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Former La Quinta High School golfer Anthony Kim answers questions Wednesday at PGA West in preparation for the start of today's Humana Challenge. Kim tied for third place in his last start in the desert in 2008. RICHARD LUI/THE DESERT SUN
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LA QUINTA — After a year he wishes he could forget as soon as possible, Anthony Kim has been recharging where it all began.
Kim has been back in the desert since mid-December honing his game and spending time with his parents, Paul and Miryoung, who live in La Quinta.
The comforts of home have boosted the La Quinta High School graduate's confidence as he looks to bounce back by starting his PGA season at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the William J. Clinton Foundation.
“I feel very at home here and hopefully I can prove that with how I play this week,” said Kim, who tees off at 8:50 a.m. today on the 10th hole at the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West. “I'm staying in my own bed, and my parents are going to be out, and that's going to be a lot of fun to play in front of them.”
Kim, 26, has bonded with his parents during the last month. He rang in the New Year with them for the first time and has enjoyed some home cooking.
“The Korean food they make is pretty good,” he said with a smile. “But I can only do that about once a week, so I've been going to Baja Fresh a lot.”
Most important, his parents' support and guidance have been invaluable.
“It's been great because after a bad year, you almost want to isolate yourself and try to figure out what you're doing wrong,” Kim said. “But having my parents around and bouncing some ideas off them and them just telling me that at the end of the day everything's going to be fine — that has meant a lot to me.”
In 2011, Kim was trying to regain his footing after a promising start the previous year was derailed by a thumb injury. But the three-time winner on the PGA Tour and 2008 Ryder Cup standout stumbled. He had a career-low two top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth at the British Open, and finished 87th on the money list with $1.085 million.
“I learned a lot about myself,” Kim said, “learned a lot about perseverance and grinding through those tough times and trying to keep my head up when it looked like I was just taking on water.”
Kim reached his breaking point after missing the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship in September.
“Golf was so frustrating I didn't know where the ball was going,” he said.
He weighed his options and decided to take one month off before playing a handful of events in Asia.
The break paid off. Hitting the ball as well as he had all year, he opened play in Asia by tying for third at the C.J. Invitational in South Korea. He continued to blossom abroad, losing in a playoff to Rory McIlroy at the Shanghai Masters and tying for third at the Barclays Singapore Open.
“That really turned my mindset around about being able to come out here and compete and give myself a chance to win every single week,” Kim said.
Kim's confidence has continued to rise since he came back to the desert in December. He has been practicing intensely at the Madison Club to prepare to play in his hometown tournament for the first time since 2008.
“It's been a tough, tough progression, but I feel like I'm going to be a much better player,” he said. “I feel like a more complete player right now. I'm very confident in my game.
“Now that doesn't mean I'm going to go out there and shoot 63 all four days and blow away this tournament, but I'm very happy with how I'm hitting the ball,” he said.
