Linked by solid friendship

Kim and Renner share bond from junior days

Sometimes, slow play offers dividends. The friendship between Anthony Kim and Jim Renner, for instance.

It dates to the 2002 Junior World Golf Championships at Torrey Pines in San Diego when the teenagers had no choice but to kill idle time talking.

"He was in the group behind me, but there was a backup, so [Kim's] group joined us on the tee and we were standing there, just waiting," said Renner. "The next day, he was in my group."

On that final day, Kim shot 72 to finish at 278 and win the 15-17 age division, while Renner came home in 73 -280, tied for second. In many instances, two golfers - one a southern California kid, the other a Boston boy - would have shaken hands, wished each other luck, and said goodbye. Probably forever. But not in this story. For some reason, the 16-year-old Kim and the 17-year-old Renner connected.

"He was just fun to be around. I really liked him," said Renner. "You could always kid with him and joke with him, but he would never BS you. He would tell you like it is."

There is much more to the story, but we'll come back to that. Instead, fast forward to today where these friends are in their golf worlds. While Renner, the pride of Plainville, is a day removed from his latest minitour tournament - a Golfers Warehouse Tour stop at Triggs Memorial GC in Providence - Kim is involved in the oldest and most flavorful championship in the world, the British Open. At Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, Kim has a chance to cash in for another million-plus dollars. Whether he will remains to be seen, but the fact is, Kim at 22 has two PGA Tour wins and in 42 starts on the tour, he's earned a robust $5,139,883 in prize money.

(For comparison, Tiger Woods in his first 42 events on the PGA Tour earned $4,231,793, though he had seven wins. This isn't to suggest Kim is equal to Woods, but it's a roundabout way of saying that Renner isn't as far away from Kim as the cross-Atlantic distance would indicate. Which is where we return to the story.)

"Jim Renner's the reason I went to Oklahoma. He got me to go there," said Kim, sitting in the locker room at Royal Birkdale. He explained that they had become friendly and when Renner accepted a scholarship at Oklahoma, it seemed to tip the scales for Kim.

"It was one of three schools he was considering," said Renner, who entered Oklahoma in the fall of 2002. "He came out for a visit and next thing you know . . ."

Kim enrolled at Oklahoma in the fall of 2003, but there was a twist to the story that neither young man envisioned. Renner midway through his sophomore year decided the school was not a good fit for him. "I wish I could have stayed, but in the back of my mind I wasn't happy," said Renner. "So, I transferred. He probably wasn't happy that I did, but I felt it was best."

Off to the Miami campus of Johnson & Wales went Renner, but his friendship with Kim continued to thrive. So much so that in the summer of 2004, when Kim got an invitation to play in the prestigious Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett CC in Rumford, R.I., he also got an invitation from the Renner family. Kim could not only stay with them, they'd offer the services of their son, Jim, as caddie. They formed a winning team at Wannamoisett, then Kim made a trek to Stow Acres CC and got through a qualifier for the US Amateur Public Links Championship.

It was more proof that Kim was the real deal, but it's not like Renner needed to see that to think he had success written all over him.

"I know it sounds like one of those things that people say, but I mean it - I'm not surprised," said Renner. He felt his friend could have left OU earlier than he did, which was in 2006 at the end of his junior year. And if you want to talk meteoric rises, you can start with Kim. In his first PGA Tour event, he finished joint second at the Texas Open and earned $298,666. He was off and running. But here's the thing about Kim: He'd be thrilled if his friend were right there alongside.

"Jimmy's a great player," said Kim. "He just needs a break."

Told that Renner had been on a pretty good roll in this summer of 2008, with victories in the Vermont Open, Massachusetts Open, and Cape Cod Open, Kim's eyes lit up - and it wasn't because of his view of Royal Birkdale. No, he's much deeper than that and far more loyal. "I've got to give him a call," said Kim. "I'm glad to hear that."

When that news was relayed, Renner said it didn't surprise him.

"People think he's cocky, but he really believes in what he's doing," said Renner. "Since Day 1 when I met him, he's been the real deal."

People are getting to know more about Anthony Kim and if things work out in the British Open, he'll become even more well-known. In the meantime, his friend is working hard to achieve similar success and it's getting there - albeit far from the national spotlight.

