Kim pulls out of Dubai event

ANTHONY Kim says he will not be going to the Dubai World Championship to compete for the US$7.5 million bonus pool, even though the American has easily qualified.

Kim reached the final of the World Match Play Championship last week in Spain before losing to Ross Fisher, allowing him to move up to No. 39 in the Race to Dubai standings on the European Tour. He already has played 11 events to meet the minimum required, assuring him a spot in the 60-man field to end the European season in two weeks.

But his road to Dubai is taking a detour. "I'm not going," Kim said.

"I need the week off," he said. "My parents want to see their boy."

Kim played in Las Vegas a week after the Presidents Cup, then flew to Spain for the World Match Play. Next week is the two-day Kiwi Challenge exhibition in New Zealand, followed by a few days of sightseeing before heading back to America. His last event of the year would be the Chevron World Challenge on December 3-6 in California, which Tiger Woods hosts.

He has been all over the world this year - Malaysia and Australia in February before flying to Arizona for the World Golf Championship in Arizona; then Spain, China and New Zealand in consecutive weeks.

"Next year, I just want to be prepared for our season," he said of the PGA Tour, where he failed to win this year. "The PGA Tour is my home tour, and it's where I need to play well. I've made it my priority to play well in the states. I was all over the place this year. I didn't do a good job of scheduling. Scheduling is half your job as a pro. I learned a lot this year."

Even so, Kim said he would not stop traveling. He was among a half-dozen US-based players who joined the European Tour to take part in the Race to Dubai, which ends with a US$7.5 million tournament and US$7.5 million bonus pool at the Dubai World Championship.

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