Anthony Kim Returns with Dramatic Victory at LIV Golf Adelaide
Anthony Kim capped off one of golf’s most remarkable comebacks Sunday, firing a 9-under 63 to win LIV Golf Adelaide by three shots over Jon Rahm. It’s Kim’s first victory in nearly 16 years, coming after a 12-year absence from professional golf that ended only months ago.
Kim, who started the final round five shots behind co-leaders Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, put on a show for LIV’s largest gallery of the season. His electric run of four consecutive birdies featured leg-kicking celebrations and fist pumps that energized the Australian crowd.
“I’m too old to be reacting like that because I think I pulled something in my hip,” the 40-year-old Kim said with a laugh. “But that was all the lows I went through in my life that I got to dig out of. Every putt that went in, I felt the struggle and I was overcoming it. It was therapeutic out there to fight through it and come out on top.”
Those struggles weren’t just about golf. Kim has been open about battling severe drug and alcohol addiction during his time away from the game. He’s now sober, married, and father to 4-year-old Bella, who raced onto the 18th green at The Grange Golf Club to celebrate with her dad.
“To be able to share this moment — even though Bella won’t understand it, one day she will — and for her to see her dad isn’t a loser was one of the most special moments of my life,” Kim said.
Kim’s journey back to competitive golf has been anything but smooth. He joined LIV Golf as a wild card in 2024, often finishing at the bottom of fields. His struggles continued into last season, though he showed flashes of improvement late in the year.
He was actually relegated out of the Saudi-funded league before tying for fifth at the Saudi International. Kim then had to earn his spot back through a qualifying tournament last month. A significant boost came when Dustin Johnson signed him to his 4 Aces team after Patrick Reed left the league.
The three-shot victory over Rahm represents Kim’s biggest moment since his PGA Tour days, where he won three times between 2008-2010. It’s also a much-needed boost for LIV Golf, which recently lost stars Brooks Koepka and Reed.
“I know the mainstream media is not going to pick it up,” Kim said. “But for the people that do hear about it, I want to be a good example. I wasn’t the best person, the best partner, the best son I could be when I was younger. But who I am today is a completely different person. With God, my family, my sobriety being the key things to my life, I can go as far as I want.”
Playing in black shorts with calf-length socks and white shoes, Kim caught Rahm by the turn and pulled away on the back nine. Thousands of spectators followed him down the 18th fairway as he closed out his remarkable comeback.
The $4 million winner’s check nearly matches his best full-season earnings on the PGA Tour, where he made $4.6 million in his peak year. Rahm finished second after a final-round 71, while DeChambeau faded with a 74 on a day when the field averaged 69.8.
Kim’s victory moves him just outside the top 200 in the world rankings. It’s a far cry from his peak at No. 6 in 2008, the year he dominated Sergio Garcia in Ryder Cup singles at Valhalla, needing only 14 holes to secure the point.
His win proved popular among fellow competitors. Australian Lucas Herbert admitted, “I cried,” while Marc Leishman provided context on just how far Kim has come.
“Man, he was a gun,” said Leishman, whose rookie PGA Tour season coincided with Kim’s peak years. “He almost had an aura about him, somewhat for his golf, somewhat for his partying. To see where he’s come from… I’ve actually spoken to him a fair bit over the last couple of years about his experiences. It’s an unbelievable story, the place he got to and how close he was to not being here. I’m not talking about in Adelaide, I’m talking about not being on this planet.”
