Anthony Kim hints how long his comeback will last after finishing dead last on LIV Golf debut
Anthony Kim has revealed he plans to be part of LIV Golf “for a long time” after marking his first competitive round of golf by finishing dead last on the leaderboard.
Kim abruptly ended his golf career during the Wells Fargo Championship 12 years ago having been beset by injuries.
He vanished from the public eye having enjoyed a whirlwind start to his professional career, which included three PGA Tour titles.
But LIV tempted him out of retirement last month by signing Kim as a wild card for the remainder of the season.
He doesn’t belong to any team, but Kim will feature in the remaining 10 events and made his debut in Jeddah this week.
Anthony Kim plans to be around for a “long time”
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Nobody knew what to fully expect from Kim, who turns 39 years of age in the summer.
But expectations were never going to be sky high for someone who hasn’t played competitive golf in over decade – no matter how talented they are.
Unsurprisingly, he finished bottom of the leaderboard after the first round on Friday after shooting a six-over par round.
Kim bogeyed his first hole on the par-five 18th and a shank followed a few holes later on the fifth.
The enigmatic American was also lacking distance compared to playing partner Cameron Smith with some of Kim’s drives only carrying around 250 yards.
Kim expects to get better as time goes on, but even he expected to do better than he did on the first round.
He said: “I would be lying to say that I didn’t have certain expectations.
“At least even if I played bad, I thought I would shoot around par.
“It was unfortunate that I made so many unforced errors from the middle of the fairway.
“That’s generally my strength is my iron game. To make so many unforced errors is really disappointing.
“I’ve got a lot to build on, and I’m looking forward to the next two days.”
Anthony Kim is confident he will improve
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Kim isn’t currently looking to compare himself to others on the LIV tour for the time being.
He added: “I’m just focused on trying to hit good shots as opposed to comparing my game to other people.
“I think that will come over the next few tournaments. But right now, I’m just trying to take it one shot at a time, as cliche as that is.”
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Anthony Kim is signed up for the full year
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However, Kim also revealed that he plans to stick around for the long haul and his comeback with LIV is no flash in the pan.
“Obviously it puts a little damper on things when you don’t play well, but as far as the experience that we’ve had and the people that are here helping us, it’s been amazing.
“Never felt anything like it, and I’m so excited to be a part of this. Look forward to being a part of this for a long time.”
