The International Team pairing of Tom and Si Woo Kim were up against it deep into their Presidents Cup Saturday afternoon foursomes session against Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, before a moment of magic on the 16th gave them hope.
The South Koreans began the session at Royal Montreal Golf Club poorly after slipping two behind the Americans following just three holes, although they began eating into the lead before the pair eventually drew level on the 10th.
They remained neck and neck the 15th, when they suffered another setback after Cantlay and Shauffele birdied the par 4 to again nudge ahead in the match.
Things got even trickier for the International duo when, on the 16th, Tom Kim’s second shot found the rough near bunker to the left of the green - a moment that left him holding his head in his hands as he realized the chance of victory was slipping away.
After the Americans made par at the hole, the duo needed something approaching a miracle to keep their hopes of tying the match with two to play alive, and Si Woo came up with the goods in spectacular fashion.
After a spell searching for his ball, Kim had over 40 feet to the hole from a brutal uphill green side lie immediately in front of the bunker, but he judged his shot to perfection with a beautifully weighted chip-in.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Si Woo Kim chips in from an impossible lie to win the hole! pic.twitter.com/8fxKNig54aSeptember 28, 2024
While that was incredible, what followed was almost as memorable when the crowd erupted and Kim proceeded to race around the green performing NBA star Steph Curry’s famous “night night” celebration that he used after winning gold for the US men's Olympics basketball team at the Paris Games.
With the match tied again, it appeared likely that Kim's moment of magic had swung the momentum decisively towards the International pair, particularly with the backing of the partisan home crowd.
It wasn’t quite to be. After the two pairings couldn’t be separated on the 17th, the Americans birdied the par 4 18th thanks to a brilliant clutch putt from Cantlay to hand Jim Furyk’s team a precious point for an 11-7 lead heading into the final session of singles on Sunday.
A clutch birdie on 18 to win the match. @Patrick_Cantlay secures the third point for the U.S. Team in the afternoon Foursomes matches. pic.twitter.com/BAoqe6wvfMSeptember 28, 2024
Afterwards, Si Woo said of the celebration: "Yeah, it was just exciting. That's what we needed. I didn't expect the ball was going to go in, but I was so excited. Yeah, my favorite NBA player is Steph Curry, so that's what I did. It didn't finish well, but yeah, I was excited."
While the defeat will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Internationals duo, having pushed Cantlay and Schauffele so close, there's little doubt that, whoever ends up taking the title, Si Woo's incredible chip-in - and subsequent celebration - is destined to be one of the most memorable moments of an enthralling match.
