The greatest comebacks in sport are usually defined by something happening when, not so long ago, it felt absolutely impossible.
Narratives like this of recent times include Tyson Fury, who ballooned to 28 stone in bodyweight during his hiatus from boxing, having also gone through stages of alcoholism and depression.
The Gypsy King needed only two warm-up fights against mediocre opposition to get prepared to fight Deontay Wilder in the Staples Centre in Los Angeles in December 2018, a fight which he drew but many thought he won.
After that, Fury won seven fights in a row, including two destructive wins over Wilder in the process. Once tipped as the greatest heavyweight boxer of his generation, he has since been bettered twice by Oleksandr Usyk.
Nonetheless, Fury was in the abyss and turned his life around to reach the very peak of his sport. In terms of golf, Tiger Woods obviously comes to mind in the greatest comeback debate.
After countless hours on the operating table and 11 years after winning his last major, the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, Woods won the Masters at Augusta National for a fifth time in 2019.
Since 2008, Woods had gone through a public scandal for his extramarital affairs, torn his right Achilles tendon, inflamed his neck joint, sprained the MCL ligament in his knee, had surgery for a pinched nerve in his back twice, undergone lower back fusion surgery, and missed who knows how many tournaments as a result.
His competitive future was constantly questioned. This, plus the time spent under the knife, is something Anthony Kim can relate to.
Kim’s victory at LIV Golf’s Adelaide event last week was incredible because he began the final round five shots behind Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. But those are only the on-paper notes from this achievement. If you keep turning the pages, Kim’s story becomes more astonishing.
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In his first life, he won on the PGA Tour three times and starred in America’s win over Europe at the 2008 Ryder Cup. He came third at the Masters in 2010 and tied for fifth at The Open Championship in 2011, but injuries brought his career to a shuddering halt.
He had surgery on his injured Achilles tendon in 2012, which was the last year he was active as a pro golfer, until joining LIV Golf in 2024. Kim disappeared from public life like a ghost, seemingly living off an insurance policy he took out in 2010, as he revealed to Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press in 2015.
There was no golf in that time, and not a lot to speak of in general. At one stage, he allowed his friends to come to his house and take his golf equipment for free, and after announcing that he would sign for LIV two years ago, he then revealed that a doctor doubted if he would live much longer, and if he could ever have children.
He has also had shoulder surgeries, hand surgery and spinal fusion surgery.
The 40-year-old celebrated two years of sobriety this time last year, and told his followers on Instagram that at one stage, his body was “shutting down” as a result of his drug and alcohol addictions.
He says he only started playing golf again three months before his LIV debut in Jeddah in March 2024, and he had recently broken his ankle, too. Some might have labelled the signing as a gimmick, and a chance for LIV to parade somewhat of a recovering cult hero out to stoke interest.
The cynics thought Kim’s signing might inspire some interest in the short term, but this deal probably didn’t have legs.
How wrong they were, and how wrong I was. With his wife Emily and daughter Bella watching on, Kim roared his way to victory at the Grange in Adelaide, securing his first win of any kind in 16 years. This was also after scoring 0 individual points in the LIV leaderboards throughout 2024 and 2025.
Anthony Kim: Majors must be the next target
Now, we know the talent is there, and the swing is there. Kim mixed it with two of the biggest stars in the sport, major champions of the last three years, and beat them comfortably. Kim will know to take each day and each step as it comes, but the future is now exciting and fascinating.
He is now 203rd in the world rankings, having once been ranked 4595th in 2024, which is his highest mark since the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship. He is second in LIV’s league table, and bang in contention to earn a spot at The Open Championship at Birkdale as the highest-ranked non-exempt player.
A similar exemption will apply to the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, too. It is no exaggeration say that if you can outperform two of the world’s best players over 72 holes, in a feverish Australian atmosphere, there is no reason to suggest you cannot contend at majors.
LIV players have been invited to the Masters and the PGA Championship before. Joaquin Niemann was sent the famous small parchment from Magnolia Lane at the end of February 2024 for that year’s Masters. Niemann had won the Australian Open and played on the Asian Tour to show marked intent to qualify for the majors, which somewhat trounces what Kim has achieved so far in 2026.
The point stands that even with majors without LIV-specific criteria, the Masters and the PGA Championship, good work doesn’t go unnoticed. And, once you are in them, you can win them.
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Nonetheless, if the man from LA can keep this form going and keep featuring at the top of LIV leaderboards, he won’t need to rely on invitations, given LIV’s events now qualify for world ranking points. After winning what is ostensibly LIV’s best event by a country mile, in terms of fan turnout and consistent drama, the majors have to be the next step.
Kim strikes you as a player who thrives on proving people wrong. Although he isn’t getting younger, this mentality could take him to even more unthinkable achievements.
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