Kim still in the hunt for two consecutive wins after another 70

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Anthony Kim hits his tee shot to the par-3 17th. Kim parred the hole. (Getty Images)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- When he was six years old, Anthony Kim, who lacks for confidence the way Warren Buffett lacks for pocket change, already harbored ambitious athletic endeavors.

"I thought I was going to play college basketball, college football and college golf," he said with a grin.

As he got older and, inevitably, a bit wiser, he realized that he might face some limitations. He never developed a football frame. At 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, he never developed a basketball frame, either. The latter remains a passion, but his days as a high school hoops player have long since passed.

"I was a point guard, but I like to do everything," he said. "Unfortunately, I got banged up pretty good, because I thought I was big enough to go in there with the big guys, and obviously I'm not."

No matter. Kim's competitive instincts and athletic talents are serving him well on the PGA TOUR, and the third-year professional is playing well enough to ably survive against the big guys.

On the heels of his first PGA TOUR victory last week at the Wachovia Championship, Kim remains on top of his game, and as a result he also remains among the top contenders at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Kim made a field-high 10 birdies through two rounds. (Getty Images)

A second consecutive 2-under-par 70 at TPC Sawgrass served notice that last week's success hasn't gone to his head -- except as affirmation of his talents -- and the Los Angeles native finds himself residing among the top five on the leaderboard for the fifth consecutive tournament round.

Though he won't turn 23 until July, which makes him the youngest TOUR winner in six years, Kim arrived at the TOUR's flagship event a bit run down.

"Maybe I play better tired," he quipped. "I don't know what it is, but I'm playing good and I'm excited to play on the weekend."

He'll be playing late on the weekend for the third time in four starts. Having also tied for second at the Verizon Heritage, Kim is on the kind of roll that surprises no one -- least of all himself.

This is a kid who, after three All-American seasons at the University of Oklahoma, finished joint second in his professional debut at the 2006 Valero Texas Open.

"He's a good kid and he's got all the potential of being the superstar, I mean, seriously, said Boo Weekley, who was paired with Kim the first two rounds at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and was the man who kept Kim from the top spot at the Verizon Heritage by successfully defending his title. "He loves the game, and I love the respect that he gives other people as we're out there playing."

"He's very good," added three-time major champion Ernie Els. "Really good player, good attitude, quite confident guy."

And he is comfortable in his own skin. Asked if he minded being identified as perhaps the hottest player on the PGA TOUR, Kim didn't hesitate to reply in a rather straightforward manner, "I love anything good that's attached to my game right now because I feel like I'm doing the right things and making good decisions and doing my best to perform my best out here.

"I'm just taking it shot by shot," he added, "and that was hard for me last year, and even earlier this year. But I'm starting to get some bounces go my way and playing a little bit better."

Indeed, 13 of his last 14 rounds have been par or better on some difficult layouts: Harbour Town Golf Links, TPC Las Colinas, Quail Hollow Club and the wind-swept links of TPC Sawgrass. When the winds kicked up and turned the Stadium Course greens to asphalt on Friday afternoon, Kim was one of the eight players among the late starters who emerged with a sub-par round.

In typical Kim fashion, he said Friday that he is becoming more humble after a earning a reputation for relatively brash behavior when he first hit the TOUR scene, but in the same breath he mentioned that "being the No. 1 player in the world is a goal of mine, and I'm going to work my hardest to get there."