Who is Anthony Kim?
by Tom Callahan / Golf Digest
In 1996, when Tiger Woods declared “Hello World,” and the commercial airwaves echoed with children proclaiming “I’m Tiger Woods” … “I’m Tiger Woods” … “I’m Tiger Woods,” one of them could have been an 11-year-old Korean-American from Los Angeles named Anthony Kim. He was Tiger Woods and had the photograph at 2 with the diaper and the downswing to prove it.
He also had the Pygmalion father, the protective mother, the trophy-laden junior pedigree, the truncated collegiate career, and that distinctive bearing and brag that the other players seemed to recognize first. They always do.
“He’s kind of fearless,” says Ernie Els, who adds wistfully, “Weren’t we all kind of fearless at 23?” Among Kim’s fellow pros, fearless is the consensus description. “Funny” rings a lot of bells, too. “He’s a character,” Mike Weir says. “A funny, funny dude,” says Phil Mickelson.
“What do I think of Anthony?” Jim Furyk mulls over the question. “I really like the guy, to start with. He’s a lot of fun. He’s got a real confident feel about him. Even as a rookie [2007], just the way he handled himself, walking around the locker room. He almost appears cocky, but when he talks to you, he — I don’t see that side of him when he talks to you. He’s just very confident. He has a lot of belief in his ability.”
What does Furyk see on the golf course?
“I just don’t see a lot of weaknesses. I haven’t seen him do anything poorly, and you don’t see a lot of young guys like that get in contention on a tough course like Wachovia [Quail Hollow, 2008] and then just beat the hell out of everyone [by five strokes]. He gets up two, pretty soon it’s three, pretty soon it’s four. You have to have a lot of belief in yourself to do that out here. He’s got a lot, a lot of game.”
And he’s fearless.
“Yeah,” Kim says, “I’ve heard that word a few times. Some have said it to the media when I’m standing right next to them. I don’t know what they’re talking about, to be honest, and I mean that. I’m the same as everyone else. I’m as normal as it gets. Maybe it’s just that golf isn’t as big a deal to me as it is to most people. It’s something I love to do. It’s a talent I was blessed with, that I have confidence in. At the end of the day, I couldn’t care less who I’m playing against. Because I know, if I play my best, I’m not worried about anyone else. My shot. My putt. What that guy over there is doing doesn’t really affect what I do. Whether I win or lose — and trust me, I’m going to kick and claw to try to win — it’s just competition to me. It’s just golf.”
