Anthony Kim: A.K. is O.K.
For the 2009 Quail Hollow Championship Magazine Anthony Kim: Defending Champion
He’s been called, “fearless,” “cocky” and “arrogant” among other things, but if you take a look at Anthony Kim’s record last year and the talent gap he filled with his flash in the absence of the game’s superstar, you might understand why that’s no surprise. It’s the way the kid rolls.
In 2008, Kim capped a sensational sophomore season on the PGA TOUR with two victories and a leading role on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team. He made the cut in 19 of 22 starts on his way to a fourth-place finish in the FedExCup standings and notched a career-high eight top-10 finishes, including six top-three finishes. Solid.
With his victory in Charlotte, Kim, 22 at the time, became the youngest winner on TOUR since Sergio Garcia won his third TOUR title at the 2002 Mercedes-Benz Championship. With his five-stroke victory over Ben Curtis, Kim finished at a record 16-under par 272, three strokes better than the previous tournament record held by Tiger Woods.
Kim’s victory at Quail Hollow opened some doors for him: invitations to Augusta and Kapalua, a chance at playing in the Ryder Cup, and a few other perks that come with a big win. But he didn’t get too far ahead of himself.
“I haven't even thought about all that, but just getting the monkey off my back. This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I'm living it. I couldn't ask for anything more,” he said after his first TOUR victory. “This is a great field, and to come out on top here is more than enough. I don't need all that other stuff, even though it's a perk. But it just feels great to be on top here.”
A big part of his success here in Charlotte and the rest of the year was Kim’s maturation as a player and a person, finally realizing with great opportunity comes great responsibility. The difference in Kim as a player was obvious between the 2007 and 2008 event.
“In 2007, I finished seventh and I played some great golf, but I got to the course, I want to say on Tuesday of the tournament, and played 18 holes, really didn't map the course out. And every day before the tournament rounds, I got there about 30 minutes before my tee time,” he said. “Last year, I did a great job of preparing. I was there an hour and a half before my tee time, warmed up and got loose in the fitness trailer, hit some balls and hit 30, 45 minutes of putts before I went to play. And even though I finished seventh (in 2007), I felt like that was all I had. And last year, winning, I think what made a huge difference was the preparation for the event.”
Kim’s raw talent carried him to the TOUR and garnered him some early success—enough to feed what some considered an overly inflated ego. But the justification is in his record. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, as the saying goes. He was a three-time All-America and NCAA Freshman of the Year in 2004 at Oklahoma and was one of three finalists for the 2006 Ben Hogan Award. His two victories as a college junior ranked him seventh in the Golfweek Collegiate Rankings. Kim was a member of the victorious 2005 United States Walker Cup Team along with J.B. Holmes, Nicholas Thompson and Jeff Overton, all rookies on TOUR in 2006. He turned professional in August after three years at the University of Oklahoma and received a Sponsor Exemption into the 2006 Valero Texas Open where he finished T2 in his TOUR debut. This was looking like it was easy.
He earned his TOUR card via a T13 finish at the 2006 Qualifying Tournament at PGA West, where the California native grew up playing the game. Kim qualified through all three grueling stages of Q-School, one of eight players to do so.
Kim was the youngest rookie on TOUR in 2007 and enjoyed a successful first campaign with four top-10s, including a T3 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. But he wasn’t where he wanted to be.
“I really believe that my game in 2007 reflected how I was living. There were lots of double-bogeys and triple-bogeys, and there were quite a few birdies, but at the same time, there was no point where I just made pars and birdies and just played solid golf,” he said. “I feel like with the help of quite a few people, I turned my life around, put in some hard work and made the right decisions off the course that led to my good play last year.”
His good play forced Kim into the limelight, especially since there was a huge void that needed to be filled when Woods packed it in for the rest of the season after his one-legged victory in the U.S. Open. Golf was looking desperately for a character to step forward. It was Kim, after his second victory of the season at the AT&T National, which just happened to be hosted by Woods, made him the current heir apparent. People were surmising Kim could be the next Great One.
“It is an honor whenever anybody puts you in the same breath as probably the best player to have ever played the game. I think when it's all said and done, he's going to be the Michael Jordan; the best player that's ever played golf,” Kim said, “Obviously it's a tremendous honor to hear that, but I know I obviously need to still put in the work, and I'm a long ways behind, and I'm willing to do that. If I keep working hard, I don't see why anything can stop me and I'm going to do my best to get there.”
Spoken like a kid growing into a man. He also has become a realist.
“Tiger doesn't need anybody to push him. I think he puts as much pressure on himself as anybody can, and I think that's made him the player that he is, and I feel the same way about my golf game. I don't think there's a critic or anybody that can make me feel a certain way. I put as much pressure on myself as anybody else,” he said. “So for me, it's just to work as hard as I can and hopefully that will be good enough, and if not, I will know I've really tried and given it my all.”
Kim, at 23, has begun to buckle down, which brings up a question about his signature belt buckle. Kim has a collection of belt buckles with his initials “A.K.” he wears while he’s playing. Some are emblazoned with jewels. All are flashy.
“Yeah, actually it's a funny story. It started when I was walking around at the mall one day in my sophomore year at college and saw this kiosk and they were switching out these belt buckles, and I tried one with my initials on it. And then I started wearing it out to parties and whatnot, and then all of a sudden I started wearing it to the golf course,” he said. “When I went out on TOUR, I think people were surprised that something like that was being worn by one of the players. I think it definitely has mixed reviews, but it represents me well. I feel like that's the generation I grew up in. It's different -- I think I bring something different than somebody who has been on TOUR for 20 years, as someone who grew up in the MTV world. And I love showing that I'm 23 years old and I love having fun, and if somebody has a problem with it, you know, I can't do anything about that.”
