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Anthony Kim waves to the crowd after his third-place finish, part of the
best showing ever by Asian golfers at the Masters (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
The focus of the 2010 Masters was the return of Tiger Woods, but Asian golfers had their day, too. Anthony Kim bested the four-time Masters winner, while K.J. Choi tied him, creating the best showing ever by Asian golfers in the Masters.
In 2001, Woods (who is part Asian) won the tourney, and Toshi Izawa finished fourth, six shots off Woods' pace; this put two golfers in the top four and top ten.
This year, Kim finished in third, four shots behind winner Phil Mickelson, while Choi tied Woods at five shots back.
But Y.E. Yang also finished in the top ten, making this the first time that three or more Asian golfers finished in the top ten of the Masters.
Kim had started the Masters with an excellent 68 (-4), good enough for third place, but he slipped back on the second and third days, with scores of 70 and 73, respectively.
This left him tied for ninth going into the final round of play, and he finished the front nine with birdies on seven and eight, leaving him two under for the day. But he put the pedal down on thirteen with a birdie that started a string of four straight holes below par, highlighted by an eagle on fifteen.
Though he couldn't keep the run going through the final two holes, it was enough for Kim to power past Woods with a -12, as Woods sat in the clubhouse, having merely shot even par over those same four holes to finish with a -11.
Choi also started strong, shooting a 67 on the first day, tying him for second, then shooting a 71 and 70 on Friday and Saturday. He was ready to contend at the start of the day, in a twosome with Tiger himself, and started out strong on the front nine, ending at three under.
But when Kim accelerated, Choi ran into trouble. He began his back nine with a birdie, but put together back-to-back bogies on the thirteenth and fourteenth holes. Choi recovered with a bird on fifteen, but the damage was done, and he could only struggle to a fourth-place tie with Woods.
Y.E. Yang, the South Korean golfer whose final-round defeat of Tiger in the 2009 PGA Championship was one of the first signs of Woods' impending decline, ended up four shots behind Woods and Choi, in a tie for eighth place. Together with Choi and Kim, having three Asian golfers finish in the top ten of the Masters makes this their best showing ever, and a sign of things to come in the golf world.
Comments
There was excellent play today, all the way around!!!!
I couldn't agree more--it was more exciting than anyone thought it would be, but not in the way that lots of people expected. Who would have thought Tiger Woods would shoot five bogeys in his final round?
Thanks for the comment!
I am so glad that Phil Mickelson won the Masters! Phil is a most deserving winner! He is a loving husband, caring father and devoted son. The Sponsors should take notice that Phil is the man with family values!!!.
Tiger Woods is soooo arrogant that he thought that he was going to come from shame and readily wins the Masters. Not so fast and easy, Tiger! Maybe you should take time to put your personal life in order before you play next!!!
He is an American...He's not in the same category as choi and yang. He was born here they weren't. AK is an american just like how he represented the U.S. in the ryder cup and just like how American asian born athletes have in the past such as michelle kwan and michael chang.
Carmen--It was nice to see Lefty come through in the end, and Woods certainly unraveled down the stretch. He'll still contend, but Mickelson is absolutely deserving.
Joe--I write on "Asian-American sports," which includes Asians in American sports, and Asian-Americans in world sports. Anthony Kim fits the latter category, but he's also a second-generation immigrant, as his parents came from South Korea. He's no more or less American than the rest of us, but he's definitely proud of his undeniable Asian roots.
Thanks for the comments, both of you!
Mike
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