Anthony Kim has confidently predicted he will be "winning golf tournaments soon" off the back of a third-place finish at LIV Golf Promotions on Sunday.
The 40-year-old carded rounds of 69-66-69 to snap up the third and final LIV Golf card behind Canada's Richard T. Lee and Sweden's Bjorn Hellgren at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida.
While the other two players are set to enjoy debut cracks at LIV Golf, Kim's podium result ensured he would make an immediate return to the PIF-backed circuit as one of five Wild Cards in the league for 2026, having been relegated at the end of his second season.
The Californian largely struggled in both of his LIV Golf campaigns to date, managing a best finish of T25th in Dallas midway through the 2025 season, and was cut from the league after ending 55th in the rankings.
However, Kim's form did show occasional signs of life last term and a T5th at the PIF Saudi International in November suggested he might have been beginning to find his groove again.
With one last shot at earning a LIV Golf card occurring less than a month before the start of the new season, Kim stood up to the task brilliantly and comfortably claimed his prize in the end.
Reacting to his latest achievement immediately after LIV Golf Promotions had concluded, Kim was asked what kind of confidence his display would give him.
He said: "Yeah, a lot of confidence because I definitely didn't have it today. I didn't feel great with my swing. Putted OK, but didn't make a ton.
"I feel like my game's trending in the right direction and that my bad rounds, I could still hang in there and be around par.
"This is just the first step, but I'm glad I earned my spot so everybody could quit talking s*** and I'll be back soon, I'll be winning golf tournaments soon."
“I’m not here to prove everybody wrong, I’m here to prove myself right” - @AnthonyKim_Golf #LIVGolfPromotions pic.twitter.com/SsMVUOvrWkJanuary 11, 2026
The Californian's golfing journey has been a fascinating one already, with the prodigious talent securing three PGA Tour wins early on in his career as well as a spot on Team USA's Ryder Cup roster in 2008.
However, just four years later, Kim disappeared from golf altogether until a surprise re-emergence in 2024.
Once he did return well into his 30s, there were some corners of golf who questioned whether Kim would be able to hit the heights of his glory days over a decade prior.
While a couple of rough seasons may not have silenced the doubters too much, Kim insists he doesn't care about proving people wrong and is far more invested in continuing to enjoy the latest chapter in his life.
He continued: "Yeah, it feels great. You know, I'm not here to prove everybody wrong, I'm here to prove myself right.
"I've worked so hard, and this little girl right here is one of the reasons why. Obviously, my wife's been so supportive and I've had so much support behind me all year, last two years since I've been back. And I'm so grateful that I'm back on the stage."
Kim will join Lee and Hellgren as part of LIV Golf's 2026 line-up at the season's opening event in Riyadh next month.
LIV Golf Riyadh begins the season between February 4-7 with new signings Victor Perez and Laurie Canter also primed to be in the field.
