Anthony Kim withdraws from Timberlake, rumors start to fly

It's been a strange year for Anthony Kim. On one hand you can look at his early success and think that 2010 was a good season, with a win and a top three at the Masters. On the other, umm, hand, you can look at the thumb injury that has sidelined him for most of the second half of the season, forcing him to miss the U.S. Open and British, along with failing to make the Ryder Cup when he was once one of the top point-getters for the American team before his injury.

But Kim had surgery and was supposed to be all better, excited to play this week in Las Vegas at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open. Then, stories of his antics in Sin City started hitting the presses, not unusual for a 25-year-old in Vegas, but he has now pulled out of the event, citing the nagging thumb as the reason for it.

It's interesting that he'd do this after a few nights of serious partying. According to a report from Las Vegas Journal-Review, Kim was called a "loose cannon" by a dealer at the Bellagio after he had to be asked to keep the profanity down while playing poker on Monday night. Then, early Tuesday morning, a DJ named DJ Exodus was spinning at Jet in the Mirage, and sent out this Tweet at 2:02 AM.

Anthony Kim says Las Vegas rumors were 'way exaggerated'

Anthony Kim might have to live with the "party boy" label that has been pinned to him since he started to become a name on the PGA Tour, but when things are wrong, he's going to let us know.

Sports Illustrated's Alan Shipnuck spoke with Kim after he withdrew from the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open after rumors were swirling that Kim had been out partying pretty hard earlier in the week before the tournament began.

The 25-year-old Kim confirmed that he had been out with some friends in Vegas, similar to any 25-year-old in Sin City, but said that a lot of the rumors, including the Tweet by DJ Exodus that Kim had bought upwards of 115 bottles in a nightclub, were over the top.