The year was 2013, Tiger Woods was on top of the world, many first-time major winners brought home trophies, and there was no speculation of a “different tour”. The year full of headlines had many fans dialing in every week to watch the tour’s best. The world of golf was the vast opposite of what the scene is like now in 2024, and many fans wish to have these days back. With this, the fans were cheered to find out that former PGA sweetheart, Anthony Kim, would be starting in his first career event since 2013, where he would play on the LIV GOLF Tour’s Jeddah event in Saudi Arabia. This announcement led to many fans wondering, “Does he still have it?”
Anthony Kim was just a kid from California who became a star in his younger years, signing to the top-ranked University of Oklahoma to continue his academic and athletic career. As Anthony excelled through college, the PGA Tour was in his eyes. With this, he took every opportunity to heart and made sure he made the most of every chance he had. Earning a sponsor’s exemption to the 2006 Valero Open in Texas, Anthony took his opportunity to heart, tying for second place and climbing up to the top 100 in the World Golf Rankings. As his fame grew, many people resigned with his “aggressive playstyle” and length off the tee, per ESPN. All success leads to an end, however, when Kim would suffer an Achilles injury that would put him out for nine to twelve months. This year’s hiatus turned to indefinitely when it was reported that Anthony quit golf altogether in 2014, per NBC Sports. Years would go by until more news was reported on this when in 2019 Golf.com reported that Kim stated his golf game was “non-existent”. With this news, Kim would fade into existence with all other forgotten Tour Pros over the years.
After five years of forgotten skill, Anthony wanted to get back into the spotlight, after eleven years hidden. With his absence, the PGA Tour would revoke his Tour Card, which strips away his ability to play in any events regulated by the PGA of America. Not wanting to earn a spot back, Anthony would turn to controversial competitor LIV GOLF, who gladly took him in with open arms. Over the past couple of years, the tour has seen many stars convert to their league. The idea of money upfront and the heavy amounts they would receive was enough for these pros to turn into LIV superstars. The problem with the PGA is how time-consuming the job is, where money is not guaranteed every week. The idea of LIV is simple, fewer events and more money, which creates a stable form of income and allows for more time with family and friends. Golf pro, Harold Varner III, states that these values led to an easy decision for him to convert, per a conversation with Golf Instructor Albert Jennings. Using Anthony as a marketing ploy, the LIV Tour started Kim as a “Wild Card”, where Kim has no assignment to a team, and placed him in a televised group where his stardom would be spotlighted.
Anthony Kim had officially turned back into “AK47”, his former nickname, and started off the week strong with four straight pars. These courses have no mercy, however, and AK’s pause from the professional scene showed. He would go on to shoot a six-over-par seventy-six and followed it up with two seventy-fours to finish the weekend. This struggle led to him finishing dead last and taking home $50,000 in the process. The switch to LIV benefited him, whereas on the PGA he would only have taken home his frustration back to Dallas, with no payout. Stuck on the LIV Tour, his marketable figure will greatly benefit him throughout the rest of his career, no matter his play. With this being his first start in over a decade, the expectations were not spectacular for the thirty-eight-year-old, but golf is a sport full of mental toughness and grit. If AK can keep grinding out his swing and continue to find his “flow states”, he can turn back into the deadly weapon he once was. If he coasts, however, he will continue to be shooting blanks.
