AK’s redemption story now gets the platform it deserves

ADELAIDE, Australia – We first saw it at The Watering Hole, the par-3 12th at The Grange famous for its party vibes. It wasn’t the most emphatic of fist pumps, but Anthony Kim’s celebration after sinking a 17-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead late in the final round Sunday at LIV Golf Adelaide was still a bit jarring. Where had that been?

For the previous decade, the charismatic Kim was the life of any party, one that eventually went out of control, took him to dark places and nearly cost him his life. Fortunately, he found his safe zone before it was too late, leaning on a wife and a daughter to provide the reason to not throw it away. Girl Dad became his new persona, and he wore it proudly. 

Yet there was also the matter of golf. Having reclaimed his life, he now sought to reclaim his professional career. It’s a challenge unlike any world-class golfer has ever faced, considering he had essentially put the clubs away for more than 12 years. When he returned, he didn’t even own a set. He didn’t have a support staff. He wasn’t even familiar with Trackman. The game had progressed while he remained stuck in the old methods, technology neutralizing his previous advantages. 

And so, for two years, we only saw the subdued side of AK, his lackluster results frustrating but understandable. There had been little to cheer for since he joined LIV Golf early in 2024, at least outwardly. Curiosity turned into indifference. He failed to produce a single point in the season-long standings that go to all top 24 finishes. After his contract expired after the 2025 season, he was relegated. Critics focusing only on the leaderboard took glee, insisting his return was a failure, the sideshow act now over. 

That only fueled his fire. 

Those two years, you see, did not go to waste. Kim made progress, however slowly. His mantra, 1% better each day, isn’t exactly the fast-track approach. But his work ethic was impressive, range days often spent with daughter Bella running outside the rope line while Kim sought to refine his swing. Now in his 40s, he retooled his mental approach and course management to better fit his game.

Then, seemingly overnight, Kim found it. He started playing better late last year; a T5 at the PIF Saudi International, his first 10 top since his return. A gritty effort at LIV Golf Promotions in January, sinking a clutch putt in the second round to keep his dreams alive, then finishing top three to earn a Wild Card spot for 2026. A season-opening T22 in Riyadh, his best LIV Golf result at that point. The critics went silent.

Now one step – perhaps the biggest step, essentially the last step – remained. Did he have enough game to win? He insisted he did. “I’m delusional enough.” We said prove it.

So there he was Sunday at The Grange, rallying from five shots back while playing in the final group against two of golf’s greatest players in Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. It was nonrational, to be honest. They kept retreating as AK kept draining birdie putts – the 17-footer at 12, followed by an 11-footer at 13, 14-footer at 14, another 17-footer at 15, then a 15-footer at 17. Each one was followed by an even more energetic and vehement fist pump than the previous one. 

That’s because each fist pump told a story. Of redemption. Of inspiration. Of never quitting when all seems lost. Of never doubting when everybody else turns their back. He looked like his old self – the one with so much promise, so much talent, so much magnetism – but in actuality, this was a completely new AK shedding the last layers of his past. 

“That was all the lows that I went through in my life that I got to dig out of,” he explained. “Every putt that went in, I felt the struggle, and I was overcoming it. It was therapeutic out there.” 

It was surreal for everybody else. 

Inside the clubhouse, the other LIV Golf teams gathered to watch AK finish his incredible journey, cheering as his final birdie putt sealed the deal. His new team, 4Aces GC – which officially announced his signing just an hour prior to Thursday’s opening round – gathered up bottles of non-alcoholic fizzy water to spray on AK on the 18th green. They didn’t want to use the usual champagne bottles reserved for winners. After all, as Kim states with nearly each of his social posts, Sober is Dope.

Outside, the record-setting crowd – at 115,000 over the four days, the largest to ever attend a golf tournament in Australia – embraced him as one of their own. Seeing their hometown Ripper GC win the team trophy would normally be the biggest story of the tournament, but even the Aussies couldn’t deny the incredible narrative developing in their backyard. 

“It's pretty touching, actually, how good a story this is,” said the Rippers’ elder statesman, Marc Leishman . “I hope that people realize how it's a fairy tale. It really is. Not just golf but life.” 

