CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Quail Hollow Club’s tree-lined, old-style setup has produced an impressive list of winners, ranging from Vijay Singh to Jim Furyk to last year’s champion, Tiger Woods.
With Woods unable to defend his Wachovia Championship title following knee surgery, Anthony Kim moved a step away from joining that elite group — a month shy of his 23rd birthday.
The steady, focused, and less flamboyant Kim shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a four-shot lead over Jason Bohn and Heath Slocum after the third round.
While Kim still sports the signature shiny belt buckle with his initials, the big hitter’s recent focus on his game left him at 13 under and as close as ever to his first PGA TOUR win.
But the best way to describe how Kim has changed was not the long drives and six birdies Saturday, it was a short punch out on the third hole, when he decided not to try a low-percentage shot to reach the green.
Kim passed Bohn, the second-round leader and his playing partner, by sinking a 9-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole. Kim added another birdie at No. 14, then navigated through the course’s tough closing stretch with his best golf of the round.
After getting up and down for par on the 17th, Kim ripped a 324-yard drive on No. 18 and hit his second shot to 7 feet. He made the birdie putt and calmly walked off the course as the only golfer without a bogey on his scorecard and well ahead of one of the strongest non-major fields on the TOUR.
Leadreboard – Round 3:
1. Anthony Kim USA 70 67 66 203 -13
2. Heath Slocum USA 71 68 68 207 – 9
Jason Bohn USA 68 67 72 207 – 9
4. Stewart Cink USA 73 70 65 208 – 8
Dudley Hart USA 71 67 70 208 – 8
6. Geoff Ogilvy AUS 70 70 69 209 – 7
Jim Furyk USA 71 67 71 209 – 7
8. Pat Perez USA 72 73 65 210 – 6
Fred Couples USA 72 69 69 210 – 6
Vijay Singh FIJ 70 70 70 210 – 6