Sorry Tiger, Phil and Zach, but Kim Jong-il is the world's best golfer

(Thanks to www.inbetween18.blogspot.com for the great art.)

Move over, Zach Johnson, even though you advanced to the top of the PGA Tour money list for 2009 after tying for ninth Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

No, the world's finest golfer, and by a wide margin, is North Korea dictator Kim Jong-il. Phil Mushnick, the terrific New York Post sports media columnist, wrote Sunday about Kim's amazing golf exploits.

Mushnick wrote:

It was in 2003 that North Korea's state-controlled news agency reported that Kim had played his first round of golf, finishing the 18 holes at 38 under par, which stands to reason given the 11 holes-in-one he made. Not bad for a beginner.

The same news organization reported that "Dear Leader" typically has several holes-in-one every round he plays. Yeah, well he's streaky that way.

North Korea at the time had only one course, a par-72 that played very long, 7,700 yards. So Kim, then 61, on that first day he played, routinely aced a few par fours and perhaps even a par five, to finish with a 38-under 34, or roughly 30 strokes better than the best pros on their best day.

But the most preposterous part of it all was an exceptionally polite, benefit-of-the-doubt World Tribune report of Kim's golfing acumen. It referred to him as "easily the greatest golfer the world has ever seen," adding, "if the official government media is to be believed."

Hey, you don't want to upset this guy. He could go nuclear, even start throwing clubs.