Anthony Kim’s comeback is one of the greatest in golf history

The Korean American athlete's victory at the LIV Golf Adelaide tournament will be told alongside Tiger Woods' similar tale

Anthony Kim after his victory in Adelaide on Sunday.

TenGolf

Words by Quin Scott

Korean American golfer Anthony Kim won the LIV Golf Adelaide tournament on Sunday, capping one of the more remarkable sports comebacks in recent memory. Kim, 41, spent over 12 years away from professional golf, battling a host of issues that derailed his once-promising career.

“I know my self-belief is second to none,” Kim said. “Obviously taking 12 1/2 years off the game is a long time, and you have to build that confidence back. So I guess from when I was in my 20s, I was never scared to play anybody. I’m not scared to play anybody now. I know this is just one golf tournament, but I believe in myself. That will never change."

That confidence was one of several factors that led fans and media to compare a younger Kim to Tiger Woods, as they did in a Golf Digest profile back in 2009. In retrospect, the comparison is prescient—like Woods, Kim had prodigious talent, as well as complex family dynamics and personal issues that would ultimately lead him away from golf.

Kim’s parents moved to Los Angeles from Korea and saw golf as Anthony’s ticket to success from a very young age. His father Paul said, “I had my son late, when I was 44, so I always worried that I didn't have very much money to leave him if I died early. Golf seemed to be the answer.”

And for a while golf was the answer for Kim, despite also partying and struggling with his relationship with alcohol.

“I thought I was having a great time,” Kim told LIV Golf. “And I don’t remember any of those times. When I say that, I mean I literally don’t remember any of those times because you figure at 23 or 24 years old you’re supposed to be doing these things and it’s OK. But with the personality that I have, which is an addictive personality, it can get out of hand.”

Ultimately, it did get out of hand: addiction, along with injuries, struggles in his game, and other factors sidelined Kim for over a decade. And it’s taken a couple years for him to work his way back. His LIV Golf career has taken some time to take off, and he’s benefited from his fame in getting more chances than other golfers trying to make it onto the tour. The controversial nature of the LIV Golf tour adds some complexity to this comeback narrative, but it remains improbable, and a testament to Kim’s resilience.

“My goal is to inspire the people who are struggling,” Kim said after his win in Adelaide. When asked what advice he’d give those people, he said, “Don’t f*cking quit.” A story can be complicated, while also being that simple.

Published on February 20, 2026