Two years ago, when Anthony Kim decided to return to public life and public golf, there were two guarantees: (1) He would get a bunch of starts no matter how he played, and (2) People would watch (at least at first) and comment.
Nothing was promised about his playing form as he approached his 40s. Little was revealed about his body shape or the injuries he sustained during his departure. The golf world had to wake up – and wake up early – for his first start, in Saudi Arabia and we look for ourselves. The results were not great.
But given all the context that would eventually come – how Kim had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction — The results also didn’t seem to matter much at first. Progress mattered. Until the guaranteed starts ran out, about five months ago.
Fast forward to last weekend and the first really important start of Kim’s second golf career. It was the first Q-school type event that Kim has entered since his return. The first time he started a calendar year not knowing how much golf pro was in his immediate future. But at the LIV Promotions event, which ended on Sunday, Kim outlasted a field of 78finishing lone third in a tournament where the last top-3 bookended a season’s worth of LIV starts.
If you are not aware of Kim’s journey, you can dive here. What we are here to discuss is: What to do with it? How impressive was this result? And what does it mean for his 2026?
Kim is now 40-41. Time is not on his side to compete with the Jon Rahms of the world at LIV Golf. Since Kim’s return, he has made 34 starts and shown that his drive is a weakness, just as he was to some degree when he was a PGA Tour winner. Kim also lacks the spectacle of his peers – his average driving distance of 293.5 yards in 2025 ranked 50th out of 54 LIV players – which is the fastest way to fall behind in modern golf.
However, he chips at a high level, right around the PGA Tour average. He also putsts well, just one level below the PGA Tour average. according to DataGolf. Also impressive! But to be a consistent, high-performing modern golfer, hitting the ball is everything. That’s the foundation that needs to be there – you see it in a lot of pros, who can only win when their shot heats up.
Basically, that’s what Kim has been. He’s been flying around the lower end of the LIV Golf leaderboards, occasionally showing up at, say, T29 when he makes it great over three days.
But then there is his final form. Without straining also hard, it’s clear to see legitimate progress. While playing in a handful of four-round events across Asia this fall, Kim missed just one cut and raised his floor. His worst rounds didn’t keep him out of tournaments like they used to, all of which led him to the PIF Saudi International in November – featuring many of LIV’s best players – where he tied for 5th place. It was his first time in serious competition for a tournament, and it seemed to be the first time he was really upset with a subpar score (70, in the final round).
That start was easy to miss — an off-season event in the Middle East — but it’s more important now that Kim backed it a month and a half later. With three more rounds of data from the LIV Promotions event, Kim has now completed the stroke-winning positive in consecutive tournaments for the first time since his return. These numbers are also True Strokes Gained for DataGolf, which have been adjusted to reflect the strength of the course. In other words, Kim’s performance would have done well anywhere in the world, which is important when you consider the caliber of players at LIV Promotions.
The event promises LIV starts to a season – likely as league “wild cards” – for the top three finishers. It was played amid threats of bans lobbied by the PGA Tour, which led to at least one initial competitor dropping out. It was filled with many players that golf fans are likely unfamiliar with, or haven’t heard of in a long time.
In total, the strength of the field was probably closer to that of a PGA Tour Americas than a Korn Ferry Tour event. However, they are professional players, some of whom have played LIV events, others of whom have played in major championships. For Kim to know what he had to do to qualify, and do itit is impressive. It was the first time that his current self had truly gained something that his former self hadn’t. And as with any Q-school type environment, the advancement already had Kim thinking about what might come next.
“This is just the first step,” he said, clearly hoping to send a message. “But I’m glad I won my spot, so everybody can stop talking s–t, and I’ll be back soon and winning golf tournaments soon.”
