OPINION

By Jim Ryan

updated 9:18 p.m. ET May 5, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Congratulations, Anthony Kim. You've officially made the list of potential challengers for Tiger Woods.

Is it absurd to place such lofty expectations on a 22-year-old who just earned his first PGA Tour victory? Perhaps. But Kim's performance at this week's Wachovia Championship was also a bit preposterous. On one of the more difficult courses on tour, he shot a 16-under 272 to rout a field that included 18 of the world's top 25 players.

Kim, who finished five strokes ahead of runner-up Ben Curtis, became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since 2002. That year, 21-year-old Sergio Garcia — once seen as the natural rival for Woods — won the Mercedes Championship for his third career title. The youngest winner on tour since 1970 is Phil Mickelson — currently Woods' greatest rival — who won the 1991 Northern Telecom Open at age 20.

No one is predicting that Kim, like Woods, will threaten Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships, but Kim and Woods share several superficial similarities. Both are precocious talents, both grew up in Southern California, and both are of Asian descent. Both wear Nike threads, and now, both have the royal blue jacket given to Wachovia champions. (Woods won the tournament in 2007 but couldn't defend his title because he's recovering from knee surgery.)

Kim's play last week also drew comparisons to the world No. 1. "I played with somebody who played extraordinarily well, almost Tigeresque," said Jason Bohn, who was paired with Kim on Saturday. "He has a great demeanor. He's extremely focused. He's a great gentleman to play with, very similar to Tiger in that kind of sense. But what I noticed about him was that when he missed a shot, he recovered extremely well. You know, he made a couple of great par putts, you know, like 6-, 8-, 10-foot par putts exactly like you see Tiger Woods do."

Kim not only putts like Tiger; he's also a big hitter. Despite being just 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, Kim is seventh on the PGA Tour in driving distance in 2008 — though he says he's learning that it sometimes pays to lay up.

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The learning curve has been steep for Kim, who finished tied for second to Boo Weekley two weeks ago at the Verizon Heritage. "I feel stronger mentally and feel like I've grown quite a bit in the last two weeks," Kim said Saturday after shooting a 66. "I can draw off things that I did at the Verizon Heritage. It's all a big learning experience, and I feel like my game is starting to come around."

Come around it did at the Wachovia. With the victory, Kim became the eighth player in his 20s to win on tour this year, though he's the only winner under 25. "With the younger players, I've always said that experience counts for so much," said 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, 28. "There's only been a few guys that have come out here, turned pro and played well and won straight away."

Kim could be one of the few. "He's got a lot of game," said former Wachovia and U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, who finished seventh this week at 7-under. "You can tell that he's confident; he really believes in himself. He walks around with a little bit of swagger and style."

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Kim's style became substance during his Wachovia win, which came in his second full season on tour. After three years at the University of Oklahoma, Kim made his professional debut at the 2006 Valero Texas Open and finished second. His best finish last year was a tie for third at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

"It's been a long ride, but it sure is worth it," Kim said Sunday after his victory. "That walk up 18 was the best feeling of my entire life."

It's a feeling he'll most likely experience plenty of times in the future.

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