Anthony Kim breaks silence on LIV Golf move following shock return after 12 years

Former PGA Tour star Anthony Kim has shed light on his decision to join LIV Golf, marking a surprising return to the sport after a 12-year hiatus.

Kim made a name for himself in the late 2000s as one of golf's most promising professionals, securing victories on the PGA Tour and earning a spot on the U. S. Ryder Cup team . However, a series of injuries in 2012 led him to retreat from the golfing world and public life.

His last competitive appearance before his comeback this year was at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship, where he had to withdraw. This marked Kim's third consecutive withdrawal and seemed to signal the end of his playing career.

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However, more than a decade later, the 38-year-old stunned the sports world when it was announced that he had partnered with Greg Norman and co to become one of LIV's two wildcards for the 2024 season. He made his first start in Jeddah in March and has been competing in the breakaway league ever since.

Ahead of the LIV Golf event at JCB Country and Golf Club this week, Anthony Kim revealed why he chose to return to golf via the Saudi-backed league. "I had three options; it was the PGA Tour, play here [LIV] or not play golf at all and all three had an equal shot," he shared on LIV's Fairway to Heaven podcast.

"After a few conversations with LIV and the PGA Tour, I was leaning towards not playing again, but my wife was like 'who is ever going to get this opportunity again'. I had financial benefits from both sides, that's no secret. I had different sponsorship opportunities whether I played the PGA or LIV and I still have different opportunities.

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"I've turned down more opportunities than I've accepted, sponsorship wise, because I didn't agree that they fit where I'm trying to go with my life. Was there offers to be sponsored and have logos on me and male life-changing money? Yes, but I haven't accepted those because if I endorse something, I want the people who follow me to say, 'Anthony really believes in this'."

However, Kim's return to competitive golf hasn't been without its challenges. Currently, he sits at the bottom of LIV's season-long standings, having failed to score any points in the seven events he has participated in since joining the league this year.

Kim has managed to crack the top 50 three times out of a field of 54 players in each event, all these achievements coming in his last three events. His best performance this season was in Nashville where he tied for 46th place.

Surrounding this achievement, he finished tied-48th in Houston last month and tied-48th at Real Club Valderrama in his most recent game two weeks ago.