Anthony Kim’s story during the 12 years he was out of professional golf was virtually unknown until Tuesday, April 2. Kim consented to tell his story and was quick to admit that he was “around some bad people.”
Anthony Kim gave an interview produced by LIV Golf and conducted by David Feherty, one of the circuit’s lead broadcast analysts. During the interview, Kim described details of his life during his time away from golf and also his relationship with the Greg Norman-led league.
Here’s some of what Kim had to say (via Sports Illustrated):
“I’m not going to lie, I was around some bad people. People that took advantage of me. Scam artists. And when you’re 24 or 25, even 30 years old, you don’t realize the snakes that are living under your roof.”
Anthony Kim did not directly mention his addiction problems, but he did mention that he had some dark moments during his time away from golf. Also, Anthony Kim elaborated on the differences in his association with golf then with the one he has now. Here’s how he put it:
“I have an interesting relationship with golf. I don’t think I ever loved it. What’s weird to me is I’m falling in love with the game. That’s such a weird spot for me. Because golf was filled with pressure.”
“Golf was filled with lots of different emotions for me. Because my family had to go through a lot to give me this opportunity to play golf. So with that added pressure, I was willing to risk a lot more. That was my nature. I was aggressive on the golf course. I was aggressive off the golf course. And that led to my demise.”
Anthony Kim is aware that some fans think he only signed with LIV Golf because of the guaranteed money offered by the league. Here’s what he had to say about it:
“I know public perception is that I took this money and ran and decided I was just going to hang out. That wasn’t the case at all. I had multiple, multiple surgeries in a few years. And my body is still not what it used to be.”
According to Kim himself, the surgeries he underwent were on his shoulder, hand, and spine. Nevertheless, he did not miss the opportunity to joke about it:
“I think I’m actually hitting the ball farther now than when I left the game. Maybe some of this metal is helping.”
The interview was broadcast on the tour’s app (LIV Golf+). It is expected to be followed by a documentary that delves into Anthony Kim’s life, including his addiction issues.
Anthony Kim at LIV Golf
Anthony Kim joined LIV Golf for the third event of the season (LIV Golf Jeddah). As he told David Feherty, he trained for about two months before the event.
In Jeddah, Kim finished 53rd with a 16-over score. He then traveled to Hong Kong, where he finished 50th, with a score of 3 over.
However, during his third round in Hong Kong, he played with a score of 5 over, which opens interesting questions about his future.
