PIF Saudi International\n5th place under par for all 4 days\nThe first top 10\n since the 2011 D-Open “I was frustrated that I couldn’t perform better because I made a mistake ahead of the competition for the championship.”
사진 확대 Anthony Kim participated in the Asian Tour PIF Saudi International. Asian Tour Instagram capture
Anthony Kim (USA), who was called the “Golf Genius” and the “Ryan” who will catch Tiger Woods, made his first top 10 since returning to the professional stage in 14 years, signaling a revival.
Anthony Kim reduced one shot in the fourth round of the Asian Tour PIF Saudi International (total prize money of $5 million) held at Riyadh Golf Club (par 71) in Saudi Arabia on the 22nd (Korea time) and finished the tournament tied for fifth with a total of 14-under 270. In particular, he succeeded in writing an under-par score within four days with a golden birdie he caught on the last 18th hole, his 72nd hole. In addition, the fifth-place prize was $136,583, which was not much, but it was enough to expect a revival.
In particular, his last competition, which was in the “top 10” earlier, was tied for fifth place at the 2011 major tournament, The Open Champions. And after 14 years, he succeeded in tying for fifth place again.
Earlier in the second round of the tournament, Anthony Kim also recorded a 7-under 64 for the first time in 14 years since the third round of the 2011 DP World Tour Barclays Singapore Open.
But Anthony Kim said, “It was very frustrating. It was a good opportunity, but both shots and putts were little short to reach the winning score. In particular, I made only a few mistakes in the second half of the hole,” he said, expressing regret over being pushed out of the competition for the championship. However, he soon said, “I’ve been in the top 10 again, and I feel blessed to be able to compete again on this stage,” expressing satisfaction about himself gradually finding his senses, apart from his regret for his grades.
Anthony Kim was a genius player who received attention in the PGA Tour. It debuted on the PGA Tour in 2006 and has competed on the regular tour since 2007. It received so much attention that it created a competitive structure with “Golf Emperor” Woods, ranking third in the 2010 Masters of the Men’s Golf Major Tournament. He has also won three PGA Tour titles.
However, Anthony Kim suddenly left the golf world in 2012 and went into hiding, and returned to the field as a player belonging to LIV Golf, not the PGA Tour, in 2024. But Anthony Kim’s form has hardly recovered. The best performance in the LIV competition over the past two years is tied for 25th at the Dallas competition in June this year.
Anthony Kim, who participated in the LIV tournament as a wild card player without a special team, was uncertain about his qualifications for next year, but he started to secure new opportunities along with the competition to win the tournament. Anthony Kim said throughout the tournament, “I fell in love with golf again. “I’ve been practicing golf the hardest these days since I was a child,” he said, repeating, “The swing during practice has not come out well in practice, but now it’s getting better little by little.”
Unfortunately, he failed to win the tournament, making it difficult to return to LIV Golf in 2026. Anthony Kim said, “Realistically, I will continue to play the Asian Tour International Series and participate in the tournament in consideration of time with my family and travel distance.”
