Anthony Kim’s Adelaide Victory Reminds Us Why We Still Believe in Comebacks

I’ve been covering professional golf since the Reagan administration, and I’ve learned that the sport’s greatest narratives rarely follow a straight line. They meander. They disappoint. They disappear for years, sometimes decades, before suddenly reappearing on a sunny afternoon at a course most casual fans have never heard of.

That’s exactly what happened Sunday at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, where Anthony Kim won his first tournament in nearly 16 years with a scorching 9-under 63 in the final round. And I’ll tell you—after 35 years of watching this game, I’m still not entirely sure how to process what I just witnessed.

The Numbers Don’t Tell the Real Story

On the surface, the facts are straightforward enough: Kim finished at 23-under par, beat Jon Rahm by three shots, and claimed his first victory since the 2010 Houston Open. He’s 40 years old. He had to qualify just last month just to earn his LIV spot for this season. Before Sunday, his best finish on LIV was a tie for 25th.

But those statistics miss the magnitude of what actually transpired out there. During the stretch that mattered most—holes 12 through 15—Kim made four consecutive birdies, draining putts of 17, 11, 14, and 17 feet. Not gimmes. Not tap-ins. These were the kinds of putts that separate champions from also-rans, especially for someone who’d been away from meaningful competition for over a decade.

I’ve caddied in this sport. I know what pressure feels like when you’re standing over a five-footer. I can’t imagine what it feels like when you’re standing over those putts after everything Kim has been through.

What We’re Really Witnessing

Here’s what strikes me most about this victory: it’s not actually a golf story anymore. It’s a human story that happens to involve golf. And that distinction matters enormously.

Kim reached world No. 6 back in 2008. He was a Ryder Cup champion. He had a legitimate claim on superstardom before personal struggles derailed his career. For 12 years, he simply disappeared from competitive golf entirely. When he resurfaced on the Asian Tour last year, playing six times and making only four cuts, it felt like a nostalgic footnote rather than a genuine comeback attempt.

Then LIV Golf happened. And whether you love the circuit or despise it, you have to acknowledge this: it gave Kim a lifeline that felt genuinely possible. Whether that’s good for professional golf’s long-term health is a debate for another day. But for Anthony Kim’s personal narrative, it was transformative.

“For it to actually happen is pretty insane. I just want to thank all the people that have supported me.”

There’s so much restraint in that quote. Kim could’ve delivered a theatrical acceptance speech. Instead, he sounded like someone still processing disbelief.

The Mental Game We Don’t See

In my three decades covering tour golf, I’ve learned that what separates winners from also-rans isn’t always talent. By the time players reach the professional level, most of them have extraordinary talent. What separates them is what happens in their heads when a 15-footer for the lead is staring them down at 17.

Kim’s closing message revealed something important about his psychological recovery:

“I was able to produce some good golf today, and I knew it was coming. Nobody else has to believe in me but me. And for anybody that’s struggling, you can get through anything.”

That’s not the bravado of someone who never doubted. That’s the hard-won wisdom of someone who doubted plenty—probably including himself—and came out the other side intact.

A Team Story Worth Mentioning

While Kim’s individual triumph rightfully dominated the headlines, it’s worth noting that his 4Aces team finished third overall, while the all-Australian Ripper team of Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman, and Elvis Smylie won for the second straight week. Smylie was making his LIV tour debut when they won the previous week in Riyadh. That kind of momentum is difficult to manufacture.

The squad-based competition format deserves credit here. It adds a layer of accountability and camaraderie that seems to bring out the best in players rather than the worst. Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII finished second as a team, with Rahm personally claiming second place individually after a closing 71.

Why This Matters Beyond Adelaide

Look, I’m not going to pretend this single victory solves any of golf’s larger structural questions. It doesn’t. The fractured landscape between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the DP World Tour remains complicated and unresolved.

But here’s what it does do: it reminds us that professional sports at their best tell stories about human resilience and redemption. Kim was 28 years old when he stepped away. He’s 40 now. That’s 12 years of his life essentially outside competitive golf—years he can never get back.

The fact that he managed to climb back to the summit, even in a LIV Golf event in Adelaide, means something. Not everything, but something real and worth acknowledging.

After 35 years of watching this game, I’ve learned to recognize the difference between feel-good narratives and genuine human achievement. What Kim did Sunday was the latter. He earned it, fairway by fairway, putt by putt, second by second.

And yeah, that’s worth celebrating.