12 whole years. That’s how long Anthony Kim was away from golf. The American star bid farewell to the golf world in 2012. Well, it’s more like he disappeared without a trace. His hiatus started due to an Achilles injury. It was supposed to last a year, however, Kim’s fans had to wait for over a decade to see him grace the greens again, which happened when he joined LIV Golf earlier this year.

The injury forced Kim to leave the PGA Tour and the sport altogether at a time when he was at his peak. However, now he holds no grudge. In fact, he’s grateful for that time, and to Jay Monahan’s PGA Tour for without them, he would never have achieved one of his greatest feats-supporting his mother. It was the money he made during his prime that helped him do so.

In a recent video on LIV Golf’s YouTube channel, Anthony Kim shared that playing all those years ago on the Jay Monahan-led circuit had helped him retire his home, and support his mom. He even claimed that that was precisely his “main goal” and the reason he had played golf professionally. Kim’s first win on the PGA Tour in 2008 at the Wachovia Championship had which fetched him a whopping $1.2 million. His second victory at the Tour had come a couple of months later at AT&T National, where he walked away with a $1.08 million check. In total, since he first started played on the PGA Tour, Anthony Kim made $12,206,409.

Apart from helping him let his mom retire, the three-time PGA Tour winner also made a name for himself. A feat he can be more than proud of. At one point back then Kim was even perceived as the next Tiger Woods. Did he return after all this time then to fulfill that destiny? Far from it.

In the interview, Kim revealed that he had no plans to the greens despite “a few conversations with LIV and with the PGA Tour.” However, his wife convinced him to return when LIV came knocking. She claimed that it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

How has Anthony Kim fared since returning to golf?

A withdrawal at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship during the first round marked the beginning of the end for Kim. He had surgery scheduled for his left Achilles tendon the following month. The surgeries did not stop there as he had his hand and shoulder operated on and even underwent a spinal fusion procedure.

After battling with injuries and his demons for twelve long years, Anthony Kim made his return to golf earlier this year. He swung his clubs professionally for the first time at the LIV Golf Jeddah. However, it was far from memorable. The 39-year-old finished 53 with a score of 16 over. In the next four events, similar results followed as he finished between 50th and 60th positions.

At LIV Golf Houston, the pro finally broke into the top 50, tying for 48th place. In the next two events too he found similar endings, T46 (LIV Golf Nashville) and T49 (LIV Golf Andalucia). It seems like slowly but surely, Kim is getting better. Maybe by the end of this year, he may even find a top-25 finish at LIV? One can only wait and see.