Kim hopes to bring Ryder Cup heart, energy to Atlanta
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
ATLANTA -- One of the defining moments of the Ryder Cup, well, aside from Boo Weekley galloping off the first tee astride his driver, was Anthony Kim racing toward the 15th tee on Sunday.
Kim was so engaged in the task at hand, he didn't realize he had just closed out the heart and soul of the European team, Sergio Garcia, 5 & 4 in the afternoon's first Singles match to give the U.S. cause a huge boost.
Talk about staying in the moment.
"(Sergio) did say, 'Do you want to keep playing more?'" Kim recalled with a sheepish grin. "I still thought we had some more holes to go. That was because Sergio is a good player, and I didn't want to not focus on every golf shot. I didn't even know what hole we were on."
Not to worry, Kim and the rest of his U.S. teammates -- 10 of whom will play this week at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola -- have enough memories to last a lifetime after ending that three-match losing streak at Valhalla.
Like singing "Ole-ole-ole" when the Europeans joined their celebration Sunday night. Or seeing Weekley stand up on a chair in the team room and tell the story about getting cold-cocked by an orangutan at the county fair -- again.
"I've heard it about 10 times, and I think it gets funnier every time," Chad Campbell said. "I could hear that story 100 times and keep laughing," Kim agreed.
A few adult beverages were sipped out of the Ryder Cup, too -- although Campbell was quick to point out, "It doesn't hold that much." Kim, who no longer lives for the high life as he once did, allowed himself some revelry.
"I definitely enjoyed being around the guys that fought so hard for me, and vice versa," the 23-year-old said. "It was just a time to blow it all out and have some fun.
"Now I'm here, here at East Lake, and it's time to start my routine all over again."
A year ago, Kim says, he wasn't ready to join the elite field of 30 at the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. He took the next step with two wins in 2008, though, and then backed it up with his gutsy performance at Valhalla.
"This year, I came in with a new attitude, and definitely been playing some better golf," Kim said. "Obviously coming off an emotional week at the Ryder Cup was an experience I'll never forget, and hopefully something I can draw back on going into this week."
The enthusiasm of the rookies like Kim was palpable last week. The six Americans came to Valhalla without the baggage of the veterans and played with tenacity beyond their years. They ignited the crowd with their joyful performance, too.
"They didn't know what the other side of it is," Campbell said. "They didn't know what losing was like, which was a good thing. They all brought a lot of energy, Boo and Anthony Kim, those guys, they just played great and fired up the fans.
"t was a great week, and we all pulled together and played some really good golf and beat a good team."
This week, though, golf is an individual game again. Kim enters THE TOUR Championship ranked sixth in the FedExCup standings. He's coming off a tie for third at the BMW Championship where he closed to two shots before hitting his last-ditch approach into the bleachers beside the 18th green.
Kim went down swinging as he sought the third win of his breakout season. He just wasn't as successful that Sunday as he was at Valhalla.
"Now, if I hit that 7-iron and miraculously hole it, that would have been a bonus, but I am out there to win," Kim said. "I'm not trying to just play for a check, or I would have hit it in the middle of the green with an 8-iron and two putted. I'm not saying I look at the numbers, but I would have made about $150,000 more.
"I want to play for a trophy; that's why I practice, that's why I tee it up. I want to play for that trophy."
Kim has brought that same mindset with him to East Lake. He'd like nothing better than to play aggressively like he did on Sunday, free-wheeling it like he did when he played at Oklahoma.
After all, regardless of whether Vijay Singh has wrapped up the FedExCup and the $10 million bonus, there's a tournament to win. And that's what drives this young man, the son of Korean immigrants, as he continues to make his mark in the game.
"Well, obviously there's 29 other guys here, and they'd like the opportunity to win the FedExCup," Kim said. "But Vijay has played some tremendous golf, and obviously the points are structured the way we don't have a chance. ...
"You still can win a lot of money, which is something that's important, don't get me wrong; but at the same time, everyone is out here to win this golf tournament.
"If you can't win the trophy, it really doesn't matter how high you finish up. Nobody really remembers that guy. Nobody remembers the guy that finished second or third in the FedExCup in 2008.
"Vijay is going to be remembered as the FedExCup champ, so we're just trying to win this golf tournament and finish as high up as we can."
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