Wachovia Championship

The Year of the Kid

Date Written: May 5, 2008
I'm writing most of this before the last round of The Wachovia because after watching "The Kid," Anthony Kim, play round three, there's no way he loses. He's got a swing plane to die for, a swing speed that approaches 130 M.P.H. which allows hime to hit it a mile and he putts the eyes off the ball. He's the perfect gamblers definition of "chalk," which in the slang dictionary is, "the expected outcome, especially in a sporting event. The term is derived from, "you can chalk that up right now, we don't even have to see it!" To add to the story, in the process of winning, "The Kid" breaks Tiger's tournament record on a very tough course by three shots.

For those who have been on another planet for the last two years and are in need of some background on "The Kid," I've gleaned the following from the PGA Tour website:

Anthony Kim turned professional in August, 2006 after three years at the University of Oklahoma. He received a sponsor exemption into the Valero Texas Open and finished T-2 in his PGA Tour debut, earning an exemption into the following week's Southern Farm Bureau Classic. In just two starts, Kim earned $338,067. He also competed in two Nationwide Tour events. As an amateur, he was a three-time All-American (2004-2006) and NCAA Freshman of the Year (2004) at Oklahoma. He was one of three finalists for 2006 Ben Hogan Award. He garnered two victories as a junior and was a four-time American Junior Golf Association All-American. He finished his last college season as the seventh-ranked golfer by Golfweek. 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 the TOUR in 2006. He lists winning The Walker Cup as his biggest thrill in golf, thus far.

Here's the back story I remember. Young hotshot Kim figures he's bigger and better than the program at Oklahoma and squabbles with his coach. He decides to leave college after his junior year and turn pro...a typical big ego story that's usually associated with high school basketball players who think they can skip college and start in the NBA. In Kim's case, he was right. He's got a game that can match his ego. One can only hope that he will mature and cool his jets a bit, emotionally.

If you want to know more about "The Kid" and his relationship with his overbearing, "Little League" father, click on the link below for an in-depth bio written August 3, 2007, by GolfWorld writer, John Strege:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/2007/08/gw070803kidswagger

One of the TV commentators suggested on Saturday that a big talented rookie comes along about every ten years. Well...it's been about ten years since a kid named Tiger burst on the scene. We'll see if Kim is the second "Korean Komet" (K.J. Choi being the first). In any event, he's the eighth "under-30 year old" to win this year and it's only May.

Last tidbit (I promise) from the PGA website about, "The Kid:"

"The best way to describe how Kim has changed was not the long drives and six birdies Saturday, it was a short punch out on the third hole, when he decided not to try a low-percentage shot to reach the green. Six months ago I would tried to go for it, and there was double or triple bogey written all over that," Kim said. "I chipped out, saved par, and that kept my round going. Little things like that have added to some good play."

Onward to The Players (and the dreaded 17th hole) where a bunch of money's at stake. Five of youse think Adam Scott will win. Adam's on a roll. He followed up his win at the Lord Byron with a T-8 at Wachovia.

Nothing new...it's either Cink or swim for me.