“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."
/The PGA Tour issued this release from Rick George, Anthony Kim and Robert Allenby that risks further fanning the flames after Sunday's comments and inevitably will lead to more scrutiny of Kim's behavior. (However, this unbylined ESPN.com account quotes Fred Couples as saying Kim was "crushed" by the remarks and from Couples' perspective, Kim was on good behavior all week.) Anyway, the statement:
Statement from the PGA TOUR regarding Anthony Kim and Robert Allenby, post-Presidents Cup, including quotes from Kim and Allenby
October 14, 2009
“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. 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.” – PGA TOUR Executive Vice President & Chief of Operations Rick George
Was that as good for you all as it was for me?
“Robert and I have spoken about the comments he made after the final day of competition, and I’ve accepted his apology. 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.” – Anthony Kim
“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. 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.” – Robert Allenby
Oh I'm sure it was the highlight of your year.
Can you imagine how many of these clarification statements the PGA Tour would have to issue of they ran the Ryder Cup?