Confirmed: Greg Norman announces Anthony Kim (!) has joined LIV Golf
LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman has confirmed Anthony Kim will make a return to the game after 12 years with the breakaway tour in Saudi Arabia.
Greg Norman has confirmed Anthony Kim has decided to make a sensational return to the game with LIV Golf.
Norman announced the news on 26 February, four days before Kim will make his first start on the breakaway tour in Jeddah as a wildcard.
That means Kim has not been assigned a team but will compete in the $25m prize purse event in Saudi Arabia as an individual.
Norman announced Kim's signing on X along with a hype video featuring Kim."He oozes incredible talent," wrote Norman.
He added: "The world has seen it in the past and now it is an honour as commissioner of LIV Golf to give the opportunity for this star to be reborn.
"Welcome back and to the LIV Golf family mate. The golf world has missed you."
Watch AK's intro video:
He oozes incredible talent. The world has seen it in the past and now it is an honour as Commissioner of LIV Golf to give the opportunity for this star to be reborn. Welcome back and to the LIV Golf family mate. The golf world has missed you. pic.twitter.com/WurNOUkVmw
— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) February 26, 2024
Kim was an electric talent in his junior years. He won three times on the PGA Tour and starred in the Ryder Cup for the U.S. at Valhalla in 2008.
That included leading Paul Azinger's side in the Sunday singles and obliterating Europe's record points scorer Sergio Garcia 5&4.
But he disappeared from the game completely and hasn't played in a professional golf event for more than 12 years.
There have been fleeting appearances of Kim over the years and infrequent swing update videos published across social media.
The infrequent swing updates has led to intense speculation that he was eyeing up a return to the game.
What followed was absolutely nothing and with each passing year his legend has grown. He is now 38 years old.
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He has been described as golf's Yeti and most famous recluse, a man of mystery and one of the biggest 'what-ifs'.
It was expected he was going to rise to superstardom just like Tiger Woods.
The widely assumed explanation is that Kim cashed in on an insurance policy worth $15-20m after struggling with injuries.
Had he continued his career on the PGA Tour that would have been voided. It has also been speculated he didn't enjoy Tour life.
Kim signing for LIV is not a surprise.
In recent days there have been multiple reports suggesting the deal was finalised.
FlushingIt reported:
It's also worth noting the same account broke the news that LIV's biggest signing to date, Jon Rahm, had decided to join the breakaway.
Other news outlets also carried similar stories about Kim.
GOLF published an in-depth article on 25 January that carried the headlined: "Anthony Kim plotting return to pro golf after decade-long disappearance."
That report claimed Kim had been in discussions about returning to the PGA Tour or LIV Golf
"He's been playing more golf. He’s been ramping up workouts," Dylan Dethier reported.
"He's confident in his game. That part, people say, definitely hasn't changed. Now, it's just a matter of where he makes his return."
Hopefully now we can get some answers to questions like: Where did Kim go? Why did he walk away? What has he been doing?
Perhaps most importantly, can he still play?
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Ben joined GolfMagic as Content Executive in September 2021 just before the Ryder Cup and has contributed significantly to the growth of the site. Ben now assumes our Content Manager role, specialising in PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf content.
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