As a millennial of a sure age, the sentimental a part of me desires to observe Anthony Kim play golf once more.
Kim, now 38 years outdated, as soon as captivated the golf world—notably my era—together with his play and persona within the late 2000s and early 2010s.
For me, the fascination with Kim will be defined in a single second. After he gained the AT&T Nationwide in 2008, Kim was signing autographs when he was handed a flip cellphone. Event host Tiger Woods was on the opposite line.
“T-Dub, what’s up?” Kim stated with out breaking stride in his autograph signing.
The person known as A.Okay. oozed charisma like that in a time interval when golf was quick on stars. This was earlier than the prime of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and different luminaries. When Kim gained that occasion practically 16 years in the past, the highest 10 of the Official World Golf Rating learn: Woods, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Stewart Cink, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Steve Stricker, Justin Rose and Vijay Singh.
Some super Corridor of Fame-worthy gamers however not loads of flash. Not loads of persona that followers may get behind.
Kim was somebody followers may get behind. He wore blinged-out belt buckles. His sport was aggressive. He got here off a bit brash and cocky.
To steal an expression, Kim was identified to borrow a bit an excessive amount of happiness from tomorrow. He admitted to partying laborious, squeezing what he may out of his superstar.
After which, on the younger age of 26, he was gone. Kim had been combating harm and his sport spiraled. He shot a 74 within the opening spherical of the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship after which withdrew—it was the final spherical of aggressive golf we’ve seen him play.
Kim disappeared, turning into a “golf yeti” as he largely prevented the highlight. Reviews circulated that his aggressive profession was presumably over and he supposed on cashing in on an insurance coverage coverage.
However that might all change. It has been reported that Kim is mulling a return to skilled golf—the rumor mill is suggesting that he may signal on with LIV and start play subsequent month. The league would, in idea, pay the worth of the insurance coverage coverage after which some to get Kim.
LIV is determined to maneuver the needle. Final weekend, PGA Tour TV scores for the third spherical of the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am have been 1.95 million. On the identical day, LIV solely had 168,000 viewers. A day later, when climate washed out play at Pebble, LIV rose to 432,000 viewers—a bump however not a significant one when you think about that many solely tuned in as a result of watching the PGA Tour’s finest was not an possibility.
Would Kim—and all of the fascination he brings—give LIV a significant enhance in reputation?
Like a Tarantino film, I’ll skip to the top after which work my means again: Kim could possibly be the one finest motive for an off-the-cuff golf fan to tune in however the novelty of his return would in all probability be short-lived.
The Legend of Anthony Kim
Kim has all of the makings of a people hero.
His beginner profession was stellar. Kim set the College of Oklahoma profession scoring file, gained the distinguished Northeast Beginner in 2004 and went 2-1 for the People in a victorious 2005 Walker Cup.
At a time when PGA Tour rookies (not less than these not named Tiger Woods) typically needed to wrestle for years earlier than discovering their footing, Kim got here out swinging. He completed tied for second in his debut, practically successful the 2006 Valero Texas Open. Kim received by means of Q-College that fall—lower than two years later, he was a high 20 participant on this planet.
Kim won the 2008 Wachovia Championship by five shots, setting a match scoring file. Two months later, he gained the AT&T Nationwide and received that decision from Woods. Kim turned the primary American underneath the age of 25 to win twice in a single yr on the PGA Tour since Woods in 2000. By the top of the summer season, he was as much as No. 6 on this planet.
That September, at simply 23, Kim certified for the Ryder Cup crew. The opposite seven automated qualifiers for the American facet have been between the ages of 31 and 48. Kim was a burst of youth and enthusiasm, taking part in a important position on that successful crew. He paired with Mickelson 3 times (going 1-1-1) and then beat Sergio Garcia, 5 and 4, within the opening singles match on Sunday. Afterwards, he paraded round in an American flag.
That was arguably the peak of A.Okay. mania. He was a younger, flashy American of Korean descent storming into an outdated man’s sport with a sure bravado. Kim wasn’t Tiger however there was some overlap of their magnetism.
He didn’t win the next yr, however his legend grew. He made 11 birdies through the second spherical of the 2009 Masters, notching a file that also stands. And in that fall’s Presidents Cup, Kim went 3-1.
Though he completed third within the 2010 Masters and captured his third PGA Tour victory on the Shell Houston Open, Kim’s slide had began. He struggled with harm the remainder of that yr and fell to No. 31 within the OWGR. He missed 11 cuts in 2011 and that was basically the start of the top. By early 2012, he fell outdoors the highest 100 on this planet.
The week of the Wells Fargo Championship—the identical occasion he had gained 4 years earlier—Kim expressed optimism in his press convention.
“This was the beginning of my profession,” Kim stated. “Hopefully, I can begin a brand new one right here.”
However he withdrew from that occasion and had surgical procedure to restore the injured achilles tendon in his left leg. It was going to require a prolonged rehab course of and using a significant medical exemption in 2013, however as an alternative of coming again, Kim vanished.
Simply two years later, it was reported that Kim not performed golf of any type. That may change over the following years because the occasional swing video surfaced, however Kim largely went into the darkness. In a uncommon interview with the Related Press in 2015, Kim conceded he had endured “six or seven surgical procedures” between 2012 and 2015. He listed labrum, spinal fusion, rotator cuff and hand surgical procedures as amongst what he needed to take care of on the time. He known as golf “a fond reminiscence,” which appeared to point his finest taking part in days have been effectively behind him.
In that interview, Kim defined that he took out an insurance coverage coverage in 2011, offering him revenue if he was unable to play golf once more. It was reported to be value someplace between $10 million and $20 million.
