 |
 |
 |
|
Time for a pop culture flashback.
A few decades back, rock chameleon David Bowie logged an FM hit with the song Young Americans, which purely from today's golf context, was years ahead of its time and darned insightful, especially coming from an odd English lad with a wandering eyeball.
|
|
| Anthony Kim's prowess with the putter elevates him above his peers. (Getty Images) |
Young American, young American,
You want the young American,
Alllllll rrrrrright,
All the way from Washington ...
Indeed, fresh from D.C. last weekend comes the newest homegrown nominee to chase Tiger Woods into the next decade and possibly beyond. Of course, Woods isn't exactly up to running right now, so it's a good time to make up some ground regardless of age.
"Any time there's a younger guy that plays good, there's always a little bit of buzz that's created and people are looking and hoping to find a guy that's going to challenge Tiger," Anthony Kim said.
Whether the charismatic and quotable Kim, the winner last weekend at the AT&T National outside the nation's capital, proves to be a viable contender or undeniable pretender could require years of vetting, as they say of their leaders in Washington, but the 23-year-old is the most promising of a group of Americans in their 20s to step forward this season.
For now, with Woods' left leg in a brace after knee surgery and right leg still sore from supplying a transplanted ligament, that counts for plenty.
Kim, born in Los Angeles to parents of South Korean heritage, first won this spring at another marquee event, the Wachovia Championship, where he cruised to a five-shot win against one of the year's deepest fields. Sunday at Congressional Country Club, a big-league venue and future U.S. Open site, he won by two and played the back nine almost effortlessly.
The rush to gush began immediately. Usually, I lead the way in this regard, plowing over everything with superlatives and absolutes, but this time, I'm being cool, detached and disaffected for once. We are increasingly quick to praise and raze, but since Kim stands as the first player younger than 25 to win twice in the same season since Woods in 2000, the comparisons weren't wholly undeserved.
Here's the first sentence of a Kim follow story on ESPN.com: "Ladies and gentlemen, we're pleased to introduce golf's newest superstar, Anthony Kim."
Frankly, we'll put Kim in that mega-elite category when people start purchasing tickets specifically to watch him play, like with Woods and Phil Mickelson, Palmer and Nicklaus before them, and essentially nobody else.
Slightly more reserved was the Los Angeles Times: "(Kim) is a star in the making. Or it could be that he's already achieved star status."
