ESPN Golf

Ladies and gentlemen, we're pleased to introduce golf's newest superstar … Anthony Kim.

If the 23-year-old's 5-stroke victory at the Wachovia Championship earlier this season didn't already have you convinced, then how about Sunday's masterful performance at Congressional CC, where Kim shot a final-round 65 to come from behind for the AT&T National title?

The win moved Kim into fifth place on the FedEx Cup points list, close to the top 10 on the Official World Golf Ranking and almost assured him of a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup roster. The Weekly 18 begins with the notion that the latter should be right up his alley.

Anthony Kim is a player for whom you can root. He grew up in Los Angeles, not as a country club nerd, but as a kid who enjoyed basketball and football as much as golf -- going so far as to really believe he could turn professional in all three.

"I told my parents I was going to be a pro basketball player, football player and golfer and do it all in the same season," Kim said on Sunday. "They looked at me like I was crazy. Till ninth or 10th grade, I really thought I would be able to do it."

Though the 5-foot-10, 160-pounder has given up aspirations of an NBA or NFL career, he remains a self-proclaimed sports nut, staying up until 1 a.m. on Saturday night watching UFC bouts despite a 6 a.m. wake-up call for an early tee time.

(For the record, Kim has no inclination to hop into the octagon anytime soon. "I mean, I would go in there with a bat," he said with a laugh. "If I didn't have a weapon, I wouldn't go in there.")

Kim is also a player you're going to have to root for, if you're an American who will be cheering on the red, white and blue come September at Valhalla.

With his victory, Kim jumped from eighth on the Ryder Cup points list to sixth, putting him in prime position to automatically qualify for captain Paul Azinger's team. (Nos. 2-9 will punch their tickets to the biennial event; with Tiger Woods on the mend, qualifications will still go eight deep.) Don't think for a second, though, that sharing a locker room and team meals with the likes of veterans such as Phil Mickelson and Stewart Cink -- or competing against European stalwarts Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood -- will have much of an effect on Kim's game, which is at once as powerful as it is precise.

"I don't want to let them down," he said of his potential teammates, "so I'm going to keep working hard and hopefully I can be that Ryder Cup player and be the player that some people think I can be."

Kim is one of three rookies (along with Boo Weekley and Woody Austin) who would make the team if the points list were shut down after the AT&T National, but he'll almost certainly be joined by other newbies when Azinger makes his captain's selections following the Deutsche Bank Championship. Of the 33 players from 10th through 42nd on the current list, only two (Zach Johnson and Chad Campbell) have previous Ryder Cup experience.

What does it all mean? On a roster that could potentially have more first-timers than veterans, someone will need to step up for the Stars and Stripes. Kim has the right game and the right attitude to be that player.

Let's have a look at Kim's ranking in this week's field in some of the more important areas of the game:

• Driving distance: 8th (305.8 yards)
• Driving accuracy: T-18 (67.9 percent)
• Greens in regulation: T-12 (75.0 percent)
• Putts per round: T-8 (28.3 putts)
• Birdie average: T-5 (4.5 per round)

Perhaps even more impressive is that this seems to be a week-in, week-out thing for Kim these days. He currently rates fourth in the PGA Tour's all-around ranking -- behind only Adam Scott, Stewart Cink and Phil Mickelson -- which totals up players' rankings in the eight most important statistical categories.

Oh, and for those who bemoaned life without Tiger for the remainder of the season, take note: Each of the three champions since his announcement have been ranked inside the top 20 on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Just in case you think young Kim is simply a flash in the pan -- and if you do, it's time to get that analytical alignment adjusted -- take a look at the champions' list he joined with Sunday's victory at Congressional.

