We will not see Anthony Kim this week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. AK is a WD. He was a no-show at Wednesday’s pro-am and later we heard he pulled out of the tournament because of problems with his thumb – remember he had surgery on his thumb earlier this year.
It’s a hit for the event but Kim also took a hit in a local Las Vegas paper. An article claimed he was a “loose cannon” in a casino, cursing loudly and he had to be removed. Kim’s agent said the 25 year old was not kicked out of the casino.
Defending champion Martin Laird is a guy to watch this week. First, he is fired up for his first shot at defending on the PGA Tour. More importantly, he’s playing well. At the Greenbrier he made a putter switch to the Rossa Ghost. Then a week later Martin started working with greens guru Dave Stockton, Jr.
Since that session, beginning at the Bridgestone Invitational, Laird has moved up close to 30 spots in overall putting and not missed a cut. He recorded a second at the Barclays and a tie for fifth in his first appearance at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Since TPC Summerlin is a course that offers up a ton of birdies, Steve Marino is salivating. The man who led the Tour in birdies last year feels good about his chances here in Vegas, especially since he has a new driver. The Cleveland Launcher, which will be on the market next year is in Marino’s bag. He said it is straighter and much hotter than his old driver. Steve might be a good bet to win his first event.
