Kim competing on The International Series with hopes of quick return to LIV Golf

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Anthony Kim is facing a high-stakes end of the season as he bids to resurrect his LIV Golf League career. However, he insists there is no pressure as he chases The International Series Rankings title that would seal his return to the big time at the first time of asking.

The former U.S. Ryder Cup star and three-time PGA Tour winner has been plying his trade alongside some of the biggest names in world golf for the past two years after LIV Golf offered him a Wild Card slot and a lifeline following years in the wilderness. In a stellar field featuring top talent such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann, Kim could not escape the Drop Zone and he lost his status at the end of the 2025 campaign.

Now that the LIV Golf season has finished, The International Series offers Kim and other relegated players a golden return ticket to the big time, as the end-of-season Rankings champion will get an automatic berth on the 2026 LIV Golf roster.

With five tournaments left this season, starting this week with the Jakarta International Championship, the 40-year-old is one of the biggest names to be searching for those vital rankings points that can spark a climb up the standings going into the home straight.

“My goal is to play well over the next five or six weeks, and just let things play out," Kim said. "Right now, I’m focused on the events in front of me, know if you play well, you’ll have an opportunity. I’m not too worried about what’s ahead - just taking it one week at a time.

“My game has been very streaky. I've had some stretches where I feel like a world-class player, and I've had some stretches where I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. But that comes with not playing golf for 12 years.

“I'm at a point now where I feel more comfortable being out there, and I think great results are in front of me," Kim said. "As long as I can stay healthy, I believe that I'll have a lot of chances to win in the future.”

When asked if he felt any pressure, at an event that kicks off an important five-tournament stretch on The International Series, Kim said: “Pressure is making rent when you’re an immigrant to a new country like my mom had. You know, I took a lot of things for granted when I was younger.

“In my 20s and playing professional golf, I had a lot of access to different things, but at 40, I realized all of us sitting up here, we're blessed to be sitting here and getting to travel the world, play golf in front of a bunch of people, in amazing places such as here in Jakarta ... And you know, we have to appreciate that and have gratitude for the opportunity we have in front of us. We start tomorrow; we are all at level par with the chance to change our lives every week. So you know, this is not pressure. This is a blessing."

Kim is attempting to take a route already travelled by Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent and American Andy Ogletree. Vincent, the former International Series England champion, enjoyed two years of success on the Iron Heads GC team after topping the rankings in 2022 while Ogletree, a three-time champion on the series, secured a high-profile move onto Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC team after winning the 2023 race.

Talking about the opportunity that The International Series provides to players from the Asian Tour, and talent from around the world including the likes of Ogletree, the 2019 U.S. amateur champion, Kim said: “It’s great. Golf is growing overall, and giving Asian Tour players the chance to compete for bigger purses in bigger events is important.

“Hopefully, some of them get the chance to prove themselves on a bigger stage. Golf keeps evolving, and players seem to be getting better at a younger age. I’ve played with some of those guys, and they’re playing some really good golf.”

(Photo courtesy of Asian Tour)