Here are the previous dozen winners of PGA Tour-sanctioned events at the vaunted venue in Bethesda, Md.:

Congress(ional) In Session
Player (* active)	Win(s) at Congressional	Career PGA Tour wins
K.J. Choi *	2007 AT&T National	7
Sergio Garcia *	2005 Booz Allen Classic	7
Ernie Els *	1997 U.S. Open	16
Greg Norman	1986, '84 Kemper Open	20
Bill Glasson	1985 Kemper Open	7
Fred Couples	1983 Kemper Open	15
Craig Stadler	1981, '82 Kemper Open	13
John Mahaffey	1980 Kemper Open	10
Dave Stockton	1976 PGA Championship	10
Ken Venturi	1964 U.S. Open	14

What does it all mean? Two things. First, expect Kim to follow in the footsteps of these players, earning many other victories throughout his career. (Yeah, not exactly going off the board there, we know.) Second, if past history is any indicator, expect the 2011 U.S. Open -- the first major to be held at Congressional in 14 years -- to include a star-studded leaderboard. And if he's playing anything like he is right now, Kim will be among the favorites.

Though Woods wasn't present at Congressional, CBS cameras did happen to catch Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation, handing a cell phone to Kim. The following is his side of a conversation with the tournament host:

"T-Dub, what's up, man? ...

"Thanks, bro. I appreciate it. ...

"Thank you. You in Florida? ...

"That must be nice. I'm trying to get some wins so I can do that myself. ...

"I got it. I appreciate it, man. ...

"Thank you. I appreciate it. ...

"Thanks for the call, bud. Thank you. Talk to you soon. See ya."

For the record, that's five issuances of gratitude in a 41-second phone call. Early in his career, Kim had a reputation for being too confident and sort of cocky, but he's been all grace and composure lately, off the course as well as on.

"That means the world to me," Kim said of the call from Woods. "I get chills down my back when I think about it, because like I said, I grew up idolizing him. He is the Michael Jordan of golf, and to come out 10 years after him and have this opportunity to play in his golf tournament, and be on the PGA Tour and live my dream is truly a wonderful feeling."

Congratulations, Kenny Perry! You're in the British Open!

No, he's still not playing in the upcoming major, opting instead to compete in Milwaukee, but other players won't benefit from a trickle-down effect, either. By virtue of winning the most cash in six events (the Players, Stanford St. Jude, U.S. Open, Travelers Championship, Buick Open and AT&T National), Perry officially qualified for the field.

His spot will not be filled, though. While the No. 2 player on that list, Rocco Mediate, also gets in, that means that Fredrik Jacobson would have been left out in the cold … if he hadn't alternately qualified via an exemption that goes to the highest finisher in the top five at the AT&T who wasn't already in.

"I didn't know that there was one spot [available] this week," said Jacobson, who finished solo second. "I played 37 holes in the qualifier, ended up in the playoff and just missed out. I've actually been pretty tired all week after that one."

So who really misses out in this scenario? That would be Dean Wilson and Tommy Armour III, the next-highest players on the AT&T leaderboard -- they shared third place -- who weren't already exempt into the Open. (Additionally, longtime pro David Frost, who was fourth at the European Open, also got into the field.)

Of course, there's one more chance for a player on both the PGA and Euro tours to get into the Open. The highest finisher among the top five in the John Deere Classic and Scottish Open who isn't already qualified will receive an invite to Royal Birkdale.

And the award for Dumbest Question of the Week goes to … the Weekly 18!

One day after he earned a spot in the British Open field through a qualifier in Michigan, we asked Rich Beem the following question: "So, feel pretty good to get into the British?"

Beem didn't even have to open his mouth to prove the thoughtlessness of our query. The "Duh! What do you think?" look on his face said it all.

Thankfully, he then explained his reasoning anyway.

"The British Open is special," Beem said. "You get people from all over the world playing in it. I personally love it. I love the golf over there. I love how there's 120 different ways to hit shots out there. I love it. I can't wait to get over there. I'll never miss it. As long as I'm eligible, I'm going."

As the 2002 PGA Championship winner, Beem's five-year exemption into the British field expired after last year's edition. He finished T-20 at Carnoustie, his best result in six attempts at the tournament.

Even though Davis Love III has played in 80 career major championships, he's not taking the opportunities for granted anymore.

"I'm excited to go. I love that tournament," Love said. "I've played two British Opens at Birkdale [1991 and '98]. Guys are saying, 'Have you played there before?' Well, I've played two."

Love finished T-27 at the AT&T National with scores of 70-73-69-65, and has yet to fare better than T-24 this season. Coming off ankle surgery this past offseason, he has modified his priorities. No longer is winning the main goal; right now, he's just focused on playing well.

