Anthony Kim’s term with LIFE Golf it was as tough as he expected, especially after a 12-year competitive hiatus.
“I think the first year, I was just trying not to squeeze the ball,” Kim said at this week’s LIV Promotions event in Florida. “Obviously it was a few months into golf before I actually started playing my first event. So the expectations weren’t high, even though I know what I’m capable of. I think after two years of practice and playing competitive golf, I’m starting to find my footing.”
In two years at LIV, Kim had zero top-20 finishes and found himself demoted after this season. But the former World No. 6 showed good golf this fall, where he made three straight cuts on the Asian Tour, including a T5 at Saudi International. Kim arrived at this week’s LIV Promotions event hoping to win one of the three spots available in the breakaway league as he aims for a return to a place he hasn’t been in 15 years: a major championship.
“The goal is to get back to playing at the highest level,” Kim said. “I think when you play against major championship winners week in and week out, you’re bound to get better and it prepares you more for major championships. I’ve played in a few championships myself, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”
Kim was eliminated in the second round of LIV promotions event IN Black Diamond Farmbut had to hole out with a clutch putt on the 18th hole to secure his place at the weekend.
That putt gave life to Kim as he shoots one of the three spots available in the Saudi-backed breakaway league, but the 40-year-old was quick to point out that a place in LIV, or any league, is not the end-all, be-all for him after a tumultuous life in and out of golf.
“I played a lot of golf,” Kim said. “My perspective on life has changed. My perspective on golf has changed. Obviously, it would be a great feeling to go back to LIV and qualify. But that’s not the only thing I have left. I have a lot of things I want to do in the future. Be competitive in golf, but there’s a lot more to life than golf. I’m looking forward to playing my best in the next two years.”
The scores reset after round 2, giving Kim a fresh start to make his move to a new life at LIV. He shot a third-round 66, putting him at four under and in a tie for second place along with South Africa’s Oliver Bekker and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond.
A shot behind is a former DP World Tour winner who, like Kim, has gone from rising star to golf footnote in Lucas Bjerregaard.
The 34-year-old Bjerregaard was a star amateur before winning the Portuguese Masters in 2017. In 2018, Bjerregaard beat Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. That year, he reached No. 42 in the Official World Golf Ranking and earned top-25 finishes at the Masters, PGA and Open Championships. The following season, Bjerregaard defeated Tiger Woods in the WGC-Dell Technologies match.
But Bjerregaard has fallen out of form, has dealt with back injuries and is now ranked 468th in the world. But he believes LIV could be just what he needs as he tries to get back in top shape while in another phase of his life.
“These last few years have definitely been difficult for me and the family,” said Bjerregaard, via LIV Golf. “My relationship with the game is probably a little different now than it used to be.
“The last three or four years, after not playing very well and not trying, it’s been a lot of traveling and feeling very alone in hotel rooms and stuff, and LIV seems to be the opposite of that. So that’s very appealing to me.”
Three spots at LIV will be on the line Sunday at Black Diamond Ranch. For leader Richard T. Lee and other workers, 18 holes can change everything.
For Kim and Bjerregaard, 18 holes is just the next step in their respective golfing comebacks, regardless of the outcome.
