Major governing body denies audacious claim made by LIV Golf pro

The USGA has responded after Anthony Kim claimed he was denied entry to the U.S. Amateur as he mulled what to do before ultimately deciding to join LIV Golf. 

Kim made the claim in the most recent edition of the bunkered podcast. 

The golfer told the podcast that before he even considered joining the Saudi-backed breakaway or resuming his PGA Tour career his wife Emily put the idea in his head of possibly playing The Masters again. 

At the time, Kim thought the only way he could do that was by getting his amateur status back. 

He told the pod: "I actually tried to get my amateur status back, or talked about getting my amateur status back, right before LIV and the PGA [Tour] called.

"My wife was out golfing and I was sitting in the cart. I hit a good shot, and she said, ‘How cool would it be if you played in The Masters again?’

"The only way I thought I could do that was by competing at the U.S. Amateur.

"I called my old agent but the USGA said no. That was something I thought would be pretty cool for my daughter to see. 

"I definitely will be trying to qualify for some majors next and I'm looking forward to it."

The USGA has now responded. 

An official told bunkered's deputy editor Michael McEwan: "The USGA has no record of a formal application for reinstatement or inquiry from Anthony Kim but has reached out to his team to discuss this matter further."

Kim's best performance at Augusta National came in 2010 when he finished third. 

At the 2009 Masters, Kim set the record for most birdies in a round with 11 in the second round. 

He still holds the record. 

Kim ended a 12-year exile from the game earlier this year when he joined LIV on a one-year deal. 

The 39-year-old does not play for a team in the league and is playing as one of their two wild cards. 

Kim has had a tough time on the course since his return but that is not through lack of effort. 

On social media, Kim regularly posts updates that reveal how hard he is trying to improve at this stage of his career. 

After nine events played, Kim didn't register a finish inside the top 40. 

But over the weekend, Kim carded rounds of 69-70-65 to finish 36th at the Greenbrier. 

It represented his best finish on the circuit to date. 

Brooks Koepka claimed the title, defeating Jon Rahm in a playoff in West Virginia. 

Koepka, 34, told reporters after his fifth victory on the breakaway that he still views his 2024 season as a failure given how poor he has performed in the major championships. 

Read more about that here:

As for Kim, he is yet to reveal what happens when his contract expires. 

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