After a 12-year absence from professional golf, Anthony Kim returned to the sport at LIV Golf Jeddah in March, but questions remained about his mysterious hiatus.
What was he up to for all those years? Was he playing golf or did he quit the game entirely? Why come back now after his prime years have already passed?
Kim was initially reluctant to answer those questions, but he finally opened up a bit in an interview with David Feherty posted Tuesday on the LIV Golf Plus app.
“I’ve had some very dark moments,” Kim said at the beginning of the video. “I’ve had some very low moments. I felt very alone, even when there’s a million people around. I needed to get my mind on straight and figure out what my purpose was on this planet.”
Before LIV Golf Jeddah, Kim last competed professionally in 2012 at the Wells Fargo Championship but withdrew and underwent Achilles surgery. The three-time PGA Tour winner said he spent time away from the game watching reality television, eating a lot of food and caring for his six dogs and two monkeys.
Kim battled injuries early in his career, which didn’t stop once he disappeared from the public eye.
The 38-year-old revealed he underwent multiple shoulder surgeries, hand surgery and a spinal fusion. Kim said he finally feels healthy for the first time in a while. He also mentioned a struggle with an unnamed addiction and so-called friends who took advantage of his fame and fortune.
“I was around some bad people,” Kim said. “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.”
In the most shocking revelation of the interview, Kim said he didn’t pick up a golf club until three months before his LIV debut in March.
The American understandably finished last at Jeddah, but he showed signs of progress with an impressive 65 in the final round of LIV Golf Hong Kong to finish 50th. He will only improve as he works his way back into playing shape.
Kim kept most of the details of his absence to himself, but more will come out in an upcoming documentary about his life. He told Feherty that the most important part of his comeback was enjoying every moment and helping his family.
“I have an interesting relationship with golf. I don’t think I ever loved it,” he said. “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.”
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