LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony King shares this with Tiger Woods: The longer they’re gone, the longer their legends grow. The difference is the number of highlights that fill in the gaps and what blocks them.
Kim’s victory at the LIV Adelaide Golf Tournament, in front of the largest crowd on the LIV circuit and early in the morning across much of the country, was nothing short of astonishing given that he had been gone for such a long time – 12 years at the peak of his career – and that his battles with drug and alcohol addiction made him grateful to be alive, let alone playing golf.
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“I’m a completely different person today,” King said. “God, my family, my sobriety are the keys to my life and I can go as far as I can.”
What stands out about this return is the passage of time. Are there any other sports where athletes disappear for so long and then come back to win? Perhaps more strikingly, he entered the final group, five strokes behind Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, and didn’t miss a shot en route to a 63.
Kim’s motto is 1% improvement every day. That’s what it takes to get him back. The question going forward is whether that percentage will increase given the confidence that comes with winning.
Talent is never an issue.
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Woods was playing a practice round at the 2007 PGA Championship at South Mountain. While waiting on the sixth tee, he walked over to the side of the tee and asked, “What do you think of Anthony King?” Woods never missed anything that was going on in golf.
A year later, King won the Quail Hollow event by five strokes and shot a 65 to win the Congressional event at the AT&T National. His knockout of Sergio Garcia at the 2008 Ryder Cup added to his aura, as if the glamor, belt buckles and props weren’t enough.
They hit the ball to 2 feet on the first hole at Valhalla.
“O-ok?” Garcia said to King, suggesting they concede the putt, which was common practice.
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“Let’s putt,” King replied without looking at him.
King was so excited that day that after winning another hole, he walked to the 15th tee box only to see the Spaniard waiting to shake his hand on the 14th green. King didn’t realize the game was over.
A year later at the Presidents Cup, reports surfaced that Kim Jong Un was partying in the streets of San Francisco until dawn before the final. Robert Allenby shared the stories, an odd decision as it came after King needed just 15 holes to beat him in Sunday’s singles match.
Soon after, King was gone.
A thumb injury kept him from the 2010 Ryder Cup team. He had pain in his left elbow and wrist. There are missed cuts and WD. His game was so bad that King said his mother told him that a caddy at a Los Angeles golf club was making double what King made in 2012.
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He then disappeared from public view for more than a decade.
Whenever rumors of AK sightings surface, people are reminded of his talent and aura. He became a legend. He had a mystique about him, even though King won only three tournaments and never seriously competed in the majors. He made 11 birdies in a single round, setting a Masters record. Steve Pate shares the Masters record with seven consecutive birdies. No one talks about Pate.
After Woods underwent the first of four back surgeries, his lower back was fused and he was never the same again. He was away for long periods of time, most notably playing just one PGA Tour event and one European Tour event in 2016 and 2017 – a total of three rounds.
All that is left are memories and excitement, rich and powerful. Woods then completed the legacy by winning at Carnoustie in 2018, winning at East Lake and then the Masters in 2019, just two years after he could barely climb the stairs of the Augusta National clubhouse.
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It’s a lasting memory of Woods being injured in a 2021 car crash that left him barely able to compete. The question is whether he can still play in the PGA Tour Championship now that he’s 50 years old.
Although King has been gone for so many years, he is still only 40 years old. Even in golf, that’s not peak age, although Justin Rose (45) has proven it can be done. No matter where Kim Jong Un goes, he still has many years ahead of him.
He inadvertently received help from LIV, which secured him a spot in the 2024 Saudi-funded league. LIV added one spot in the qualifying round (Kim finished third). This year it was also changed from 54 holes to 72 holes. Without the change, King’s highlight-reel performance in Australia on Sunday would not have been an extra round.
With LIV gaining world ranking points (one of the reasons the league added qualifying spots and a 72-hole tournament), Kim is now just outside the top 200 in the world.
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It’s too early to guess whether majors will emerge. One more win still wouldn’t put him in the top 100. LIV Golf has three more tournaments before the Masters (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa). If he continues to compete, the PGA Championship seems likely, while two Opens offer spots atop LIV’s standings.
This is worthy of celebration, appreciation and surprise. Best of all, he has a new spotlight to remind golf fans why he got so much attention in the first place.
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
