Internationals call for more from Presidents Cup fans

One day into the 2024 Presidents Cup and the competition hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations. For the players, the crowd also hasn’t lived up to expectations. 

After a deflating day that saw the American side win all five matches, multiple players on the International side mentioned they thought the home crowd could be louder for them at Royal Montreal. 

Canadian-born Taylor Pendrith was the first to mention it during a post-round interview. He was asked to describe the scene on the 1st tee, and while he said he enjoyed it, he needs more going forward. “To feel the love of the home crowd being in Canada was really neat,” Pendrith said. “We need to get louder, I think, the next few days here and really feel the home support.”

As can happen in shared interview settings, when one player breaks the dam on an idea, others feel free to agree and even expand upon their opinion. Tom Kim, sitting next to Pendrith in the media center, followed his lead. 

“Like Taylor said, I think it was a little too quiet today being on home soil,” Kim said. “I don’t think the fans were really — I wish they would have helped us out a bit more, especially being in Canada. I know how much they love golf. I’m definitely expecting more crowds to be louder and for them to be on our side.”

It was Kim who led the fieriest match of the afternoon, trading birdies and hysterics with Scottie Scheffler, bordering on a breach of golf etiquette, ultimately losing 3 and 2. He said his version of excitable golf and his ensuing reactions is his way of bringing energy to his teammates. 

“I’m fighting for not only myself,” Kim said. “It may look like I’m just a kid throwing fist pumps, but it’s not, it’s me throwing fist pumps for my team.”

To their credit, Pendrith and Kim held up their end of the bargain. DataGolf ranked them as the top two performers from the International side. But that’s half the hype equation at these team events. The golf needs to be exciting, and the fans need to respond. NBC broadcaster and former team event caddie John Wood agreed with Kim’s takeaway.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Wood tweeted Thursday night. “When US plays in Australia/Europe, Europe in US, Int in US, the partisan crowd makes it HARD to play for away team & that’s how it should be! Adds so much to the event. Didn’t feel that today at Royal Montreal. Props to [Tom Kim] for voicing it.”

Thursdays can be tough for golf fans. The weekend hasn’t quite arrived yet, and there’s plenty of golf to come. You wouldn’t blame anyone for finishing out their work week before heading to Royal Montreal for the golf. But therein lies some of the inspiration behind Pendrith and Kim’s quotes. The Internationals lost 5-0 Thursday, which means the Americans need just 10.5 more points from 25 matches to win the Cup. If the Internationals are going to wage a comeback, they’re absolutely going to need some help from the home crowd. It all begins with five fourball matches Friday afternoon.