Wachovia Championship: Youngster Kim's Maturity Creates Distance

CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Anthony Kim is just 22 years old — Vijay Singh has trophies older than that — but the bulk of his days have been pointed toward a Sunday like this one.

Kim will take a four-stroke lead over Heath Slocum and Jason Bohn into today's final round of the Wachovia Championship at the Quail Hollow Club, a cushion almost as large as the sparkling belt buckle he wears bearing his initials.

It will be very different from two Sundays ago when Kim was in the final pairing at the Verizon Heritage. He started that day three behind eventual champion Boo Weekley but today he's out there all alone, the target for everyone.

If Saturday at Quail Hollow felt like a cloudy dress rehearsal, Kim might be 18 holes from adding a stamp of validity to the claims — some of them his own — that he has the potential to be the next star in the PGA Tour universe.

 "I think I'm ready," Kim said when asked if he's ready to win his first PGA Tour event. "But you never know. Every day is a new day, especially in this crazy game."

The worst that could be said of Kim's performance Saturday was that it siphoned a portion of drama out of the third round. He leap-frogged Bohn, the second-round leader, by the turn and gradually built his advantage on the back nine. While others jockeyed for position in case he falters — Stewart Cink made the most significant move with a 65 that vaulted him into a tie for fourth with Dudley Hart five off the lead — he showed no signs of stage fright.

"I played with somebody who played extraordinarily good, almost Tiger-esque," said Bohn, whose day was salvaged by a chip-in par at the 18th. "What I noticed about him was when he missed a shot, he recovered extremely well. He made a couple of great par putts, like 6-, 8-, 10-foot par putts exactly like what I see Tiger Woods do. It kind of had that feeling that if he missed a shot, he was going to recover very well."

Before suggesting the Tiger comparison is over the top consider this: As a toddler, Anthony would sit in his high chair and watch while his father, Paul, hit golf balls.

Sound familiar? The rest of the story is different.

Kim had a falling out with his father after feeling he had been pushed too hard, attended the University of Oklahoma and turned pro after his junior year. Kim and his family are back on speaking terms after a tough two-year stalemate, and he's 64 victories behind Woods. And Tiger has never worn one white shoe and one black one as Kim did during the Nissan Open in Los Angeles last year.

There is a streak of independence about Kim. He's not old enough to rent a car, but he's here alone this week while his girlfriend recovers from a serious cut to her foot that sliced a muscle when she stepped on glass last month.

He planned to have dinner Saturday night with friends he's made here then wait for his 1:50 p.m. tee time, understanding the opportunity and the challenge. Kim was proud of how he handled himself Saturday, particularly listening to his caddie's advice to be conservative after pulling his tee shot into the left trees at the third hole rather than try to thread a shot through a 3-yard gap. He didn't compound his mistake, a step in his maturation, and still made a par.

"If I didn't hit a good shot (last year), I felt like my life was over," Kim said. "It's hard to play golf that way."

In the closing holes, Kim made par putts of 5, 10 and 8 feet before closing with a 7-foot birdie at the 18th. Three years ago, Sergio Garcia took a six-stroke lead into the final round but lost in a playoff to Singh. Kim's lead isn't as big, but the challenge remains the same, especially with the grueling closing stretch lurking at the end.

"The finish on this golf course is phenomenal because anything can happen," Bohn said. "You could easily finish double (bogey)-double-double and lose a six-shot lead. It's out there. It's going to be a great test for anybody coming down the stretch."

It's a test Kim was been chasing for years.

By RON GREEN JR.
rgreenjr@charlotteobserver.com  

Provider:
Knight-Ridder Digital / Charlotte Observer