Anthony Kim Knocks Some Rust Off

With long hair spilling out of his white hat decorated with a LIV logo and the ace of spades, Anthony Kim stepped in for his first competitive tee shot in nearly 12 years. There were hints of the swag that made many of us AK fans in the early 2000s. He wore untied Nike tennis shoes, and his white golf shirt was barely tucked in. Kim’s wild card status for the 2024 season might be the perfect description of the man himself.

In one of the most anticipated tee shots in the short history of LIV, Kim striped one down the middle on the par-5 18th, his starting hole in the shotgun format. The next chapter in the Anthony Kim story was underway. 

However, the next shot reminded us of the challenges this chapter would have. There was confusion on the broadcast when the camera showed Kim behind a bunker just ahead of where he had hit his second shot. About 45 seconds of silence followed as the broadcast team figured out what happened. It was reported AK topped his second and was forced to layup for his third. (The broadcast, including Greg Norman, blamed it on a drone camera, which was…something). 

The layup left him a wedge to the green guarded by water and Kim hit it to the back edge, leaving him 25 feet or so for par. Two putts from there left him with an opening bogey. 

The 2nd hole produced another excellent drive, a wedge shot from 71 yards to about 30 feet, and a two-putt par. AK looked uncomfortable on the wedge shot, as you’d expect from a player who hasn’t competed in 12 years. His touch and feel will come with more rounds. 

He followed that up with three more pars, including a nice up-and-down on the par-3 3rd hole. 

On the 5th hole, Kim hit a drive in the right rough. It left him a mid-iron into the green with the ball above his feet; the kind of shot that is challenging for any pro, but very difficult for someone coming off a long layoff. The result was a perfect shank. I don't mean like a half a shank, I mean the 90-degree type. The result was his second bogey of the day. 

However, Kim drained a 20-footer on the par-4 6th hole to bounce back with his only birdie of the day. 

The rest of the day was filled with a lot of what you’d expect from a player without competitive reps: missed fairways, missed long irons, uninspired chip shots, and a few three-putts. The rust was evident. No matter how much he played leading up to this event, tournament pressure is different. The result was a 6-over 76, leaving him 14 shots back, and in last place by two strokes. 

I watched the entire round and was surprised by almost nothing – except maybe the topped shot and the cold shank. Another surprise came from the analyst booth when it was said that Kim didn’t even know what a launch monitor was until Dustin Johnson showed him how to use Trackman this week. Assuming AK was working to get back into competitive shape leading into the tournament, he must have used a launch monitor to work on distance control, right? 

An interview with Norman hinted that AK faced some struggles in his time away from the game, though he didn't touch on what those were. Norman also revealed that Kim didn't own a set of clubs for a large portion of his 12 years away from the game. 

Before the round started, my hopes were high but my expectations were low. It is hard to draw any conclusions about the state of AK’s game after 18 holes except for one thing: it will be a substantial challenge for Anthony Kim to return to the top of the leaderboard anytime soon.  We don’t know exactly where he’s been in the past decade, but we do know AK now has many on-course obstacles to overcome for a successful comeback. Kim began that process today, and it’s good to see him on the course.

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