From a competitive point of view, Anthony Kim will be the first to admit his opening outing as a member of the LIV Golf League could have gone better.
He began his debut venture onto the course by topping his second competitive shot and later hitting an "all-world shank."
The American finished 53rd out of 53 players who tapped it around all 54 holes at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club (Matthew Wolff withdrew ahead of Sunday's action and was replaced by Wade Ormsby in Kim's group) thanks to a 16-over total that included two rounds of 76.
Four birdies throughout the week at LIV Golf Jeddah could be seen as a nice little bonus for the 38-year-old upon his return to the pro ranks, but the 16 bogeys and couple of doubles perhaps highlighted how much rust really exists after almost 12 years away.
In the end, Kim was some 33 shots behind eventual individual champion, Joaquin Niemann - who claimed his second LIV title in three events to start 2024, following success at LIV Golf Mayakoba.
Yet, scoring aside, the charismatic golfer and one-time entertainer has produced a handful of notable one-liners since coming back, starting with...
HERE TO BUST EVERYONE'S ASS
"I've missed the competitive part of the game" 💬#LIVGolf @anthonykim_golf pic.twitter.com/gzr05OdyMnFebruary 28, 2024
In one of the first videos announcing his return to the professional game days before LIV Golf Jeddah began, Kim stated that he would tell his story "when it's the right time, but now I'm just focused on golf."
Later on in that same clip, the 38-year-old confidently announced that while he was 38, he had been "putting in some work" and was "here to bust everyone's ass."
A FEELING I HADN'T FELT BEFORE
Everyone feels some level of nerves on the first tee of a meaningful round, even Anthony Kim.
Speaking about his emotions early on following an opening round of 76, Kim said: "It was a feeling I hadn't felt before. I was very excited to go get it done. Fairway looked very narrow, so to be able to hit the fairway was nice."
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
Kim said in his unveiling videos that he was "excited to be out here" with his family and, in particular, his young daughter. And although it wasn't his week in Jeddah, Kim was happy to see his little girl with a smile on her face.
Asked about how his daughter was doing in a new environment, Kim said: "My daughter is having the best time, and that's the most important thing. I'm grateful that I have this opportunity to create memories with my family."
I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A MARKER IN MY POCKET
It was always going to take time for Kim to readjust to life as a pro golfer, and a line from his post-week press conference highlighted just how much he had forgotten about doing his day job.
Asked about taking time to acclimatise to LIV, Kim said: "It's interesting because I didn't even have a marker in my pocket on the first hole when I started the golf tournament.
"There's a lot of things that I'm getting used to, and these changes are obviously unfamiliar to me, seeing as I haven't played much golf over the last 12 and a half years."
PLAYING LIKE ASS, REALLY
Thank you to everyone who has shown support on this epic journey. Life is a marathon not a sprint. The journey is just starting. - AK pic.twitter.com/yiw7AfMf5XMarch 3, 2024
Never one for pulling any punches when sharing his opinion on either himself or anyone else, Kim's closing remarks about his performance during the first week back should not have surprised those paying attention.
While regularly insisting that there were plenty of positives to take and that his game is in decent shape, all things considered, there was one line which particularly stood out.
Responding to a question about maybe feeling encouraged despite his score, Kim said: "Yeah, 1,000 percent. I'm more encouraged after playing this tournament and playing like ass, really.
"But I'm very encouraged. I'm excited about what's coming. My game is starting to shape up. I'm doing things that I used to do before. I'm just looking forward to a great year."
