Kim undergoes thumb surgery, out 10-12 weeks

Shell Houston Open winner Anthony Kim, currently second in the U.S. Ryder Cup team points standings, is expected to be out 10 to12 weeks after undergoing surgery Wednesday for his injured left thumb.

Dr. Thomas Graham, chief of the National Hand Center in Baltimore, performed the surgery on Kim, the 11th-ranked player in the world, who had been battling a sore thumb for more than a year. He withdrew from The Players on Tuesday with a ligament tear.

"While I had hoped to be able to continue to play through the injury, compensating for it was starting to cause other issues, including a sore shoulder that I was experiencing at the Quail Hollow Championship, and we had to get it fixed," said Kim, who had a successful Ryder Cup debut in 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., scoring 2 1/2 points and defeating Sergio Garcia in singles. "I appreciate Dr. Graham's guidance and care through this and look forward to working through the rehab so I can get back out on Tour and pick up where I left off."

Kim, who shot a blistering final-round 65 and finished third at the Masters, was enjoying a strong start in 2010 despite the injury. He posted four top-10s in eight starts, including a T-7 last week at Quail Hollow Club, and he was leading the PGA Tour in scoring with a 60.26 adjusted stroke average.

"Anthony sustained a high grade partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament of his left thumb several months ago, and over the course of the last several months of tournament play, the status of the ligament proved insufficient for Anthony to compete on Tour," Dr. Graham said. "I was extremely pleased with how the repair of the ligament went and would anticipate that Anthony will be able to return to play in 10-12 weeks."

--Dave Shedloski