Unveling Anthony Kim’s Major Aim Behind Breaking 12-Years Hiatus

Anthony Kim could’ve booked a flight home from Fanling. He was done with the first two events of his LIV Golf debut. Kim could’ve signed off with a nice 5-under 65 in Hong Kong before throwing himself headlong into fanfare on home soil. Instead, the 38-year-old decided to add another event to his calendar: his third consecutive week of professional golf after a 12-year hiatus. 

Kim crossed the South China Sea to tee off at the Macau Golf and Country Club. Although his toil at the Asian Tour International Series Macau didn’t yield favorable results—Kim carded 4-over 74 and even par on the first two rounds to crash out—his effort drew enough eyeballs. Kim’s reappearance is still shrouded in mystery. Neither his employer nor the man himself revealed much. But there are reasons to believe there might be more to it than meets the eye. 

Does Anthony Kim have a grander plan?

Family was one of the big reasons for joining LIV Golf for many former PGA Tour pros. Kim is no exception there. “The biggest attraction of LIV Golf is being able to spend time with my family. It was also attractive to have the opportunity to win a golf tournament while playing the best golf course with the best members,” Kim said in Hong Kong. But is that the only reason why he decided to come back to the game, from where he walked away 12 years ago?

Not at all. “I want to be remembered as someone who played aggressively and did his best to win,” the 38-year-old told Kim Jihan of Maeil Business in Hong Kong. Anthony Kim has chosen to debut at the LIV Golf, but not just for paycheck and fun. In fact, Kim heading to the Asian Tour International Series in Macau hints that the 38-year-old might very well be on the hunt for OWGR points required for Majors.

While that might look like an impossible climb—Kim’s world rank is the same as yours or mine—he might not have to move up to the top 100 in the world golf ranking but play just good enough outside LIV Golf for major organizers to consider him for a spot. Joaquin Niemann earned an invite to the Masters and the PGA Championship on the back of his sparkling results outside the PIF-funded side. 

David Puig earned his Open Championship spot on the back of his Malaysian Open victory. So did Dean Burmester after the JoBurg Open triumph. There is no reason for Kim not to take a shot, as long as an alternate door opens up. On that part as well, his LIV Golf boss might come to his aid.

Kim’s and Greg Norman’s plans align

Greg Norman decided it was about time to end LIV Golf’s OWGR bid. Instead, the Great White Shark put the onus on the major organizers to find a way to include LIV golfers as well. Without world ranking points, LIV Golf Pros have been in a freefall, making it harder for the PGA, R&A, USGA, and Augusta National to assemble a field of the top players in the world. While bigwigs at LIV are still exempt courtesy of their past forms, that will eventually run out.

Read More: Despite Anthony Kim’s Arduous Attempt to Revive His Career, He Will Not Catch Up to Tiger Woods Soon

Furthermore, LIV golfers’, especially Joaquin Niemann’s, spectacular performance, coupled with Brooks Koepka’s fiery show at the Masters & PGA Championship, have bolstered Norman’s hope that the major organizers at some point have to recognize LIV players separately. That, though it might take time, can be feasible as the Tour and LIV Golf are set to reach an agreement, ending the feud that created this quandary in the first place. Nevertheless, if anything, Norman’s bold step proves that LIV Golf is willing to wait and watch. They are here for the long haul.

And so is Anthony Kim. The three-time PGA Tour winner said, “My goal is to win the golf tournament… I’m going to play to win every competition. I think I will probably win the golf tournament in about six months.” Further signs of that ‘aggressive mentality’ were also evident after Jeddah. “Life is not a sprint, but a marathon,” wrote Kim on his SNS. 

Anthony Kim missed the cut at his last major, the 2011 PGA Championship. But before that, the three-time PGA Tour winner knocked off a T5 at the Open Championship. Kim’s best performance came in the 2010 Masters, however. The former PGA Tour pro fluttered 10 birdies to set a course record that still stands today.

Kim, already dubbed the next Tiger Woods at a young age, has unfinished business at the Majors. By 2012, the former PGA Tour Pro raked in three titles to his name and thrashed Sergio Garcia in the Ryder Cup. Before that, he had already blazed a red-hot trail at the Presidents Cup. The only remaining grand stage where Kim has yet to etch his name is the Majors.

Read More: ‘Not a Member’: Jay Monahan Reveals Anthony Kim’s PGA Tour Chances, Hints at a Non-Privilege Return