Anthony Kim is confident it’s “only a matter of time” before he’s contending on Sundays, with the American telling Gulf News that his game is “ahead of schedule.”
After a 12-year hiatus from competitive golf, Kim made a surprise return earlier this year, signing with the LIV Golf League as a wildcard alongside Hudson Swafford.
The 39-year-old, unsurprisingly, failed to register a point in the 11 tournaments he played, given the lengthy break from the game. However, he showed steady improvement as the season progressed.
The former Ryder Cup star achieved his best finish of 36th in his penultimate event at The Greenbrier and began this week’s International Series Qatar with rounds of 71 and 72, making his first cut in 12 years.
The steady improvements in his game have been encouraging for Kim, who believes he might be able to get close to the kind of form that saw him win four PGA Tour titles during his prime.
“Contending on Sundays,” replies Kim when Gulf News asks what a successful 2025 looks like.
“I know a lot of people have probably seen my last year and don't think that's possible, but I think it’s going to happen. I 100% believe in myself, and I think it's just a matter of time.”
That sounds a lot easier said than done. What’s the gameplan to move from the bottom half of the field to the top ten?
“It's just keep doing exactly what I'm doing,” he said.
“I'm working with more focus than I ever have. When I played professionally in my 20s, I didn’t know what I was doing, how to prepare, or how to practice – I know all of these things now after taking such a long time away from the game.
“I think that’s the benefit of not having played, is watching and analysing what I did before. I made so many mistakes before, and I’m trying to clean that up now.”
It remains to be seen which tour will witness a potential Sunday charge for the title.
Although he finished inside the LIV Golf Drop Zone, Kim’s wildcard status kept him from being relegated. LIV now has the opportunity to decide whether to retain him as a wildcard, assign him to a team or release him from the league altogether.
Reports earlier this week suggested that the Saudi-backed organisation had reached an agreement to keep Kim on for next year, supporting his continued comeback.
However, the former Ryder Cupper was unable to confirm these reports.
“I don't know what's going on,” he said. “I'll just let whatever news comes out come from LIV Golf.”
Simplify the game
Kim's appearance at Doha Golf Club this week, for the Asian Tour’s penultimate International Series event of the season, marks his first start in over two months, with his last appearance coming at LIV Golf Chicago.
With an eye on contending on Sundays in 2025, Kim used the mini off-season to address one of golf’s most frustrating challenges - swing thoughts.
For those unfamiliar, a swing thought refers to a specific element of the swing that a golfer focuses on when hitting a shot. These thoughts often take the form of metaphors designed to guide the brain and muscles into executing precise actions.
“I'm just simplifying the game,” said Kim.
“I started having too many thoughts during the beginning part of coming back to golf. So, I'm just trying to simplify it more and more at every tournament I'm playing.
“Instead of having three or four swing thoughts, eliminate it. Make it two swing thoughts, one swing thought, and then one thought when I’m putting, one thought when I'm chipping, as opposed to having multiple thoughts.
“This game, you're only hitting the ball 50 times a round, so you don't get many shots at it – you’ve got to just let it go.”
For an amateur, it's nearly impossible to avoid having multiple thoughts running through their head while making a swing.
So, just how difficult is it for a professional who has reached the top of the game?
“It's hard, but when you're in a groove, it's really easy,” he says.
“Unfortunately, I haven't found that yet, but I'm working hard, and I know I'll get there.”
Many fans watching at home or in the galleries may not expect Kim to reach that level, given his struggles this season.
But, despite a string of poor results, Kim believes he is ahead of schedule in terms of where he thought his game would be, considering the time he’s spent away from the sport
“Obviously, the results aren't what I wanted so far, but I think I am ahead of schedule.
“I don't think a lot of people realise that I really hadn't played any golf even before I started in Saudi Arabia. I had maybe two months of golf and had taken 12 years away from the game. It's a pretty hard thing to do and lots of time to make up for.
“I feel really confident that next year I'll have a great season, and I'm going to try to play well here (Qatar) and play well next week as well (Saudi).”
