Redemption isn’t always found. In Anthony Kim’s case, it was; and it came with much of his old flair as his return from the golfing wilderness – having fought with addiction issues for more than a decade – saw the American march proudly back into the spotlight with a mesmerising display to win the LIV Adelaide tournament in Australia.
“I would say that I wasn’t the best person, the best partner, the best whatever you want to call it, the best son I could be when I was younger. But who I am today is a completely different person. With God, my family, my sobriety being the key things to my life, I can go as far as I want,” said the 40-year-old Kim after completing the redemptive journey with a final round 63 for a total of 23 under par, three shots clear of Jon Rahm.
Kim’s victory in Adelaide, having started the final round five shots adrift of Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, was his first win anywhere since the Houston Open win on the PGA Tour back in 2010.
In the 16 years since, Kim’s well-documented addiction issues, with drugs and alcohol, saw him disappear from the sporting stage and even his surprise reappearance on LIV in 2024 only served to reveal a player a shadow of his old self. He was relegated from the Saudi PIF-backed circuit last season only to claim a wild card status through the backdoor LIV Promotions (qualifier) tournament last month.
And he only secured a place on a team – 4Aces – ahead of Adelaide, benefiting from Patrick Reed’s decision not to re-sign for LIV.
Kim’s win in Australia – his first in 5,785 days, almost 16 years since that Houston Open success – was delivered with all the energy of the old Kim, relishing in the moment of birdie putt after birdie putt finding the tin cup to catch and then pass Rahm.
The Spaniard, too, got caught up in the drama. “In a weird way, as a competitor, I probably shouldn’t say this, but that was a joy to watch. To see that image on 18 of him hugging his wife and daughter, any man with a soul is going to have a soft spot for that. I was almost tearing up,” admitted Rahm.
Anthony Kim celebrates with his wife Emily and his daughter Isabella. Photograph: Brenton Edwards/AFP via Getty Images
Kim’s financial reward was a $4 million pay day but the financial aspects were but numbers compared to the real-life meaning of his recovery.
“I really don’t know what to say right now. It’s been overwhelming. I’m never not going to fight for my family. God gave me a talent and I was able to produce some good golf today. I knew it was coming. Nobody else has to believe in me but me. For anybody who’s struggling, you can get through anything,” said Kim who, in his changed perspective, anticipated some family time with his wife Emily and daughter Bella to go see koalas and kangaroos in their remaining days in Australia.
Of how he would describe those missing years from his golfing life to his daughter when she is older, Kim replied: “I’m going to try to leave a lot of details out. But I will tell her that before she came into this world that I didn’t feel any purpose in my life. Whether you have a lot of money, whether you have a lot of success in your life, you still can feel lonely and feel like the world is against you, and that’s in your own mind because I had a lot of people rooting for me.
“But I just want her to know that no matter how bad your day is, if you keep fighting, you never lose. Hopefully she takes that with her for the rest of her life.”
Those lost days and months and years have been left behind, with Kim – his deeds again providing inspiration – back in the spotlight for the right reasons.
“The only way I get to reach the amount of people I want to reach is by winning. I can talk about my struggles all I want, but if I don’t have the platform, then I won’t reach as many people.
“When I was in rehab, that was my goal. I said, if I got out of here, I’d like to help people, and golf wasn’t in the picture. My goal is to inspire the people that are struggling because I feel like the world needs more of that today.”