After 12 years away from professional golf, Anthony Kim has made a stunning comeback, joining LIV Golf in 2024 at age 39. It’s a return almost nobody saw coming – including Kim himself.
“It definitely wasn’t something that I thought was even possible,” Kim told Rick Shiels during a recent YouTube match.
The former golf prodigy had barely touched a club in over a decade. During his time away, he battled addiction, depression, and anxiety – struggles he’s now open about discussing, though many details remain private.
Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf came calling in early 2024. But Kim wasn’t sure he even wanted to play again.
“The last memories I have of playing golf are not fun,” he explained. “It was injury, struggle, addiction, depression, mental illness. Golf wasn’t something I remembered and was like ‘yeah, let’s go do this.'”
What changed? Getting sober helped him see things differently.
“Once I got sober for a few months and realized that both tours wanted me to play, I started taking it a little more seriously,” Kim said.
The whole comeback story started in the most unlikely way – with a random social media post.
“Some guy posted on Twitter that LIV signed me for a ridiculous amount of money,” Kim laughed. “I didn’t even have Twitter! But then the rumors started, and I got calls from the PGA Tour asking if it was true.”
At that point, Kim didn’t even own golf clothes. But the buzz sparked real conversations with both tours.
He eventually signed with LIV Golf just before their Jeddah event in March 2024. His first tournament back was tough – he finished 53rd out of 54 players. But given he hadn’t competed in 12 years, just being there was remarkable.
Kim’s game has steadily improved since then. He’s earned nearly $1 million in prize money this season.
As for that mystery person who started it all with a tweet? Kim’s grateful.
“I have no idea who this guy is,” he said, “but I owe him at least dinner!”
The three-time PGA Tour winner says he’ll share more details about his 12-year absence when the time is right. For now, he’s focused on his comeback – and being a good role model for his young daughter.
