The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com R - Ise rs i {I44{ b:. 14 1IV # yy, .. ! Thursday, April 7, 2011- 7A k.On and o the course, Km gives Michigan every reason to be proud COURTESY OF KEVIN RAFTERY Senior golfer Lion Kim played with Bubba Watson and Aaron Baddeley in the par-three contest on Wednesday. Ki-m enjoys par-3 contest with Watson and Baddeley By KEVIN RAFTERY Daily Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. - It was some- thing you'd probably never see at any golf course, let alone at the No. 1-ranked course in the world. Two-time Tour champion Bubba Watson stood holding the flag on the first green during NOTEBOOK Wednesday's par 3 contest, preparing to KEVIN take a golf ball RAFTERY to the chest off the club of friend Ricky At the Masters Fowler, who teed off 130 yards away. "It was really funny to do it, but then the ball came right at me and I was like, 'Oh gosh,' " Watson said. "But I wanted to act like I was tough, so I just stood there." Luckily for Watson, the ball landed in front of him and settled about four feet from the hole. And to his credit, he didn't even flinch. The crowd laughed and applauded as Watson scampered back over to the second tee, smil- ing and waving to the fans. "Me and Ricky are really good friends," he said. "It was just something fun for us to do." Such was the mood at the Augusta National Par 3 course on Wednesday afternoon. During the nine-hole round, players stopped to give auto- graphs, talk with fans and just have a good time. Three-time PGA Tour Cham- pion Aaron Baddeley had his fam- ily alongside him for the round. His wife, Richelle, and their two daughters - both under the age of three - caddied for him. "That was awesome," Bad- deley said. "(My two year old daugher) Jewell loved it. She did good. She made a putt on the last hole." For Michigan senior Lion Kim, who played with Watson and Baddeley, it was the perfect chance to get used to the enor- mous Augusta crowds - thou- sands of people hovered around each green and tee box on Wednesday - in a competitive, yet relaxed, atmosphere. "Bubba and Aaron were great sports, and we had a lot of fun," Kim said. "We were just staying loose and not taking it too seri- ously. "I wasn't nervous because in my mind; (the crowd) came to watch Bubba and Aaron. I maybe had 20 percent of the. crowd cheering for me, so it was fun." Kim finished the ' contest at 1-over, notching two bogeys and a birdie. He missed just one green but couldn't quite get the mid-range putts to fall. But for Kim, as it was for all the players on Wednesday, his score wasn't a concern. "I hit the ball great," he said. "My instructor (Brian Mogg) just complimented me that I probably had the best distance control out of anyone in our group. So that was great.". And heading into tomorrow's first round, Kim will look to play with confidence and continue to take in all The Masters has to offer. "Every moment here is memo- rable to me," Kim said. "Every second, every minute is memo- rable." SECOND HOLE SHUFFLE: On the second tee in the par three contest, caddie Louis Lawrence started taking off his clothes. But don't panic - he had two layers on, and he didn't do any- thing to get himself kicked out of Augusta National. One of the lay- ers was his caddie uniform, and the other wes his normal golf clothes. Lawrence was taking off his uniform in order to give it to Michigan assistant coach Chris Whitten, acting as Kim's honor- ary caddie for the contest. "Louis popped out of his jumpsuit Superman style," Whit- ten said. "I threw it on, and next thing I knew, I was taking the pin out for Bubba Watson and Aaron Baddeley. It was unbelievable." But Whitten, a Rockford, Mich. native, wasn't originally plan- ning on caddying. Kim's brother was scheduled . to perform the duty, but he told Kim right before the round he couldn't do it. The fifth-year assistant coach couldn't say no to the opportu- nity --literally. "As we were walking along (the first hole), Brian Mogg grabbed me and asked me if I wanted to caddy," Whitten said. "I must have looked like a deer in headlights because a second later he was like, 'Just say yes.' "I really just tried to stay out of the way and get Lion what- ever he needed. It went by really fast, but I'll never forget that." MASTERING THE LEARNING CURVE:Watson commented on Kim's game, saying that he had both a good swing and putting stroke. He mentioned, though, that Kim has some learning to do - as does everyone in the tourna- ment. "He's a very good kid," Wat- son said. "He's young, you know, he's got to learn the game. But we all gotta learn the game. We're still learning. It looked like he had a good head on his shoulders." AUGUSTA, Ga. - s I walked up to the fifth hole of the par 3 contest n Wednesday, I heard a whisper from a nearby fan. "Who is that guy?" the fan asked as Michi- gan senior Lion Kim approached from the fourth h KEVIN green. The RAFTERY fan's friend shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of beer. "No idea," he responded. But then the man noticed Kim's Michigan hat and shirt. "Oh, he must be a Michigan man," the fan said. It was a small moment that probably didn't mean much to the two fans, but it was a moment that spoke volumes to what Kim has already accom- plished - before the bright lights of the tournament even turn on. Kim has given every Michi- gan graduate, every Michigan fan and anyone who has ever been associated with the Uni- versity a reason to be proud. Throughout the week, he has conducted himself in a way that would bring any mother to tears. In fact, I hope my mom hasn't been watching for a couple reasons. One, because she cries a lot. And two, if she compared Kim to me, she may want to adopt him and send me packing. Any time someone has asked Kim for an autograph, he has. at least acknowledged the request, even if he didn't have the time or permission to sign it. As he walked up to the first tee for Wednesday's par 3 con- test, a young fan asked him for his signature. Kim looked the boy in the eye and apologized: "I'm sorry, I have to go tee off." I'd say that's a pretty valid excuse as Bubba Watson and Aaron Baddeley were standing on the tee, waiting for Kim to He's been more than will- ing to give an interview to any media member, and he's treated me like he's known me for years, always greeting me by name. When the par 3 contest ended, fans swarmed Kim, asking for pictures and auto- graphs. Many media members would have tried to jump in there and get an interview when they knew they had a chance to talk with the player before he drove off and left for the day. Instead, I waited - I knew I'd get my chance. I stood at the top of the hill behind the ninth green, and when he emerged out of the horde of people, I gave him a wave. He saw me and let me know exactly where he was going so I could talk to him. Minutes later, I met him at the range and interviewed him and he gladly answered any questions I had. I realize Lion Kim isn't Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. I realize there's not as many members of the media covering him as there are for the other tour players. . But I can guarantee there are only a select few players on tour who have been as accom- modating as Kim. Woods has been nowhere to be found for the most part - he didn't even play in today's par 3 contest. Mickelson did show his face today for the contest, but other than that has been hard to find. Don't get me wrong, there are good guys on tour - Wat- son, Baddeley, KJ Choi and Zach Johnson were all more than willing to give an inter- view when I asked them. And I'm not suggesting that Woods and Mickelson are bad people. But Kim realizes it's a privi- lege to be at The Masters, and his actions support that in every way. So when you turn on ESPN or CBS to watch The Masters this weekend and you see the block 'M', feel proud - not just because one of your own is playing at Augusta, but because the man wearing the Michigan gear is representing the Uni- versity in the best way possible, on the biggest stage in golf. Just do your best to hold back the tears, Mom. -Raftery will be at the Masters all week. He can be reached at kraftery@umich.edu. I Study nature.In nature. Loyola University Chicago's new Retreat Plant Biology and Ecology Campus gets you out of Ecology Laboratory the city and back to nature. Welcome to Nature in Literature a classroom that spans more than 100 acres of prairies, savannas, woodlands, Sustainable Agriculture wetlands, and ponds. Drawing I To learn more or apply, visit LUC.edu/summer/lurec. A