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 Both Tiger Woods (left) and Anthony Kim are out for a while, although Kim's path back to competition is clearer than Woods' (PHOTO: Eddie Meeks). Before Anthony Kim decided to undergo surgery on his lingering left wrist ailment last week, he was enjoying one of the most successful playing stretches of his young career — the type of string Tiger Woods has enjoyed dozens of times over. Even with a global media microscope watching his every move in the wake of a sordid web of transgressions, Woods seemed poised to find solace and that familiar elite form when he returned to the PGA Tour with a fourth-place finish at April’s Masters. But that was as good as it would be in the short term for Woods, who now joins friend Kim on the sidelines with a neck injury that leaves his status for the remainder of 2010 murky. Woods, the 34-year-old Cypress native, made the cut at the Players Championship over the weekend to improve on the dismal Friday exit he had at the Quail Hollow Championship a week earlier. However, on the seventh hole at TPC Sawgrass during the final round, the 14-time major winner abruptly called it quits with what he thinks might be a bulging disk in his neck. Woods admitted he’s been dealing with neck issues since returning at Augusta National but didn’t cite the condition when he struggled at Quail Hollow. And following the withdrawal at Sawgrass, he told a small group of reporters his neck was “sore” following the mysterious car accident at his Isleworth property last November. Who knows when Woods will return to competition. This is merely the latest twist in one of the most astonishing sagas for any golfer — or athlete, for that matter — ever. Kim’s situation is more lucid. Despite dealing with a torn ligament in his left thumb for much of his 2010 season, the 24-year-old Los Angeles native engineered a phenomenal string of performances in his last five Tour starts, including a playoff triumph at the Shell Houston Open and a third-place showing at the Masters. It was only a matter of when Kim would go under the knife to repair the ligament, and once the injury started impacting other parts of his body — namely his right shoulder at Quail Hollow — it was time to schedule the procedure. The bad news is Kim won’t be able to play for at least nine more weeks, a period that definitely includes the U.S. Open in June. Longer rehabilitation time also could force him to miss July’s British Open. The good news is he still has an excellent chance of qualifying for his favorite event, the Ryder Cup. Kim is currently second in the standings for the United States team, and although he is certain to fall from that position due to his inactivity, he could still wind up being one of the top eight players who automatically gain a spot on the 12-person squad. And even if he has to rely on being one of the four captain’s picks for Corey Pavin, Kim already stated his case for inclusion to the Ventura native. Recalling his plea to Pavin, Kim said, “I want to play on your team so bad that the reason I played hurt is to make the team. I promise you if you put me on the team, I’m going to have a good attitude going over there. I’m the kind of player you want.” Just because Kim figures to return well before the biennial matches at Celtic Manor Resort is Wales in October doesn’t mean he’ll regain the same solid form he’s exhibited thus far in 2010. However, even for someone who’s had his share of image problems, he enters his rehabilitation process in a much better situation than Woods, who doesn’t have much recent strong play to build on and who’s still dealing with fallout from one of the most notorious scandals in sports history. Hoffman stumbles, still collects $95,000 For the first 54 holes rounds at the Players Championship, Poway native Charley Hoffman played some of his best golf of 2010. He made a total of only four bogeys and hit the ball as consistently as he had all season, ranking near the top of the field in both driving accuracy in greens in regulation. But down the stretch of Sunday’s final round, he fell apart, carding three bogeys and a double bogey over his last five holes. The end result — after starting the final 18 holes in sixth place, Hoffman plummeted to a tie for 22nd at 6-under par after a closing 77. But that was still his best performance of the year, and thanks to the tournament’s hefty purse, he took home a check for $95,000. Hoffman still has an uphill climb though, as he finds himself 141st on the money list. Mickelson begins U.S. Open push Although Phil Mickelson’s final-round 74 at the Players wasn’t enough to put him in the title discussion, the San Diegan still finished tied for 17th. Ever the meticulous schedule strategist, Mickelson now begins his push to prepare for June’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with a couple of weeks off followed by an appearance at Colonial. “I’ll probably take this next week off, spend a little time practicing, and when I start Colonial that will really be my start through the U.S. Open.” Eli Miller is the managing editor of Southland Golf. Reach him at emiller@churmmedia.com. |
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