Go Anthony Kim

by Randy Phillips / Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL — Anthony Kim was camped in front of a television when he was 12 years old, watching Tiger Woods put on one of golf’s great performances while winning the 1997 Masters by a record 12 strokes at age 21.

“I remember watching Tiger . . . I was dreaming of being there one day,” Kim said in a recent interview. “I always said I would never play Augusta until I have a tee time, and now I do.”

Indeed, Kim does, and he will tee it up Thursday for the first round of the 73rd Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

And while the lion’s share of attention will be on Woods as he goes for his fourth green jacket in eight years, some of the spotlight surely will fall on the 23-year-old Korean-American who has become one of the PGA Tour’s “Young Guns” and is poised to make a run at his first major championship.

“I’m looking forward to playing in my first Masters,” Kim said. “It has been a lifelong dream of mine — as it is with everyone who loves golf.

“You definitely want to prepare for it like you would any other tournament, but I don’t think you can do that. Players arrange their schedules every year to try and be peaking for the Masters, so I’ve been watching how some of the veteran guys go about it. It’s going to be a very special experience for me.”

Kim earned his Masters tee time after a breakout year in 2008, his second season on the PGA Tour. Not only was he a two-time winner — taking the Wachovia Championship by an impressive five strokes in May and the AT&T National in July — he also played a major role as a Ryder Cup rookie, whipping Spain’s Sergio Garcia 5-and-4 in singles to help the United States defeat Europe.

Kim made 19 of 22 cuts in 2008, posted eight top-10 finishes, finished fourth in the FedEx Cup standings and was sixth on the PGA money list with $4,656,265. He finished the year ranked 11th in the world.

“It didn’t surprise me,” said Kim, who began the 2008 season ranked 75th. “To be honest, I felt like I could have won a couple more last year. I learned a lot in my first year on tour, which allowed me to be more focused and able to put some of that experience to work last year.”

There are a lot of similarities between Woods and Kim.

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