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Kim still targeting Ryder Cup berth, though thumb not ready for action

By PA Sport
Published on
Kim still targeting Ryder Cup berth, though thumb not ready for action

Anthony Kim is focused on qualifying for the U.S. Ryder Cup team as he nears a comeback from thumb surgery. The 25-year-old was one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour earlier this year, collecting his third title at the Shell Houston Open in April to go with a runner-up finish at the Honda Classic and a third place at the Masters. Kim is currently fourth in the Ryder Cup standings on the back of those performances, but has been out of action since May following surgery to repair damaged thumb ligaments. That has left the world No. 13 facing a race against time to prove his fitness to Captain Corey Pavin ahead of the trip to Celtic Manor in October. He was hoping to return at last week's RBC Canadian Open, but those plans have had to be shelved. "I don't want to say I'm going to come back on a day and not show up so we're just trying to work as hard as we can," he said. "I definitely want to make that Ryder Cup team. It's a very special event to me and hopefully I can get back and get some more points so I won't need to have any favors called in from Corey. "I had a cast on for about four weeks and then put a splint on it for about three, four more weeks so it's been a long process,” he added. "I was starting to hit some wedge shots and pitch shots so I thought maybe if I entered I'd have a chance by Thursday to come around. But after talking to my doctors they just said it would be better if I waited and better to be safe than sorry. "You don't want to come back one week too early and then take three weeks off,” he explained. "If you hit it bad, it hurts, mentally and physically. It's been a tougher comeback than I thought."