Ever since news broke of Anthony Kim’s potential return to pro golf, speculation has run rampant on social media. So on Friday night, PGA Tour star Max Homa decided to have some fun with it, something Golf Channel/NBC analyst Brandel Chamblee took exception to.
First, some background. On Thursday night, GOLF’s own Dylan Dethier exclusively reported that former PGA Tour pro Anthony Kim was seriously considering making a return to pro golf. But Kim, who last played on Tour in 2012, still has one big decision to make: where his return will occur.
According to Dethier’s report, both the PGA Tour and LIV are negotiating with Kim, hoping he decides to make his return on their playing platforms. Which brings us to Homa.
On Friday night, Homa took to X to poke fun at Kim’s big decision, implying that LIV has a much stronger negotiating position to win over AK than the PGA Tour.
Homa wrote:
“Here’s a behind the scenes scoop of the PGA Tour and LIV negotiating with Anthony Kim to make a comeback:
PGA Tour: Plz come play on our Tour
LIV: Plz come play on our Tour and also here is 500 million dollars”
Homa’s post was clearly a joke, but it is important to point out just how exaggerated Homa’s figure is for how much LIV is offering Kim.
Long gone are the days of LIV forking over hundreds of millions of dollars to players just to show up (Jon Rahm aside), especially with a potential agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF in the offing.
According to Dethier’s sources, the main sticking point in Kim’s decision is how best to deal with a $10 million insurance policy he has that will be voided if he plays pro golf again. LIV is offering to cover that $10 million figure for Kim outright. It’s a huge upfront sum, but nothing like the $500 million Homa referenced.
The PGA Tour, on the other hand, is working on more creative solutions for Kim to compete with LIV financially, which you can read all about in Dethier’s report here.
Upon seeing Homa’s X post, Chamblee decided to make a lengthy response of his own.
Chamblee has long been critical of LIV and its Saudi Arabian investors on moral grounds, so he took the format of Homa’s post and added his own points to argue that the PGA Tour would be a superior landing spot for Kim.
“PGA tour: Plz come play our tour and be a part of something bigger than yourself; reconnect with the audience that invested in you and truly help grow the game.
Liv: Here’s a ton of money to help a dictatorial murderer pretend he cares about you and the game of golf so he can launder his reputation; never mind that you’ll be turning your back on the foundations of golf that gave you a start and the tour that gave you a stage, just say, as we command you to, that you are growing the game.”
Homa offered no further response, though he was a little busy. The next morning he had to wake up attempt a repeat victory at the Farmers Insurance Open.
