The Wachovia justifies Anthony Kim's confidence
GOLF / THE SPIN
With Tiger Woods out of the picture, the 22-year-old sets two tournament records and leaps up in the rankings.
Anybody have a better weekend than Anthony Kim? Not only did the 22-year-old from La Quinta win the Wachovia Championship by a tournament-record five shots for his first PGA Tour victory, but he also set a tournament scoring record at 16 under par, became the youngest winner on tour in six years, and didn't have to beat Tiger Woods to do it.
Touted as someone to keep an eye on since he turned pro to play two events in late 2006, Kim has earned a reputation as a player with a level of confidence that seemed to border on cockiness. He may have rubbed some players the wrong way with his attitude, but that probably no longer matters.
Remember the pros' way: You're not cocky if you can back it up. Woods, who missed defending his Wachovia title because of his knee injury, is precisely that person.
Kim is only 5 feet 10 and 160 pounds, but he absolutely clobbers the ball and averaged 305.5 yards on his drives at Wachovia to keep him in the top 10 in distance so far this year.
And while Kim's first victory made him rich -- he earned $1.152 million -- it also raised his stature. He moved up 21 spots in the Official World Ranking to No. 16, and what may be even more important, climbed from 24th to fifth in the Ryder Cup points list, ahead of Boo Weekley and Zach Johnson.
Kim said he's a different person than he was before.
"All that stuff is behind me," he said. "I was an immature kid last year and I feel like I've grown up quite a bit."
Robert Allenby, who closed with a 66 and was fourth, said at 36 he feels like an old man compared to Kim.
"But, yeah, he has a lot of talent," Allenby said. "He's got a great swing. That's the thing. When you're that young, you've got to make the most of it because once you get a little bit older, that's when the brain starts thinking too much, and that's when you get in the way of yourself. He just let himself go and just freed up, and that's why he's playing so well."
Interesting
Kim did investors a huge favor with his 16-under winning score. Wachovia customers who sign up for the company's Way2Save program will now get 16% interest in a three-month period starting in June, as part of a promotional program.
Ratings news
If there was any doubt about how much Woods influences ratings, check out the weekend's overnight ratings from the Wachovia on CBS.
