Golf-Kim over thumb injury and ready to defend AT&T title

By Steve Ginsburg

BETHESDA, Maryland, June 30 (Reuters) - Anthony Kim said he had recovered from a nagging thumb injury and was ready to defend his title at the AT&T National this week.

American Kim blistered the Congressional Country Club Course last year in a wire-to-wire victory that many believed would be the dawn of his jump into golf's upper echelon.

"I'm definitely feeling pretty healthy coming in, as healthy as I've felt all year," the 24-year-old Kim told a news conference on Tuesday.

"It's been progressively getting better from the U.S. Open on, and last week had a pretty solid week, even though I didn't finish the way I wanted to.

"Showed a lot of promise, and looking forward to having a chance to defend this week and have some fun."

Kim's dominating victory at the 2008 AT&T National was achieved without the event's host, world number one Tiger Woods, who was at home recovering from knee surgery.

Woods, however, will participate in this year's tournament, a $6 million, 120-player affair that begins Thursday in suburban Washington.

Kim said he was delighted the world's best player was back on the tour but was equally concerned about the rest of the field.