The Round Table: Is Anthony Kim the comeback story of the year?

Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.

Anthony Kim won his first LIV Golf event on Sunday in Australia. It was AK’s first win in over 16 years, a period that included a prolonged absence from professional golf, drug and alcohol issues, a less-than-impressive re-start to his career and plenty of doubters asking then LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman why he was bothering with a washed-up has-been. At 40, Kim has a different message for golf fans – one about recovery, self-belief and the things that are important in life. Is Kim’s win the comeback story of the year?

Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): It may well be.  I don’t know if he’s shown any penitence for his previously cocky, egotistical personality, but that would be welcome.

Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): I don’t think anyone other than maybe Chamblee was cheering against Kim. It was a great story for sure, story of the year so far probably, by year end we’ll see. Very impressive though, Kim shot 63 in the final round, final group in front of a large crowd and won by a few over some very talented players.

Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: Anthony Kim has led a checkered life. Much of it turned people off through many self-inflicted wounds and arrogance. No doubt he has seen his share of obstacles, but I have followed numerous players without Kim’s talent, working their hearts out to reach mediocre success. Kim was dealt all the cards. I’m happy for his win but many of his trials and tribulations weren’t in pursuit of developing his game.

TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): Hard to imagine anything beating it.  This is an amazing story really.  Not just that he came back, but that he struggled at first, lost his spot on the tour, and kept battling and is now a winner.  The mental strength that must have taken is off the charts.  I was never a huge Anthony Kim fan, but I’m a fan now, it’s great to see him come back from such adversity.  It’s a lesson for everyone out there, and a great example for those who struggle with addiction and mental health issues.  I hope many people take notice.

Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine: So far it is. Unless Tiger returns to win another major, which is highly unlikely although I’ve learned never to bet against him, I can’t imagine anyone with a more compelling story than Kim’s, including some dark time that we may never know about. Professional athletes just don’t take a 12-year hiatus at the peak of their career and return at age 40 and win. Maybe make a decent living for a few years before retirement but this is quite remarkable.

The Pebble Beach Pro Am wasn’t without its own plots and twists as Collin Morikawa held off a slew of challengers to win for the first time in over two years. Scottie Scheffler’s final round 63 vaulted him up the leaderboard to hold a share of the lead for a time on Sunday and another Top 10 finish; Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka also finished strong, while Akshay Bhattia, who led the tournament for 63 holes couldn’t maintain his torrid pace and faded on the back nine. In your opinion, what was the most compelling storyline from Pebble Beach?

Deeks: The 62 that Morikawa shot on Saturday, and Scheffler’s 63 on Sunday — when balls were being blown off greens by the winds — were simply other-worldly, in my opinion.  That was the most compelling story for me.  But followed closely by Morikawa’s birdie to win on 18 on Sunday, after standing in the fairway for what seemed like a week waiting to hit his second shot, because of all the wind distractions on the green, and a player who tried to play up from the beach.  You never know what’s going to transpire at Pebble!  Oh — less compelling, but noticeable, was the lack of high-powered CEO’s and barrel-bottom sitcom stars three-putting in the Pro-Am.

Loughry: For me the story was Scheffler, although he didn’t win, he showed once again that he is head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

Schurman: The weather and the course offered the most intrigue. Bumpy greens are also in the mix somewhere but that’s the standard at Pebble. I’ve played there twice, once on a beautiful, sunny, calm day and the other on an overcast, damp, windy day. It is an excellent test of golf. I can’t believe how low the scores are. These guys are good.

Rule: It has to be Morikawa winning for the first time in over two years.  He really hasn’t even contended much over the past while, so it’s great to see him return to form.  And making birdie on 18 after having to wait 20 minutes to hit his second shot was particularly impressive.

Mumford: For me it’s always about the golf course, which once again didn’t disappoint. It’s quite remarkable when you consider that Pebble Beach is relatively short by PGA Tour standards. Scores in the low 60’s are a bit concerning but plenty of shuffling at the top of the leaderboard proves that opportunity and disaster are there for all.

We’ve seen the current iteration of the Pebble Beach Pro Am for a couple of years now – a smaller field, no-cut, only two days of amateur play and just two courses in the rotation. What’s your take on it?

Deeks: As alluded to above – I don’t miss the Pro-Am at all.  Back in the day – the 60s and 70s – it was fun to see movie stars like Ray Milland, Jack Lemmon, James Garner, Clint Eastwood play with the pro’s, but the quality of movie/TV stars had dwindled by the 90s-00s to Ray Romano and George Lopez, and the truly obnoxious Bill Murray, added by rich guys who paid fortunes to play, to the point that I refused to watch the event.  It’s returned to being an enjoyable tournament, with the best scenery anywhere.

Loughry: Pebble is Pebble, I watch it for the venue first and tournament second. So, I enjoy it for the views, and was good to see the tournament have some stories to it this year. Some drama on the beach, Scheffler late charge, and Morikawa sneaking it out in the end. I’ll watch again next year, but not because of the format.

Schurman: Spring is on its way. Pebble Beach has always been the start of putting on the carpet, leg squats and push-ups. I never liked the Amateur feature once the field became available to people who can afford the entry fee. Minus Bill Murray, I liked watching the movie stars. But I prefer Pros only on Sunday.

Rule: I like that the ams aren’t playing the weekend now, so we don’t have to watch Ray Romano hit terrible shots all over the place.  I guess it’s a better iteration, but I do like larger field events with a cut still.

Mumford: I liked the tournament better when the pro-am had lots of movie stars, athletes and singers – even if some of them weren’t A-listers. The current cohort of rich jock-sniffers and ultra-connected nobs that populate the first two days are as colourless as can be and don’t add anything to the entertainment value of the tournament. Leaving them out of weekend play is a good move. Bringing back a cut would be another one.