Anthony Kim started the LIV Golf Singapore event strong, and it appears his form is finally returning. He fired off a 2-under 69 to post his best score of the year.
Kim sits inside the top 20 as he and Jon Rahm recorded the same score.
He tallied three birdies and only one bogey on the day.
“Score could have been much better, but best ball-striking round since getting back into golf,” Kim wrote on his Twitter. “Looking forward not only to the next two days but the rest of the year @livgolf_league. Can’t thank my supporters enough for the love I’ve been shown.”
Kim sits four shots off the leader Sebastian Munoz, who fired off a 6-under 65 on the day. Brooks Koepka and Thomas Pieters recorded 5-under 66s as well.
The 38-year-old has struggled since returning to golf, which has stirred up a lot of hate. Kim responds to those haters and keeps it honest.
He has played in four events this year. In those tournaments, Kim has been dead last or right at the bottom of the leaderboard, shooting in the mid to high 70s. It has not been pretty, but Thursday finally saw sparks of his talent come through.
Anthony Kim has shot an opening 2 under par 69 at LIV Golf Singapore with 3 birdies and just 1 bogey. It’s his lowest opening round since his comeback and he sits inside the top 20 alongside double major winner, Jon Rahm. pic.twitter.com/604KDqowCU
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 3, 2024
Kim started his day on the par-4 13th at the Serapong Golf Course. He began with five straight pars before his first birdie putt dropped at the par-5 18th. The LIV wildcard player dropped his only shot of the day on the next hole.
He then picked up some momentum when he birdied the 4th and 7th. Kim would settle for five pars to close his round.
He is tied alongside Rahm, Peter Uihlein, Sergio Garcia, Brendan Grace, Paul Casey and Jason Kokrak.
One round could be an anomaly. But if he puts together another solid round Saturday, things could finally be on the rise for Kim as he makes his return.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.