Sports fans love an intriguing sports story, and for more than a decade, Anthony Kim was living one of the most bizarre tales out there. It started normally enough — he was an avid golfer as a child and turned pro at 21, seemingly destined to be a star on the PGA Tour. He won his first PGA Tour event in May 2008 at the Wachovia Championship, setting a record score for the tournament that still stands today. He won the AT&T National two months later, becoming just the second American under 25 to win two tournaments in one year. The other is Tiger Woods, who’s pretty good company in terms of success on a golf course.
Kim continued a strong run, winning the Kiwi Challenge (a non-PGA event) in 2009 and setting a record for birdies (11) in a single round at the 2009 Masters. He earned his third PGA Tour win at the Shell Houston Open in 2010 and finished third in that year’s Masters before an injury sidelined him for much of the season. Kim returned in 2011 but didn’t win an event; his top highlight was finishing tied for fifth at The Open Championship.
From 2006 to 2011, Kim earned $12.17 million on the golf course and several million dollars through a Nike endorsement deal. However, here’s where things took a turn.
Francois Nel/Getty Images
Kim injured his left Achilles tendon in June of 2012. That injury was expected to last up to 12 months, and Kim received a Major Medical Exemption for the following season. There was only one issue: Kim never returned to professional golf. He said he was continuing to rehab and had to have multiple surgeries, which contributed to his indefinite delay. He did play a few charity events in 2016, but in 2019, he told a fan his golf game was “nonexistent.”
Another key factor was probably weighing heavily on Kim’s mind. He had an insurance policy that would net him $20 million — tax-free — if he never played golf again due to a career-ending injury. As a friend of Kim’s noted, the policy was “not quite 20, but close,” with the caveat that Kim taking one swing on the PGA Tour would void the policy entirely.
We break things down in full here, but assuming Kim’s policy pays him $17 million tax-free, he would have had to earn $40 million (before taxes) in PGA Tour events and endorsements to equal the same amount. Even at his absolute peak, he was making about half that amount.
It looked like Kim had chosen the retirement route until shocking news dropped at the end of last month. After more than a decade removed from PGA Tour events, Kim announced his return via LIV Golf, the rival league backed by the Saudi government that’s planning a merger with the PGA.
Kim’s signing bonus is reportedly between $5 and $7.5 million, with the possibility of a midseason extension and his own team, depending on how he plays. There hasn’t been official word on what’s going to happen with the insurance policy, though it’s not inconceivable that LIV will foot that bill or at least reimburse Kim for what he needs to pay back. The league hasn’t been shy about handing out money in the past.
As for his on-course performance, well…Kim looked like a guy who hadn’t played professionally in over a decade. He finished in last place in the LIV Golf Jeddah event, though he said he was “very encouraged” by his play and “excited about what’s coming.”
At his peak in September 2008, Kim was No. 6 in the world rankings. Now, more than 15 years later, he’s trying to return to the top of the sport — even if it ultimately costs him millions.