 Sterling Ball's Second Career In Golf ...been an enthusiastic amateur for years, Sterling’s introduction to professional golf began accidentally 12 years ago. His third son Casey Lee had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease and he was dismayed at the lack of pediatric kidney research. This led him to found the Casey Lee Ball Foundation, which raised funds for kidney research through the Casey Lee Ball Classic Golf Tournament. The tournament has attracted a star-studded roster, including Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, Joe Pesci, Andy Garcia, John Brodie, Robert Urich, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Guest, Scott Hamilton, Cheech Marin, Chris Myers, Meatloaf, Steve Vai, Steve Lukather, Alice Cooper, Dweezil Zappa, and George Clooney, not to mention scores of top golf pros, and in the process has raised over $5 million for kidney research.
Through mutual golf acquaintances, Sterling met Kim a little over a year ago. The 23-year old Kim had started strong in the 2007 PGA season, narrowly missing the “Rookie of the Year” award, but struggled towards the end of the year. As the season drew to a close, the brash young star was mired in a funk and even contemplated quitting golf. After a few meetings, Sterling concluded, “I think I can help this kid.” The two spent a few weeks together to test the relationship—”I told him, ‘we should figure out whether we like each other before we try to work together,’” says Sterling.
The trial period proved successful, and after it was over Kim moved to a house near Sterling and adopted him as a full time mentor. In a recent interview, Kim’s caddy, Eric Larson, commented on Sterling’s contribution: “Instead of Anthony coming home at 5 a.m., that became his wake-up time. He hasn’t become a choir boy or a workaholic, but he brings a much more mature and professional attitude to the course.”
Since teaming up with Sterling, Kim’s career has also taken off. In May he won the Wachovia Classic at the challenging Quail Hollow Golf Course, and in July he won the AT&T Classic in Bethesda, Maryland. These top finishes earned him a coveted spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team, making him the youngest team member since Tiger Woods in 1997. With his newfound top 10 PGA ranking, Kim is regularly being compared to Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Jack Nicklaus.
Kim is open about Sterling’s contribution to his golf game. “Sterling’s really helping me look at life a little bit, and one bad shot or one bad round’s not the end of the world,” he recently told Golf magazine. “Just move on and have a positive attitude towards the whole thing; I’m still going to. Whether I shoot 85 tomorrow or whether I shoot 62, I’m still the same person. So, I’m learning a lot about life and golf at the same time.”
As part of his business relationship with Kim, Sterling has become an employee of IMG, the leading management firm with a roster that includes sports stars like tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal, Giants quarterback Eli Manning, and numerous others. “It’s the first time I’ve ever really worked for anyone else,” he jokes. “But I’m having fun with it, and it confirms a lot of the lessons I’ve learned in the guitar and string business.”
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