Kim opens with record in AT&T

Anthony Kim, the defending champion, already finished the first round at 8-under 62, a course record and Kim's best ever on the PGA Tour. And that was only good enough for a two-shot lead over D.A. Points.

Woods then put on his hat as the No. 1 player in the world, and realized he had better play hard.

He promptly birdied the first two holes, made the turn 31, and made sure Kim didn't get too far away. Woods added a few more birdies late Thursday afternoon for a 64, his lowest round since the end of the 2007 season.

“You know you have to shoot something in the 60s, obviously,” Woods said. “Then again, you're going to have the same conditions they had the very next day — calm in the morning, good greens — and even if you don't get it the first day, you can always get it the second day.”

Woods gets that chance to close the gap Friday morning.

Even so, the opening day of the AT&T National belonged to a familiar face who had been lost over the last six months.

Kim showed so much potential last year, winning at Quail Hollow and Congressional, energizing the Americans in a rare Ryder Cup victory, coming within one birdie putt of a playoff at the Tour Championship.

But pesky injuries kept getting in the way, his devotion to fitness took a break, and the results suffered. After a runner-up start to the year at Kapalua, the 24-year-old Kim had not recorded a top-10 finish.

He said his left thumb, the latest injury, was nearly healed. His workouts gained intensity over the past month. Players walked past him on the range and commented on his toned shape.

His strength was back. So was his swagger.

Kim ran off eight birdies over the final 13 holes, so locked in to the shot in front of him that he was mildly miffed when his 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth to end his round caught the edge of the cup.

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