For now, Anthony Kim the man to beat

Depending on what first-round Players leader Sergio Garcia does this afternoon in the ever-strengthening winds, Wachovia champion Anthony Kim may now be the man to beat at the Stadium Course.

Kim fashioned a second-straight 70 Friday in gusty conditions. (I could feel the spray from the fountain behind the ninth green in the scoring area, more than 100 yards away -- that's how strong the wind is.) Maybe more important, Kim continues to win over the media with his pleasant personality. He was unpopular with his peers last year when he was perceived as arrogant, cocky and brash, but the 22-year-old is an admittedly changed man this year, and he continues to prove it with his honest self-assessments.

Asked about his high school basketball prowess and whether he thought he'd play in college, he answered, "Yeah, I thought I was going to play college football, basketball and golf," he joked. Kim played on the golf team at Oklahoma for three years, then turned pro before his senior season.

Kim talked about being a big Los Angeles Lakers fan, especially a Kobe Bryant fan. "Kobe is my favorite player," he said. "I hope the Lakers keep playing well and I keep playing well."

Boo Weekley was paired with Kim in Friday's second round and gave him quite a scare at the eighth hole. Kim was toying with a turtle sunning itself on the hole and Weekley, an experienced outdoorsman, made a screeching noise that startled the turtle, which suddenly moved, startling city-dweller Kim.

"Yeah, he scared me pretty good," Kim admitted. "I don't know much about wildlife."

(Scott Halleran/Getty Images)