"Just competing is No. 1. Being able to play and compete," he said. "This week, I'm just glad that after 36 holes I can walk in here and my ankle hasn't given out on me. This is my 14th event. I mean, that's almost a full Tiger schedule, you know? And that's since February. So I've overdone it, but I'm glad that I've gotten through it. You know, the goal is to keep getting into contention, finish one off, play well and try to finish a tournament. You've got to work your way up. The goal is to get back to being competitive. That's what keeps me out here."

Not only has Jeff Overton never played in a major championship before, he's never even been to Europe. The third-year PGA Tour pro will kill two birds with one stone after qualifying for the British on June 30.

"I know that the wind can blow, it can get cold, and it can get firm and fast, apparently, so I'll just be ready for any kind of conditions," Overton said. "It will be fun to play over there, hit a lot of low 2-irons and stuff."

His 63-67 two-round total at qualifying on Monday served as a precursor to a strong result at the AT&T, where he was the 36-hole co-leader, only to shoot 1-over-par during the weekend rounds and finish in a share of ninth place.

Unlike Sean O'Hair, who won the 2005 John Deere Classic and had to scramble for a passport in order to play the British just a few days later, at least Overton already owns the proper credentials.

"I've been to Japan, but that's the only time I've ever been overseas before," he said. "Japan, Canada and Mexico."

After three years of caddying for Charles Howell III and a few fill-in jobs on the bag of Cameron Beckman, veteran looper Jimmy Johnson made his debut with Steve Stricker at Congressional.

When asked by the W18 before the opening round to list the most important part of switching jobs, Johnson intimated, "You just adapt to the pro. Some guys like a lot of information, some guys don't. [Stricker] is a very easygoing guy, very self-sufficient. Knows what he's doing."

Even though the combo finished T-18 at the AT&T -- they were in solo second through 54 holes, but dropped due to a final-round 3-over 73 -- don't be surprised to see Stricker employ other caddies in upcoming events.

"I may try a couple other caddies throughout the end of the year," he said before the tourney. "I think Nicki is going to come back on the bag. I think she wants to caddie. ... I think she's going to do it at the PGA over in Oakland Hills. She's fired up and excited to do it again, and I'm excited to have her out there."

Nicki happens to be Nicki Stricker, Steve's wife, who often looped for him early in his pro career.

Entering this past week, the 10 automatic qualifiers for captain Nick Faldo's European Ryder Cup team included Garcia, Lee Westwood, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Robert Karlsson and Justin Rose off the world points list, and Martin Kaymer, Henrik Stenson, Oliver Wilson, Soren Hansen and Nick Dougherty from the Ryder Cup points list.

While it was unclear at the time of this posting whether Ross Fisher would climb onto this list via his impressive 7-shot victory at the European Open -- he was 11th on the points list after the tourney -- the current squad doesn't include the likes of former team members Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter or, of course, Colin Montgomerie.

"We all want to get there," Harrington said before the week, during which he finished T-14. "Certainly some of us have to get there. You know, the Ryder Cup is one week and everything does change in that week, and everybody helps everybody else out. There is a strong camaraderie during the tournament."

Then again, with names such as his on the outside looking in, Harrington may be forcing Faldo's hand on another matter. Unlike his U.S. counterpart, the European skipper only receives two extra selections. If he has to spend them on, say, Harrington and either Donald or Casey, it could mean the end of a long road for Monty, despite the pleas of his potential teammates.

"I would want Monty on the team, if his form is in any way decent, he definitely can be a leader," said Harrington, who has played on four teams with the Scotsman. "I think he needs to be a leader on the team. I don't think that you can bring Monty in and say, 'You know, play No. 8.' That's not going to work. He's not going to play well and he's not going to help the team out. He has to be in a position that you can bring him in and say, 'Monty, you're the playing captain, out No. 1.' So it's not something, you can't bring Monty along and it's not like you're sort of saying, this is like a testimonial, your last chance and we'll protect you down the back there and you can play down low. It just wouldn't work with him. He needs to be leading and he draws a lot of confidence from being the sort of unofficial captain or the playing captain, but he does need to be in form to do that. In that situation, he's proved it over the years, he leads well from the front and his game sets up a couple of levels."

