Kim keeps Tour Championship lead; Garcia, Lefty creep closer

ATLANTA -- Thanks to the cup, the Tour Championship finally might be worth watching.

No, not the FedEx Cup.

Six days after Anthony Kim routed Sergio Garcia in the opening singles match at the Ryder Cup, two of golf's most dynamic young players square off again in the third round at East Lake.

Kim had to settle for a 1-under 69 on Friday after making bogey from the bunker, giving him a two-shot lead over Garcia and putting them in the final pairing Saturday at the Tour Championship.

This is not match play. There are 36 holes remaining. At stake is $1.26 million, not a 17-inch gold trophy to share. Besides, it was only a month ago that they played together the first two rounds of the PGA Championship.

Even so, the fact they are playing together so close to the Ryder Cup figures to bring the Tour Championship to life.

"We had one play of golf -- really, 14 holes of golf," Kim said, trying to downplay the pairing and instead drawing laughter for his veiled reference of a 5-and-4 victory at Valhalla.

Sergio Garcia climbs into the thick of things with a 65. (AP)

Not to be forgotten was Kim's tag-team partner from the Ryder Cup -- Phil Mickelson, who ran off five birdies over the last seven holes for a 68 that put him three shots behind.

And there's more at stake than just a big check and an elite title for the winner. Mickelson, Garcia and Kim are the top contenders to win the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average on the PGA Tour.

"We still have a lot of golf left this weekend that will probably decide it," Mickelson said.

They were among six players in the 30-man field who managed to break par over two days, joined by Camilo Villegas (66) at 2-under 138, and K.J. Choi (70) and Mike Weir (69) at 139.

Even without their recent Ryder Cup history, Kim and Garcia are two of golf's most dynamic young players. Both can energize the crowd with their personalities, and they are loaded with talent.