The Resurrection of Anthony Kim: 5,795 Days to Redemption

·29 min·2 clips

"Talent doesn't disappear, it just hibernates" — Guest ties Anthony Kim's 5,795 days between wins to the golfer's own slump.

1. The Imagine Golf Podcast devotes a Monday release to Anthony Kim's win at the Grange Club in Adelaide, Australia, his first victory in 16 years. 2. Host Daniel Guest, an instructor at Imagine Golf who says he has worked with Live Golf as an ambassador and marshal, watched the final round on television and saw Kim play in person at a Live event. 3. His thesis is that "resilience, not just talent" wins in golf and in life, with Kim's 5,795 days between victories as the central example. 4. Guest describes the round: a final 63, 23 under par, a three-stroke margin over Jon Rahm and Bryson, a 20-foot putt on 12 to tie the lead, and birdies on holes 12 through 15 before a $4 million payout. 5. He rewinds to Kim's rise: a Korean-immigrant father with "brutal expectations," college golf at Oklahoma, a 2006 pro debut, wins at the Wachovia Championship and AT&T National at age 23, and a 5&4 Ryder Cup singles win over Sergio Garcia in 2008. 6. The story turns in June 2012, when Kim withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship and disappeared for 10 to 12 years amid unsubstantiated rumors, including a $10 million insurance payout. 7. Guest says later disclosures confirmed a Achilles injury, multiple shoulder surgeries, a hand surgery on his lead hand and a spinal fusion, along with addiction and, in Kim's words, "very dark demons." 8. Kim's 2024 return as a Live Golf wildcard ended in a dead-last finish, and Guest admits he thought Kim "should not be here" before Kim's "1% better every day" approach, sobriety and a quote that "no one else has to believe in me but me" changed that view. 9. Guest notes that Kim's compact swing, short grip and tight control now come with a smoother tempo, and that Kim says he "didn't have any self-worth until I became a father." 10. Suited to golfers who want mental-game lessons from a comeback story.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The IMAGEN Golf Podcast