"I'm a lot smarter and I'm getting a lot better on the golf course," said Renner, who joined the pro ranks in 2006 and has played on the Hooters Tour, Gateway Tour, the defunct North American Pro Golf Tour, and now the Golfers Warehouse Tour. Last fall, he missed going to the final stage of the PGA Tour qualifying by one stroke. For sure, he'll give it another shot in the fall.

"There've been a few bumps in the road," said Renner. "I had a wrist injury earlier in the year, but it served as an awakening, that this is your job. Life doesn't care if your wrist hurts."

It does care, however, if you have good friends and Renner is convinced he does in Kim, even if they have gone their separate ways - for now.

Adamonis gets a shot at redemption

There was the chance to win the John Deere Classic. There was the chance to earn a spot in the British Open. But the tournament Rhode Islander Brad Adamonis was thinking about was the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"It's definitely a big goal of mine to play in that tournament. I got a sponsor's exemption [in 2005] and I think I came in last place, so I have some redemption there," said Adamonis, whose spirited bid to win the John Deere ended in a playoff loss to Kenny Perry Sunday. The PGA Tour's oldest rookie at 35, Adamonis was a surprise participant in the playoff that also involved Jay Williamson. In 17 previous tournaments, Adamonis had finished inside the top 30 just once - joint sixth at the Travelers Championship in June - and he sat 135th on the money list.

But Adamonis made birdie at the 71st hole to get to 16 under, tied with Perry and Williamson, and when he made par at the 18th to close out a 70 -268, he was that much closer to putting an exclamation point on his dream. Adamonis had weathered so many bumps in the road, he couldn't help but tell himself to enjoy the moment.

"It was just a great day," he said. "I mean, I was in a playoff. I had never been in an atmosphere like that."

It ended with disappointment, because after pushing his drive into the right rough on the playoff hole, he had more than 200 yards to the green and the lie was horrible. His caddie suggested a layup, but Adamonis shook his head. "I really didn't want to lay up," he said. "It's the kind of shot I want to hit."

Unfortunately for him, it came out a bit fat and didn't clear the water in front of the green. When Williamson also landed in the water, it opened the door for Perry to win his third tournament of the season. The chance at winning the John Deere having disappeared, Adamonis knew the British Open was a possibility, because an exemption would go to the highest top-five finisher who wasn't already qualified and he thought it might be him.

"I thought that [because] Williamson didn't play in the qualifier, [he wasn't eligible]," said Adamonis. "But I didn't know how it worked."

The International Final Qualifier, in which Adamonis fell short, had nothing to do with the top-five finisher category. Thus Williamson earn the 156th and final spot into the British Open, based on his lower score (69) in the final round, which was the tiebreaker.

"I am definitely disappointed I am not playing in the British Open," said Adamonis, but he quickly perked up and accentuated the positives. He had earned his biggest check, $369,600, and moved to 88th on the money list. Most likely, he's locked up a spot in the FedEx Cup, which means he'll have a chance to redeem himself at the Deutsche Bank Championship (Aug. 29-Sept. 1), and he can count on keeping his PGA Tour card for 2009.

Small details to some established PGA Tour names, but not to the blue-collar Adamonis.

Some major Tiger tales that don’t have happy endings

He's not at the British Open, but it's hard not to think of Tiger Woods and marvel at the way he has performed in majors since turning pro. But in the aftermath of his stunning victory in last month's US Open, it's difficult to believe that he's let a few majors slip away. He needn't ever look back in regret, but if he were to do so, my guess is these five still leave a bitter taste:

2008 Masters - He was a ball-striking, tee-to-green wizard, but the putter let him down. Had he shot 69 on the final day, he would have been tied with Trevor Immelman. Instead, Woods three-putted for bogey at the par-4 14th, failed to birdie either of the par 5s coming home, Nos. 13 and 15, and settled for second place, three behind Immelman.