Cameron Smith, the Ripper captain, was there on Day 1 in 2024 in Jeddah, playing in the same first-round group when Kim made his return to golf. It was not pretty. The rust was evident, with Kim chunking his first approach shot, eventually shooting a field-worse 6-over 76 en route to a bottom-5 finish, which he would do 13 more times over the next two years. 

“It was scrappy to say the least, and I was very skeptical at the start,” Smith recalled. “But what he's been able to do over the past couple of seasons and dig deep and grind out and then do what he did today is pretty special.”

An Australian watching from afar was Greg Norman, LIV Golf’s first commissioner and CEO who had signed Kim two years ago. On Sunday, he was not only a fan but admittedly felt like a proud father, telling Kim via Instagram:

You have fought a fight very few could ever comprehend. You believed in yourself. Committed to yourself, because you knew deep down you would return where you belong – in the winner’s circle. 

That winner’s circle on Sunday included Bella, the 4-year-old whose story is equally inspirational as her father’s, if not as well-chronicled. Bella was born three months prematurely, but her fight to survive was the impetus for Kim to change his life. Without Bella, there is no redemption story for AK. 

Seeing professional golfers celebrate victories with their families after the final putt is nothing new. But seeing Bella run onto the 18th green and Kim pick her up in joyous relief just hits home differently for anybody aware of their story and connection. Mom Emily soon joined in, a family hug for the ages.

“I cried,” said another Ripper, Lucas Herbert. 

He wasn’t alone. 

It was just last week in Riyadh that Rahm heard a detailed account from Kim himself about his struggles. It happened during an hour-long post-round ride back to the player hotel, and Kim did not hold back. On Sunday, Rahm finished runner-up for the second consecutive week, but his disappointment was tempered by the man who beat him. 

“In a weird way, as a competitor we probably shouldn’t say this, but that was a joy to watch,” Rahm said. “Seeing that image on 18 of him hugging his wife and his daughter – any man with a soul is going to have a soft spot for that. I was almost tearing up. As bad as I did because it was my own doing, I’m thankful to be present for such a moment.” 

Rahm gave Kim a long, congratulatory hug. So did DeChambeau. So did most of the league’s brotherhood of players, their skepticism from two years ago having turned to admiration. They patiently waited their turn, eager to pay their respects. 

“We signed Anthony because we believed in his championship DNA and we respected his journey,” said 4Aces GM Chris Rosaasen. “Comebacks at this level are earned, not given. Seeing him lift the trophy in Adelaide made it even more meaningful. It was a reminder that resilience and belief still matter in this game.” 

That’s the message Kim wants to deliver with his story. Or as he put it a bit more succinctly – and a lot more bawdry – after his win, “Don’t f---ing quit.” He wants to inspire people, to show that anybody can climb up from the depths of despair and find a positive path. The win on Sunday wasn’t simply about lifting a trophy and cashing a big check. It was about casting a wider net. 

“The only way I get to reach the amount of people I want to reach is by winning,” said Kim, who was ranked outside the top 2,000 golfers last November but is now 203rd after his win. “I can talk about my struggles all I want, but if I don't have the platform, then I won't reach as many people.”

Although it won’t happen anytime soon, at some point Kim will have that talk with his daughter. It won’t be easy. Bella may hear things that make her flinch. He may leave out some details, spare her the anguish. 

“But I will tell her that before she came into this world that I didn't feel any purpose in my life,” Kim said. “I just want her to know that no matter how bad your day is, if you keep fighting, you never lose. Hopefully she takes that with her for the rest of her life.” 

That conversation is for later. For now, they will celebrate AK’s victory by watching the movie “Frozen” for the umpteenth time. They will stay a few extra days in Australia, visiting the zoo, checking out the koala bears and kangaroos, enjoying the normalcy of family life. 

Next month, there will be another adventure with tournaments in Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa. As always, the family will be together. Now that he’s regained the taste of winning, Kim would like nothing more than to celebrate with his daughter again on the 18th green. 

“To be able to share this moment, even though Bella won't understand it, one day she will,” he said, slowly summoning the frankness that will serve him well in delivering his redemption message. “For her to be able to run on the green and see her dad isn't a loser was one of the most special moments of my life.”