A few raised eyebrows and raised hopes that the golfing enigma that is Anthony Kim could be back in the limelight seem to have been dashed, with reports about him thinking about a possible move to LIV Golf being trashed by a friend.
The 37-year-old hasn’t played competitive golf since 2012, yet Kim remains a headline maker whenever he’s mentioned in connection with a possible return.
When an article in the New York Times (opens in new tab) was then published saying Kim hadn’t ruled out returning to play in LIV Golf, his legion of fans jumped all over it to speculate that their cult hero could make a huge return to the sport.
Really? News to me. I speak to AK almost every day. He hasn’t spoken to his caddy or coach in months. https://t.co/z94Kf6TMXq pic.twitter.com/HM1d3xKub2January 27, 2023
Their joy has been short-lived though as the report, which cites his former caddy Eric Larson, has been immediately trashed by famous jeweler and friend of Kim, Ben Baller.
The podcaster and golf fan quickly took to Twitter, saying he had recently spoken to Kim at length and that the New York Times report was way off the mark.
“You guys are acting like you got a direct quote from AK. But AK hasn’t talked to his coach in almost three months, so I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” he said directly addressing the New York Times.
“Because I talk to Anthony almost every single day, I talked to him yesterday for an hour, and I’m not at liberty to talk about anything else, but do better guys.”
Kim fought injuries for years before putting his clubs away for good, and revealed in 2015 that he was receiving insurance payments for not being able to play anymore.
What’s not quite clear is whether those payments would come under threat if he returned to play either on the PGA Tour or for LIV Golf.
So for now, fanatical followers of the enigmatic 2008 Ryder Cup star will have to save themselves for if or when Kim makes that long-awaited reappearance on the golfing scene he once shone on but seemingly disappeared without a trace.