Anthony Kim – another of golf’s great feel good stories
Anthony Kim – the long wait is over – image LIV Golf
Professional golf has, over a long period of time, shown a capacity to produce some amazing feel-good stories. On occasions, it involves the retirement of a long-standing hero of the game, on others a victory by a relative unknown in a major championship and then there are the great comebacks.
Tom Weiskopf was once heard to say when a player walked into a locker room and told those assembled that he was about to make a comeback, that ‘it is only possible to make a comeback if you have been somewhere in the first place.’
That was said in jest to some extent but there can be no doubt American Anthony Kim, who today returned to the winning circle after 16 years in the golfing wilderness and slightly less in a personal wilderness, had been somewhere in the first place.
A Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup player, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, and a player good enough to reach number six in the world, Kim took a break from the game in 2013 following a significant injury issue, but the break would last another 11 years until he was invited into the LIV Golf League in 2024.
Addiction and depression issues plagued his life over the next decade or so, but after finding faith and the support of his wife Emily, he began to imagine a return to competitive golf and was thrown a wildcard lifeline by LIV Golf League in early 2024, which he has played over the last two years.
Eventually, however, with the indifferent form he was showing, he was unable to keep his place and was forced back into the promotion series late last year to regain his card. He did so by gaining one of the three cards available for 2026, and was thrown yet another lifeline by the captain of the Aces Dustin Johnson, who was looking for a replacement for Patrick Reed, who made the decision to focus his attention on the DP World Tour and no doubt an eventual return to the PGA Tour.
Today Kim justified all the painstaking effort to get back to the game, put up with the scepticism with a resounding and emotional victory in the LIV Golf Adelaide event at the Grange Golf Club, winning by three shots over Jon Rahm after starting the final round five shots from the leaders Rahm and Bryson De Chambeau.
Kim’s 9 birdie final round of 63 saw him move into contention by the turn and a run of four consecutive birdies from the 12th and another at the 17th put the result beyond doubt and he enjoyed the luxury of walking the final hole with that three shot lead, able to enjoy the plaudits of a very supportive local crowd who were also enjoying the success of the Australian Ripper Golf Club in the teams event.
In a heartfelt interview with Liv’s on-course commentator, Jerry Foltz, Kim struggled for words, but, understandably, it was an almost overwhelming moment for the 40-year-old.
“I don’t really know what to say right now. It’s been overwhelming. But I’m never not going to fight for my family.
“God gave me a talent. I was able to produce some good golf today. I knew it was coming. Nobody else has to believe in me but me, and for anybody that’s struggling, you can get through anything.
“I don’t really know how to put it into words. I knew this was going to happen, but for it actually happen is pretty insane.
“I just want to thank all the people who have supported me, including you, who, when I was not playing well and I was struggling on the verge of never coming back to LIV, always supported me. Thank you to everyone that’s been in my corner. I’m going to keep doing it.”
For the winning team this week, the Ripper Golf Club, consisting of Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Elvis Smylie, their victory today was the second in succession, having also won in Saudi Arabia last week. They will each earn another US$750,000 each for their share of the US$3 million dollar team purse.
The next LIV Golf event is in Hong Kong, starting on March 5th.
