03 March 2024 , 17:12
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Anthony Kim believes he will soon be in contention at LIV Golf events despite a chastening debut on the breakaway tour this weekend.
The tournament in Saudi Arabia was the first time the former world number six had played a professional tournament in 12 years. He was once the rising star on the PGA Tour and drew comparisons to Tiger Woods, winning three times before his 25th birthday.
Kim's comeback at Royal Greens in Jeddah generated huge hype, but he delivered a hugely underwhelming performance over the three days, finishing dead last at 16-over-par, 11 shots worse than anyone in the 54-man field who completed all three rounds.
Kim's opening round on Friday was particularly chastening, carding a six-over-par 76, which included a brutal shank and an ugly top, which LIV commissioner Greg Norman would later blame on a low-flying drone being used for the broadcast.
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Kim, a 2008 Ryder Cup winner with the United States, could not escape the reality of his brutal return to professional golf, but he believes better results are ahead once he shakes off the rust.
“Obviously it was a rough week," he said. "I'm excited to be playing professional golf again, I feel very blessed to have this opportunity. I've got a lot to work on but I had a lot of good things go my way this week, so I'm looking forward to working on that and being in contention, for sure.
Kim finished dead last in Jeddah (Francois Nel/Getty Images)“I definitely hit the ball well. I'm doing a lot of things well, I know the scores don't reflect that and it's disappointing to score that way. But at the same time I know I have a lot to build on and I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.
“I'm very encouraged. I'm excited about what's coming. My game is starting to shape up. I'm doing things that I used to do before. I'm just looking forward to a great year.”
Kim's last appearance on the PGA Tour came in May 2012, withdrawing from the Wells Fargo Championship through injury in the first round. He has surgery the following month to repair a ruptured Achilles, and he stepped away from the public eye.
He had a medical exemption to return to the PGA Tour the following season, but Kim became one of golf's great mysteries, with Golf Channel reporting in 2014 that he had stopped playing golf altogether. It has been widely speculated since that Kim was receiving payments from a lucrative insurance policy, which was said to be deterring him from returning to competitive golf.
But with his place on LIV secured for the rest of the season, Kim is pleased with how far he has come and he was happy to share the moment with his family. He added: ”It means everything, I wouldn't be here without them. I feel so extremely blessed that I have this opportunity to create memories with my family. This experience is amazing, everyone at LIV has been first-class and I'm honoured to be a part of this organisation. I'm looking forward to representing them well.”