Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
There was a ton of hype surrounding Anthony Kim when he joined the PGA Tour, and Nike was hoping to take advantage by inking him to an endorsement deal when he turned pro. The golfer may have reaped the benefits on the financial front, but he’s revealed a pretty significant downside due to the impact the company’s equipment had on his game.
Anthony Kim took full advantage of the sponsor’s exemption that allowed him to play in the Valero Texas Open in 2006, as the 20-year-old who’d made a name for himself as an amateur finished in a tie for second place in the first PGA Tour tournament he ever competed in.
It didn’t take long for the folks at Nike to get in on the ground floor by offering Kim the endorsement deal he signed the same year before renewing it a few years later in the wake of the 2008 PGA Tour season where he racked up his first two wins on the circuit.
That contract was presumably responsible for the bulk of the $6 million in sponsorship money Kim was reportedly raking in on an annual basis at the peak of his career, but he got his third (and presumably final) PGA Tour win in 2010 a couple of years before injury issues led to him taking a lengthy hiatus that ended when he attempted to mount a comeback with LIV Golf last year.
His return has left a bit to be desired, as Kim consistently finished near the basement of the standings during the ten tournaments he played last year and ended up second-to-last in the overall ranking behind Ben Campbell (who only played in three events). He has not fared much better in 2025, as he’s currently dead last among the 55 golfers on the LIV roster after the first three events of the season.
Kim recently got a chance to reflect on his journey while playing a round with Rick Shiels and dropped a pretty interesting tidbit about his decision to sign with Nike and the detrimental impact the deal ultimately had on his golf game.
Kim noted he couldn’t turn down the money the company offered him but paid the price due to the issues he had with its drivers and balls, saying:
“I was using the Nike golf ball and Nike driver, which to some people is fine, but I never got used to it. I would say they made good irons and wedges, but I struggled with the ball.
I lost almost 30 yards off the tee with it when I turned pro; about 28 yards is what the ball difference was from the Pro V to the Nike. It wasn’t like it was softer, so it wasn’t I had more feel around the greens.
I also wanted to retire my mom, so that was part of the decision.”
Kim was far from the only golfer who had some issues with Nike equipment, and it essentially waved the white flag in 2016 when it announced it would no longer produce clubs, balls, or bags.