Does Anthony Kim Have Haters?
A curious message seen at the end of Anthony Kim’s hype video left us wondering: does AK actually have any haters?
In 2022, I stood on the practice green of TPC Avenel watching the world’s top pros dial in their putting stroke as they prepared for the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship. As I gazed up at the lamp posts that surrounded the green I saw a picture of 2008 past champion, Anthony Kim.
At the time, it had been ten years since I (or anyone for that matter) had seen AK play a professional tournament. As a golf fan, I felt robbed of seeing a rising star compete in his prime. This sentiment was shared by many in the golf world. Kim’s talent and personality put him on a bullet train toward superstardom, but his sudden departure from the game prevented the world from seeing AK achieving that fame. It also left most of us saying, “what if.”
When he stepped away, Kim had won three times (before his 25th birthday) and was a key member of the 2008 Ryder Cup. Add in his style, his swagger, and his game and you have a recipe for an intriguing and popular superstar. Unfortunately, injuries took that away. And with his reported insurance policy, it seemed likely we would never see AK compete again.
Fast forward to 2023. With a new tour on the scene, rumors began about a possible return. Could LIV Golf and its seemingly limitless amounts of cash coax Kim out of retirement?
In February 2024 we got our answer. This weekend in Saudia Arabia, Anthony Kim will be back. It’s a move that has excited the golfing world, but it is not without mystery. In time, we will hopefully learn the answers to specific questions. What has AK been up to for 12 years? How are his injuries? How is his golf game?
We will get an answer to the last question this weekend.
The general consensus about AK’s return seems to be positive. Kim seems excited to be back playing competitive golf and will likely boost the number of eyeballs on the LIV tour.
To announce his return, Kim posted a video to his social media accounts that included clips of him on the range and with his family. But the interesting part of his video is the ending. A black screen with the text “hello haters, I’m back.”
This part of the video led many to ask the question, does Anthony Kim have haters???
In his absence from professional golf, the legend of AK grew. What could have been if he hadn’t had career-threatening injuries? As is often the case, we glorified AK’s accomplishments and began to extrapolate his career in a way that took on an almost legendary status. Surely he would have major championship trophies at home and could have been the face of the PGA Tour. At least that’s how we remember the past 12 years.
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find “haters” of Kim. We really just wanted him back because of all the what-ifs. The haters comment led me to ask the simple question, “Are you an AK hater?”
With hundreds of votes so far, the results speak for themselves. The answer is no. The consensus among golf fans seems to be clear: Anthony Kim doesn’t have many haters.
However, it does appear there is one strong caveat: I loved AK before, but now I’m not sure. His move to LIV has put many people in a tough spot. Am I excited a promising American star is back? Yes. Am I happy he’s doing it with LIV? Not really.
Obviously, LIV is controversial for a variety of reasons and Kim returning to golf on this tour seems to cut PGA Tour stans deep. In many minds, Kim had the potential to be the face of the PGA Tour, especially in a time devoid of popular, marketable stars. Sure, Rory McIlroy, Ricky Fowler, Scottie Scheffler, etc. have fans, but they don’t have the flair and personality that Anthony Kim has. For many, it’s going to be tough to see AK teeing it up in exhibition matches for LIV.
I, for one, will try to tune in. The story of Anthony Kim’s return is a blend of hope, speculation, and the undeniable allure of what-if, even if it is with LIV Golf. If I can figure out how to watch, I’ll be watching AK with cautious optimism and haven’t been this excited since a comeback since Tiger Woods at Riviera.
Okay, that was earlier this month, but that’s the kind of impact Anthony Kim can have on the golf world. At 38 years old, we can still have several years of AK playing world-class golf. Sure we may have been deprived of a prime Anthony Kim, but there’s no reason to think he can’t play at a high level. Hopefully, we will get some clarity on the state of his game this weekend and can start to put to bed some of those what-ifs.
Anthony Kim is a sideshow in this circus of atrocities
Anthony Kim’s much anticipated return to professional golf has been diluted to a strategic play in golf’s civil war.
When Anthony Kim hits his first tee shot after a nearly 12-year hiatus from professional golf, much of the fanbase who have been clamoring for his return won’t see it.
LIV Golf Jeddah — the site of this week’s 54-hole shotgun start and stage for AK’s return — will air on television around 3am ET for the United States. This was by design, of course, as LIV Golf cares not about the opinion of American golf fans. They’ve instead strategically chosen to hold Kim as a bargaining chip of sorts, hoping the temptation of watching his return is enough for stateside LIV fans to adjust their alarm clocks. It’s brilliant. It’s obscene. It’s all part of a larger plan.
Amid the thousands of social media posts commenting about Anthony Kim’s physical appearance — which is notably different from the last time we saw him publicly — something else happened in a neighboring sport that got much less attention. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) finalized a deal with the ATP Tour in men’s professional tennis to become a major sponsor for the next five years. It’s the Saudi-backed fund’s largest financial investment in pro sports to date, slipping by right under our noses.
It’s difficult for American golf fans to not view everything through a US-centric lens that artificially heightens our own self-importance, suggesting that our viewers are the most valuable and therefore should be a priority to satisfy. Questions arose as to why Anthony Kim would return in Jeddah as opposed to a LIV event in the States. The fact the most mysterious character in men’s pro golf in over a decade is making his return in the Kingdom’s back yard tells you everything you need to know about the strategy behind this move.
Nothing that LIV Golf has done is by mistake. They know American golf fans want to see Kim, and they also know our fanbase is the most divided in terms of support for the tour. The signing of Kim is less about giving the fans what they want and more about purchasing something before we can.
If it sounds like I’m dehumanizing AK… you would be correct. That’s the entire point of what LIV Golf is doing. They don’t want men’s professional golf in the United States. They want the whole damn sport. Kim is but a pawn in this game, amplified by the hilariously over-the-top social media teaser trailers and dramatic commentary around his return to the sport.
There’s little doubt this message has spread to the rest of LIV’s roster, too. Look no further than Talor Gooch’s recent commentary around the Masters and Rory McIlroy potentially winning the grand slam at a “weaker” event. This may be the farthest reach I’ll make in this piece, but are we really surprised Gooch’s interview gained steam after McIlroy won The Match the previous night? It’s all part of the plan.
LIV Golf has doubled-down on their insinuation that they are somehow being mistreated by everyone else in the golf world, so now they’re taking their proverbial ball and going home. This is exactly what they want us to believe, and Anthony Kim’s debut in Jeddah is nothing more than a haphazard power play.
To his credit, Kim appears to be excited to get back on the course among names he admitted he doesn’t know. Maybe it’s all an act. If so, he’s doing a great job at it.
Now 38, he is far-removed from the energetic 20-something with no career ceiling and tons of potential and fandom. Those same fans now have a chance for closure on one of the more captivating careers in the sport, even if the player himself had closure years ago. Kim is the ultimate social media influencer without even realizing it, which is fitting for a Tour with viewership numbers best reserved for YouTube.
I think that’s the biggest question in my mind around the rationale behind Kim’s signing: did he really need to do this?
Aside from the obvious financial benefit to LIV, does Kim have any idea about the shitstorm he’s about to experience? He hasn’t experienced the unforgiving nature of Golf Twitter, let alone being a major player in golf’s civil war. Media ridicule has always been a thing, but it has snowballed into a circus of mayhem unlike anything he saw while galavanting around with an American flag at the Ryder Cup.
There’s little doubt LIV Golf has considered all of this. They just don’t care for the reasons you and I might.
