The lore of Anthony Kim only continues to grow.
Kim was the youngster on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008, which toppled the favored Europeans 16-11 at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. At just 23 years old, he was undoubtedly one of the leaders, according to revered captain Paul Azinger. Azinger recently shared his thoughts on every member of that winning team with Gary Van Sickle.
“[Anthony] was our off-the-course team leader. Everybody laughed at AK because he was a street kid, a chip-on-your shoulder kid,” Azinger said. “He wanted Sergio all week. I don’t think he realized that we couldn’t just match ’em up when we got there. He kept saying, ‘I want to play Sergio, Zing. I want to play Sergio.’ It never worked out until Sunday, and we got lucky. Anthony ate it up and responded. He said on the 1st tee, ‘I’m gonna whup his ass for you today, Captain.'”
Kim would go on to beat Garcia 5&4, with five birdies and an eagle in just 14 holes, claiming the first singles match that Sunday. It was a match that Azinger won’t soon forget.
“That was one of the classic moments in Ryder Cup history, I think,” Azinger said. “After he won that match, I gave AK a big hug on the green, and then he kind of backed off. He was pointing at me, and if you can read his lips, he was saying, ‘I told you I was gonna whup his ass!’ It’s sad his career ended so soon. I would have loved to see what he might have done these last eight years if he’d been healthy.”