”I paid effectively into the mid-six figures for the coverage,” Kim stated. ”They wouldn’t have paid me each month had I not been to the docs, displaying all of them my X-rays, doing all of the remedy, the acupuncture, twice a day for bodily remedy.”
A variety of time handed. Kim would play charity occasions or have probability conferences with followers however he largely saved to himself. That call runs counter to the whole lot we learn about golf: particularly that golfers will be profitable effectively into their 40s or 50s, and there may be hardly ever a real full-on retirement from the sport. It additionally ran counter to his persona.
There have all the time been rumors of a comeback. Now it (allegedly) would possibly occur.
The Energy of Nostalgia
The thriller and intrigue round Anthony Kim is an enchanting research in nostalgia.
Kim was participant, a three-time Tour winner who had a pleasant stretch of golf over just a few years. He was charming, charming and edgy, a cult traditional of a golfer. He performed with pleasure and a child-like love for golf. It’s simple to know why he possessed a sure gravitational pull.
He did all of this effectively earlier than X (Twitter) reached its peak in reputation. You’ll be able to return and watch highlights however the reminiscence of Anthony Kim is healthier than the fact.
Kim solely registered three top-10 main finishes. He struggled with driver yips—in his final full Tour season, Kim ranked No. 171 in Strokes Gained off the tee. He had been an exceptional driver of the ball in 2007 and 2008 however regressed over time, possible resulting from harm. He was not identified for his work ethic, even in wholesome occasions.
He was a certifiable world-beater for one season (2008) when he ranked No. 3 in whole Strokes Gained. Kim was by no means inside the highest 30 for the stat in another season.
A great participant. A memorable participant. However not a fantastic participant. Not a famous person.
In in the present day’s world, he’s akin to Tom Kim. Somebody who has tons of expertise and an attention-grabbing profile however isn’t in the identical dialog because the elite tier of professional golfers.
Reminiscence is humorous. In the identical means your emotions of faculty is perhaps skewed—it was a continuous, fully carefree social gathering with no stressing over homework, proper?—the sentiments round A.Okay. are in all probability a lot the identical.
The Actuality of the Comeback
There are two sides of the attainable Anthony Kim comeback.
Let’s begin from Kim’s perspective. If the objective is to play nice golf, that is going to be an excruciating problem. He’s 38 years outdated and a dozen years faraway from significant competitors. That’s practically one-third of his life.
Any Tour participant will inform you that taking pictures 63 throughout an off-the-cuff spherical at your own home course has little relationship to taking part in effectively in a big-time match.
If he does come again, the almost certainly end result is that he’ll wrestle. For that motive, it could make extra sense for him to chase a assured payday on LIV reasonably than making an attempt to earn his means again on the PGA Tour—though as a golf fan, watching Kim try to get again on Tour the old style means could be must-watch TV.
Nonetheless, from a LIV or PGA Tour perspective, a Kim comeback seems like idiot’s gold.
If it’s LIV, there could possibly be a short-term bump in curiosity. I might rank him as my high motive for being . A ton of individuals need to know what his sport appears like and the way he carries himself on the course. It will be cool to see him become involved in social media, which wasn’t booming throughout his heyday. Possibly his persona is additive to the sport.
On the identical time, the novelty of Kim coming again may erode rapidly. It will additionally really feel purely transactional for him to take this cash and compete in what’s mainly exhibition golf. Does he solely need the cash or is that this about attending to play match golf once more? Will he be going by means of the motions or leaning laborious into the leisure facet like he as soon as did?
His rumored LIV debut could possibly be in Saudi Arabia after which Hong Kong the next week. Most American viewers gained’t be watching stay. LIV does return to the U.S. in April for its Miami occasion, so that might spark some fan curiosity.
If he one way or the other performs effectively, it would possibly be a significant enhance. There may be the potential for fans to watch all of his shots live or on-demand. But when he doesn’t play effectively, it’s laborious to think about intrigue would stay excessive.
The considered Kim slogging by means of LIV’s Houston or Nashville occasions, within the unrelenting warmth of summer season, whereas taking pictures 75… is one thing no golf fan ought to need to see.
LIV’s Battle for Consideration
A Kim comeback with LIV would additional expose the one space of the circuit that basically saps curiosity: there are not any stakes.
Nearly everybody concerned is assured to stick with LIV no matter how they play. It’s a cash funnel, an invitational. That’s the major motive there are not any world rating factors available.
For all the PGA Tour’s warts, it nonetheless has a system the place gamers can earn their means into signature occasions. There may be qualifying. There’s a substantial reservoir of historical past round venues and tournaments. There may be extra context.
And the PGA Tour nonetheless has the higher gamers, by a large margin. Solely three of the highest 25 golfers within the Information Golf rating play on LIV. Of the highest 100 Information Golf gamers, there are 71 PGA Tour gamers and solely 17 LIV gamers. These rankings account for all golf performed in every single place.
LIV lately brought in Tyrrell Hatton and reportedly got here near signing reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark. Nevertheless, it is going to take much more than that to tip the scales.
Anthony Kim may assist—and it is perhaps a chance value making—however he’s no savior.
We’re nonetheless questioning the place professional golf goes from right here. The PGA Tour is in negotiations to associate with the Saudi Public Funding Fund, which backs LIV. There are loads of hurdles and complicating elements in that partnership, together with a recent private equity investment the PGA Tour received from Strategic Sports Group.
One factor we all know is that this present model of the golf world doesn’t make sense. Golf isn’t large enough to have gamers cut up into two completely different excursions. There needs to be some cohesion. How we get there may be nonetheless a thriller, very like Kim.
Do you assume Anthony Kim will transfer the needle if he returns? Are you interested by watching him play once more?
Let me know beneath within the feedback.
