Anthony Kim shared an emotional message for his daughter after completing a remarkable comeback victory at LIV Golf Adelaide calling the moment one of the most meaningful of his life. The American was greeted on the 18th green by his wife Emily and their daughter Bella in one of the most touching scenes of the week.
Anthony Kim who returned to professional golf in 2024 after more than a decade away produced a closing 63 to surge past the leaders and secure his first win in 16 years.
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“Best moment of my life so far,” Anthony Kim said. “Obviously when Bella was born Emily and my life changed. But to be able to share this moment, even though Bella won’t understand it one day she will and for her to be able to run on the green and see her dad isn’t a loser was one of the most special moments of my life.
“I’m going to try to leave a lot of details out. But I will tell her that before she came into this world that I didn’t feel any purpose in my life. Whether you have a lot of money, whether you have a lot of success in your life, you still can feel lonely and feel like the world is against you and that’s in your own mind because I had a lot of people rooting for me. Obviously you saw out there how many people were rooting for me.
“But I just want her to know that no matter how bad your day is, if you keep fighting you never lose. Hopefully she takes that with her for the rest of her life.”
At his peak, Anthony Kim was one of golf’s brightest talents, rising to World No. 6 and playing on a victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008. His career later derailed due to a serious Achilles injury, followed by struggles with addiction and long periods away from the game.
He returned to professional golf after a 12-year break but the comeback did not go smoothly at first. Kim failed to score a point across two seasons and was relegated before earning his way back through qualifying last month. In Adelaide everything finally clicked as he charged past overnight leaders Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau with that final-round push.
Anthony Kim also spoke about how much he has changed over the years and the responsibility he now feels as a father.
“I want to be a good example. I would say that I wasn’t the best person, the best partner, the best whatever you want to call it, the best son I could be when I was younger. But who I am today is a completely different person. With God, my family, my sobriety being the key things to my life, I can go as far as I want.
“I told my wife this: The only way I get to reach the amount of people I want to reach is by winning. I can talk about my struggles all I want but if I don’t have the platform, then I won’t reach as many people.”
Although the win came with a $4 million prize Anthony Kim said the moment meant far more than the money. Sharing it with his family, especially his daughter is what made the day truly special for him.
How did Anthony Kim play in the final round of LIV Golf Adelaide?
Anthony Kim delivered the best round on Sunday, shooting a 9-under 63 to finish at 23-under and come from five shots back to win ahead of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
As Kim picked up birdies, his closest challengers could not keep up. DeChambeau made early bogeys, while Rahm played steady but without gaining ground. Kim made birdies on the 4th, 5th, 7th and 9th to cut the deficit to just one shot by the turn.
The key moment came at the par-3 12th, known as “The Watering Hole.” Kim hit his tee shot to about 17 feet and rolled in the birdie putt to tie for the lead, sending the crowd into a frenzy. He then pulled away with more birdies on the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th to take control of the tournament.
Here is the hole-by-hole scorecard of Anthony Kim from round 4:
- Hole 1: Par 4 — 4 (Par)
- Hole 2: Par 4 — 4 (Par)
- Hole 3: Par 3 — 3 (Par)
- Hole 4: Par 4 — 3 (Birdie)
- Hole 5: Par 4 — 3 (Birdie)
- Hole 6: Par 3 — 3 (Par)
- Hole 7: Par 5 — 4 (Birdie)
- Hole 8: Par 4 — 4 (Par)
- Hole 9: Par 5 — 4 (Birdie)
- Hole 10: Par 5 — 5 (Par)
- Hole 11: Par 4 — 4 (Par)
- Hole 12: Par 3 — 2 (Birdie)
- Hole 13: Par 5 — 4 (Birdie)
- Hole 14: Par 3 — 2 (Birdie)
- Hole 15: Par 4 — 3 (Birdie)
- Hole 16: Par 4 — 4 (Par)
- Hole 17: Par 4 — 3 (Birdie)
- Hole 18: Par 4 — 4 (Par)
Total: 63 (-9)
Edited by Sonali Verma
