Inside Anthony Kim’s Chaotic Path to Stunning Victory at LIV Golf

Patrick Reed’s abrupt exit from LIV Golf last month ended up giving his team of four years an unintended boost.

The 4Aces, captained by two-time major champion Dustin Johnson, replaced Reed with Anthony Kim, the former superstar who completed one of the greatest comebacks in all of professional golf last weekend by winning LIV’s Adelaide event nearly 16 years after his last victory on the PGA Tour.

“No hard feelings with Patrick,” 4Aces GM Chris Rosaasen tells Front Office Sports. “Everybody makes the decisions they want to make, and we only wish him the best. I won’t say I’m thanking him for leaving, but we got a pretty good fourth that stepped in.”

Kim, who has played on LIV as a wild card since 2024, shot a final round 63 to beat Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau in front of more than 38,000 fans that were in attendance on Sunday. The 4Aces successfully recruited Kim after Miguel Tabuena served as a temporary substitute during LIV’s opening event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Rosaasen has not spoken to Reed since shortly after his victory at the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic on Jan. 25. 

“I woke up to the news on [that] Wednesday that he was leaving LIV and going to play the DP World Tour, and hopefully playing the PGA Tour,” Rosaasen says. “That left us in a little bit of a void.”

Since Reed’s exit, the ensuing weeks “have been a bit crazy,” Rosaasen says.

Kim had visa issues entering Australia and didn’t get to Adelaide until the Tuesday night before the tournament began last Thursday. On Sunday, he took home a $4 million winner’s check, plus a $200,000 bonus that he didn’t even know was on the table—his portion of the $500,000 4Aces players earned for finishing third place in the team standings (a new feature at LIV this year to reward individual performance; the 4Aces also earned a separate $900,000 that goes toward team operations).

Kim, 40, spent nearly 12 years away from pro golf after sustaining multiple career-threatening injuries. During his time away, Kim battled substance abuse issues, and he had a reported $10 million–plus insurance policy with the PGA Tour that would be voided if he returned to professional competition. LIV is believed to have covered those costs when Kim signed in 2024.

Johnson and Kim played together on the PGA Tour nearly two decades ago and have remained friends on LIV, but his team was not counting on Kim to succeed this much this quickly. 

“To be completely honest, we talked about if he can finish in the mid-20s all season, the team can win a bunch,” Rosaasen says. “We were trying to level-set expectations. We knew his stock was trending, just could have never guessed that he was going to go out and win his first event.”

A big change for Kim joining the 4Aces was shifting from the Malbon apparel he had been wearing to the team’s Under Armour uniform. The flashy brand that has stirred the pot the past two years at the Masters with loud outfits for ambassador Jason Day announced a partnership with Kim last month.

“Welcome to Team Malbon, AK,” a Jan. 11 Instagram post read. Kim wore Malbon during LIV’s season-opener (and still wore its socks in Australia).

Rosaasen says the switch ultimately wasn’t an issue for Kim. “That was one of his questions,” he says. “I’ve been friends with Stephen [Malbon] for quite some time, and Anthony had that in place. The way his contract works with the team is he will wear the team kit in anything professional golf. He has the ability to wear what he wants off the golf course.”

Kim has been wearing Malbon gear in content he’s been posting on social media this week.

Looking ahead, Kim, currently No. 203 in the Official World Golf Rankings, would need to receive a special invitation from the Masters if he is not inside the top 50. But he could earn qualification into the U.S. Open and Open Championship by way of his place in LIV’s individual standings.

There’s also the possibility of entering open qualifying for the U.S. Open. “I can’t imagine he wouldn’t want to try to,” Rosaasen says.