After resetting his mind-set, Kim rewrites record book

Baseball player Nick Adenhart's tragic death made Anthony Kim realize he needed to change his outlook on life. Then he went out and carded an astonishing 11 birdies to set a new Masters mark.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Perspective can come in many forms. For Anthony Kim, it came while reading the local newspaper at the breakfast table Friday morning before his second round at Augusta National.

Kim saw the wire story about Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, who died tragically early Thursday morning after the car he was riding in was struck by a suspected drunk driver. Adenhart was 22 years old.

Kim is 23. The story hit home, especially a quote about not taking anything for granted and appreciating what you have.

Kim thought about it. Thought about playing this week in his first Masters, his first trip down Magnolia Lane. Thought about how great it was to experience it with his parents, who are in attendance this week.

Competition is one thing, and careers and livelihoods are made of that on the PGA TOUR. But perspective is another thing. Life is made of that.

It was time for Kim, who opened with an inauspicious 75 in Thursday's first round, to stop worrying about his score and start enjoying the journey this week.

"I don't want to go out whining about a three-putt," Kim said. "I want to be happy and I want to enjoy everything that the hard work as gotten me."

Kim did three-putt on Friday, leading to a bogey on the par-3 fourth. He also suffered another bogey at the ninth, then followed that with a double bogey on the 10th when he found the lip of a bunker.

Didn't matter. Kim also had 11 birdies. Let that sink in: 11 birdies. No player in Masters history had ever posted as many birdies in one round. Nick Price held the previous record of 10 in the third round of the '86 Masters when he shot 63.

Take away the four dropped shots and Kim shoots 61, not 65. No player in any major has ever shot 62, much less 61. And for Kim, his 7-under 65 on Friday -- the low round of the day -- felt even better. "Like a 58," he said.

Now that's perspective.

"I haven't been making 11 birdies in two days, so to make 11 in one day is pretty special," said Kim, who is 4 under for the tournament, just five strokes off the lead. "And obviously to do it at Augusta is amazing. Hopefully I can build off that and if I keep the putter hot, I like my chances here."

Eleven birdies the next two days might very well do that. Kim has the talent to churn out birdies at a spectacular rate, and he did that in two incredible stretches Friday -- from the fifth through eighth holes when he sank roughly 48 feet of putts, and then during a back-nine stretch from 12-15 when he birdied both par-5s, sank a 15-foot birdie putt on 12 and hit a pitching wedge to eight inches on 14.

Kim came into the second round just hoping to make the cut, hoping to extend the dream of his first Masters a couple of more days. Now he's solidly in the hunt, brimming with confidence.

Just as important, Kim's 11 birdies showcased the kind of talent he displayed in winning twice on the PGA TOUR last year, the kind of talent that forced golf fans to jump on his bandwagon and declare him The Next Big Thing.

But The Next Big Thing hasn't been seen much until Friday. After a tie for second at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, Kim went overseas to play for a stretch. Then when he returned to the States, he pulled out of The 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer because of a sore left shoulder, then missed Palmer's own event at Bay Hill due to the flu.

Even when Kim did stay healthy, his results weren't very impressive. He was nowhere to be found on Sunday. All of the sudden, fewer people were talking about Kim. Even fewer people were on his bandwagon.

"My parents and a couple of my friends," Kim joked.

No one cared about the injuries and the challenges that come with being a 23-year-old pro golfer on the verge of greatness.

But the bandwagon will be full again if Kim can keep the momentum going from Friday, if he can challenge for his first major win. Even so, it doesn't really matter. Again, it's all perspective.

Kim knows he has game. Whether you think he does or not ... well, he can't control that.

"I'm not too concerned about what everybody else is thinking," Kim said. "That has nothing to do with me. Obviously I play golf for myself. I play to win. I play for my family to just show that the hard work has paid off.

"Of course, I hear or I'll be reading the paper and they say, 'What happened to him?' I'm still here. I'm still making golf swings. ... I'm very positive about where my career is headed."

Eleven birdies in one round is about as positive as it gets.

"I'm very happy with the progression in my golf game and I look forward to big things," Kim said. "I'm not concerned about a two-month stretch where maybe I'm not playing my best golf. But I am a better player now than I was last year, and I'll be a better player in two months than I am today."

Sounds like a pretty solid perspective to have. Sounds like a guy who'll go into his first weekend at the Masters with his feet firmly planted in reality, but dreaming of greatness at Augusta National.