__AGE:__23 | __HEIGHT:__5-feet-10 | DRIVER: Nike SQ Sumo 5000 | BALL: Nike One Platinum | __2008 DRIVING DISTANCE:__300.9 Yards (ranked 9th) | 2008 SCORING AVERAGE: 69.52 (ranked 3rd)It's a long season, and you have to be prepared for the highs and lows. But this year was better than I could have hoped for. My win at the Wachovia Championship and my experience on the Ryder Cup team were two things I'll never forget. I really think my driving has helped me a lot this year. There were times when I struggled with it, like after playing those windy rounds at the British Open. But overall, I had a lot more confidence in my tee shots. When I'm hitting it well, the ball usually goes dead straight, but my go-to shot would be a power fade, where I aim down the left side of the fairway and fade it back to the middle. I used that shot a lot, and it really paid off. It's nice to play that way.-- Anthony Kim
MIGHTY MITE
Kim gets all the power he can from his compact frameBy Ron KaspriskeThe PGA Tour media guide lists Anthony Kim at 5-feet-10, 160 pounds, but the grin on Kim's face when he hears that suggests the stats might be, um, padded? If an inch was added, it's even more impressive to consider that someone as diminutive as Kim can average more thaan 300 yards off the tee at the game's highest level."He can get even longer -- that's scary," says his teacher, Adam Schriber.A big reason for that, Schriber continues, is Kim's recent commitment to working out. With the help of fitness instructor Mark Verstegen, Kim focuses a good portion of his practice time in the gym. The goal is to squeeze every yard possible out of his body without sacrificing consistency."Anthony is a tremendous athlete and a feel player, so by conditioning the muscles, he's more aware of how his body should move to deliver the club powerfully through the ball every time. We're using what he has to generate swing speed: fast hips, strong legs and a long torso."On the practice tee, the two are focusing on ridding Kim of a nasty hook that creeps back into his swing from time to time. To hit it farther as a teenager, Kim grooved a swing that came down from inside the target line into the ball with a closed clubface. In fact, Schriber says Kim's "fade swing" still hooked about 15 yards. Now Kim tries to open the clubface during the first couple of feet of the backswing and take the club back short of parallel to avoid the hook."As long as my swing starts off with the clubface opening just a little bit, I feel like I'm on the road to hitting a little fade," he says.Another key to Kim's success with the driver is that he uses the ground as well as anyone, Schriber says, and not just for leverage. Kim pushes off the ground to allow his arms to catch up to his hip turn before impact. The synchronization of arms and body through impact is a key to straighter drives."Everything is applied at the right time," Schriber says. "The smash factor is awesome."
Anthony is perfectly on plane, and the clubface is square.
BACKSWING
The shorter backswing helps Anthony have consistently good timing coming down.
DOWNSWING
He unwinds against the ground to create power.
IMPACT
He does a great job maintaining his body angles.
THE RELEASE
He's fully able to use his right side through impact. A big power move.
