Getty Image / David Cannon
Anthony Kim‘s highly-anticipated return to professional golf was met with more hype than just about any golfer of the past decade. He recently spoke about what his three options were (PGA, LIV Golf, stay retired) prior to returning to the public eye and how his priorities have shifted since his PGA Tour days and how that influences his decisions now.
The 3-time PGA Tour winner was lured out of retirement to join the LIV Golf Tour where he’s been playing as a solo competitor and not attached to any of the LIV Golf teams. Anthony Kim was, at one point, one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour and when he won the AT&T in 2008 he became the first American golfer under 25 years old to win 2x on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods. The sky was the limit. Since reemerging, however, he sits dead last in the LIV Golf player standings and his best finishes this season have been two ties for 46th place (out of 54).
Speaking with the Fairway to Heaven podcast recently, Anthony Kim talked about the path that led him here. Here is the video with his quotes below:
Anthony Kim: “I had three options: it was the PGA Tour, play here (LIV Golf) or not play golf at all. And all three had an equal shot. After a few conversations with LIV and the PGA Tour, I was leaning towards not playing again, but my wife was like ‘who is ever going to get this opportunity again’.”
“I had financial benefits from both sides, that’s no secret. I had different sponsorship opportunities whether I played the PGA or LIV and I still have different opportunities. I’ve turned down more opportunities than I’ve accepted, sponsorship wise, because I didn’t agree that they fit where I’m trying to go with my life.”
“Was there offers to be sponsored and have logos on me and male life-changing money? Yes, but I haven’t accepted those because if I endorse something, I want the people who follow me to say, ‘Anthony really believes in this’.”
Anthony Kim On Shifting Priorities
Speaking about the PGA Tour, his past, and his future. Anthony explained that he’s incredibly thankful for his time on the PGA Tour because he was able to pay for his mother to retire. But these days he is focused on his daughter’s future and that’s where his priorities are focused.
Anthony Kim: “My dream is to watch my daughter run onto that green and me hold her, and I’m going to do everything that I can to do that. If it means spending 18 hours on the course every day, I’m going to do that. At least give myself the opportunity because on the other side, people are doubting, laughing, criticizing. I love it, that gives me more purpose and more energy to do what I’m doing.”
In his defense, he has improved since joining LIV Golf. His results, in order, are: 53rd, 50th, 53rd, t52nd, t48th, t46th, t49th, and t46th. So he’s slowly improving but has still yet to put together three break through rounds on the LIV Golf Tour.
Through 8 LIV Golf Tour appearances, Kim is hitting 41.94% of fairways and 54% greens in regulation. Where he does rank well on the LIV Golf Tour is 15th in putting with an average of 1.58 putts/hole. He is also 31st in driving distance with an average of 298.7yds off the tee so the distance is there, the putting is there, he just needs to start finding more fairways so he isn’t stuck scrambling so frequently.
It is unclear if Anthony Kim’s LIV Golf contract will extend beyond this season or what the path forward may look like for him if he stays on the LIV Tour as he hasn’t played with a team this season.