What could be the comeback of golf’s most well-known what-if tale of the twenty-first century?
The Golf Channel reports that Anthony Kim, the breakout star of the early 2010s on the PGA Tour, is almost certain to sign a contract to play for LIV Golf. Kim, 38, hasn’t participated in a professional competition since 2012; in fact, she hardly ever appears in public.
Following surgery in 2012 to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, Kim departed the game. Reports over the years suggest that he has remained out of action due to a $10 million insurance coverage that would become worthless if he entered the game again. However, $10 million is just the starting chip for LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed breakaway tour that, over the past two plus years, has thrown hundreds of millions at some of the best—and most colorful—players in the game.
Kim would be one of two “wild cards” who sign with LIV if he does not join any of the league’s thirteen four-man teams. On the LIV tour, wild cards have the opportunity to compete for solo titles and honors as well as the potential to eventually join a team.
Over the course of six Tour seasons, Kim won three PGA Tour events. However, his personality was what really made an influence on the game; he gave golf a party-boy swagger that appealed to a younger crowd just as Tiger Woods was losing his shine due to off-course scandals and on-course injuries. Kim has been spotted at different driving ranges every few years since he disappeared from the picture, which has sparked rumors that he may be getting ready to make a comeback, possibly this week.
Kim certainly have skill; his 11 birdies in a single round at the Masters in 2009 still stands as the record. It would be interesting to see how much of that skill is still there more than ten years later.
The next event for LIV is scheduled for next weekend in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the following week in Hong Kong.
Van Driel wins the Kenya Open after competitors shanked
On Sunday, Darius van Driel secured his first victory on the DP World Tour by winning the Magical Kenya Open.
Two of van Driel’s primary rivals, however, missed some spectacular shots.
First came Manuel Elvira, who tied with van Driel through four rounds and shared the lead with him after 54 holes. At Nairobi’s Muthaiga Golf Club, Elvira found the greenside bunker off the tee on the par-3 fifth hole. Elvira was faced with a straightforward shot from the sand, but she shanked it and ended up taking bogey.
Elvira would score 1-under 70 and come in three strokes behind at 11 under.
It was Connor Syme’s turn shortly after Elvira’s shank, maybe ten minutes later. When Syme lined up for his second shot at the par-5 seventh, he was only a stroke behind van Driel. On the shot, he would catch the hosel.