So, Anthony Kim is going to play tournament golf again, the LIV Golf way. That is, payment up front. For more than a decade now, Kim has been paid, by an insurance company, not to play. This week, at a LIV event in Saudi Arabia, Kim will start a new chapter of his enigmatic life.
Good luck, kid.
Excuse me, this just in: He’s 38.
Well, good luck, Mr. Kim.
To give this news the gravitas it doesn’t deserve, GOLF.com reported on Jan. 25 that Kim was considering a return to tournament golf. Word of Kim’s Saudi start first surfaced on X over the weekend by way of @FlushingIt and @LIVGolfUpdates, and soon after Golf Channel reporter Rex Hoggard, as well-sourced as anybody covering the professional game today, gave the news more credibility with a story citing unnamed sources. LIV still hasn’t officially confirmed that Kim is in the Jeddah field, but on Monday morning, it came awfully close, dropping a moody teaser video that showed images of Kim hitting shots against a desertscape. Greg Norman and his people must have made it worth Kim’s while to sign with LIV — for how many appearances we don’t know — just as they did for various other golfers with familiar names and past-post games.
Kim has not played any tournament golf anywhere since June 2012, when he had surgery on his left Achilles tendon. It has been widely and credibly reported that Kim, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, accepted an insurance-policy payment that paid him at least $10 million, and maybe much more, but prevented him from playing tournament golf. He became golf’s Greta Garbo, disappearing from the golf scene altogether.
The details of Kim’s insurance policy are not publicly known, but it is possible that its terms have simply expired, leaving him open to return to professional golf. He could have tried to stage a comeback on the PGA Tour, playing in events by sponsor’s exemption or by using his Past Champion status. But that tried-and-true comeback method would have come with no guarantees. The starting point to the LIV Golf model is a contract with guarantees.
Pay to play is the LIV way, and the fundamental difference between LIV Golf and every other prominent tour in the world, including the PGA, LPGA and DP World tours. On those circuits and others, and by long-standing tradition, tournaments paid players on the basis of the numbers on their scorecards. They earn it wasn’t a marketing phrase. It was a founding principle. The emergence of LIV Golf has challenged that principle.
Meanwhile, LIV figured out what the rest of the world has known forever: People love free money.
Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Pat Perez and some of the other LIV players should throw a party for Kim, welcoming him to the money-for-nothing club. The PGA Tour v. LIV Golf debate was not likely that complicated for Kim. Show me the money had to be a motivating factor for him.
In his early 20s, Kim was a spectacular talent. There was something galvanizing about him, this diminutive kid choking up on the driver and killing it with a long, flowing follow-through. He was so light on his feet, like a lightweight boxer, and he had so much speed with every club, plus the flying mullet at impact. He was Brooks Koepka before there was a Brooks Koepka, but Kim seemed to take himself much less seriously. He was refreshingly outside the country-club system, and he could shoot 66 on a hard course and make it look easy, fun and meaningless.
But that was 15 years and at least one major tendon surgery ago. Of the 24 players on the 2008 Ryder Cup team, there’s not one who plays better golf now. Kim was a star on that team, though sometimes AWOL from the rest of his teammates. He’s always sort of done his own thing.
Kim may excel in playing on courses that are not very challenging, where he can hit the ball without much difficulty and easily make shots from flat lies with well-maintained grass and smooth greens. This is the kind of environment he can expect at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah, where he is set to debut on March 1, 2, and 3 as part of the LIV event. The tournament will have 54 players, with Kim and one other player competing without any team affiliation.
It would be difficult to picture Kim qualifying for a U.S. Open through a 36-hole qualifier at a course with short fairways, small greens, and thick rough. Don’t expect to see Kim competing in any of the four major tournaments this year.
If you want to watch the Saudi event live, you can tune in to the CW Network, provided your smart speaker can play it and your sleep schedule allows. The lead broadcaster for LIV on the CW is David Feherty, known for his wit and wisdom.
Riyadh is eight hours ahead of the East Coast time in the US. Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV, often emphasizes that golf is not limited to the United States. The renowned Australian golfer has always traveled the world, much like Gary Player did before him.
Norman and LIV, along with their Saudi supporters, have made a savvy marketing decision by signing Anthony Kim. Regardless of his performance in his debut tournament and in future LIV events this year, there will be a strong interest from golf enthusiasts to watch him in action, whether through television broadcasts or by attending tournaments.
However, it also illustrates the main concern that numerous golfers with traditional views have regarding LIV, which is seen as more of a showcase than a genuine competition. Kim did not qualify for next week’s tournament based on his recent performances in golf. His participation in LIV events will not secure him an invitation to the Masters.
Augusta National did not acknowledge Joaquin Niemann’s affiliation with LIV or his successes in the LIV golf league when discussing his recent achievements at the Masters. The club chose not to mention his involvement in LIV Golf, highlighting a disconnect between Niemann’s successes and the LIV association.
Anthony Kim had a remarkable Sunday round at Augusta, scoring a 65 and quickly moving up the leaderboard. He briefly held the lead before ultimately finishing behind Phil, the eventual winner, by four strokes.
Kim also narrowly edged out Tiger by one stroke. At the time, he was a young and promising player on the verge of achieving greatness. However, it is unlikely that his performances at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club next week, or in LIV Golf, will be as thrilling as that memorable day at Augusta.
“Unless you happen to be the person responsible for managing Anthony Kim’s finances.”
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