Anthony Kim is riding high on the strength of a tournament victory heading into this week’s LIV Golf Hong Kong event.
Two-plus weeks removed from his victory at LIV Golf Adelaide, Kim admitted it’s a bit of a strange feeling on Tuesday while speaking to reporters at Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling.
“I definitely didn’t know what it was like to finish in the top half of the field. It was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time,” he said.
“I think that coming into this week, obviously other people have certain expectations, but all I can do is try my best on every shot.”
Kim’s answer featured a cliche right out of the Golf 101 handbook. That said, he offered a few more to the reporters in attendance before explaining why he did so.
“The thing that I thought were nonsense when I was a kid, when people said, just take it one day at a time and I never listened, I’m using that as a 40-year-old to my advantage,” he said. “I think through my ups and downs, I’ve learned to be resilient and just put one foot in front of the other and just keep going.”
Kim celebrated his storybook return to professional golf by rallying from five strokes back after three rounds to win at LIV Golf Adelaide on Feb. 15.
He joined Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC team before the second event of the 2026 season, replacing Patrick Reed on a full-time basis.
The one-time rising star returned from a 12-year hiatus in 2024 and played the past two seasons as a wild card. However, Kim was relegated after the 2025 season and had to go through the Promotions event, where he made the cut on the number before finishing third to regain his place in the league.
A three-time winner across six seasons on the PGA Tour in his 20s, Kim had Achilles tendon surgery in 2012 and has been open about his rehab from drug and alcohol addiction during his hiatus from professional golf.
Family has remained at the core of Kim’s resurgence, and that was evident when his daughter celebrated his victory at Adelaide.
“When she ran out on to that green, that was — selfishly, that was one of the most special moments of my life,” he said. “When I used to putt for five, six hours on the green at the club I belonged to that sent me a letter to get off the green and not practice as much, that was always in the back of my mind. I’ve seen other players’ families run on to the green. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen (teammate Dustin Johnson) do that.
“But that was my goal. I’m a recovering addict, but now I think I’m addicted to making that happen again. There’s nothing that’s going to stop me from working to get to that point.”
–Field Level Media
