Scottie Scheffler fires back at Tom Kim at Presidents Cup - ESPN

MONTREAL — Scottie Scheffler showed his trash-talking side that is legendary in Dallas circles and illustrates the ultra-competitive nature of golf's No. 1 player.

Tom Kim expected no less.

The Presidents Cup turned spicy on Thursday when the 22-year-old Kim took his celebrations to another level after he buried a birdie putt from just inside 30 feet on the par-3 seventh hole. He did a pirouette and shouted, «Let's go!»

Scheffler responded by matching his birdie with a putt from about the same length, turning toward Kim and shouting with equal passion, «What was that?»

And it was feisty over the next two holes, especially when Kim made another birdie and walked over to the ninth tee box — some 50 yards away — even as Scheffler still had a 15-foot putt to tie the hole (he missed).

«Looked like he poked the bear, from my perspective,» said Scheffler, who won the Olympic gold medal while paired with Kim and beat Kim in a playoff at the Travelers Championship.

Maybe it was a coincidence, but Kim and Sungjae Im didn't win another hole the rest of the way as Scheffler and Russell Henley closed out a 3-and-2 victory on a day the Americans swept the fourballs session for a 5-0 lead.

«Just he was being himself. That's how we play back at home, and I knew it was going to happen,» Kim said. «It's all fun. I made it on top of him, and he gave it to me, and I gave it to him back on the next hole. I don't shy away from him. He's a good friend. But at the same time, this week I don't like him. I want to beat him so bad, and I'm sure he feels the same way.»

They are friends. That much was evident when Scheffler wrapped his arms around an emotional Kim on the final hole of the Olympics to console him.

Scheffler was competing — and