Anthony Kim won LIV Golf Adelaide on Sunday for his first victory in nearly 16 years, capping a remarkable career comeback with a closing 9-under 63.
The 40-year-old American stepped away from competitive golf for 12 years amid drug and alcohol struggles, and needed to play a qualifying tournament last month just to get another season on the LIV Tour.
But in Australia on Sunday, Kim finished at 23 under to secure a three-shot victory over Jon Rahm, who had been tied for the third-round lead with Bryson DeChambeau.
“It’s been overwhelming. But I’m never not going to fight for my family,” said Kim, who was embraced by his wife, Emily, and young daughter, Bella, after securing the title with par on the 18th green.
“God gave me a talent. I was able to produce some good golf today. I knew it was coming. Nobody else has to believe in me but me, and for anybody that’s struggling, you can get through anything.
“For it to actually happen is pretty insane.”
Kim’s embraces his daughter Bella (Photo by Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf via AP)
Playing in shorts in front of a large crowd on a sunny day at The Grange Golf Club, Kim made four straight birdies on holes 12-15, holing putts of 17, 11, 14 and 17 feet.
He ran in a 15-footer on the par-4 17th to take the three-stroke lead to the last and enjoyed the support of the large crowds as he strolled up the 18th fairway.
He missed a 20-foot birdie attempt to fall a stroke short of the course record, tapping in for par to complete his first victory since the 2010 Houston Open on the PGA Tour.
An emotional Kim hugs his wife on the 18th green (Photo by Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf via AP)
Kim reached as high as No 6 in the world in 2008 – the year he played on a winning US Ryder Cup team. He played six times on the Asian Tour last year and made four cuts, ending with a tie for fifth in the Saudi International.
DeChambeau had a 74 to tie for third with Tyrell Hatton (67) and Peter Uihlein (68) at 17 under.
The all-Australian Ripper team of Cam Smith, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman and Elvis Smylie – the Riyadh winner last week in his tour debut – won for the second straight week and also the second time at Adelaide.
Rahm’s Legion XIII squad was second, and Kim led the 4Aces to a third-place finish.
‘Best moment of my life so far’ – Kim reflects on becoming ‘completely different person’
Having publicly opened up last year about his lengthy battle with drugs and alcohol, and his recovery since spending time in rehab, Kim said after his win on Sunday: “I would say that I wasn’t the best person, the best partner, the best whatever you want to call it, the best son I could be when I was younger.
“But who I am today is a completely different person. With God, my family, my sobriety being the key things to my life, I can go as far as I want.”
After the emotional family celebrations on the 18th green, the 40-year-old Kim admitted: “Best moment of my life so far.
“Obviously when Bella was born, Emily and my life changed.
“But to be able to share this moment, even though Bella won’t understand it, one day she will, and for her to be able to run on the green and see her dad isn’t a loser was one of the most special moments of my life.”
He added: “I want to inspire people. I told my wife this: The only way I get to reach the amount of people I want to reach is by winning.
“I can talk about my struggles all I want, but if I don’t have the platform, then I won’t reach as many people. When I was in rehab, that was my goal. I said, if I got out of here, I’d like to help people, and golf wasn’t in the picture.
“So to be able to have this platform, to have HE and LIV welcome me with open arms has been tremendous in my growth and my self-belief that other people believe in me.”
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