Rise And Shine

By Jaime Diaz
Photo By Donald Miralle September 26, 2008

Presuming a good Ryder Cup performance is the best investment a young player can make in his future, Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan made a killing at Valhalla.

J.B. Holmes has more power and just as much chutzpah, but of all of America's young players, Kim and Mahan have the most game through the bag. It's the kind that can win on different courses and make them fixtures on leader boards at majors. In Louisville both players provided talent and a blithe energy which translated into vital points -- 2½ for Kim, a team-high 3½ for Mahan.

The pair were the heart of U.S. captain Paul Azinger's youth movement, as he played Mahan in all five sessions (Phil Mickelson and Europe's Ian Poulter were the only others to do so), while Kim played four. But it was where he played them in the Sunday singles that demonstrated Azinger's deep belief. With the U.S. sitting on a precarious 9-7 lead, Azinger sent Kim and Mahan out first and second when two losses could have started a meltdown of Europe-at-Brookline proportions.

Kim simply didn't let it happen, jumping Ryder Cup stalwart Sergio Garcia with four perfect full shots right out of the box to produce two easy birdies. He barely let up, so engrossed in the process that when he made a seven-footer for a tying par on the par-3 14th, he began marching to the 15th tee. It took rules official John Paramor to inform Kim that he had won, 5 and 4. Garcia was gracious in congratulating the momentarily sheepish Kim, and later admitted that for all his own formidable tee-to-green fire power, he had been outgunned. "It was hard day because I played against a guy that played awesome," Garcia said.

The 23-year-old Kim's week had steadily built to its crescendo. Having overcome his reputation for cockiness by both toning down his naive rookie bravado of 2007 as well as posting impressive victories at Wachovia and Congressional earlier this year, Kim now is accorded good-natured teasing from veterans. After Mickelson offered a compliment about the play of the team's six rookies at the post-victory press conference, Furyk added, "Never say anything that nice about Anthony," raising outstretched palms to pantomime an expanding head. Then he hugged a smiling Kim.

"Anthony was amazing," said assistant captain Dave Stockton. "He stepped up immediately, not just on the course but in the team room. He didn't wait for the veterans. In fact, it was like we got another veteran, except one who had never lost and felt invincible. To use Boo's phrase, he was a major compatibator."

In practice rounds of "my aggressives" (Azinger's tag for the group of Kim, Mahan, Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard, and assistant captain Raymond Floyd), the 5-foot-10, 160-pound toy cannon was in his element. He fended off Mickelson's more or less constant needles, by occasionally pointing out that a Wal-Mart would fit nicely in the distance he hit drives past the big left-hander. "It's good to see someone get in Phil's grill," said the shyer Mahan. Said Mickelson of Kim, "He's a hoot to be around. He's one of the reasons we were so loose as a team."

There is about Kim an unmistakable precociousness that conveys instant readiness. It comes across in a surprisingly sotto-voce verbosity, as well as an easy smile and jaunty body language that Stockton says "just shows he's fine in his own skin." Of all the American players, it was the youngest, Kim, who looked most comfortable interacting with U.S. team guest Michael Jordan.

"Anthony just oozes with confidence and sometimes it can be misconstrued," says Leonard. "But if the guy is not a phenom, then I don't know what one is. Golfwise, he's as mature a 23-year-old as I've ever seen." Added Stockton, "He's a superstar in the making, both with his clubs and emotionally. It's no stretch to say he's the best young player since Tiger."