At the 2026 LIV Golf Promotions, 47 players competed in the second round, but only 22 moved forward to fight for a spot in the three open wild cards for the upcoming season. Out of these 22 golfers, only one American stepped forward to the final two rounds.

And that golfer was Anthony Kim. The 40-year-old shot a 1-under 69 and sealed the deal with an eight-foot birdie putt on the final par-4 18th hole.

Reflecting on his success in the second round of the LIV Promotions, Kim said, “We can talk about rollercoasters on the round today, but my life has been a pretty big rollercoaster, so this is pretty smooth for me.”

That rollercoaster? It was all in reference to his second-round exemption after being relegated from the league in the 2025 season, after two years of playing as a wildcard. And before joining the ranks of the Saudi-backed league, Anthony Kim was absent from active tournaments for 12 years (2012-2024).

But now, he hopes to get back on track in the last 36 holes, as the scores reset for the 22 qualifiers. 

Anthony Kim further disclosed, “This is what I signed up for.” Kim said. He continued that while he was glad he got to be in that position, and had to "make a birdie to get into the next two rounds," he felt great about the weekend and concluded that he has a long way to go.

However, for Kim, the wild card entry isn't everything!

What Would Earning the Top Three Spots Mean to Anthony Kim?

This was one of the questions that the reporters asked the 40-year-old golfer during the 2026 LIV Promotions press conference. But his response took him to a life beyond the course. 

“I don’t know,” Kim began. “I’ve played a lot of golf in my life. My perspective on life has changed; my perspective on golf has changed. Obviously, it would be a great feeling to make it back on LIV and qualify. But this isn’t the only thing left for me.” 

“I’ve got a lot of things that I want to do in the future and be competitive in golf also. But there’s so much more to life than golf. And looking forward to playing my best in the next couple of years.” 

As Anthony Kim carries the lone American banner into the final rounds at Black Diamond Ranch, he shall be wary of stars like Jeunghun Wang, Richard T. Lee, Bjorn Hellgren, and the others.

But can he actually beat them all and become a wild card once again?

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Joyita Das