Anthony Kim isn’t trying to rewrite his past. He’s trying to survive the present. After stepping away from professional golf for 12 years, Kim’s return to LIV Golf has been anything but polished, and he isn’t pretending otherwise.

“What I want is to be authentic,” Kim said while speaking in his own YouTube video, 'The Real AK: uncut, unfiltered. Episode 1,' which went live on January 13.

In the video, Kim explained the challenging position he found himself in. “I don’t think anyone’s been in a position where they’ve taken 12 years off a sport and decided to come back and immediately get thrown in with major championship winners,” he admitted.

“I shanked one in my first tournament from 130 yards,” he said. At another point, the golfer said he had, “80 yards left from a fairway I didn’t know existed.”

So Anthony Kim got work on polishing his very basics. “The first thing that I needed to focus on was hitting the ball in the middle of the club face,” he explained. And now, he's aiming big.

Anthony Kim Backs Up His Promise With LIV Golf Comeback for 2026

Anthony Kim did what he said he would. After being demoted from LIV Golf in 2025, he publicly committed to earning his way back. A few months later, he made it happen.

Kim battled through the LIV Golf Promotions event at Black Diamond Ranch and secured a new contract for the 2026 season. The result ended months of scrutiny and doubts about whether he still belonged at this level.

Speaking after the event, Kim didn’t hide how much the moment meant to him. “This is a surreal moment for me because people outside my inner circle doubted me,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder whether I’d ever earn my way back. To all the people who don’t feel I belong…”

For Kim, getting his LIV card back wasn't a matter of using words to stop the critics. He wanted to do that through playing, proving his worth, and fulfilling the promise he made when the league was unsure of his future.

Written by

Dolly Bhamrick

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi