Anthony Kim is looking for a strong finish to the 2009 season

He fell down a flight of stairs at a friend’s house and severely sprained his ankle.

He fell off a horse and nearly broke his jaw in China.

He injured his toe while attempting to surf in Hawaii.

He injured his shoulder while practicing the week before the Bob Hope Classic.

And most recently, he has been suffering from a mysterious thumb injury which has been forcing him to re-grip the golf club during has back-swing.

Before you ask—no, this is not a recap of Cosmo Kramer’s antics during season five of Seinfeld.

All of these borderline comical, yet very serious injuries have been plaguing Anthony Kim for the better part of the 2009 season.

No one who has seen Anthony Kim swing a golf club has ever questioned his natural talent for the game.  After all, the guy did card a record-setting 11 birdies in one round at Augusta National earlier in the year.

What has been questioned, however, is his level of commitment to the game.

Perhaps Anthony Kim had a look at John Daly a few months back and saw exactly what wasted talent looks like, as if he were viewing the ghost of Christmas future.

Or perhaps he just got sick and tired of playing through more injuries than most 60-year-old members of the Champions Tour.

Whatever the reason may be, Kim seems to have finally gotten ‘it.’

Kim has hired personal trainer, Darby Rich, to live with him, travel with him, and more or less, follow his every move.

Personal trainer, nutritionist, life coach, babysitter, or whatever else Darby may serve as, it’s clear that Kim felt as if he needed someone around to ensure that he remains focused on golf.

The fact that Kim has taken this step to get his career back on track at such a young age demonstrates a marked improvement in his level of maturity—and Kim’s newfound commitment appears to be paying off.

After tying for second at the PGA Tour’s season opener, The Mercedes-Benz Championship, Kim managed just one top-20 finish over the next five months.

But, things began to turn around for Kim last month while out in the swamp, better known as Bethpage.

Kim tied for 16th at the US Open, tied for 11th the following week at the Travelers Championship, and then tied for third at the AT&T National on the back of a course record-tying 62 in his opening round at Congressional Country Club.

Kim did miss the cut at the British Open, although he was—surprise, surprise—suffering from another injury.  This time a tweaked muscle in his neck forced him to alter a golf swing he wasn’t all that confident in to begin with.

Following the British Open, Kim put together another solid week at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, where he tied for third at the RBC Canadian Open.

Although Kim was in contention for most of the week in Canada, similar to last year’s Canadian Open, he was just unable to get anything going during his final round. 

Kim’s one-over-par 73 in the final round left him four strokes behind Nathan Green and Retief Goosen, who tied for the lead and went to a sudden-death playoff where Green eventually defeated Goosen.

Kim now has four top-20 finishes in his last five events, and with the PGA Championship and FedEx Cup just around the corner, he could be primed for a strong finish to a year that has been painful—both physically and mentally—for the young 24-year old.

Anthony Kim entered the 2009 season with some massive expectations upon his back.  Perhaps the expectations we all placed on Kim were a bit much for a 24-year old who had simply had one good year on the PGA Tour.

But now, with a realignment of his priorities, Kim is at least moving in the right direction.

He may not win 10 majors or step up and challenge Tiger Woods on a regular basis, as so many seemed to be confidently predicting after the 2009 Ryder Cup. 

But then again, is it realistic to place those kinds of expectations on anyone?