His comeback is a mystery. The return of Korean-American Anthony Kim (39, USA, pictured) after a 12-year absence is raising as many questions as his departure. He is scheduled to compete in the LIV Golf Jeddah ($25 million purse), a three-day event starting March 1 at the Royal Green Golf & Country Club (par 70-7048 yards) in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. Anthony Kim will be one of two wildcards in the 52-man field of 13 teams of four at the event.
On Aug. 28, U.S. golf media outlet Golf Channel released a video of Anthony Kim practicing on the range at Royal Green Golf Course. Wearing black shorts, a white T-shirt, and a hat with the LIV logo, the short video showed him hitting shots and showing that his swing was still largely untouched.
Anthony Kim’s return is of interest to fans because his “disappearance” was one of the greatest mysteries in American golf history. Kim won the 2008 Wachovia Championship, AT&T National and 2010 Shell Houston Open, becoming the first American since Tiger Woods to win three titles before the age of 25. He represented the U.S. in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, finished third in the 2010 Masters Tournament, and launched his own fashion business, AK, named after his initials.
At that time, the current mainstream players Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Colin Morikawa, and Scottie Schauffler were not yet on the scene, and Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau, who turned to LIV Golf, were not yet in existence. When Rory McIlroy (NI) was the favorite to move to Post Woods, Anthony Kim was the only American player to be touted as a future star to succeed the Emperor.
However, he left the field in the summer of 2012 after undergoing Achilles surgery on his left ankle and never returned. He never officially announced his retirement, nor did he make any updates on social media. The only legitimate rumor is that he received a $10 million insurance policy on the condition that he would not return to play professionally.
His return is rumored to have been funded by LIV, which is said to have paid for his insurance. However, LIV Golf did not comment on the rumors until after the tournament’s roster was announced. LIV head honcho Greg Norman (AUS) hinted at Anthony Kim’s return on social media on Sunday, saying he was “honored to have the opportunity to announce the rebirth of this player,” but did not name him.
There is speculation that this is because his contract was not finalized. The media, the golf world, and fans are interested to see if he will be able to continue to play as well as he has in the past, and if he will be able to continue his career.