"The Tour was a better place with him in it" – Rory McIlroy once admitted to missing Anthony Kim, years before he joined LIV

Rory McIlroy once commented that he missed playing with Anthony Kim on the PGA Tour. Kim recently made his comeback on the LIV Golf tour earlier this year after a hiatus from professional play due to injury.

Anthony Kim had a successful career after he began playing professionally in 2006, recording three wins on the PGA Tour and drawing comparisons to the legendary golfer Tiger Woods. However, an injury compelled him to step away from professional play. He had not competed on the PGA Tour since 2012 until he joined LIV Golf as a wildcard member earlier this year.

Back in 2019, Rory McIlroy spoke about Anthony Kim in one of his interviews and stated that the Tour was better when Kim was playing on it. He admitted that he missed playing with the American.

Rory McIlroy was quoted as saying about Anthony Kim (via Express.co.uk):

"I miss Anthony Kim. The tour was a better place with him in it. He was exciting. I remember quite a lot about that round [at the 2009 Masters]. You're trying to focus on what you're doing but you can't help but notice this guy's going on a bit of a run. That was something that was pretty cool."

"You saw him at The Ryder Cup in Valhalla in 2008 doing what he did. Yeah, it was cool to be a part of. It was cool to see. It's good to know that it can be done," he added.

Although Anthony Kim had an impressive career on the PGA Tour over a decade ago, he has had a challenging return on LIV Golf. Kim has been struggling with his performance since making his comeback.

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Anthony Kim encountered difficulties upon his decade-long return

Anthony Kim returned to compete in professional tournaments after 12 years. He joined the Saudi-backed circuit as a wildcard entry, making his debut at the Jeddah event in March 2024. However, his highly-anticipated return was marked by difficulties as he struggled brutally in the event, finishing at the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of over par 16.

Kim's struggles continued in the next event in Hong Kong, where he once again settled for an over-par score, finishing with a +3, which was better than his performance in Jeddah but still only placed him 50th on the leaderboard.

Kim finished 53rd again at the LIV Golf Miami event, followed by another bottom finish on the leaderboard at the recently concluded Adelaide event. His current position on the LIV Golf standings is 55th.

While Anthony Kim has continued to struggle on LIV Golf, he remains hopeful of a better finish in the upcoming event in Singapore.