Anthony Kim Details Past Addiction Struggles, Suggests He Used Drugs During Majors

The former PGA Tour winner who joined LIV Golf last year after a long exile opened up on social media and said at times he considered taking his life.

Anthony Kim, pictured during a 2024 LIV Golf tournament, opened up on social media about his struggles with addiction. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Anthony Kim disclosed more in a social media post about his past struggles with addiction, suggesting that he was using drugs while playing in major championships and at times considered taking his life.

Kim, 39, who dropped out of professional golf in 2012 after winning three times on the PGA Tour and playing in a Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, signed last year with the LIV Golf League as a wildcard player.

Kim’s Instagram post celebrated “two years sober” and explained that he was “barely physically able to walk into rehab” and needing assistance “because my body was shutting down.”

And “not long before this moment I contemplated ending my life for almost two decades even when playing the PGA Tour.”

Kim said the point of his post was to say that “you can turn your life around. Every day I chose drugs and alcohol to numb the pain no matter what happened in my professional life and I got so good at it I lost who I was. It’s f---- hard playing majors and making porta potty stops every few holes.”

Following the Wells Fargo Championship in 2012, Kim was rarely seen, leading to rumors over the years about him returning to golf, with a considerable amount of intrigue and curiosity attached.

He said last year that he had been playing golf for less than a year before starting his comeback with LIV Golf in February 2024 and it appeared it might have only been for a few months.

Kim last year hinted about various issues from his past. He said he had seven surgeries, and that a doctor told him his life was in danger. “There are a lot of reasons I shouldn’t be here right now,” he said.

Kim has since married and has a young daughter.

His golf has been impressive for someone who's been away from the game for so long, but also a considerable distance from being competitive. Kim has yet to earn a point in a LIV tournament by finishing among the top 24. In two starts this year, he tied for 49th (out of 54 players) in Riyadh and then tied for 51st in Adelaide.