Robert Allenby has apologized for his comments about Anthony Kim Sunday following their Presidents Cup singles match at Harding Park and Kim has accepted, according to statements released Wednesday by the PGA Tour.
“While I feel like the comments published were taken out of context, I did call Anthony to apologize for anything that I said or inferred that could possibly portray Anthony as anything less than a professional of the highest caliber,” Allenby said in the statement. “He was a key member of the U.S. Team last week and a formidable opponent on Sunday when we faced each other in singles competition. I am glad we had the chance to speak and clear the air.”
Allenby told four media outlets, including GolfChannel.com, outside the media center Sunday night that Kim beat him 5 and 3 despite the fact that Kim spent nearly the entire night out before their 9:43 a.m. tee time.
“Maybe I should have the attitude of Anthony Kim, get home at 4 a.m. and go play,” Allenby said Sunday night. “Friends of mine were out and watched him come in sideways.”
Allenby also called Kim the “current John Daly.” Allenby was specifically asked if he meant his comments about Kim to be on the record.
‘I don’t care,’ Allenby said. ‘Ask his playing partners, ask his team.’
“Robert and I have spoken about the comments he made after the final day of competition, and I’ve accepted his apology,” Kim said in the statement. “We are both moving on, and I don’t have anything more to say about the issue. I had a great experience at my first Presidents Cup and look forward to competing in many more international team competitions for my country.”
U.S. captain Fred Couples said Kim was ‘crushed’ by Allenby’s comments.
‘I promise you, there’s no way you can go out and beat a guy like Robert Allenby 5 and 3 if you’re out until 4 in the morning. There’s just no way,’ Fred Couples told Seattle radio station 950 KJR-AM in an interview Wednesday on its ‘Mitch in the Morning’ show. ‘It kind of crushed him. It was the best week that he ever had and those comments kind of crushed him.’
The apology came about after the PGA Tour stepped in to intervene, though Tour officials would not comment on the specific nature of that intervention.
“Robert Allenby and Anthony Kim were both part of a fantastic week at the Presidents Cup in San Francisco, representing the U.S. and International teams, respectively, with utmost professionalism, competitive spirit and good sportsmanship,” Rick George, the PGA Tour’s executive vice president and chief of operations, said in the statement. “Concerning the reports published after the fact with unfortunate comments attributed to Robert regarding Anthony, we understand that both players have since spoken and have put the incident behind them. We wish them both the best as they play out the remainder of their 2009 schedules.”
