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Kim basking in glow of first win
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| Anthony Kim bows to the crowd after winning the Wachovia Championship golf tournament in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday. ASSOCIATED PRESS |
Enters The Players Championship following record win at Wakovia.
By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — Tiger Woods was waiting on the sixth hole at Southern Hills last year during a practice round at the PGA Championship when he walked over to the side of the tee box and asked a question no one saw coming.
“What do you think of Anthony Kim?”
Woods pays attention to more than trophies and his bank account, and there was something about the 22-year-old Californian that caught his eye. Kim has explosive skills rarely seen in his age bracket, along with emotions that fit the same description.
He was an All-American for three years at Oklahoma, where he was more about self than team and wound up leaving early. In his first PGA Tour event as a pro, he received a sponsor’s exemption to the Valero Texas Open in 2006.
Kim laughed Tuesday when he recalled the first prolonged conversation he had with Woods in January.
“It was at the Buick Invitational, right after I tied for third at the Bob Hope Classic,” Kim said. “Tiger came over to me on the range and said, “It’s about time.”
Gone was the brash talk that defined Kim’s first season on the PGA Tour, when he rubbed folks the wrong way by talking a far better game than he played, even though he finished 60th on the money list.
Humility comes through
winning, even when you smoke one of the best fields on one of the toughest courses. Kim won the Wachovia Championship by five shots with a record score of 16-under 272, impressive with or without Woods at Quail Hollow.
Still wearing his royal blue
blazer, with a gaudy, diamond necklace spelling “AK” draped around his neck, Kim walked through the doors of a restaurant and saw Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.
He received a standing ovation that lasted five minutes.
“I don’t think I’ve heard anything like that for me since I was in high school and won a tournament,” Kim said.
It never took him so long to unpack his golf bag. Stooped over in front of his locker at the TPC Sawgrass, Kim could barely remove a pair of shoes or box of balls without someone coming by to slap on the back, shake his head or otherwise congratulate him.
He could get used to this.
And unless he does, Kim will fall into the rut of other young
players who finally win and are rarely heard from again.
It is not unusual for players in their 20s to win on the PGA Tour. Kim was the fifth player in that age group to win in the last six tournaments, including Trevor Immelman at the Masters, Adam Scott at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and Andres Romero of Argentina at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Already this year, there have been eight winners in their 20s, surpassing the total from all of 2007.
It’s not just about winning. It’s about contending regularly, which allows for more chances to win.
“What do you think of Anthony Kim?”
Woods pays attention to more than trophies and his bank account, and there was something about the 22-year-old Californian that caught his eye. Kim has explosive skills rarely seen in his age bracket, along with emotions that fit the same description.
He was an All-American for three years at Oklahoma, where he was more about self than team and wound up leaving early. In his first PGA Tour event as a pro, he received a sponsor’s exemption to the Valero Texas Open in 2006.
Kim laughed Tuesday when he recalled the first prolonged conversation he had with Woods in January.
“It was at the Buick Invitational, right after I tied for third at the Bob Hope Classic,” Kim said. “Tiger came over to me on the range and said, “It’s about time.”
Gone was the brash talk that defined Kim’s first season on the PGA Tour, when he rubbed folks the wrong way by talking a far better game than he played, even though he finished 60th on the money list.
Humility comes through
winning, even when you smoke one of the best fields on one of the toughest courses. Kim won the Wachovia Championship by five shots with a record score of 16-under 272, impressive with or without Woods at Quail Hollow.
Still wearing his royal blue
blazer, with a gaudy, diamond necklace spelling “AK” draped around his neck, Kim walked through the doors of a restaurant and saw Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.
He received a standing ovation that lasted five minutes.
“I don’t think I’ve heard anything like that for me since I was in high school and won a tournament,” Kim said.
It never took him so long to unpack his golf bag. Stooped over in front of his locker at the TPC Sawgrass, Kim could barely remove a pair of shoes or box of balls without someone coming by to slap on the back, shake his head or otherwise congratulate him.
He could get used to this.
And unless he does, Kim will fall into the rut of other young
players who finally win and are rarely heard from again.
It is not unusual for players in their 20s to win on the PGA Tour. Kim was the fifth player in that age group to win in the last six tournaments, including Trevor Immelman at the Masters, Adam Scott at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and Andres Romero of Argentina at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Already this year, there have been eight winners in their 20s, surpassing the total from all of 2007.
It’s not just about winning. It’s about contending regularly, which allows for more chances to win.
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