Anthony Kim

*win and career earning are through December, 2022

Anthony Kim won three PGA Tour events, including two in 2008 and another in 2010.

Few players have burst onto the golf scene as Anthony Kim did in 2008. The young, energetic, Korean American drew comparisons to Tiger Woods for his fearless approach to the game.

After three years at the University of Oklahoma, Kim turned pro in 2006 and received a sponsor exemption to play in his first event, the Valero Texas Open. Kim placed second in the tournament. After earning his PGA Tour card in 2007, Kim played in the U.S. Open that same year and shot a final round 67, the lowest of the day and second lowest of the entire tournament at Oakmont Country Club.

Kim’s banner year, however, was 2008. He started by winning the Wachovia Championship, clearing the field by five shots. The closest player to him was defending British Open champion, Ben Curtis. Two months later, Kim won at the AT&T National. But the most indelible moments for Kim in 2008 came at the Ryder Cup where he went 2-1-1 for the week including a 5 and 4 singles match win over Sergio Garcia.

Kim added one more PGA Tour win in his career at the 2010 Shell Houston Open, where he won on the first playoff hole against Vaughn Taylor. He also played on the U.S. team at the 2009 Presidents Cup.

Unfortunately for Kim, injuries began plaguing him in 2010 when he suffered a thumb injury that kept him from qualifying for that year’s Ryder Cup. Then, in 2012, he had surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon, which was supposed to keep him from playing for up to a year. However, Anthony Kim did not play a professional golf event for 12 years, despite being eligible in 2013 under a medical exemption. 

It is widely speculated that an insurance policy worth between $10-$20 million for a career-ending injury kept Anthony Kim from returning to professional golf throghout his 12-year absense. This belief explains Kim's absence from professional golf since 2012.

Anthony Kim has not win any majors in his career, but he has three top-10 finishes from 2008-2011. His best finish in a major was a solo third-place finish at the 2010 Masters.

There were reports that Kim’s partying lifestyle made him stray from golf, but they were unfounded. There have been few sightings of Anthony Kim since his time in golf’s spotlight. He played in a few charity events in 2016, but noted that he was not returning to professional golf. In 2019, an interaction with a fan led to Kim saying his golf game was “non-existent.”

Anthony Kim’s full name is Anthony Ha-Jin Kim and he was born on June 19, 1985. He was born in Los Angeles, California, but resides in Dallas, Texas. At a young age, Kim’s father guided him away from basketball and into golf. After playing at, and graduating from, La Quinta High School, Kim went on to the University of Oklahoma where he spent three years before turning pro.

Kim and his former girlfriend, Ashley McCurdy, have two children together. A son named Maxwell and a daughter named Georgia.