Game back in shape, Kim hoping for Playoffs success

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Aug. 30, 2008
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

NORTON, Mass. -- Anthony Kim hasn't put together two rounds as solid as the back-to-back 66s he's just thrown out at TPC Boston in several months.

At AT&T National, to be specific. Not coincidentally, the 23-year-old wonderkid won that tournament, and he'll enter Sunday's third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship just four strokes off the lead held by Tim Clark.

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Anthony Kim's first- and second-round 66s have put him in contention this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Kim has a 36-hole total of 10 under that includes one eagle, 11 birdies and just three strokes dropped to par. While his normally solid putter hasn't exactly cooperated -- Kim has needed 61 putts over the first two rounds -- he's hit 19 of 28 fairways and all but four of 36 greens to give himself plenty of chances.

"It's been a long time coming," Kim said. "I've been working with my coach for a little bit, and I didn't know if we were going to have to figured out, and luckily we had Thursday to figure it out (due to the unusual Friday start for the Deutsche Bank Championship), and it's been working ever since."

Kim, who is one of six multiple TOUR winners this year, needed to consult with his instructor, Adam Schreiber, after his swing blew away in the wind at the Open Championship. He had never been buffeted by breezes quite as strong as the ones at Royal Birkdale, and he consequently got in some bad habits.

"(The wind) had a tremendous effect," Kim acknowledged. "That's the reason I feel like my ball striking has been off for a while. I haven't played in winds where if I just crushed a 3-iron it goes 145 (yards) I mean, I consider myself one of the longer players out here, and ... it's embarrassing to hit a 3-wood and not hit it over 200 yards.

"It had an effect on it, and now I'm just getting back to my usual game."

Kim's balance was the biggest problem. His weight was too much on his left side after he came back from England, and then, to compensate, Kim tried to put his weight back on his right foot "and overdid it," he said.

"I was hitting off my right heel through the ball and hitting a lot of fat shots and a lot of shots right in the middle of the ball," Kim explained. "So (I) tried to even my weight out and just make a good, solid turn, and it should be pretty solid."

That was certainly the case for the better part of Kim's round on Saturday. He made two bogeys in his first five holes -- missing one green and three-putting another -- but he rallied with birdie putts of 15, 8, 24, 13 and 4 feet. He also made an eagle at the par-5 second hole, sinking a 5-footer there.

With TPC Boston playing nearly two strokes under par in each of the first two rounds, Kim knows he'll need to continue to go low. He ranks fifth in TOUR in scoring with an average of 69.71, ninth in eagles and 30th in birdies, though, so Kim should be more than equal to the challenge.

Not to mention, the increasingly mature Californian has a unique way of approaching things when courses like this one are being so generous.

"I just say par is 68 instead of 71, because you're going to have some opportunities on the par 5s to make birdie or eagle," said Kim, who has played TPC Boston's three par 5s in 5 under. "You definitely have to take advantage of those holes and conserve it on par 4s because everybody else is birdieing them."

Kim, who will represent the United States in the Ryder Cup next month, entered the Deutsche Bank Championship ranked sixth in FedExCup standings. Continuing to contend for the $10 million bonus that goes to the Playoff champion could be a fitting ending to what is already a stellar sophomore season.

"I took a lot more time off before this FedExCup, even though it's hard to do." said Kim, who was eliminated after the third Playoff event last year and finished 43rd. "I took some time off in the middle of the season to make sure I was ready, and obviously with the Ryder Cup in between, you want to be fresh for that.

"Last year was such a blur to me that this feels like my first start at it."

And Kim is ready to take advantage.