KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, SAUDI ARABIA | Anthony Kim divided opinions last week with his comeback on LIV Golf and the state of his game, but the man himself was convinced that he saw enough progress here to get excited about his second innings.
The 38-year-old American, winner of three PGA Tour titles by the time he turned 25 and widely considered one of the most talented players of the time, mysteriously disappeared from the scene at age 26. He was trying to recuperate from a damaged Achilles tendon in his left leg, coupled with wrist and back injuries.
A popular theory that’s done the rounds is that Kim had a big insurance policy if he were unable to play professional golf for a certain number of years.
For years, Kim was the mystery man of golf, rarely sighted, but often talked about for his brilliance, bravado and swagger.
He finally resurfaced this year, persuaded by CEO Greg Norman and LIV Golf to become a part of the league as a wildcard.
On Sunday, he finished 53rd and rank-last at LIV Golf Jeddah in a field of 54 (Matthew Wolff had pulled out in the second round feeling sick) with a score of 16-over. That was 11 shots behind the 52nd-placed Hudson Swafford, and 33 adrift of champion Joaquín Niemann.
Of the 226 shots Kim hit, one stood out as special and came late in his final round. His penultimate hole of the championship was the par-4 13th, the toughest at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, with water all along the right side of the fairway. Kim smashed his drive way left into the desert, and his line to the green was impeded by palm trees.
“If I can just figure a way to get my mind right before I get out there, I think I will be in better shape.”
Anthony Kim
Chipping out sideways seemed to be the best option, but there was a glimpse of the old Kim as he muscled a 6-iron, hitting a high hook above water and bringing it back to the heart of the green. It was a gutsy shot that the Kim of 2010 surely would have attempted, but not many others.
That moment of magic apart, 12 years of competitive rust was very evident. Kim still needs to put in a lot of work into the game, and also get comfortable in the environment.
There was a common theme to his rounds: He was having starting trouble.
In Friday’s opening round, Kim started with a wonderful tee shot straight down the middle of the 18th hole. He then proceeded to top his second shot. A few holes later, he shanked his second, once again after a superb tee shot.
On Saturday, he was 5-over after his first four holes, before finishing with 11 straight pars.
On Sunday, he was 4-over after four holes and finished on 4-over 74, his best round of the tournament.
“Unfortunately, it’s still taking me a few holes to get comfortable. I think most of my over-par scores are the first six holes. If I can just figure a way to get my mind right before I get out there, I think I will be in better shape,” Kim said after his final round.
“It was a rough week, but I’m excited to be playing professional golf again. I feel very blessed that I have this opportunity. I’ve got a lot to work on, but I had a lot of good things go my way this week. So, I’m looking forward to building on that and being in contention at some point this year.”
Having taken a punt on Kim, Norman said more than his early scores, it was important that a generational talent such as Kim starts enjoying competing again.
“I wanted him to know we had interest in re-igniting him and bringing his passion and belief in the game of golf back out,” Norman said on the TV broadcast.
“AK will find himself in a better place. Not this first round, not the second round, not the second tournament, but when he starts feeling comfortable in himself, the talent will start oozing out.”
LIV players, several of whom had witnessed Kim in his prime, were happy to have him back.
Louis Oosthuizen, widely regarded as the man with one of the finest swings in the game and the 2010 Open champion, liked what he saw at the range.
“A player like Kim needs to be given an opportunity like this,” Oosthuizen said. “It is good for the game because so many fans wanted him back.
“I watched him at the driving range, and the swing looks pretty much the same as earlier. His speeds seem to be good. Look, he is back after 12 years. It will take some time for him to settle down and play like the old Anthony Kim.”
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson welcomed Kim’s signing and said: “LIV Golf certainly has some of the greatest players in the sport, but more importantly, it has most of the greatest characters in golf.”
And 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson added: “He is just 38, which is not terribly old in golf. We know what he is capable of. I’d give him a few months before starting to judge him.”
Kim will get another chance right away as LIV Golf plays this week in Hong Kong.
E-MAIL JOY
Top: Anthony Kim places dead last among competitors who finished LIV Golf Jeddah.
FRANCOIS nEL, GETTY IMAGES