Anthony Kim is everywhere. News feeds are popping up with stories about him; what he’s saying about the time he spent away from the game, how he’s feeling about returning to pro golf, how much money LIV Golf has paid him to return, what clubs he’s using…it goes on and on. The return of the prodigal golfer — once ranked sixth in the world — who just walked away from pro golf at the age of 26 is the stuff that sporting lore is made of. No surprise then that his return has sent the world’s media and golf fans into a tizzy. If you’ve missed the commotion then know that Kim is playing the LIV Golf Tour’s third event of the year this weekend at the Royal Greens Golf Club in Jeddah. And you can catch it on YouTube.
By the time you read this on Sunday, all the anticipation would have settled a bit, that was reserved for the very first time Kim teed it up at a pro event since he withdrew halfway through the 2012 season. On Friday, as he teed it up, Kim did look ill at ease. “This guy doesn’t give a rat’s derriere about anything,” on-course reporter Dom Boulet said on the broadcast, “but he really did look nervous on that first tee.” After looking down the target a couple of times Kim did what everyone had been hoping for: smashed a terrific drive right down the middle 300 yards down. Fairy tale anyone?
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It was too good to last: no one, not even Anthony Kim can come back after more than a decade away from the top echelons of a sport and expect to pick up where he left off. Kim’s second shot on the first hole left the broadcasters somewhat perplexed until they realised that the 37-year-old had just cold topped it. An overhead drone might have been an unexpected distraction; there weren’t any drone cameras in golf broadcasts in 2012. A messy bogey ensued, and Anthony Kim’s comeback was well underway.
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India’s Military Capability Enhancement and Defence Procurements Kim was one of the most eclectic players in a game that desperately needed colour and verve. He was brash, wore flashy belt buckles, partied hard, and played out of his shoes. Kim became one of the few players in the history of the PGA Tour to win three titles before he turned 25 but ran into injury issues that culminated with him withdrawing from the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship. Out of action to nurse a torn Achilles tendon, Kim was expected to return to action within a few months. Months turned to years, and finally over a decade passed with the grapevine buzzing with all kinds of theories about what was keeping him away from the game. Earlier this week, Kim was at the range asking Dustin Johnson for pointers on the finer nuances of using a launch monitor. It just underlines just how long this man has been away from the game. “I’m 37 now…don’t know most of the guys out there,” he says in a promotional video for LIV. The same isn’t true of the younger players who’ve followed Kim’s footsteps on the PGA Tour: stories about AK, have only grown over the years, precipitated by the fact that he didn’t just disappear from the world of golf. He disappeared from public view.
During the first round, LIV Golf’s CEO Greg Norman popped into the broadcast booth for a chat about Kim. “Whatever happens today doesn’t really matter. I said to Emily (Kim’s wife) on the first tee today, ‘The journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step, and that first step is his first swing today’ and there’ll be a process for him to go through,” said Norman. “AK will find himself in a better place, not this first round it’s not the second round it’s not the second tournament, but you start looking when he starts feeling comfortable with himself, the oozing of the talent is going to start coming through.”
That’s what the world will be hoping to see. Not just because Kim had such promise but because it’s clear that he’s been through a tough time the last few years. Kim hasn’t said that much yet about where he was, what he’s been doing, and what’s brought him back. But he made it clear that he wasn’t planning just to show up every week to take advantage of the no-cut 54-hole event format at LIV. “I would be lying to say that I didn’t have certain expectations,” Kim said after the first round. “At least even if I played bad (sic), I thought I would shoot around par. It was unfortunate that I made so many unforced errors from the middle of the fairway. That’s generally my strength is my iron game. To make so many unforced errors is really disappointing.” At the end of the first day, Kim had shot a six-over 76 for his first outing to finish the first round in dead last place. It’s unlikely that he’s going to ascend that leaderboard this week, but it’s a start.
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A time will come for me to tell my story, “he carries on in the same video, but for now, I’m just focusing on golf,” he signs off. The entire golfing world will be watching this weekend, which tells you precisely why LIV Golf has brought Kim back to play on the tour. The eyeballs that will tune in to watch the Tour’s are expected to be much higher this week. “When I think of Anthony Kim,” LIV CEO Greg Norman said in a press release announcing Kim’s signing, “I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for what we’re trying to do.” If that means putting LIV Golf at the centre of attention in the golfing world, then that’s precisely what he means.
