ANTHONY Kim overcame a three-stroke deficit with a final round five-under par 65, to win the AT&T National by two shots and confirm his status as a rising talent on the US Tour.
The 23-year-old emerged from the pack with consecutive birdies around the turn at Congressional and held off Fredrik Jacobson.
He became the first American under 25 to win twice in one year on the US PGA Tour since Tiger Woods.
Eliminating mis
takes on a soft, cloudy morning, Kim stretched his lead to four shots on the back nine before Jacobson made a charge that came too late. Kim, who won earlier this year at the Wachovia Championship, finished on 12-under par 268 and earned £545,000, moving him to No6 in the Ryder Cup standings and closer to the top 10 in the world ranking.
That his second victory came at the event where Woods is the title host held special meaning for Kim, who idolised the world's No1 player as a junior golfer.
"I'd watch everything he did, every move he made, when I was growing up," Kim said. "So to win his tournament is a true honour. I'm very excited."
Jacobson, taken out of the mix early with a double bogey, ran off four straight birdies until he ran into trouble off the tee and in the bunker on the 18th hole, scrambling for a par and a 65.
The consolation prize was a trip to the Open as the highest finisher among the top five at the AT&T National who were not already eligible. US Open runner-up Rocco Mediate also secured a spot at Royal Birkdale from a special money list. Tommy Armour III closed with a 69 and was among six players who tied for third at 271. Armour finished with six straight pars, when one birdie would have earned him a spot in the British Open over Mediate.
Dean Wilson, whose 67 put him in the group tied for third, played with Kim in the final round and saw a bright future. "Awesome," Wilson said. "He has all the tools."
Five players had at least a share of the lead on the front nine, but it wasn't long before Kim had the stage to himself.
He surprised the locker-room attendants when he ducked inside on the way to the 10th tee. "Nine more holes," he told them on his way to the bathroom.
But it was over much sooner than that. His tee shot on the 194-yard 10th covered the flag and stopped 15 feet behind the hole for his third birdie in a pivotal four-hole stretch, and he widened his lead to four shots when he spun back a wedge to 5ft for birdie on the 16th.
The full article contains 474 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
