Anthony Kim will make his first American start in 12 years this week when he competes at LIV Golf’s Miami event. In a taped interview released Tuesday, Kim shed some light on the “dark demons” he battled over that 12-year interstitial.
In an edited piece on LIV’s platform, Kim told LIV announcer David Feherty detailed what life has been like away from golf. He alluded to addiction issues, which doctors told him would not allow him to have children. Kim mentioned he had great times over the past decade but “literally doesn’t remember” any of those times. He didn’t play golf for years, only getting back into the game when his wife wanted to learn.
“Golf is important to me and not important to me at the same time,” Kim said. “I’ve had some very dark moments. I’ve had some very low moments. I felt very alone, even when there’s a million people around. I needed to get my mind on straight and figure out what my purpose was on this planet.”
Kim acknowledged the reported insurance policy that allegedly allowed him to collect $US10 million for not playing but said he wasn’t at liberty to disclose the matter.
“I know public perception is that I took this money and ran and decided I was just going to hang out,” Kim said. “That wasn’t the case at all. I had multiple, multiple surgeries in a few years. And my body is still not what it used to be.”
Kim said he had multiple surgeries to address some of the injuries that pushed him out of the PGA Tour in his prime. “Hand surgery, spinal fusion, but had a lot of injuries and a lot of surgeries. I think I’m actually hitting the ball farther now than when I left the game. So maybe some of this metal is helping.”
Kim said he was also the victim of “scam artists” and “snakes.”
“I was around some bad people,” Kim said. “People that took advantage of me – scam artists. And when you’re 24 or 25, even 30 years old, you don’t realise the snakes that are living under your roof. But through the grace of God, I’m here. I’m able to tell my story, hopefully inspire other people.”
The clubs Anthony Kim is using for his comeback blend a modern approach with a throwback mentality
Kim didn’t go much deeper, saying he was saving the rest of his story for a documentary he’s working on.
Kim made his LIV debut last month in Saudi Arabia, where he finished last by 11 shots. In two other starts he came in 50th out of 54 players at LIV’s Hong Kong stop and missed the cut at an Asian Tour start. Still, Kim – a three-time PGA Tour winner – says he can “absolutely” return to a high level again in golf.
“I have an interesting relationship with golf,” Kim said. “I don’t think I ever loved it. What’s very weird to me is I’m falling in love with the game. That’s such a weird spot for me because golf was filled with pressure. Golf was filled with lots of different emotions for me.
“I’m prepared more than ever for success,” he later added. “I don’t think in my first career I was because I didn’t know what to expect. It was my mistakes that are the reason that I fell down into this deep hole. Having better people around this time around definitely helps.”