Two years ago, Garcia played his way into the final pairing at Hoylake at the British Open, only to parlay his canary-yellow Sunday best into a final-round 73, dropping into a share of fifth place. Last year, Garcia missed a putt on the final hole of regulation at Carnoustie, then lost a playoff to Harrington, blaming higher powers more than himself.

This time around, Garcia will enter the British Open with more confidence than ever. Though he lost by 7 to Ross Fisher in London, the 28-year-old shot a final-round 66 and was quite pleased with himself afterward.

"I managed to putt really well," Garcia said. "Now I know what Tiger [Woods] feels 98 percent of the time when he gets on the greens, so it's a great feeling. … It was definitely the best putting round I've ever had."

While critics may point out Sergio's penchant for mentioning Woods' name at seemingly inopportune moments -- he thanked the injured star for missing The Players Championship in his first comments after sealing the victory -- he's certainly among the world's best without Tiger in the mix.

And that putter? Long his downfall, this wasn't just a bit of postround Garcia hyperbole. He needed only 21 putts on Sunday.

A similar display could mean a Claret Jug in two weeks at Royal Birkdale.

While Kentucky native Kenny Perry has received most of the ink for his attempt to play close to home at Valhalla this September, and fellow Bluegrass stater J.B. Holmes is another obvious candidate, there's at least one other player who sees the Ryder Cup as a potential home game.

"I want nothing more than to represent my country and especially being in Louisville, which is only two hours from where I live in Nashville, it's about as close as a home event as you're ever going to get for the Ryder Cup," Brandt Snedeker told the W18 recently. "Very excited about it, can hopefully play good in these last couple of majors and try to get a win here and lock that up."

We presented Snedeker with a hypothetical question: "Would you rather have a win in the next six weeks and not make the team, or not win and make the team?" (This is hypothetical, of course, since he's 13th on a points list in which Nos. 2-9 will automatically make the squad; a victory would likely also ensure his spot on the roster.)

"Not win and make the team. By far. I couldn't imagine a better scenario than playing the Ryder Cup in your home country and representing your country that way," he said. "It would be something phenomenal that I'd love nothing more than to experience.

"Just watching on TV, I get fired up and get goose bumps. I couldn't imagine playing in it, but I'd love to get the chance to do it."

In between questions about the PGA Tour's new drug-testing policy and the challenges of playing a season without Woods in the mix, commissioner Tim Finchem inadvertently broke some news about next year's Presidents Cup, which is officially sponsored by the tour.

"We will be into prime time," the commish said about the 2009 competition between the U.S. and the International team, captained by Fred Couples and Greg Norman, respectively. "We haven't quite figured out the details on the schedule, but we won't be a 10 o'clock finish on the East, I wouldn't think."

Played at Harding Park in San Francisco, the tour is hoping to capitalize on some of the prime-time magic that the USGA received from last month's U.S. Open, during which the final round on NBC drew greater than a 13 share in the ratings.

Bad news for the PGA Tour's most prolific wave-shredder.

"Dude, I'm done. I'm not surfing again for a while," Will MacKenzie told us prior to the AT&T National, where he shot 77-69 to miss the cut in just his second start since April.

The lack of starts -- and surfing -- has been due to a medial meniscus tear, which Willie Mac had surgically repaired on May 1. So far this season, he's finished in the money in only four of 12 appearances, with a best result of T-44 at Bay Hill, leaving him with only $54,037 in earnings.

Even though Woods' season-ending knee injury was much more pronounced, we asked MacKenzie if he felt his return from knee surgery was quicker than what we could expect from a certain No. 1-ranked player due to his stronger mental fortitude. "No, he's way tougher than me," he said with a laugh. As for whether players winning events after knee surgeries -- as Woods underwent prior to the U.S. Open -- could become en vogue this season, he jumped at the notion: "I hope that works for me, bro."

Oh, and surfing? Well, it might not be such a long time until he gets back onto a long board.