Anthony Kim is everywhere. News feeds are popping up with stories about him; what he’s saying about the time he spent away from the game, how he’s feeling about returning to pro golf, how much money LIV Golf has paid him to return, what clubs he’s using…it goes on and on. The return of the prodigal golfer — once ranked sixth in the world — who just walked away from pro golf at the age of 26 is the stuff that sporting lore is made of. No surprise then that his return has sent the world’s media and golf fans into a tizzy. If you’ve missed the commotion then know that Kim is playing the LIV Golf Tour’s third event of the year this weekend at the Royal Greens Golf Club in Jeddah. And you can catch it on YouTube.
By the time you read this on Sunday, all the anticipation would have settled a bit, that was reserved for the very first time Kim teed it up at a pro event since he withdrew halfway through the 2012 season. On Friday, as he teed it up, Kim did look ill at ease. “This guy doesn’t give a rat’s derriere about anything,” on-course reporter Dom Boulet said on the broadcast, “but he really did look nervous on that first tee.” After looking down the target a couple of times Kim did what everyone had been hoping for: smashed a terrific drive right down the middle 300 yards down. Fairy tale anyone?
It was too good to last: no one, not even Anthony Kim can come back after more than a decade away from the top echelons of a sport and expect to pick up where he left off. Kim’s second shot on the first hole left the broadcasters somewhat perplexed until they realised that the 37-year-old had just cold topped it. An overhead drone might have been an unexpected distraction; there weren’t any drone cameras in golf broadcasts in 2012. A messy bogey ensued, and Anthony Kim’s comeback was well underway.
Kim was one of the most eclectic players in a game that desperately needed colour and verve. He was brash, wore flashy belt buckles, partied hard, and played out of his shoes. Kim became one of the few players in the history of the PGA Tour to win three titles before he turned 25 but ran into injury issues that culminated with him withdrawing from the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship. Out of action to nurse a torn Achilles tendon, Kim was expected to return to action within a few months. Months turned to years, and finally over a decade passed with the grapevine buzzing with all kinds of theories about what was keeping him away from the game. Earlier this week, Kim was at the range asking Dustin Johnson for pointers on the finer nuances of using a launch monitor. It just underlines just how long this man has been away from the game. “I’m 37 now…don’t know most of the guys out there,” he says in a promotional video for LIV. The same isn’t true of the younger players who’ve followed Kim’s footsteps on the PGA Tour: stories about AK, have only grown over the years, precipitated by the fact that he didn’t just disappear from the world of golf. He disappeared from public view.
During the first round, LIV Golf’s CEO Greg Norman popped into the broadcast booth for a chat about Kim. “Whatever happens today doesn’t really matter. I said to Emily (Kim’s wife) on the first tee today, ‘The journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step, and that first step is his first swing today’ and there’ll be a process for him to go through,” said Norman. “AK will find himself in a better place, not this first round it’s not the second round it’s not the second tournament, but you start looking when he starts feeling comfortable with himself, the oozing of the talent is going to start coming through.”
That’s what the world will be hoping to see. Not just because Kim had such promise but because it’s clear that he’s been through a tough time the last few years. Kim hasn’t said that much yet about where he was, what he’s been doing, and what’s brought him back. But he made it clear that he wasn’t planning just to show up every week to take advantage of the no-cut 54-hole event format at LIV. “I would be lying to say that I didn’t have certain expectations,” Kim said after the first round. “At least even if I played bad (sic), I thought I would shoot around par. It was unfortunate that I made so many unforced errors from the middle of the fairway. That’s generally my strength is my iron game. To make so many unforced errors is really disappointing.” At the end of the first day, Kim had shot a six-over 76 for his first outing to finish the first round in dead last place. It’s unlikely that he’s going to ascend that leaderboard this week, but it’s a start.
A time will come for me to tell my story, “he carries on in the same video, but for now, I’m just focusing on golf,” he signs off. The entire golfing world will be watching this weekend, which tells you precisely why LIV Golf has brought Kim back to play on the tour. The eyeballs that will tune in to watch the Tour’s are expected to be much higher this week. “When I think of Anthony Kim,” LIV CEO Greg Norman said in a press release announcing Kim’s signing, “I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for what we’re trying to do.” If that means putting LIV Golf at the centre of attention in the golfing world, then that’s precisely what he means.
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