Anthony Kim said it bluntly, without beating around the bush, without subterfuge. Like someone who has stopped being afraid of anything. He never was on the golf course and now he isn’t when he’s outside the ropes. No makeup, no pose, and no desire to please anyone: “Don’t give up, damn it”. This was the message he wanted to leave the world after his historic victory at LIV Golf Australia (Adelaide), a triumph that goes far beyond a trophy.
It is the happy ending —or rather, the new beginning— of a story of overcoming that seemed impossible, the confirmation of perseverance built on blows (from life and golf) and the proof that when a player finds themselves again, they can also find glory again. Especially if they never lost faith and confidence in their abilities.
Kim won with pride and overflowing emotion, but above all with an idea he repeated in different ways throughout his appearance: no one has to believe in you if you don’t do it first, and when that engine is running —supported by family, faith, and daily work— anything can happen.
The spark on Sunday that ignited everything: “The goal was to give myself every possible chance. I felt I hadn’t putted well the first three days, but when I started seeing the lines on the green today, I told myself: ‘give yourself every possible chance and you can win this’. Obviously Bryson and Jon didn’t have their best day, but still, I putted great. My caddie and I worked very well out there. I heard my wife shouting, even when the atmosphere was completely wild. All those little things… and I don’t want to forget the support I’ve had from the crowd here in Australia, which has been unbeatable. I’m very overwhelmed by this feeling right now, but my plan is to keep improving and start winning some more trophies.”
Anthony Kim tumba a Rahm y DeChambeau y escribe una de esas bellas historias del deporte
The personal transformation: faith, family, and sobriety… “I know the mainstream media won’t pick it up, but for the people who hear it, I want to be a good example. I’d say that when I was younger I wasn’t the best person, or the best partner, or whatever you want to call it… nor the best son I could have been. But who I am today is a completely different person.
With God, my family, and my sobriety as fundamental pillars in my life, I can go as far as I want.”
Bella (his daughter), the engine: purpose and future… “Yes, she’s definitely noticing. I think what she wants is for me to earn as much money as possible so she can have a good life.”
The release in each of the celebrations… “I’m too old to celebrate like that, because I think I pulled a hip muscle. (Laughs.) But I’ll say that those were all the low moments I’ve been through in my life and had to overcome. With each putt that went in, I felt the struggle and I was overcoming it. It was therapeutic to be out there fighting it and coming out on top.”
The conversation he will someday have with his daughter… “I’m not going to tell her everything. I’ll try to leave out many details. But I’ll tell her that before she came into this world, I didn’t feel any purpose in my life. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot of money or a lot of success: you can still feel alone and feel like the world is against you. And that’s in your own head, because I had a lot of people cheering me on. Obviously, today you saw how many people were supporting me out there. But I want her to know that no matter how bad your day is, if you keep fighting, you never lose.
I hope she keeps that for the rest of her life.”
Rahm reabre la puerta del top 50 mundial y Kim llama a la del Masters
Will he return to Australia to play the Open? “If I can get a visa, yes. Well, I already have one but it wasn’t easy to get. So… we’ll see what happens. Golf is very important to me. Obviously, it’s my focus right now. But, at the same time, I want to do what’s best for my family. I want to take my time and enjoy these moments. That’s why I was there on the green with my daughter and my wife, because I haven’t done this alone. There are very important people in my life who have helped me get here and supported me without expecting anything in return. This is for all of them. I want to enjoy the moment, but also… I’ll soon be back to hard work.”
Winning while looking them in the eye: competing with Rahm and DeChambeau… “Obviously, Bryson and Jon have proven to be major-level winners, Ryder Cup players, and have played well consistently for a long time, so I have enormous respect for them. I knew today was going to be an uphill battle and a few putts went my way. But, obviously, Bryson started poorly and was really just hanging on. Jon was playing half-decent at the start. When I got close, I felt it was very important for me to see what he was doing, even though my focus had to be on my game. I like to know where I stand in relation to the other leaders.”
The celebration: Frozen, kangaroos, koalas… and maybe giraffes… “I might watch the movie Frozen. I don’t know, mate. I hadn’t gone that far. I had planned to be in the fight to win tournaments, but I hadn’t thought this far ahead. I’m going to enjoy my time here in Australia. We’re going to stay two more days and we’re going to see kangaroos and koalas… maybe a giraffe. That’s going to be my fun.”
The ultimate hug with his daughter… “I appreciate it. The best moment of my life so far. Obviously, when Bella was born, Emily’s and my life changed. But being able to share this moment… even though Bella doesn’t understand it, someday she will. And for her to be able to run across the green and see that her father is not a loser has been one of the most special moments of my life.”
Anthony Kim, fearless… “I know I can make a lot of birdies. I know my self-confidence is unmatched. Obviously, being out of the game for 12 and a half years is a long time and you have to rebuild that confidence. When I was in my twenties, I was never afraid to play against anyone. And now I’m not afraid to play against anyone. I know this is just a golf tournament, but I believe in myself. That will never change.”
A victory that serves as inspiration to others… “A thousand percent. A thousand percent. I want to inspire people. I told my wife this: the only way to reach the number of people I want to reach is by winning. I can talk about my problems all I want, but if I don’t have the platform, I won’t reach as many people. When I was in rehab, that was my goal. I said: ‘if I get out of here, I’d like to help people’, and golf wasn’t in the plan. So being able to have this platform, having Yassir and LIV welcome me with open arms has been huge in my growth and in my belief that other people believe in me. So yes, absolutely. My goal is to inspire people who are going through tough times, because I feel the world needs more of that today.”
A message for the world… “Don’t give up, damn it. That’s all. Don’t give up, damn it.”
Greg Norman and the opportunity… “Greg and I had a conversation. He asked me if I thought I could do it, how committed I was. Obviously, I was terrible, but I still had that confidence that I could get to the top, that I could win golf tournaments and he told me: ‘I believe in you too’. So I appreciate the opportunity they’ve given me here at LIV, and I’m going to keep improving.”
What could be his ceiling? “Nothing stops me. Nothing stops me. I just have to keep working. The idea of improving 1% every day is a mindset I’m going to carry with me until the day I die. I don’t see why I couldn’t get back to the top.”
