Well then. Anthony Kim is back playing professional golf. That all happened very quickly, didn’t it?
It was difficult to know what to expect when he was announced as LIV Golf’s most recent signing at the end of February.
He shot 16-over-par across three rounds in LIV Golf’s third event in Saudi Arabia and finished last in a 54-man field.
The 38-year-old hadn’t played a professional tournament since withdrawing from the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour in 2012.
“Obviously it was a rough week. I’m excited to be playing professional golf again. I feel very blessed that I have this opportunity,” Kim said on Sunday.
“I’ve got a lot to work on, but I had a lot of good things go my way this week. So I’m looking forward to building on that and being in contention at some point this year.
“I’m definitely hitting the ball well. I’m doing a lot of things well. I know the scores don’t reflect that. It’s disappointing to score that way. But at the same time, I know I have a lot to build on, and I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Full of positivity after his first appearance in Greg Norman’s breakaway league, Kim has his name down on the next nine LIV events in the schedule, with the next one being Hong Kong this week.
So what did we make of Kim’s comeback? Can he show enough signs of life in 2024 to earn a solid spot on a LIV Golf team in 2025? And has Kim been signed to improve the league or simply increase its exposure?
NCG’s Matt Chivers and Matt Coles have rustled together their two-pence worth on the Anthony Kim comeback…
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ALSO: Anthony Kim WITB 2024
Kim will need to show more to guarantee his LIV future…
Let’s be honest, we all wanted it to go well. We all wanted the Anthony Kim comeback to remind us of who we knew and loved when he was first on the PGA Tour all those years ago, writes Matt Coles.
He thrilled all of us when he shone for the USA at the Ryder Cup, and he was just getting started on the tour when injuries began to derail his progress.
However, for those of us who were being realistic, it was a case of how far behind the field would Kim finish at LIV Golf Jeddah. And this unfortunately proved to be the case.
In the end, he was pretty much lapped by the leaders, finishing 30 shots behind eventual winner Joaquin Niemann.
What’s next for AK then? We know he is contracted to play on LIV Golf as a wildcard for the rest of the 2024 season, but if these performances continue, can the Saudi-backed league keep him?
There were flashes of the old Kim throughout the three-day event at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, but there will need to be a lot of improvement if he is to get his team for the 2025 season, as has been rumoured…
On a more positive note, we are all damn happy he’s back after so long!
ALSO: How much money has Anthony Kim earned in the LIV Golf League?
Competition or entertainment: Which does Kim bring to LIV?
It is such an intriguing signing for LIV Golf, writes Matt Chivers. I can’t think of another case in sports whereby an athlete has virtually disappeared off the planet for more than a decade and earned cult status by doing so.
It is certainly no bad thing to see Kim back in the professional sphere. It is another player to root for and his journey will be fun. However, he will need to show improvement.
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He might have a free pass for the rest of the season, but if he doesn’t finish well on the end-of-season leaderboard, he could find himself without a schedule in 2025.
I want to look at the bigger picture too. LIV Golf’s pursuit of world ranking points and pathways to majors is evidence of its desire to be a respected and established base which could one day have a similar heritage to the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
But Kim’s acquisition strikes me as a celebrity signing – an announcement which undoubtedly brings more eyes to the breakaway league, but is unlikely to increase the competitiveness and quality of the fields, which is surely the objective of recruitment in any sport.
Kim could prove me wrong. If his performances improve and his ability from years ago shines through, then LIV Golf will have struck the jackpot by making events stronger too, essentially killing two birds with one stone.
It is one hell of an opportunity for him to start again with golf but, right now, this signing has muddied the waters between sport and entertainment.
Why has LIV Golf recruited Kim? To me, it is to use him as an instrument to bring eyeballs to the screen and not to genuinely improve the competitiveness of the tour and have the likes of Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka quaking in their golf shoes.
NOW READ: Who is Anthony Kim?
NOW READ: Where will Anthony Kim play next in the LIV Golf schedule?
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