Tom Kim is looking for a good time, and a win, at Presidents Cup

Tom Kim returns to the Presidents Cup teeing off at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada on Thursday where he expects to feel “so much joy” playing with his teammates as the International Team take on the United States once again.

The Presidents Cup is a series of men’s golf contests between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe.

This year marks Kim’s second appearance in the President Cup after participating in the 2022 tournament, during which he stood out by securing two points in his debut.

“It’s definitely up there,” Kim told the PGA Tour, a content partner of the Korea JoongAng Daily. “It’s very unique. It’s the one week where we get to play in a team environment and it’s something where after the last one, I wanted to be on the next team again. There’s so much joy, and it’s just one week.

“You’re really not playing for yourself, you’re playing for your teammates and you have this burden of trying to not let down your partners or let down your team, or let down your captain. I’m really excited.”

Tom Kim will be competing alongside fellow Korean golfers An Byeong-hun, Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae on the same team this year under the Shield — the International Team’s logo.

Ahead of the Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour spoke with Kim about how he feels about competing in the tournament again.

The following are edited excerpts from the interview.

Q. What does Tom Kim bring to the International Team?

A. Energy. You know, I’m very passionate. I think energy is a big thing, especially as a young guy. I’ve shown a lot of emotions out there and my first Presidents Cup was just so passionate and I wanted to do so much for our team. I’m trying to be a little bit of a small voice for our team as I want my teammates to know I’m playing as hard as I can. When you can have a few fist bumps or a few roars, that I think can definitely get a team going, gives the team a little boost.

What do you want to dial in specifically after the PGA Tour season as you get closer to the Presidents Cup?

I’ve definitely played a lot better this summer and the game is in a really good spot. All I need to do is to figure out the golf course and have a good game plan and literally execute to what I see. Building up to this Presidents Cup, putting will be a big difference. You can hit a lot of good shots, but in match play, momentums are made by making putts. I think just around the greens, I want to be really sharp and kind of have that edge of making one more putt a round would definitely make a difference.

The Presidents Cup brings out a lot of emotion and camaraderie from both players and fans. How much fun is it as the player to let out those big celebrations?

Number one, when the emotions come out, it’s from playing within yourself. I had a little bit of a moment in my last Presidents Cup where the whole team was just watching over you. And my teammates, my captains want me to make that putt, you know, more than me. I know that emotion because I felt that way for my teammates and just having that camaraderie environment for literally one week of the year, it’s so special and it brings friendships closer. I think that’s how we bond together.

Where you surprised with the emotions that you showed at Quail Hollow two years ago?

It’s definitely something I wasn’t expecting. I think when I got to the first tee, there were a lot more nerves than I would have expected. Luckily, I now have one experience under my belt, especially on the opposite side in the U.S. And I think going to our home ground, it’s going to be with the crowds which is going to be great. They’re going to be very feisty. And, you know, I can’t wait to get those Canadian crowds going.