Anthony Kim is making an unexpected return to professional golf. Kim, who hasn’t played since 2012, announced on Wednesday that he will join LIV Golf and participate in the league’s 2024 events.
Kim will make his LIV debut at the LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah on Friday and play out the rest of the season as a wild-card player.
Kim underwent Achilles tendon surgery in 2012 and was initially projected to miss between eight and 12 months. However, his recovery took longer than expected, and he remained away from golf, saying on multiple occasions that he wasn’t “ready” to play again. Reportedly, one of the reasons he was reluctant to come back was an insurance policy that would see him collect between $10 and $20 million in case of a career-ending injury.
Kim became a professional in 2006 and has three PGA Tour wins and a Kiwi Challenge win on his resume. His best results in major championships were third place at the Masters in 2010 and fifth place at The Open Championship in 2011. He was at one point ranked at No.6 on World Rankings.
“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,” Kim said in a statement after his comeback was made official. “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very grateful for all the highs, lows and lessons learned from the first part of my career. 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.”
