For over 10 years Anthony Kim was sort of like golf's version of Bigfoot. After playing the Wells Fargo Championship in 2012, he underwent a surgery on his achilles and then disappeared, his legend growing each year he remained silent. That's what made his return last month to professional golf all the more compelling. Although Kim would go on to finish last at LIV Golf Jeddah, then play in a subsequent event in Hong Kong, he chose to withhold telling his story to the public – until now.
In a video titled The Journey Back: Anthony Kim, Kim links up with longtime golf presenter and personality David Feherty in Kim's hometown of Oklahoma City. Over the course of the roughly 20 minute long piece, Kim begins by detailing his extensive surgery history that forced him out his game, which included not only a procedure on his achilles but a spinal fusion, shoulder operation and more.
“I know public perception is that I took this money and ran and decided I was just going to hang out,” said Kim. “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.’’ As to whether he has kept up with his game over the years, Kim tells Feherty that he only picked up a club roughly two and a half months before his start at LIV Golf Jeddah.
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Later on, Kim begins to outline the complicated past that derailed his promising career. Feherty asks Kim whether he has any positive memories from the early part of his career, to which he responds "That's a tough question. Because I thought I was having a great time and I don't remember any of those times. And when I say that, I mean I literally don't remember any of those times. Because you figure at 23, 24 years old, 22 years old, you're supposed to be doing these things, and it's ok. But with the personality that I have, which is an addictive personality, it can get out of hand."
AK also adds that "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."
The interview ends on a positive note, with the 38-year-old coy about his goals for the future, but driven and motivated by his wife and 2-year-old daughter. Kim will make his return to US soil this weekend at LIV Golf Miami, and you can watch the full interview with David Feherty on LIV Golf+ now.
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