His talent was unquestionable.
He had flair and looked to be a rising star.
On the first tee of the opening singles match on Sunday at the 2008 Ryder Cup, Anthony Kim was tasked with a difficult opponent — Sergio Garcia.
Full of confidence, Kim called team captain Paul Azinger aside and whispered: “I’m gonna whup his ass for you.”
Pretty bold for a 23-year-old going against one of match play’s toughest guys.
Three hours later, Kim sank a seven footer on the 14th green at Valhalla — gave it a huge fist pump then raced towards the 15th tee-box. He had only gone a matter of yards when officials stopped him to tell him that the putt had actually given him a 5-and-4 victory over Garcia.
There’s another mythical story from the 2009 Presidents Cup.
Kim was seen returning to the team hotel at 4 in the morning in a van with a lot of drink on board and just five hours to go until he was due to take on Robert Allenby in the singles. After he was subsequently taken apart by the Kim, Allenby sounded irked about his rival’s night-before prep work. “Maybe we should all take the theory of Anthony Kim, Get home at four in the morning, and then go shoot six under.”
Kim was on his way to the top.
Then life stepped in. A series of injuries began to derail him, eventually, he left the PGA Tour altogether.
It was rumored that Kim received a tax-free insurance payout due to those injuries. The amount has been estimated at $10-20 million, no one but Kim knows for sure.
That payout came with a price, it is most likely the reason Kim can never compete again.
Earning that much on the course would require him winning double the amount, something that was always going to be difficult given the debilitating injuries he suffered and the multiple operations he endured. Kim, who won $12 million on the course during his brief career, has denied the insurance story.
The last Anthony Kim public sighting came in April of this year.
Kim was seen walking a dog with his girlfriend in West Hollywood.
The last time he was asked about his golf game, he gave a simple answer:
Um…non-existent.”
Every sport needs a good mystery and Kim remains golf’s biggest.