"We'll see. If I catch a victory here soon, I'll probably be surfing during hurricane season," MacKenzie recanted. "I mean, I'm sort of fired up for hurricane season, but I'm sort of more worried about my house not falling down than I am surfing, because I'm living right on the water now [in Jupiter, Fla.]. But, dude, I'll always surf. It's dear to me."

No, the W18 isn't going to include something on Woods during every single week that he is on the shelf … or maybe we will.

Woods spoke with the media during a 22-minute conference call on June 30 in advance of his AT&T National event. Chances are you've already read and/or heard about his left leg being in a straight brace for the next few weeks and how he couldn't travel to Congressional for fear of having his knee "balloon up," as it did on his flight home from the surgical procedure.

You have likely also gleaned this information, but it's worth repeating again. From Woods' mouth to our ears: "I've been trying to adjust over the years to alleviate some of the stress I do put on my left leg. But basically, my left knee's been sore for 10, 12 years, so it will be nice to finally have a healthy leg. The doctors have assured me that my long-term health will be a hell of a lot better than it's been over the past decade. So I'm really looking forward to that, and not having pain after I'm playing and while I'm playing."

Of course, there are two appropriate reactions to this news.

No. 1: "You've got to be &%$#@ kidding me!" That's right; Woods said his left knee has been ailing him for 10-12 YEARS! All he's done in that time is win 14 major championship titles and possibly become the greatest golfer of all time. Just think what he could have accomplished during that time on two good knees. (That said, let's remember this: Just because golf isn't a contact sport doesn't mean there aren't numerous injuries. In fact, our guess is that, at any given time, some 90 percent of players on the PGA Tour have an injury of varying degrees to their back, neck, shoulders, ribs or, yes, knees. So it's not like everyone else was 100 percent healthy and Tiger was the only one in some pain.)

No. 2: "How do his doctors know his long-term health will be better?" It's a great question, because there's no way of knowing how Woods will recover from the surgery. And even if the knee is finally pain-free, that won't necessarily mean better play and more victories down the road. Doctors can assure Tiger that his "long-term health will be a hell of a lot better," but they can't assure him of hitting a few more fairways at Augusta National or making a few more putts at the British Open. His future results are still the great unknown in this equation.

Then again, here's some bad news for any of his peers who were hoping for a kinder, gentler Woods upon his return: However the knee progresses, it will likely never be worse than at Torrey Pines last month. And he won that one. So even if the injury doesn't return to 100 percent, he's shown he can find huge amounts of success with less than that.

Yes, there is a senior tour on the European circuit (the aptly named European Seniors Tour) and yes, you have heard of some of its better players.

Former Masters champion Ian Woosnam is foremost among those players. In his rookie season on the 50-and-over tour (he became eligible on March 2), he now owns two victories, including a 3-stroke win at the Russian Seniors Open on Sunday.

"I feel as if I've been drowned," Woosie said afterward. "It's great to get a win so soon after the last one but at the moment what I want most is to change into some dry clothes. It rained from start to finish and it's so difficult to control the ball when it gets as wet as that. It was so wet I'm surprised we managed to finish, but I am delighted we did and it is great to win the first Russian Seniors title."

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Woosnam, celebrating and drowning in the same section without also reliving golf's greatest YouTube clip of 2006. You're welcome.

So, you're looking for a new house. Maybe something in the San Diego area? View would be nice, as would a pool. Central air? Definitely. Hardwood floors? A must. Over 4½ acres? Sounds great.

One of Phil Mickelson's homes -- nicknamed "El Mirlo" or "The Blackbird" -- is on the market for between $10,750,000 and $12,225,876, putting estimated payments at $59,076 per month.

(How's this for an offer: Once purchased, invite the W18 as a houseguest and we'll mention you in a column! Hey, it's the least we could do … really.)

If interested in going for a walk-through, be forewarned that Lefty won't be around anytime soon. He'll play the Scottish Open this week in advance of the British.

"I'll piss in his hand, if he wants. I really don't care, because I'm not worried about anything."
-- Pat Perez, who coincidentally goes by the nickname PP, on the PGA Tour's new drug-testing policy.

Jason Sobel covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.