His first five rounds at LIV Golf did not impress many golf fans.
Despite this, Anthony Kim showed flashes of brilliance, making 11 consecutive pars in the second round in Saudi Arabia.
But he had yet to do anything close to what he accomplished in Hong Kong on Sunday. Not only did Kim record an under-par score for the first time at LIV, she also posted one of the lowest rounds of the day, a 5-under 65.
“I just continued to do what I’ve been working on for the last two months. Of course, I’ve been out of the game for a long time, so I’ve been working hard to practice and get everything I need to prepare for the tournament. It was tough, but I’m doing the right thing now,” Kim said after the round. .
“I enjoy spending time with my family. The LIV Golf experience has been amazing. I’m just grateful.”
Prior to this season, Kim had not played professionally since 2012.
He returned to professional competition last week at LIV Golf in Jeddah, opening with a two-round 6-over 76 and finishing with a 4-over 74.
This week in Hong Kong, Mr. Kim once again struggled at the gates. He shot a 6-over 76 on Friday, but bounced back a bit on Saturday with a 2-over 72.
Still, he looked like an A-list pro as he waltzed around the Hong Kong Golf Club on Sunday.
Kim Byung-hyun, who started from No. 15, made two birdies in the first four holes. His momentum stalled for a while with a bogey on the first hole, but he hit two more par breakers on the par-5 third and par-4 sixth.
After that, he hit a bogey on the 9th hole, but made three consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 13th, reaching a total of 5 under for the day.
Kim Byung-hyun finished in 50th place with a total of 3 over.
“I’m very proud. I’m just grateful to have had this opportunity over the past 10, 12 years,” Kim said.
“I feel blessed every time I walk, so no matter what I shoot at, I feel like I’ve won. I never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but I feel grateful. I’m trying to work on my leverage game and live my life the same way.”
Despite not finishing last on the leaderboard, Kim will leave Hong Kong with plenty of confidence.Maybe he can develop it further in next week’s game Asian Tour International Series Macau.
“I definitely feel a lot better as far as playing golf,” Kim added.
“Golf isn’t as important as living right. I’m focused on my family and doing the right thing. It’s only a matter of time before golf comes along.”
The three-time PGA Tour winner may have better days of golf ahead of him, but his expectations have never left him.
“My expectations are always high, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, because it’s easy to get down on yourself. And after last week, I was very disappointed,” Kim said.
“But I knew I just needed to keep moving forward. I had great support and it feels really good to have a good round.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
