Anthony Kim's game received the royal seal of approval today when he lined up alongside the King of Malaysia in the Maybank Malaysian Open Pro-Am.
Kim was partnered with His Royal Highness Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and exciting young American soon overcame his early nerves to share jokes with the King at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.
"I really didn't know I was going to be playing with the King and it was quite an honour," said Kim.
"He was a really funny guy and it was a blast to go out there and play a round of golf with him. There is a good chance that he could have beat me today so he obviously has a good golf game."
Kim, who was born in the United States of Korean parents, uses Nike golf clubs including a Nike SQ Sumo 5000 Driver. The Pro-Am may have provided some light relief but the serious business begins for Kim on Thursday with the start of the Maybank Malaysian Open.
Kim made played in the season-opening HSBC Champions back in November but was forced to withdraw halfway through the tournament due to injury, which meant he could not pick up any points for the Race to Dubai in The European Tour's exciting new competition.
The World Number 11 is hopeful that come Sunday evening, he will have collected the bulk of the US$2 million prize fund, but is aware of the depth of talent in a field that contains two-time Maybank Malaysian Open champion Thongchai Jaidee, the 2007 winner, Peter Hedblom, and former Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, Simon Dyson, who had finished third in the last two Maybank Malaysian Opens.
"The Race to Dubai is a big motivation for me and is one of the reasons that I am here - I want to be a global player and it is important for me to go to different countries and experience new venues and the way that tournaments are set up so that I can go to a lot of different places and play well wherever I am in the world," Kim said.
"But I don't know if I am the man to beat here - I just heard that Thongchai has won this event a few times and there are definitely a lot of guys on The European Tour who have a lot of game and I have to set my game up to play at the that level and hopefully I can bring my game too."
