12 years after withdrawing from the Wells Fargo Championship after the opening round, Anthony Kim is set to make his return to professional golf at LIV Golf Jeddah, according to multiple reports.
First broken by Golf.com, the enigmatic 38-year-old has long been rumoured to be considering a pro return and if the most recent reports are to be believed, it will happen next week at Saudi Arabia’s Greens Golf & Country Club.
Beloved by large swathes of the golfing public and media due to his aggressive style of play, supposed lavish lifestyle off the course, and dynamic performances in the Stars and Stripes in both Ryder and Presidents Cups, it’s sure to bring increased viewership to the event as he plays as one of two non-team affiliated players in the now 54-man event.
Kim’s initial retirement through injury is believed to have triggered an insurance policy payout of an estimated $10 million which would be voided should he ever hit another professional shot, so it’s safe to assume that he is being very well compensated for his return.
Kim reached a career high of sixth in the world rankings following his third-place finish at the PGA Tour Championship, won three PGA Tour events including the Wachovia Championship, as it was then known, at Quail Hollow in the same year, and finished third in the 2010 Masters, a year after setting a tournament-record 11-birdie round in 2009.
He also starred in both the 2008 Ryder Cup and 2009 Presidents Cup, particularly excelling in the singles where he dominated Sergio Garcia at Valhalla and then Robert Allenby the following year.
Since his departure in 2012, sightings have been few and far between as the media – particularly the US-based media – continued to pine for his return. All of this has contributed to the growth of the Anthony Kim legend, and it appears that the final chapter is yet to be written.
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