US star Anthony Kim comes out of retirement to join LIV Golf League
Once an all-star presence on the PGA Tour, California native Anthony Kim will end a 12-year absence from competitive golf at LIV Golf Jeddah on Friday.
- Feb 28, 2024,
- Updated Feb 28, 2024 10:24 PM IST
In what can best be described as a public relations coup by LIV Golf commissioner and chief executive Greg Norman, long-vanished US star Anthony Kim has officially joined the Saudi-backed league in time to make his debut as a wild card entrant in Jeddah on Friday.
Kim, who last played competitively in 2012 before a series of operations and injury forced him to the sidelines, was a name to reckon with in his pomp and will return to full-time professional competition at LIV Golf Jeddah which will be played at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. “After stepping away from the game years ago due to injury, I’m happy to officially announce my return to the world of professional golf,” Kim was quoted as saying in a statement from the league. “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very grateful for all the highs, lows and lessons learned from the first part of my career.
“I want to compete with the best players in the world, and I’m on a mission to prove to myself that I can win again. The next step on that journey starts now, and I’m excited to give everything I’ve got this season on the LIV Golf League.” “LIV Golf was launched to create new opportunities for players and fans that drive this sport forward in exciting ways, and when I think of Anthony Kim, I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for what we’re trying to do. His talent is undeniable, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to professional golf with our league,” Norman said.
“It’s clear that he has the fire to win again and show why he was one of the most compelling players in the world, and we will support him on that mission as he works to earn his way back to the top of the game.” Kim will compete in all the remaining 2024 LIV Golf regular season tournaments as one of two wild cards looking to gain enough points in the league’s individual standings to earn a team place in 2025. He joins fellow wild card Hudson Swafford in competing against the LIV Golf League’s 13 four-player teams across the 14-event global schedule.
The 38-year-old Kim could also well be a spearhead for LIV Golf into the Korean set-up that has in the last two decades opened an almost never-ending pipeline of quality players into the PGA Tour besides being a lucrative target in Asia for the league besides Japan, Norman has made no secret of his desire to tap into Japan’s passion for the game as well and has had his eyes on 2021 Masters champion and nine-time PGA Tour winner Hideki Matsuyama for some time now. Kim’s best season on the PGA Tour was in 2008 when he finished sixth on the Order of Merit and fourth in the FedEx Cup standings. That season led to a career-high eight top-10 finishes, including six top-three finishes. The American spent 20 weeks inside the top 10, with a career-high of sixth in 2008 after winning the Wachovia Championship and AT&T National.
In 15 career major starts, Kim’s best finish was a third place at the 2010 Masters, where he finished behind current LIV Golf members Phil Mickelson (winner) and runner-up Lee Westwood. Kim notched two other top 10 major finishes both coming at The Open, once in 2008 – T7 and again in 2011 – T5. He also set a tournament record with 11 birdies during round two at the 2009 Masters.
Kim is no stranger to team golf after compiling a successful track record with Team USA and the University of Oklahoma. The California native represented Team USA at both the amateur and professional level three times and was victorious on each occasion. He played a crucial role at the 2008 Ryder Cup, posting an emotional victory over current LIV Golf member Sergio Garcia 5&4 in the opening match of the Sunday Singles as the Americans beat Europe for the first time since 1999.
A three-time All-American and freshman of the year (2004) while at the University of Oklahoma, Kim set the school record for the lowest scoring average in relation to par with a 71.73 (+0.22) – narrowly besting Abraham Ancer, 72.42 (+0.93). In June 2012, Kim had surgery on an injured Achilles tendon in his left leg and was expected to return in the 2013 season on a Major Medical Exemption. The first round of the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship was his last professional appearance.
In what can best be described as a public relations coup by LIV Golf commissioner and chief executive Greg Norman, long-vanished US star Anthony Kim has officially joined the Saudi-backed league in time to make his debut as a wild card entrant in Jeddah on Friday.
Kim, who last played competitively in 2012 before a series of operations and injury forced him to the sidelines, was a name to reckon with in his pomp and will return to full-time professional competition at LIV Golf Jeddah which will be played at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. “After stepping away from the game years ago due to injury, I’m happy to officially announce my return to the world of professional golf,” Kim was quoted as saying in a statement from the league. “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very grateful for all the highs, lows and lessons learned from the first part of my career.
“I want to compete with the best players in the world, and I’m on a mission to prove to myself that I can win again. The next step on that journey starts now, and I’m excited to give everything I’ve got this season on the LIV Golf League.” “LIV Golf was launched to create new opportunities for players and fans that drive this sport forward in exciting ways, and when I think of Anthony Kim, I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for what we’re trying to do. His talent is undeniable, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to professional golf with our league,” Norman said.
“It’s clear that he has the fire to win again and show why he was one of the most compelling players in the world, and we will support him on that mission as he works to earn his way back to the top of the game.” Kim will compete in all the remaining 2024 LIV Golf regular season tournaments as one of two wild cards looking to gain enough points in the league’s individual standings to earn a team place in 2025. He joins fellow wild card Hudson Swafford in competing against the LIV Golf League’s 13 four-player teams across the 14-event global schedule.
The 38-year-old Kim could also well be a spearhead for LIV Golf into the Korean set-up that has in the last two decades opened an almost never-ending pipeline of quality players into the PGA Tour besides being a lucrative target in Asia for the league besides Japan, Norman has made no secret of his desire to tap into Japan’s passion for the game as well and has had his eyes on 2021 Masters champion and nine-time PGA Tour winner Hideki Matsuyama for some time now. Kim’s best season on the PGA Tour was in 2008 when he finished sixth on the Order of Merit and fourth in the FedEx Cup standings. That season led to a career-high eight top-10 finishes, including six top-three finishes. The American spent 20 weeks inside the top 10, with a career-high of sixth in 2008 after winning the Wachovia Championship and AT&T National.
In 15 career major starts, Kim’s best finish was a third place at the 2010 Masters, where he finished behind current LIV Golf members Phil Mickelson (winner) and runner-up Lee Westwood. Kim notched two other top 10 major finishes both coming at The Open, once in 2008 – T7 and again in 2011 – T5. He also set a tournament record with 11 birdies during round two at the 2009 Masters.
Kim is no stranger to team golf after compiling a successful track record with Team USA and the University of Oklahoma. The California native represented Team USA at both the amateur and professional level three times and was victorious on each occasion. He played a crucial role at the 2008 Ryder Cup, posting an emotional victory over current LIV Golf member Sergio Garcia 5&4 in the opening match of the Sunday Singles as the Americans beat Europe for the first time since 1999.
A three-time All-American and freshman of the year (2004) while at the University of Oklahoma, Kim set the school record for the lowest scoring average in relation to par with a 71.73 (+0.22) – narrowly besting Abraham Ancer, 72.42 (+0.93). In June 2012, Kim had surgery on an injured Achilles tendon in his left leg and was expected to return in the 2013 season on a Major Medical Exemption. The first round of the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship was his last professional appearance.