Anthony Kim joining 4Aces GC as new team member for remainder of 2026 season

ADELAIDE, Australia – Anthony Kim will join Dustin Johnson ’s 4Aces GC for the remainder of the 2026 LIV Golf season, transitioning from an independent Wild Card player to a full team member. The club made the announcement Thursday prior to the opening round of LIV Golf Adelaide, which is Kim’s first tournament in the 4Aces lineup. 

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Kim has been a Wild Card player since 2024 when he resumed his professional golf career after a 12-year retirement to join LIV Golf. He was relegated after last season but earned his way back into a full-time position at last month’s LIV Golf Promotions when he claimed one of three qualifying spots. 

“I’m excited,” Kim said at The Grange Golf Club. “This is a new chapter and hopefully I can benefit the team.” 

Filling Kim’s spot as a Wild Card will be Miguel Tabuena, who finished third in last year’s International Series season-long rankings that award the top two finishers with full-time LIV Golf positions. Tabuena is the first player from the Philippines to compete in LIV Golf. 

The 40-year-old Kim comes off his best result in his 25 LIV Golf starts, a tie for 22nd at last week’s ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh. After two years of shaking off the rust from his lengthy absence from golf, his recent results indicate that he’s turned the corner.

In November, he tied for fifth at the PIF Saudi International, his first top-10 finish since his return. At the Promotions event, he finished third, and he then carried that momentum over to last week’s season-opening tournament under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club. His final-round 6-under 66 moved him up nine spots on the leaderboard. 

“We’re super-excited to have AK join the team,” Johnson said. “Obviously, he’s trending in the right direction. When you take that long from the game, it takes a while to get it back. But I’ve played enough with him, and you can tell it’s still in there. He’s been working really hard, and I think he’s going to be a really good addition.” 

Kim fills the opening created by the departure of Patrick Reed, who is now competing primarily on the DP World Tour. 4Aces General Manager Chris Rosaasen said the club looked at a variety of replacement options. Last week in Riyadh, the team utilized Tabuena as a reserve player and finished in third place, thanks mostly to the top-10 finishes by the team’s two Belgian players, Thomas Pieters (T4) and newcomer Thomas Detry (solo 7th).

Kim was seven shots better than Tabuena in Riyadh. Had Kim been in the 4Aces lineup, the team would’ve tied for second. 

After arriving in Adelaide, Rosaasen and Johnson agreed that Kim was the player they wanted to pursue and also met with Detry and Pieters to get their input. 

“We’ve been following his journey for the past two years since he came into the league, and he’s been trending upwards,” Rosaasen said. “We obviously thought we had our team set for this season and had a curveball thrown at us. Dustin and I sat back and really looked at a lot of different options. It’s no secret that we made some offers to some other players. Those deals didn’t work out. He and I then sat down and said, you know what, I think Anthony is our best choice. 

“He was paired with Thomas Detry in Riyadh. He saw him up front and Thomas was really impressed with how he played. And Pieters has been a big fan of his.” 

Prior to his retirement, Kim was the sparkplug of the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team that beat Europe at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. He paired with current HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson in three matches and then beat current Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia in the opening match of Sunday Singles, setting the tone for the Americans’ five-point victory.

After spending the last two years basically on his own while working to improve his game, Kim welcomes the opportunity to be part of LIV Golf’s unique team environment. 

“To be perfectly honest, I’ve been kind of a lone wolf my whole life,” Kim said. “I think that’s why I enjoyed the few chances I got to be on a team. Super-excited about this opportunity. I want to be around these guys and looking forward to the rest of the year.” 

Johnson believes that the support Kim will now have as part of the 4Aces will accelerate his return to the type of golf displayed during his most successful stretch between 2008-10 when he won four times. 

“He’s been doing everything by himself,” Johnson explained. “By being on a team, playing with me and Thomas and Thomas – it’s only going to help. It’s pretty exciting to see him only getting better. From what I see from him, all the hard work he’s been putting in, it’s starting to show up. 

“We’re excited to have him and obviously if he plays well, it’s a great story.” 

Kim certainly seems like a good fit for a 4Aces club that dominated LIV Golf’s inaugural 2022 season with five wins in eight events – including the first Team Championship – while operating with a swagger and confidence as the league’s first dominant club. 

“You know what’s funny? Reading through social media when I have time, there’s so many people that were speculating when you read through the comments that he was going to be the next Ace,” Rosaasen said of Kim. “To be honest, at the time we weren’t thinking it. But Dustin and I had dinner two nights ago and started talking about it. 

“I think he [Kim] has it. One thing that was interesting that Pieters said as we were going through everything, he said Anthony has been on the biggest stage and he’s proved that he has it in his veins. We were looking at some young kids who were newly turned professionals. We want to get some younger talent, which we will have to eventually. But none of those kids are proven. 

“Anthony has been a Ryder Cup star, he’s won multiple times on the biggest stages. I hadn’t really thought about it that way but it’s like, some people have it and some people don’t. And he definitely has it – and he’s trending upwards. So, we’re excited to bring him on the team and see what he can do.” 

Although trending in a positive manner, Kim realizes the comeback is not fully complete. 

“I’ve turned a corner as far as playing better golf rounds,” he said, “but I’m not where I want to be yet. I think I’m on my way. I’m still not where I need to be or where I’m capable of being. I think there’s a lot of upside to the rest of the year and the rest of my career."