Rise And Shine

For all his intangibles, it is Kim's pure mechanics that his peers might envy most. His swing stays beautifully on plane even as he moves through the ball with ferocious speed to an always full finish. "I wish I had that guy's move," the himself technically and athletically gifted Garcia was overheard saying on the practice range last month in Boston. It's an exalted reputation that worries Kim's teacher, Adam Schriber, who knows Kim can still go off the rails just as he did during some scratchy patches in team play with Mickelson, including one that caused them to lose a 4-up lead and a point against Henrik Stenson and Oliver Wilson in the Saturday foursomes. "Because the shape of AK's swing is so solid and the dynamics are so good," said Schriber, "the expectations can get a little unrealistic at times."

Pumped by points and progress, Mahan anticipates elevated play in the near future. Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

But unlike many other great young ball-strikers, Kim can also make putts, the brisk efficiency of his movement on the greens conveying clear purpose. "It's what gives him the whole package," says Stockton, an all-time great with the flat stick. At least one teammate sensed Kim was intimidating to the Europeans. "It was like they were afraid to play him," said Stewart Cink.

In Woods' absence Kim was the U.S. team's alpha dog, but with an important difference. While Woods seems subtly conflicted in a team setting in a way that causes him to keep a slight but discernible distance, Kim immersed in the collective.

He might have been a little too vigorous with the arm raising to whip up the Kentucky crowd, but it seemed the excesses of an innocent sports lover caught up in being part of an epic spectacle. From his gaudy belt buckle -- which for the occasion was inscribed with "USA" rather than "AK" -- to his moderated public statements, Kim was far more "we" than "me." "Phil has taken me under his wing," he said deferentially on Thursday. The truth was, by virtue of talent and sheer moxie, Kim was the most important player on the American side.

But while Kim was garnering more attention, the 26-year-old Mahan might have actually made more progress.

"I think this week is going to help Hunter even more than Anthony," said Leonard, who has known Mahan since he was 13. "Hunter learned a lot last year at the Presidents Cup, but I think he proved a lot to himself this week, especially in the way that he held up under pressure. This week he felt like he belonged, and he really performed."

Mahan's own assessment of his team's performance contained Leonard's idea. "I didn't think we needed to go do something special out there -- just [had] to go play," he said. "I know a lot of guys have gone on to win a major after weeks like this -- Azinger and Couples in particular. I think it helps a lot, and it does, because this is about as pressure-packed as it gets.

"I definitely feel like I gained a lot of experience in a short amount of time," he said. Mahan's week was particularly impressive because he knew that his published comments -- in which he had repeated complaints from some veterans that the event had become a burden -- would make him a target if the U.S. were to lose. "Hunter completely put it behind him and just embraced the team concept completely," said Stockton. "He proved he is really a polite young guy with a lot of character."

Mahan, who has posted several rounds in the low 60s in the last two seasons (such as his first-round 62 at Ridgewood CC in last month's Barclays), is also much admired for his technique, and he combines long and straight off the tee as well as anyone in the game, as well as flag-hunting. "He is just so fearless on hard shots and big putts," says Leonard. "It's why he can go so low. I think this week just means he's going to do that sort of thing more often."