2007 US Open - At Oakmont, Woods was equal to the biggest challenge - finding the fairway and hitting greens - but frustratingly, he could not make a birdie putt when it counted in a closing round that he will not recall with fondness. It took him little time to overtake his final-group playing competitor, the 54-hole leader, Aaron Baddeley, but Woods made just one birdie and couldn't catch Angel Cabrera. Needing a birdie to tie, he couldn't drive the green at the par-4 17th, didn't make birdie, and settled for a share of second, one stroke back.

2003 British Open - There were Sunday stumbles all around by notable players - Vijay Singh, Thomas Bjorn, Davis Love - and Woods was right there with them. All of it contributed to a shocking win by Ben Curtis and while Woods isn't alone in thinking this one got away (he finished T-4, two back), it's also a disconcerting memory for the way in which it began. He sprayed his opening tee shot right and had to declare a lost ball.

2005 US Open - For the second time in seven years, a trip to Pinehurst No. 2 for the national championship resulted in a close call that did not go Woods's way. In 1999 he had finished joint third, two behind Payne Stewart; this time he was solo second, two behind Michael Campbell.

1998 British Open - Most likely, it's not a bitter memory given that his good friend Mark O'Meara won. But an opening 65 gave Woods a share of the lead, he was just one behind through 36, then a memorable third-round storm blew him down the leaderboard.

A 77 dropped him so far back that a closing 66 wasn't enough to bring him all the way back. He finished a shot out of a playoff between O'Meara and Brian Watts.

Etc.

Casey and haze
Since you can wager on virtually anything at a booking parlor in the United Kingdom, one would have to think you wouldn't get good odds on Paul Casey shooting either a 79 or 85 in this week's British Open. For reasons that defy logic, he often gets stuck on those big numbers - three times since 2002 he has signed for an 85 in a major championship, six times it's been 79.

Book smart
Speaking of that twist of UK life that seems to intrigue Americans - legalized gambling - Jim Furyk has a feel for how it works. Asked if he were surprised that Sergio Garcia was installed as the betting favorite for the British Open, he said: "No. [The bookmakers] are pretty darned good at their jobs. It has a lot [to do] with public opinion. It deals with public perception." And indeed, bookmakers follow the public's support to determine favorites and odds. "They feel they're going to get more money on Sergio." Reporters seemed impressed with Furyk's depth of knowledge, a sentiment he picked up on, so he added: "I enjoy the math end of that."

Kentucky Ken
Fairway news: Kenny Perry jumps to No. 16 in the world.

Clubhouse view: But he remains No. 1 in Kentucky and Milwaukee.

Back in the pink
Give Paula Creamer some credit for resiliency. For the second time this season she put a disappointing performance behind her and came back to win. In April, Creamer lost an emotional playoff to Annika Sorenstam in the Stanford International Pro-Am, but the next week the 21-year-old prevailed in a playoff against another Hall of Famer, Juli Inkster, at the SemGroup Championship. In June, Creamer was in the final group at the US Women's Open, seemingly poised for victory, but went out in 41, shot 78, and finished tied for sixth. Two weeks later, Creamer opened with a 60 to establish control and hang on to win the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Toledo, Ohio, for her third title of the season.

Strong start
Alison Walshe of Westford began defense of her North & South Women's Amateur title with a first-round victory in match play yesterday at famed Pinehurst No. 2. She easily beat Brittany Benvenuto of Langhome, Pa., 6 and 4. Having been exempt through the 36-hole stroke-play qualifier, Walshe kept watch for a few days while others played. Also winning first-round matches were Marika Lendl, daughter of tennis great Ivan; Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger Woods; Chelsea Curtis of Mashpee; and Mary Chamberlain of South Dennis. Kim Donovan of Hopkinton (80-76) missed the cut.

A Wie bit excited
Michelle Wie showed signs of progress, shooting 70-72-71-72 to finish tied for 46th at the Jamie Farr last week. However, it might be time to call a moratorium on calling her in for a pre-tournament press conference, at least until there's a story to advance. Here is what we got when she was brought before the media for this week's State Farm Classic:

MW: "I'm excited. I looked at the golf course yesterday and it seems like a pretty fun golf course. I can hit drivers here. I'm excited. I'm pretty excited to be here."

MODERATOR: "Any questions?"

Having not been there, it was impossible to raise my hand, but I'd have asked: "Michelle, are you excited?"