Don’t dub him The New Tiger just yet, but Anthony Kim sure has a ferocious bite.
On May 5, the Los Angeles native won his first PGA Tour tournament at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, N.C., defeating former British Open champion Ben Curtis and breaking the previous tournament record held by Mr. Woods himself.
“I’m a little bit numb right now, but that walk up 18 was the best feeling of my entire life,” Kim told the Associated Press after finishing with a 16-under 272 total. “I’ll never forget that feeling. I had chills going up and down my spine. I want to recreate that as many times as possible now, so I’m really going to work hard.”
Kim, who turns 23 this month, earned $1,134,000 and became the youngest winner since Sergio Garcia won his third PGA Tour title in the 2002 Mercedes Championship. Woods was unable to defend the title due to knee surgery.