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We're About to Find Out if Anthony Kim Is Worth All This Hubbub

Alex Miceli heard the rumors of a return like everyone else and now waits to see if LIV Golf's surprise signee can live up to the hype.

Alex Miceli

We're About to Find Out if Anthony Kim Is Worth All This Hubbub
We're About to Find Out if Anthony Kim Is Worth All This Hubbub /

Editor's note: Kim shot 76 in his LIV Golf opener, read about it here.

Anthony Kim has been the mystery man of professional golf.

Rumors of his whereabouts have been persistent since he walked away in 2012 and the mill cranked up to full speed in the last month, with the LIV Las Vegas event during Super Bowl week rife with stories that Kim would make his comeback at the tournament in Saudi Arabia.

And now here we are. But how interested are we in the return of a 38-year-old who has been basically in exile for over a decade?

We know what Anthony Kim looks like after a dozen years away, we'll soon see what his game looks like :: Charles Laberge/LIV Golf

A 2015 interview with Associated Press reporter Doug Ferguson gave the first glimpse into what happened to the three-time PGA Tour winner.

On top of an Achilles injury, Kim had issues with his rotator cuff, labrum, spine and hand, adding up to what he said was six or seven surgeries in a three-and-a-half-year period.

How interesting is it to watch a physically broken ex-pro? Kim is no Tiger Woods.

Is the return worthwhile to anyone?

From LIV Golf’s standpoint, it’s about signing a player that was a needle-mover in a past life and gambling that he still has something left in the tank.

Whether he excels or not, the cost—rumored to be in the $5-to-$7.5-million range—is lint in LIV’s proverbial pocket.

If Kim shows some game and contends for a win, then we've got a story. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One shot at a time and we will reconvene after Sunday’s final round for a postmortem.

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Alex Miceli
ALEX MICELI

Alex Miceli, a journalist and radio/TV personality who has been involved in golf for 26 years, was the founder of Morning Read and eventually sold it to Buffalo Groupe. He continues to contribute writing, podcasts and videos to SI.com. In 1993, Miceli founded Golf.com, which he sold in 1999 to Quokka Sports. One year later, he founded Golf Press Association, an independent golf news service that provides golf content to news agencies, newspapers, magazines and websites. He served as the GPA’s publisher and chief executive officer. Since launching GPA, Miceli has written for numerous newspapers, magazines and websites. He started GolfWire in 2000, selling it nine years later to Turnstile Publishing Co.

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