With Lorena Ochoa’s streak of four tournament wins being snapped by Paula Creamer this past weekend, we were left with Anthony Kim’s first ever PGA Tour win at the Wachovia Championship. He won in style, finishing Sunday five shots ahead of former British Open champion Ben Curtis. And all at the young age of 22 years, 10 months and 15 days. (List of youngest winners since 1970) Some have said Kim’s performance is Tiger-esque.
More Tiger-esque is his off-course preparation. From what I’ve read, the environment in which he grew up was well balanced. He’s been the subject of tutoring by veteran players that has given him a mature perspective on the intricacies of the PGA Tour. As Brandel Chamblee states, there are pitfalls on the PGA Tour. With success comes money. And with money can come complacency. Tiger Woods has avoided the success-induced slump for many years. It will be interesting to see if Anthony Kim can seize the “next-best” label and run with it.
Interesting to note is that Kim has had the same coach since he was ten-years old. Adam Schriber, Kim’s coach, teaches at Crystal Mountain in Michigan near my home town of Traverse City.
So, Kim, let’s see some more wins and continued success!