When it was announced that Anthony Kim was making his long-awaited return to professional golf, like everybody else, I was looking forward to seeing what he could do after 12 years in the wilderness.
Make no mistake; it was a publicity stunt and little more, because outside of Tiger, Rory and a few select others, Kim’s lengthy absence from pro golf and complete disappearance from anything resembling it had made him one of the prime topics of high-stool conversation among the golfing media.
And it was easy to see why. At the height of his powers, he played with a near-unrivalled aggression, made birdies for fun – the 11 he made in the second round of the 2009 Masters alongside fellow young guns McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa remains an Augusta National single-round record – and his excessive lifestyle off the course made him one of the most interesting players of his generation.
But despite all the pining for his return, he was never coming back to the PGA Tour. Not with a believed insurance payout that required the full return should he ever hit a professional shot again.
We’ll probably never know how much LIV shelled out to bring him back, but initially at least, it had the desired effect. The publicity was huge, the additional eyeballs significant, and Kim’s personal story of his struggles with addiction over the decade-plus absence added further.
But nobody – at least nobody particularly rational – expected Kim to be able to perform at the level he was now competing at, even if LIV’s roster was top heavy. Results bored that out, but there were signs that the abilities that made him a Ryder Cup player and three-time PGA Tour winner hadn’t all been lost.
Nevertheless, after two years and a best finish of T25, the Kim experiment looked to have run its course. No more handouts, no more charity – if he was to have any further LIV involvement, he’d have to earn it.
And hats off, he’s done just that.
The LIV Promotions field may not have been the star-studded affair it would’ve been if the PGA Tour hadn’t declared its intent to ban anybody even taking their place in the lineup, but it was still 79 top-quality players with multiple DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Sunshine Tour victories between them and only three LIV cards on offer.
Needing to birdie the 18th hole in Friday’s second round to make the cut, he duly rolled it in and then, with the scores reset, played the final 36 holes in five-under to finish third.
There aren’t many pressure situations that can compare to playing for your livelihood. Max Kennedy can attest to that. He was in position to challenge but faded in the final round, but Kim stood tall on the course and even taller afterwards.
“This is just the first step, but I’m glad I earned my spot so everybody could quit talking s**t, and I’ll be back soon, and I’ll be winning golf tournaments soon,” he said.
“There are so many negative people out there. “Unfortunately, I love hearing all the negativity. But I’m glad I get to throw this in their face.
“This is a surreal moment for me because other people obviously outside of my inner circle doubted me, but I would be lying to say that I didn’t know if I would ever earn my way back. To all the people that don’t feel I belong, they can suck it now.”
It’s big talk, but for now at least, he’s earned the right to be bullish, and in some ways, it makes Kim an even more intriguing prospect in the year ahead.
And those are words I didn’t expect to be writing two years after being resurrected in a publicity stunt.
So kudos for that.
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