Anthony Kim’s Comeback: From 12-Year Absence to LIV Golf Victory
Anthony Kim’s victory in LIV Golf Adelaide was nothing short of astonishing. After a 12-year absence from professional golf during what should have been the prime of his career, Kim has returned to win before the largest crowd on the LIV circuit.
What makes Kim’s story truly remarkable is his journey through drug and alcohol addiction that made him thankful to even be alive, let alone competing at the highest level.
“Who I am today is a completely different person,” Kim said. “With God, my family, my sobriety being the key things to my life, I can go as far as I want.”
The time lapse in Kim’s case stands out dramatically. It’s hard to find another athlete in any sport who disappeared for so long and came back to win. Perhaps even more impressive is how he did it – starting the final day five shots behind Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, then firing a flawless 63 to claim victory.
Kim’s mantra is getting 1% better each day. That approach brought him back to competitive golf. Now the question is whether that percentage can increase with the confidence boost that comes from winning.
The talent was never in question.
Tiger Woods himself took notice early. During a practice round at the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, Woods walked over during a wait on the sixth tee and asked unprompted, “What do you think of Anthony Kim?” Woods rarely missed anything happening in golf.
A year later, Kim won by five shots at Quail Hollow and closed with a 65 to win at Congressional in the AT&T National. His aura grew with his takedown of Sergio Garcia in the 2008 Ryder Cup.
They both hit shots to within 2 feet on the first hole at Valhalla.
“Good-good?” Garcia suggested, looking to concede the putts.
“Let’s putt them,” Kim replied without making eye contact.
Kim was so locked in that day that he walked to the 15th tee after winning another hole, only to see Garcia waiting to shake his hand on the 14th green. Kim hadn’t realized the match was over.
A year later at the Presidents Cup, stories surfaced about Kim partying in San Francisco until dawn before the final round. Robert Allenby shared these tales – an odd decision considering Kim had just beaten him in Sunday singles, needing only 15 holes to do it.
And then, Kim vanished.
A thumb injury kept him off the 2010 Ryder Cup team. Pain developed in his left elbow and wrist. Missed cuts and withdrawals piled up. His game deteriorated so badly that Kim said his mother told him a caddie at a Los Angeles golf club was making twice what Kim earned in 2012.
Then came more than a decade out of public view.
Every rumored “AK sighting” brought back memories of his talent and aura. He became legend despite winning only three times and never seriously contending in a major. He set a Masters record with 11 birdies in one round. Steve Pate shares the Masters record with seven birdies in a row, but no one talks about Pate.
Woods was never the same after the first of four back surgeries that led to his lower back fusion. He barely played in 2016 and 2017 – just one PGA Tour event, one European Tour event, and a total of three rounds.
But Woods had highlights – plentiful and powerful. He brought his legend back to life when he contended at Carnoustie in 2018, won at East Lake, and then came full circle with his 2019 Masters victory, just two years after he could barely climb the stairs to Augusta National’s clubhouse.
That’s the lasting memory now that Woods rarely plays due to injuries from his 2021 car crash. The question is whether he’ll join the PGA Tour Champions now that he’s 50.
Kim, for all his time away, is still only 40. That’s not peak age in golf, though Justin Rose at 45 has shown it’s possible to compete at the highest level. Kim has plenty of years ahead, wherever they take him.
He got help from LIV Golf, which gave him a spot in the Saudi-funded league for 2024. LIV added an extra spot in its qualifying tournament (where Kim finished third). It also changed from 54 holes to 72 holes this year – without that change, there wouldn’t have been a Sunday round for Kim’s masterful performance in Australia.
With LIV now getting world ranking points – one reason the league added the qualifying spot and 72-hole format – Kim sits just outside the top 200 in the world.
It’s too early to speculate about majors. Even another win wouldn’t get him inside the top 100. LIV has three tournaments (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa) before the Masters. The PGA Championship seems possible if he keeps contending, and both Opens offer spots through LIV’s points list.
This comeback is cause for celebration, appreciation, and amazement. Best of all, Kim now has a new highlight to remind golf fans why he captivated the sport in the first place.
