In LIV promotions, 2 comeback stories take center stage
Anthony Kim’s performance at LIV Golf was as difficult as he expected, especially coming off a 12-year hiatus.
“I think the first year, I was just trying not to drop the ball,” Kim said at this week’s LIV Promotions event in Florida. “Obviously it took a few months of playing golf before I started playing my first event. So my expectations weren’t high, even though I know what I’m capable of. I think after two years of training and playing competitive golf, I’ve started to find my footing.”
In two years at LIV, Kim had zero top 20s and found himself demoted after this season. But the former World No. 6 has shown flashes of good golf this fall, where he has made three straight cuts on the Asian Tour, including a T5 at the Saudi International. Kim arrived at this week’s LIV Promotions event hoping to earn one of the three spots available in the breakout league, as he looks to return to a place he hasn’t been in 15 years: the big tournament.
“The goal is to return to playing at a high level,” said Kim. “I think when you play against major league winners week in and week out, you’re forced to get better, and it prepares you a lot for the majors. I’ve played in a few majors, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”
Kim was eliminated in the second round of the LIV Promotions event at Black Diamond Ranch, but had to sink a clutch putt on the 18th hole to secure his spot for the weekend.
That gave Kim life as he hunted for one of the three spots available in the Saudi-backed rebel league, but the 40-year-old soon realized that a place in LIV, or any league, was not the end-all, be-all for him after a tumultuous life in and out of golf.
“I played a lot of golf,” Kim said. “My outlook on life has changed. The way I look at golf has changed. Obviously, it would be a great feeling to make it back to LIV and qualify. But this is not the only thing I have left. I have many things I want to do in the future. Be competitive in golf, but there is more to life than golf in the next few years. I am looking forward to playing golf.
The scores are reset after round 2, giving Kim a fresh start to look for a new life in LIV. He fired a third-round 66, putting him at 4 under and tied for second along with South Africa’s Oliver Bekker and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond.
Another shot from behind was former DP World Tour winner, who, like Kim, went from rising star to golf footnote in Lucas Bjerregaard.
The 34-year-old Bjerregaard was a star before winning the Portugal Masters in 2017. In 2018, Bjerregaard defeated Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. That year, he reached No. 42 in the Official World Golf Rankings and scored a top 25 in the Masters, PGA Championship and Open Championship. The following season, Bjerregaard defeated Tiger Woods in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
But Bjerregaard has been out of form, dealing with a back injury and is now ranked 468th in the world. But he believes LIV could be just what he needs as he tries to get back into top form at a different stage in his life.
“These past few years have been difficult for me and the family,” said Bjerregaard, via LIV Golf. “My relationship with this game is probably a little different than it used to be.
“The last three or four years, not playing well and struggling, it’s been a lot of touring, and I’ve always felt alone in hotel rooms and stuff, and LIV seems to be the opposite of that. So that seems very interesting to me.”
Three spots in LIV will be on the line Sunday at Black Diamond Ranch. For leader Richard T. Lee and other golfers, 18 holes can change everything.
For Kim and Bjerregaard, 18 holes is the next step in their golf comeback, regardless of the outcome.
