Capelle On Golf

British Open Coverage

Big names like Nick Faldo (39) and Greg Norman (41) were aging rapidly as the 1996 season was drawing to a close, so golf was in need of a fresh new face to pump some life into the game. With Hollywood like timing Tiger Woods appeared on the scene. Now that he’s sidelined till next season and a temporary void exists again, the press was in need for a big story.

With perfect timing, Anthony Kim responded with his second win, validating his first at the Wachovia and stamping himself as golf’s young phenom in the making. And, as if on cue, the media has jumped all over this personable young lad who has a penchant for interacting with the gallery and slapping hands with his fans.

Kim’s Season
Kim’s season is clearly divided into two parts. The first half was a disaster while the second half has been good enough to earn him some comparisons with the younger Tiger Woods.

Kim vs. Kim - First Seven vs. Second Seven (PGA Tour)
First Seven: 3t, 67t, 30t, MC, 49t, MC, MC
Second Seven: 2t, 19t, W, 42t, 40t, 26t, W

At the beginning of the year Kim was #75 in the World Golf Rankings (WGR). After winning the Wachovia on May 4th he broke into the top 20 at #16. After slipping back to #20, he won again at the AT&T and is now #13 in the world. His goal at this week’s British Open is to win because that’s the kind of player he is – like Tiger he covets those Ws, especially now that he’s had a taste of the winner’s circle. Still, as a consolation prize, should he finish in the top five this week, he might just enter the top 10.

Young phenoms and those super elite players tend to win their first major at an early age. Gary Player (23), Jack Nicklaus (22), Tom Watson (25), and Tiger Woods (21) were all 25 or under. With Tiger absent, the British Open and PGA offer Kim an opportunity to join this select group and to develop the kind of career momentum that could turn him into the great spoiler and great rival that golf has been hungering for.

So just how good is this youngster? His mentor Mark O’Meara sees him as the next best talent to Tiger of the Woods Era. Kim uses the interlocking grip like Jack Nicklaus and Woods, which history’s two best believe is a far superior way to hold the club. In describing Kim’s swing, noted instructor Peter Kostis remarked that it is “a simple, powerful, and effective swing.” Indeed, Kim’s foot action is far better than Woods’ as he rolls his right foot through impact (like Nicklaus) rather than going up on his toes as Tiger has throughout his career.

Kim is also one of the 10 longest hitters on tour even though he chokes up more on his Nike SQ Sumo 5000 driver than perhaps any touring pro in the Modern Era ever has. This makes you wonder how much distance he might have in reserve if he were to consider letting out the shaft.

Kim vs. Woods in the Stats
Kim may have a better swing at the same age than Woods, but the stats may tell a different story. Over the course of their first two seasons (Kim’s second includes 14 starts) Woods has the advantage in greens in regulation (GIR) and fairways hit. Using today’s numbers for Tiger, he would still hold the edge in GIR, but not in driving accuracy.

Anthony vs. Tiger – The First Two Years
Greens in Regulation
First—Second
70.35—67.55 Tiger Woods
65.35—65.53 Anthony Kim

Driving Accuracy
First–Second
68.62—67.88 Tiger Woods
60.79—59.27 Anthony Kim

GIR reflects ball striking and course management skills. Except for the years when he was remaking his swing, Woods’ GIR has almost always exceeded 70%. Kim’s GIR is about 65%, which translates into 3-4 less greens hit per 72 holes. This discrepancy equals about 2-3 shots (bogeys + lost birdie attempts) per tournament – an advantage that Kim can ill afford to give to Woods.

Woods was arguably a more mature player in his early twenties than Kim, who had to overcome a slacker phase towards the end of last season. As a result, Woods’ advantage in GIR may be more a result of his decision making prowess than from having a better swing at that age.

Kim’s Chances at the British Open
This will be Kim’s first British Open, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a non-winning learning experiences. Tony Lema won his first Open in 1964. More recently, Ben Curtis won his first British Open in 2003, and Todd Hamilton, who played in the 1996 Open (45t), won his next start in it eight years later in 2004.

Expecting Kim to win the Open this soon may be asking a bit much. Certainly the oddsmakers think so because Ladbrokes has him at 50/1. But who knows for sure – golf is golf when you’re an elite player, and the best learn to adapt very quickly to foreign conditions.

We know that Kim hits it long. This will help on Birkdale’s six longest par 4s, which average 471.5 yards. And, because Birkdale is a long tough par 70, even the players who are hitting it great will have to scramble for a good many pars. Scrambling happens to be another of Kim’s strengths. Like Woods, he uses the new high spin Nike One Platinum ball which is ideally suited for the short game. As proof, Kim missed 40 greens during his two wins, but made only 14 bogeys.

And the Winner is…
These are exciting times even though Woods isn’t playing, or perhaps because he’s not playing. Without the Woods’ mystique clouding their psyches, we can see get a better glimpse of the potential of the list of players under major championship conditions.

It will be fascinating to see who steps up in the absence of the great man. Will it be the old guard of Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els? A long time prospect such as Adam Scott or Sergio Garcia? Or will Kim walk away with a career defining and momentum building victory that will grab even Woods’ attention as he watches the festivities unfold from his home in Florida.