Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim improved to 3-1 as a Presidents Cup pairing, giving the International Team another badly needed spark at Medinah.
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim have quickly become the International Team pairing nobody wants to see across the tee box.
The South Korean duo improved to 3-1-0 together in Presidents Cup play Thursday, beating Patrick Cantlay and Chris Gotterup 3 and 2 in Four-ball at Medinah Country Club.
The victory helped keep the International Team within striking distance as the United States finished Day 1 with a 3-2 lead.
Their partnership is becoming one of the most dependable pieces of Geoff Ogilvy’s lineup.
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim jumped ahead early, briefly lost control when Cantlay and Gotterup pulled even at the sixth, then immediately regained the lead with a birdie at No. 7.
They eventually stretched the advantage to 3-up before Tom Kim nearly holed his tee shot from 165 yards at the par-3 16th to close the match.
“We don't want to leave the door open,” Tom Kim said. “You really have to keep your foot down.”
That mentality has worked.
The Kims first teamed in 2022, when they beat Xander Schauffele and Cantlay 1-up in Four-ball.
Two years later at Royal Montreal, they defeated Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark 4 and 3 before losing a memorable Foursomes rematch against Schauffele and Cantlay.
Their chemistry is obvious, but so is the confidence they create for an International side trying to end a long run of American dominance.
“We know very well each other,” Si Woo Kim said. “Sometimes he helps me a lot, gives me a lot of confidence, and I think I give him a lot of confidence.”
Now they get another crack at a familiar opponent.
Ogilvy will send Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim back out together Friday in Foursomes against Cantlay and Schauffele, arguably the marquee match of the session.
The American duo owns a 5-1 Presidents Cup record together, including 4-1 in alternate shot.
That makes Friday another major test.
But if the International Team is going to challenge the Americans deep into the weekend, it needs pairings that can consistently deliver points under pressure.
So far, the Kims have been exactly that.
