Anthony Kim is making a dramatic return to competitive action after a 12-year hiatus from the game at this week’s LIV Golf Jeddah tournament.
Kim’s early career saw him quickly emerge as one of the games hottest properties, before injury led to his long absence over the ensuing years.
Given the swaggering nature of his youth and the huge potential he showed with three PGA Tour wins, it is inevitable there will be questions over what his long-awaited comeback means for his career, as well as his opinions on the current state of the game and much more.
Here are seven of the most pressing questions ahead of the American’s long-awaited return at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
How Is His Game?
When Kim underwent surgery on an injured Achilles tendon back in 2012, few would have predicted it would be a dozen years until we saw him in action again.
Before injury curtailed his career, the American had quickly built a reputation as one of the game’s most exciting prospects. The undeniable proof of his ability was in his results, which included three PGA Tour wins in two years, three top-10 Major finishes and playing a pivotal role in Team USA’s victory at the 2008 Ryder Cup.
Kim’s aggressive way of playing also saw him stand out as one of the great talents of his generation, as evidenced by his record-setting 11 birdies during the second round of the 2009 Masters at Augusta National.
However, back when he had surgery, Kim was still in his mid-20s, whereas now he’s knocking on the door of 40. The build-up to his comeback included a video demonstrating that his instantly recognizable swing of old is intact, but will his game pick up where it left off? Indeed, does the attack-minded Kim still even exist, or will he settle into a more measured way of playing?
Will He Get A Press Conference To Explain His Return?
Kim’s long absence from the game has led to him becoming one of its great enigmas in recent years and questions have been raised throughout his hiatus as to what kept him away for so long, with reports that he had effectively chosen to retire from the sport to cash in on a $10m insurance payout.
So, will he finally have the chance to offer his side of the story and explain why now is the time to return to competitive action, or will he simply let his game do the talking?
What Clubs Will He Use?
In his early career, Kim had been a Nike staffer, wearing its apparel and using its equipment, but the video of him practising his swing appeared to show him using a Titleist driver.
Does that mean we can expect a player who was once a Nike stalwart opt for a different club manufacturer for the second phase of his career?
Who Will His Caddie Be?
Among Kim’s caddies in the first part of his career were Scott Gneiser, Eric Larson and Brodie Flanders, but it’s a quote from Gneiser that perhaps sums up being a bagman for Kim might entail.
Gneiser explained in a podcast on The Caddie Network that his partnership with Kim ended due to the entourage the player had around him. He explained: “I kinda quit him, which felt like quitting the next Tiger Woods. I didn’t like it. I think it was more the people around him than it was Anthony.
“He was a young kid and liked to get into other things and have fun and partying, so it was kind of uncomfortable out there with him and all those people around him.”
Whoever caddies for Kim in 2024 will surely have to come to terms with similar attention, at least to begin with. Who that will be is still anyone’s guess.
Is He Back For Good?
It is anticipated that Kim’s appearance at LIV Golf Jeddah won’t be a one-off and that he will retain wildcard status in the League for the remainder of the season, but what does the long-term future hold?
Much will surely depend on his form. If Kim makes a triumphant comeback and proves he can still compete at the top level, what’s to say this isn’t the start of a long spell back in the spotlight? After all, despite now being 38, he still potentially has many good years left in the game.
Of course, if it goes the other way and Kim fails to recreate the form of his earlier years, maybe come the end of the 2024 season it will be a case of “better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.”
For now, perhaps the best strategy is simply to enjoy the fact he’s returning at all and wait for time to dictate whether we'll see him in action beyond this year.
Does He Want To Return To The PGA Tour?
While LIV Golf has offered Kim a route back to the game, it’s on the PGA Tour where he made his name.
If he does plan on reviving his career for the long term, questions will surely be asked about where he ultimately sees his future.
That could be particularly pressing considering that he’ll find it difficult to climb the world rankings as long as LIV Golf can’t offer the points. That would also leave his ability to qualify for the Majors limited.
A return to the PGA Tour at some point would take care of that problem, but is that even something Kim feels he needs to go back to?
What’s His Take On The State Of The Game?
Much has changed at the top of the game since Kim last played competitively, with the emergence of LIV Golf, in particular, ensuring it has rarely been more fractured.
While talks are ongoing between the Saudi Public Investment Fund that bankrolls LIV Golf and the PGA Tour on a plan to move forward together, the outcome remains far from certain.
Given Kim’s self-confidence, he is unlikely to be short of an opinion on the current state of the game, particularly now he has become one of LIV Golf’s most intriguing acquisitions.
It will be interesting to find out exactly what Kim thinks the future of the game looks like.
