Anthony Kim may be making his long-anticipated return to competitive golf this week, but LIV Golf is keeping official word close to the vest.
News broke over the weekend that Kim is slated to make his first pro golf start in nearly 12 years at LIV Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and on Monday the league published a teaser video for the event. The trailer is dominated by a figure who is almost certainly Kim, but it doesn’t mention his name nor does the accompanying tweet.
The video harkens back to the mid-90s and 2000s film trailers with tight shots of desert sand, lightning strikes, dramatic landscapes and trees ablaze.
“In the silence of the desert, where time stands still, a journey begins,” a dramatic, deep-voiced narrator says. “For years, the road has lingered in darkness, but this is a rebirth.”
Anthony Kim finally is coming out of hiding. So, what now?
At that point, the video cuts to a silhouetted clip of a golfer, clad in a t-shirt and shorts with long hair flowing out the back of his cap, carrying a wedge toward the camera. Judging by the mannerisms, it’s surely Kim.
The next cut to a close-up of the golfer’s face, but it’s out of focus and never sharpens before the next transition.
Viewers then get a shot of the golfer’s driver swing, another clue that the figure is Kim. If you look closely, you can see the golfer is gripping about three inches up on the driver shaft, just as Kim did when he played on the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman also shared the video on his Twitter page, but also didn’t mention Kim by name.
“He oozes incredible talent,” Norman wrote. “The world has seen it in the past and now it is an honour as Commissioner of LIV Golf to give the opportunity for this star to be reborn. Welcome back and to the LIV Golf family mate. The golf world has missed you.”
When reached by GOLF.com Saturday, a LIV Golf spokesperson said the league “can’t comment on player speculation.” The video appears to put the speculation to bed, if not entirely.
Anthony Kim plotting return to pro golf after decade-long disappearance
GOLF’s Dylan Dethier reported that Kim was preparing for a return to pro golf last month, but his decision on where to make his comeback had not been made. Kim won three times on the PGA Tour, but LIV Golf likely is offering him upfront money.
Kim hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since 2012, reportedly in part due to a roughly $10 million insurance policy that he would have to forgo if he played competitively again. In that time, Kim’s legend only grew with stories and sightings throughout the golf world, but no tournament action.
Over the weekend, reports from multiple outlets confirmed Kim had chosen LIV for his comeback. He will begin the tournament at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in the King Abdullah Economic City as one of two individuals in the 54-man field, not tied to one of LIV’s 13 teams.
When will official confirmation of Kim’s return will come? It will have to be by Friday’s first round.