"Awesome experience" awaits Anthony Kim in Korea

Rising star Anthony Kim is anticipating an "awesome experience" when he plays his first tournament in Korea at the inaugural Ballantine's Championship in March.

The 22-year-old Kim is one of the brightest young talents on the PGA Tour and will be among the stellar field lined-up confirmed for the event to be played from March 13-16.

Kim has visited Korea previously but has never played in a tournament there.

The American-born ace is looking forward to the challenge and is delighted that his proud parents, Paul and Miryoung, will be making the trip with him.

"It's going to be my first time playing in front of so many Korean fans, although I've had quite a few Koreans following me at tournaments in the US," said Kim.

"It will be an awesome experience and I'm glad I'm going to get to enjoy it with my parents, who are coming with me.

"We used to visit Korea once a year for probably 12 or 13 years, but recently we haven't been back so often, so I'm looking forward to heading out there."

Kim is particularly relishing the chance to play alongside Korean sporting idol Choi Kyung-ju who is the world number eight and a seven-time winner in the US.

"He's a great player and it's going to be an honour playing with him, especially in Korea," said Kim.

"He's done what I want to do. I'm sure he's going to keep improving, he's such a hard worker and it's nice to have him as a role model."

Choi and Kim are just two of the star names to feature at the Ballantine's Championship to be played at Pinx Golf Club on the picturesque island of Jeju.

Joining them in the US$2.9 million tournament, the first co-sanctioned event by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the Korea PGA to be held in Korea, will be British Open champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland and World Cup winner Colin Montgomerie of Scotland.

Korean star S.K Ho - a nine-time winner in Japan - and the 2007 Asian Tour’s Order of Merit champion Liang Wen-chong of China have also been confirmed.

Kim grew up playing golf on courses around his hometown of La Quinta, California, where his parents settled after emigrating to the US in the 1970s.

After three years at the University of Oklahoma, he turned professional in August 2006 and made an immediate impact, finishing tied second on his PGA Tour debut at the Valero Texas Open, having got into the starting field on a sponsor exemption.

He then earned his PGA Tour card by finishing tied 13th at the Tour Qualifying Tournament, having successfully qualified through all three stages.

In 2007, as the youngest rookie on the PGA Tour, he enjoyed a successful first campaign with four more top-10 finishes.

After a lengthy winter break, during which he returned to La Quinta from his base in Dallas to work with his coach, he opened 2008 in style by tying for third at the recent Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

That tournament was played in La Quinta and Kim was cheered on by a large group of fans wearing bright yellow "Team AK" tee-shirts.

"It's unbelievable how much it helps having people support you that way," he said.

"I've met some people who've really helped me along, not just in my golf but in life in general, and some of those people make up the team. They're personal friends that I've got to know in La Quinta."

Kim's friends were not his only fans at the tournament - former British Open champions Mark O'Meara and Justin Leonard were bowled over by his talent.

"I would say of all the young players I've played with, just like Tiger Woods, Anthony Kim is by far the most talented young player I've seen come along in a long time," O'Meara told reporters.

"People always ask me, 'Who's the next great young player coming along?' And for a long time, I had a hard time telling you who I saw. But I tell you what, Anthony Kim has serious game."

Leonard agreed: "I love his game, and I like the things he's doing off the golf course."

Kim's next target is to register his first professional victory, but he is refusing to put too much pressure on himself.

"I realised last year that it takes more than good golf to win," he said.

"You need some good breaks to go your way as well, so I'm not going to push it as much as I did last year. I made winning too much of a priority so that if I didn't have a chance to win with nine holes to go, I was pretty discouraged.

"So my goal this year is to stay patient and keep playing golf the way I know I can and hope for the best results."

With his Korean background and outstanding game, Kim is certain to be a crowd favourite at the Ballantine's Championship and he is aiming to give the fans plenty to cheer about. "I'm looking forward to being out there and hopefully playing some good golf and putting on a show for them," he said.

January 31, 2008

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