watch the video below from architecture editor Derek Duncan. And you can check out the full video on our YouTube channel.

Christopher Powers

It's a shame there is no footage of this Chris Gotterup karaoke performance. There is not much more Gotterup could do to ingratiate himself with the "bro" golf fan than he's already done in his young career. He's an extremely chill, down-to-earth guy from New Jersey. He hits nukes. He's got a quirky swing. He often has his glove unfastened. He's not afraid to poke fun at himself on social media. He's a bro's bro. Somehow, though, his karaoke selection at the Presidents Cup, a form of rookie hazing, has further enhanced his bro status. He might already be in the Bro Hall of Fame.

If you haven't been paying attention, the band Creed has been enjoying quite the renaissance over the last five or six years. I myself actually went to a sold-out Creed concert in Atlantic City just a few summers ago with a handful of my closest high school friends. The band had become a punchline long after its early run, but has capitalized on the nostalgia wave in a big way. Gotterup has clearly taken notice of that, too. The bros love Creed again.

Unfortunately, there were no phones allowed at rookie karaoke night, so we'll never get to hear how badly he destroyed "One Last Breath."

Jonathan Wall

Callaway has added a rising star to its tour stable. Yanhan Zhou, 18, signed a multi-year deal with the equipment manufacturer that puts a full set of Callaway clubs in his hands—driver, woods, irons, wedges and golf ball—along with an Odyssey putter. He'll also sport Callaway headwear and carry a staff bag.

The résumé is already impressive for a teenager. Zhou won seven times on the China Tour last season to claim the Order of Merit and a DP World Tour card, pushing his professional win total to 11. He hasn't slowed down since earning his card, either, with a runner-up at the Danish Golf Championship, a T-3 at the Hainan Classic and a top-10 finish at the KLM Open during his rookie campaign.

Zhou isn't shy about his ceiling. His stated goal is to become world No. 1. Callaway is betting he gets there.