Staff WriterAnthony Kim was once the talk of the PGA Tour—youthful, fearless, and seemingly destined for the top.
In a dramatic twist, he vanished in 2012, only to reappear more than a decade later as LIV Golf’s newest headliner.
His name, once plastered on flashy belt buckles and leaderboard tops, is now stirring conversations across the golf world once again.
So why did this charismatic talent walk away from the game at his peak?
Did LIV Golf actually hand him a jaw-dropping contract? And, after multiple surgeries that sidelined him for 12 long years, is he really back in action for good?
Pull up a chair and let’s unravel this comeback story—no caddie bib required.
“Dance of Redemption” might be the best tagline for Anthony Kim’s re-entry onto the professional stage.
In early 2024, LIV Golf announced that he would return in Saudi Arabia at LIV Golf Jeddah—his first professional event since 2012.
As Kim put it himself, “After stepping away from the game years ago due to injury, I’m happy to officially announce my return to the world of professional golf… I want to compete with the best players in the world, and I’m on a mission to prove to myself that I can win again.”
With those words, the golf community knew this was more than a cameo; it was a heartfelt comeback bid.
Why He Walked Away
A lot of folks still scratch their heads wondering why Kim disappeared at the height of his powers. The short answer? Injuries piled up faster than triple bogeys on a windy Sunday at Augusta.
It started with an Achilles tendon blowout in 2012, followed by a few more devastating setbacks: “I’ve had multiple shoulder surgeries, hand surgery, [and] spinal fusion… a lot of injuries and a lot of surgeries,” he admitted.
To make matters worse, the mental toll was just as brutal. “The last memories I have of playing golf are not fun.
It was injury, struggle, addiction, depression, mental illness,” Kim said, underscoring how dark things got.
Combine that with talk of a lucrative disability insurance policy—reportedly paying him eight figures if he stayed off the course—and you can see why rumours ran wild that he might never swing a club in competition again.
Speaking to Golf.com Kim himself insists that money wasn’t the real reason. “I had multiple, multiple surgeries in a few years.
And my body still isn’t what it used to be,” he explained to Dead Spin. “Golf is important to me and not important to me at the same time,” he once mused., describing how the game he loved had also become a source of profound frustration.
Kim also confessed that during his absence, “I was around some bad people… people that took advantage of me – scam artists… you don’t realise the snakes that are living under your roof.”
Faced with a broken body and messy personal life, he decided to disappear completely, becoming “golf’s unicorn” in the process.
How LIV Golf Lured Him Back
Fast-forward to 2024, and a different version of Kim emerged—still sporting that trademark swagger but armed with a healthier mindset.
“Sobriety will be my greatest individual achievement because without it I can’t be who I want to be for my loved ones… Excited for the 2025 season. 1% better.
Lessgo,” he later wrote, hinting that renewed personal stability was the driving force behind his return.
As for how much LIV Golf paid Anthony Kim, rumours were swirling after a tweet claimed he had signed for $100 million.
Kim found that hilarious telling Golf Monthly: “I didn’t even have golf clothes and people are asking if I’ve just signed for $100 million.”
I love the people who are saying “it’s too bad Anthony Kim is playing on LIV, so I’m not gonna watch him play.”
— Tour Pro 🏌️♂️ (@OfficialTourPro) February 26, 2024
If you were a true fan of the guy back in the day, then where he plays shouldn’t matter. Just be happy we are getting to see him competing again.
Whether there’s any truth to that figure remains a secret tucked away in boardrooms and bank accounts.
But Greg Norman, at that time LIV Golf’s CEO, certainly opened the door wide: “When I think of Anthony Kim, I can’t imagine a more perfect fit for what we’re trying to do,” Norman said.
“We are thrilled to welcome him back to professional golf with our league… The golf world has missed you.”
Still, Kim was torn about returning at all—caught between trying the PGA Tour again, siding with LIV, or quitting golf forever.
Family pushed him off the fence. His wife, Emily, delivered a swift kick of reality: “Who’s ever going to get this opportunity again? …Do it for your daughter.”
That was all the motivation Kim needed. With thoughts of his child cheering him on, he joined LIV Golf’s season-long roster spot and stepped back onto the fairway, calling it an “unorthodox new circuit” that offered a chance to bring his family along for the ride.
Immediate Reaction
Social media lit up the moment his comeback became official. One fan commented, “If you were a true fan of [Anthony Kim] back in the day, then where he plays shouldn’t matter. Just be happy we are getting to see him competing again.”
Anthony Kim is back. If is what golf needs we will see but it will be exciting to see if he is as good as how he was… https://t.co/xSjSjbirCB
— Pablo Larrazabal (@plarrazabal) February 26, 2024
Fellow pros also weighed in. Pablo Larrazábal quipped, “Anthony Kim is back… it will be exciting to see if he is as good as he was,” while Sir Nick Faldo joked about whether Kim could now shape the ball on command after such a long layoff.
After 12 years off, I wonder if he can now intentionally hit a fade or a draw? I’ve got a good story on that.
— Sir Nick Faldo (@NickFaldo006) March 13, 2025
The consensus? He might be rusty, but everyone was thrilled to see the old spark in his eyes.
Surgery and the Long Road to Recovery
For anyone asking, “What did Anthony Kim have surgery on?” the list reads like a med school final exam—Achilles tendon, shoulder, hand, and even a spinal fusion in his back.
Add some personal demons and a rumoured eight-figure insurance payout into the mix, and you start to understand just how complicated his path back to the range must have been.
“My body still isn’t what it used to be,” he said multiple times, emphasising that he’s battling more than just the yips.
Is He Still Playing Golf?
Yes, indeed—Kim is swinging clubs again, courtesy of LIV Golf. His first official event in early 2024 was LIV Golf Jeddah, and though he posted a finish near the bottom of the leaderboard, the fact he completed 54 holes was a statement in itself.
Over the season, he chipped away at the rust, eventually sprinkling in a few under-par rounds.
“We won’t know how his game looks until he tees it up… the odds are stacked so heavily against him,” one analyst said before that debut.
But you only get so many second chances in life, and Anthony Kim seems determined to make the most of this one.
True to his flair for the dramatic, Kim’s presence electrifies LIV Golf. Even if he’s not yet racking up trophies, the intrigue of a fan-favourite returning from the wilderness is a storyline tailor-made for the league’s bolder, showier format.
“The people & environment you choose has a direct effect on your own energy,” Kim wrote, reminding us that these days, his circle is a lot tighter than it used to be.
In February 2025, LIV Golf announced he’d be sticking around for another season, fueling talk that his best golf might still be ahead of him.
No one can predict how many birdies or bogeys lie on this particular comeback trail.
For those who rooted for him back when he was a swaggering 22-year-old phenom, seeing him tee it up anywhere—PGA Tour, LIV Golf, or the local muni—feels a bit like destiny fulfilled.
From my perch, I’d say the real joy is simply having him back in the conversation and lighting a spark under the game.
Here’s hoping the comeback has only just begun.
