Anthony Kim finally confirms worst-kept secret about 12-year hiatus
Anthony Kim has given a detailed explanation to LIV Golf's David Feherty about where he has been after stepping away from the game in 2012.
Anthony Kim has confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets about his life.
Kim shocked the world of men’s professional golf when he agreed to play LIV Golf League events this year as a wildcard after a 12-year absence from the game.
His last PGA Tour event came at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship and his whereabouts since then has been speculated about intensely.
Kim developed the moniker of golf’s yeti and with every sighting there followed frenzied conjecture he was mulling a return to the game.
The assumed explanation for Kim’s ‘retirement’ was that the American, now 38 years old, had cashed in on a lucrative insurance policy after mounting injury problems.
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That policy, per a detailed report by Sports Illustrated, was said to be worth in the region of $15-20m. Kim confirmed in an interview with David Feherty released on 2 April the policy existed.
But he refused to divulge any more information beyond that.
“I’m not at liberty to talk about details of the settlement or what happened regarding that,” he said.
“I know public opinion is that I took this money and ran and decided I was just going to hang out.
"But that wasn’t the case at all.
“I had multiple, multiple surgeries within a few years and my body is still not what it used to be.”
Kim said he had multiple surgeries to his shoulder, hand, Achilles and also a spinal fusion.
“You’re like Frankengolfer,” Feherty joked.
So what has Kim been doing?
Well, not a lot.
Kim told Feherty that he spent a tremendous amount of time sitting around his house watching reality TV and hanging out with his six pet dogs and two monkeys.
He claimed he hadn’t really played golf until about two-and-a-half months ago.
Kim wasn’t even considering returning until his wife Emily got hooked on the game.
Now, Kim said, he feels like he is falling in love with the game.
“I have an interesting relationship with golf,” he said. “I don’t think I ever loved it.
“What’s very weird to me right now is that I’m falling in love with the game.
“Golf was always filled with pressure, was always filled with lots of different emotions for me.
“My family had to go through a lot to give me this opportunity to play golf.
“So with that added pressure I was willing to risk a lot more. That was my nature, I was aggressive on the golf course and I was aggressive off the golf course and that led to my demise.”
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