Go Anthony Kim

by Hank Gola / Daily News

Anthony Kim has never felt so good on the golf course, even though he feels so bad.

Kim, who won the Houston Open and finished third at the Masters in a two-week stretch, has been playing with an injured left thumb that will require surgery to reattach a ligament. It’s just a question of when, and he’s simply playing too well to stop. He’ll tee off in the Quail Hollow Championship, which he won as a rookie in 2008, on Thursday.

“When you’re making birdies, it doesn’t hurt so bad,” said Kim, who makes more than anyone other than Tiger Woods. “And then when you make a bogey, it tingles a little bit more. I just ice it, take some Advil and just try to make it through another round. I’m just trying to get as many tournaments in before I take care of it.

“The doctor told me when the pain gets too hard to deal with, that’s when I should do it. But as of now, he said it can’t get any worse, so I guess that’s a good thing. I’m just going to keep playing until I can’t anymore.”

Kim’s doctor is also telling him he’ll have to miss between two and three months, including rehab, so he’s trying to figure out just when that break should occur. He’s No. 3 on the PGA Tour money list and No. 10 in the world. He knows he’s not going to be able to make it through the end of the season.

“I don’t think I’m going to take that chance because I want to play in the Ryder Cup…That’s a huge goal of mine,” he said. “It was probably one of the greatest moments I’ve ever had (in 2008). I want to be healthy for that. I just want to time that right.”

“But at the same time, I want to play in all the majors, too, so in golf, there’s not really a good time to take time off.”

Kim, of course, has to earn enough points to make the Ryder Cup team.

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Michael Street / Examiner.com

The focus of the 2010 Masters was the return of Tiger Woods, but Asian golfers had their day, too. Anthony Kim bested the four-time Masters winner, while K.J. Choi tied him, creating the best showing ever by Asian golfers in the Masters.

In 2001, Woods (who is part Asian) won the tourney, and Toshi Izawa finished fourth, six shots off Woods’ pace; this put two golfers in the top four and top ten.
This year, Kim finished in third, four shots behind winner Phil Mickelson, while Choi tied Woods at five shots back.

But Y.E. Yang also finished in the top ten, making this the first time that three or more Asian golfers finished in the top ten of the Masters.

Kim had started the Masters with an excellent 68 (-4), good enough for third place, but he slipped back on the second and third days, with scores of 70 and 73, respectively.

This left him tied for ninth going into the final round of play, and he finished the front nine with birdies on seven and eight, leaving him two under for the day. But he put the pedal down on thirteen with a birdie that started a string of four straight holes below par, highlighted by an eagle on fifteen.

Though he couldn’t keep the run going through the final two holes, it was enough for Kim to power past Woods with a -12, as Woods sat in the clubhouse, having merely shot even par over those same four holes to finish with a -11.

Choi also started strong, shooting a 67 on the first day, tying him for second, then shooting a 71 and 70 on Friday and Saturday. He was ready to contend at the start of the day, in a twosome with Tiger himself, and started out strong on the front nine, ending at three under.

But when Kim accelerated, Choi ran into trouble. He began his back nine with a birdie, but put together back-to-back bogies on the thirteenth and fourteenth holes. Choi recovered with a bird on fifteen, but the damage was done, and he could only struggle to a fourth-place tie with Woods.

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Anthony Kim brings it home in the first playoff hole with Vaughn Taylor to capture his third tour title. Kim shot a final round -2 under at the Shell Houston Open. His four birdies matched with two late bogeys kept the tournament interesting.

Kim’s win netted him $1,044,000.00 and 500 FedEx Cup points – vaulting him all the way to second place behind Ernie Els in the FedEx Cup standings.

Check out all of AK’s updated stats.