After getting stung, Kim stings back Friday

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PARAMUS, N.J. -- On Friday, Anthony Kim, not an angry swarm of bees, went on the offensive at Ridgewood Country Club.

And the phenomenal 23-year-old, who had been stung by one bee and found several others creeping up his pants leg on Thursday, was rewarded with a 67 that left him 5 under at the midway point of The Barclays. Kim, who entered the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup seeded fifth, trails defending champion Steve Stricker by five strokes.

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Anthony Kim fired a 4-under 67 on Friday.

Anthony Kim

Through 36 holes

STATS Rnd1 Rnd2 TOT EAGLES -- -- 0 BIRDIES 4 5 9 PARS 11 12 23 BOGEYS 3 1 4 DOUBLE BOGEYS -- -- 0 OTHER -- -- 0 DRIVING ACCURACY 36 71 53.6 DRIVING DISTANCE 264.0 267.5 265.8 PUTTS PER ROUND 29 28 28.5 PUTTS PER GIR 1.750 1.643 1.692 GREENS IN REG 67 78 72.2 SAND SAVES 0 50 25.0

"I haven't played a round that well in a long time," Kim said. "My scores have been okay, but I really felt like I played some good golf so I'm very excited."

Kim saw cause for optimism because he did a much better job keeping the ball in the fairway, rather than flirting with the huge oaks and fir trees that line the tight fairways on this A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece. He hit 10 fairways on Friday, which was twice the amount he found during the first round.

"It's a lot more fun when you're not hitting out of the trees and chipping out sideways," Kim said. "(I) definitely had a good time out there and definitely my game is improving."

Kim started on the back nine Friday and began to make some noise as he made the turn. Well-struck approaches produced a 6-inch tap-in at the 17th hole and a 7-footer for birdie at the 18th hole. Kim's third straight birdie came at No. 1 when he sank a putt of 25 feet.

He wasn't done yet, though, as Kim got up and down from a greenside bunker at the par-5 third hole. He then took advantage of Ridgewood's ultimate risk-reward hole when he tried to drive the green at the 291-yard fifth, instead hitting the ball pin high and just off the fringe before chipping on and sinking the 5-footer for his final birdie.

"I was in the trees all day yesterday, so there wasn't too much aggression I could have in the middle of the trees," Kim said. "But it was a good day today. I hit the ball well and had some chances."

Kim is making a concerted effort to keep his swing short this week. The brutal wind at Royal Birkdale had prompted Kim to move the ball back in his stance and while he contended at the Open Championship -- and several times since -- the two-time PGA TOUR champ hasn't felt completely comfortable since.

"After the British, my swing got all screwed up and I was trying to work the ball too much instead of just hitting my normal shot, which is a power fade off the tee and a slight cut on my irons," Kim explained. "I was hitting draws. And then what happened was I was starting to hit pull hooks and hooks and bring the whole course into play and all the trouble into play.

"So now I'm getting back to playing my normal shot."

That normal shot has enabled Kim to win his first two PGA TOUR events this year, earn more than $3 million, climb to 16th in the world and make his first Ryder Cup team. He could cap off a stellar season in four weeks, too, if he wins the FedExCup -- and that lucrative $10 million bonus that goes with it brings that house he wants to buy in Dallas into play.

Kim planned to take things easy on Friday and perhaps head into New York City to see the sights and grab dinner. Although there's a knot in his calf where the bee stung him, he was showing no ill effects of the adventure on Thursday that had paramedics following him for several holes in case of an allergic reaction.

"When you're in a golf tournament, you really don't care, because there's $10 million waiting for you at the end of this tunnel," said Kim, who admitted he did have a hard time breathing and swallowing right after he was stung. "So, that's kind of what I'm looking at."

Kim likes Ridgewood and feels the course plays to his strengths. He can work the ball both ways, he has a good short game and he's learning to pick his places to be aggressive. He's learned the benefits of staying patient over the last 12 months, as well.

"You're just trying to jockey into position (right now) to have a shot with nine holes to go on Sunday," Kim explained. "So (I'm) just trying to focus on my game and hopefully I can do the job."

And he's got four weeks now to get it done.

"I'm working up towards it," Kim acknowledged. "My golf game is so much better today than it was yesterday, and I felt like it was coming. So I'm very excited to play this weekend.