Kim: Good Finish Could Help the Mortgage

ATLANTA -- The housing market crash has only slightly crimped the plans of Anthony Kim, who has an architect and a lot picked out to build "a house they'd want to put on 'Cribs,' " the popular MTV reality show. "But it will take a win," Kim said at East Lake GC.

Money can be a great motivator, but Kim spent some Saturday in the third round of the Tour Championship, shooting 37 on the back nine to drop three strokes behind playing partner Sergio Garcia, who he took out last Sunday in a Ryder Cup singles match, 5 and 4. In a performance that sounded like the old Anthony Kim, he mistook his tee time (11:25 a.m. instead of 11:50), didn't warm up properly, hit a hospitality tent on the fly and hit a spectator on the ninth hole with a tee ball. "I wasn't rushed," he said. "My swing was terrible whether I sat out there for an hour or eight hours."

A comeback win today would mean more than $4 million to the 23-year-old Ryder Cup star, $1.26 for first place plus another $3 million for a projected second-place finish in the Fed Ex Cup. That would cover what he needs to complete the 11,000-square-foot home in a Dallas suburb that will be big enough for a home theatre and an indoor basketball court. There's also a football field-sized lot in the backyard, which AK wants to use to play with his dogs.

The only catch? Kim's financial advisor is trying to talk him into downsizing, especially since he already owns a home in La Quinta, Calif. "It may not be the house they'd put on 'Cribs,' " Kim said. "But I'm still growing. I just want to keep playing good golf and figure it all out later."

--Tim Rosaforte