Golf has found its next character and that’s okay. Welcome to golf’s New Age.
He’s been called, “fearless,” “cocky” and “arrogant” among other things, but if you take a look at Anthony Kim’s record last year and the talent gap he filled with his flash in the absence of the game’s superstar, you might understand why that’s no surprise. It’s the way the kid rolls.
In 2008, Kim capped a sensational sophomore season on the PGA TOUR with two victories and a leading role on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team. He made the cut in 19 of 22 starts on his way to a fourth-place finish in the FedExCup standings and notched a career-high eight top-10 finishes, including six top-three finishes. Solid.
With his victory in Charlotte, Kim, 22 at the time, became the youngest winner on TOUR since Sergio Garcia won his third TOUR title at the 2002 Mercedes-Benz Championship. With his five-stroke victory over Ben Curtis, Kim finished at a record 16-under par 272, three strokes better than the previous tournament record held by Tiger Woods.
Kim’s victory at Quail Hollow opened some doors for him: invitations to Augusta and Kapalua, a chance at playing in the Ryder Cup, and a few other perks that come with a big win. But he didn’t get too far ahead of himself.
“I haven't even thought about all that, but just getting the monkey off my back. This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I'm living it. I couldn't ask for anything more,” he said after his first TOUR victory. “This is a great field, and to come out on top here is more than enough. I don't need all that other stuff, even though it's a perk. But it just feels great to be on top here.”
A big part of his success here in Charlotte and the rest of the year was Kim’s maturation as a player and a person, finally realizing with great opportunity comes great responsibility. The difference in Kim as a player was obvious between the 2007 and 2008 event.
“In 2007, I finished seventh and I played some great golf, but I got to the course, I want to say on Tuesday of the tournament, and played 18 holes, really didn't map the course out. And every day before the tournament rounds, I got there about 30 minutes before my tee time,” he said. “Last year, I did a great job of preparing. I was there an hour and a half before my tee time, warmed up and got loose in the fitness trailer, hit some balls and hit 30, 45 minutes of putts before I went to play. And even though I finished seventh (in 2007), I felt like that was all I had. And last year, winning, I think what made a huge difference was the preparation for the event.”
Kim’s raw talent carried him to the TOUR and garnered him some early success—enough to feed what some considered an overly inflated ego. But the justification is in his record. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, as the saying goes. He was a three-time All-America and NCAA Freshman of the Year in 2004 at Oklahoma and was one of three finalists for the 2006 Ben Hogan Award. His two victories as a college junior ranked him seventh in the Golfweek Collegiate Rankings. Kim was a member of the victorious 2005 United States Walker Cup Team along with J.B. Holmes, Nicholas Thompson and Jeff Overton, all rookies on TOUR in 2006. He turned professional in August after three years at the University of Oklahoma and received a Sponsor Exemption into the 2006 Valero Texas Open where he finished T2 in his TOUR debut. This was looking like it was easy.
He earned his TOUR card via a T13 finish at the 2006 Qualifying Tournament at PGA West, where the California native grew up playing the game. Kim qualified through all three grueling stages of Q-School, one of eight players to do so.
Kim was the youngest rookie on TOUR in 2007 and enjoyed a successful first campaign with four top-10s, including a T3 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. But he wasn’t where he wanted to be.
“I really believe that my game in 2007 reflected how I was living. There were lots of double-bogeys and triple-bogeys, and there were quite a few birdies, but at the same time, there was no point where I just made pars and birdies and just played solid golf,” he said. “I feel like with the help of quite a few people, I turned my life around, put in some hard work and made the right decisions off the course that led to my good play last year.”
His good play forced Kim into the limelight, especially since there was a huge void that needed to be filled when Woods packed it in for the rest of the season after his one-legged victory in the U.S. Open. Golf was looking desperately for a character to step forward. It was Kim, after his second victory of the season at the AT&T National, which just happened to be hosted by Woods, made him the current heir apparent. People were surmising Kim could be the next Great One.
“It is an honor whenever anybody puts you in the same breath as probably the best player to have ever played the game. I think when it's all said and done, he's going to be the Michael Jordan; the best player that's ever played golf,” Kim said, “Obviously it's a tremendous honor to hear that, but I know I obviously need to still put in the work, and I'm a long ways behind, and I'm willing to do that. If I keep working hard, I don't see why anything can stop me and I'm going to do my best to get there.”
Spoken like a kid growing into a man. He also has become a realist.
“Tiger doesn't need anybody to push him. I think he puts as much pressure on himself as anybody can, and I think that's made him the player that he is, and I feel the same way about my golf game. I don't think there's a critic or anybody that can make me feel a certain way. I put as much pressure on myself as anybody else,” he said. “So for me, it's just to work as hard as I can and hopefully that will be good enough, and if not, I will know I've really tried and given it my all.”
Kim, at 23, has begun to buckle down, which brings up a question about his signature belt buckle. Kim has a collection of belt buckles with his initials “A.K.” he wears while he’s playing. Some are emblazoned with jewels. All are flashy.
“Yeah, actually it's a funny story. It started when I was walking around at the mall one day in my sophomore year at college and saw this kiosk and they were switching out these belt buckles, and I tried one with my initials on it. And then I started wearing it out to parties and whatnot, and then all of a sudden I started wearing it to the golf course,” he said. “When I went out on TOUR, I think people were surprised that something like that was being worn by one of the players. I think it definitely has mixed reviews, but it represents me well. I feel like that's the generation I grew up in. It's different -- I think I bring something different than somebody who has been on TOUR for 20 years, as someone who grew up in the MTV world. And I love showing that I'm 23 years old and I love having fun, and if somebody has a problem with it, you know, I can't do anything about that.”
Golf has found its next character and that’s okay. Welcome to golf’s New Age.
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