Anthony Kim’s unexpected birdie putt didn’t just save his week at Black Diamond Ranch; it handed LIV Golf a headline it badly needs. And fans seem to be delighted by it.

Kim had to be perfect on Saturday. During the third round on Saturday, he was just 1 under through 12 holes before firing three birdies at the 13th, 14th, and 16th holes. So, he needed a birdie on his last hole after bogeying the 17th. If he missed that shot, his dream of returning to LIV would vanish. What he did next was stunning.

He poured it into the center of the cup with ice in his veins from roughly 10 feet to keep his hopes of rejoining LIV alive. AK now sits in second place with 66, just two shots behind leader Richard Lee. On Sunday, he might just earn one of three LIV cards.

“Today was a rough day,” Kim said. “Didn’t get off to a great start. But after I made a bogey on 17, I knew I needed to make a birdie on 18. Gave myself a chance and felt good over the putt, and fortunately it fell.”

The 40-year-old won three times on the PGA Tour and played in the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup before taking a 12-year hiatus from golf in 2012 at age 27. Injuries broke his body, but he finally returned to the course with LIV in early 2024. Kim played as a LIV Golf wild card in the past two seasons and was relegated in 2025 after failing to secure a point last season.

“I’ve played in a few qualifiers. You’ve just got to stay patient,” Kim said when he was 1-under 69. “You never know what’s going to happen. Even though I hit it in the water and then I chipped it over the green, I still felt like I had a chance if I made a few birdies at the end, and fortunately, I got a few to fall.”

Now, just before the next season on the line, popular X account NUCLR GOLF shared a video of Kim’s clutch putt on the final hole and asked the fans if they would watch the league if Kim made the team on LIV. Thousands of people reacted to the post, saying that Kim is the only reason they care about LIV. And it says a lot.

For the first few years, LIV wasn’t on a mainstream network and broadcast mainly on YouTube and the cable network CW in the US. But in 2025, they signed broader TV deals with Fox Sports, ITV, KC Global Media, and DAZN. So the proper screen time was available, and the comparison with the PGA Tour was no longer a guessing game. It shows that LIV benefited from the early uprush and curiosity of the people and caught some attention early. But with time, LIV’s all-time high still only managed 27% of the PGA Tour’s Sunday audience and stuck with 484K as the highest viewers to date.

In 2026, LIV Golf made a key step to capture the European audience. It signed with Sky Sports to broadcast live events in Germany. This goes to show that LIV Golf is trying, and AK’s return might just help it.

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Why Anthony Kim’s comeback matters?

One passionate fan made their feelings very clear, saying, “The only way I’m watching LIV is to support this man.” Kim is the real needle mover in the league, as he brings organic excitement to every single hole.

For example, in the third round, 17th hole, Kim nearly missed the cut after a late bogey, but he saved his season’s hope with one of the biggest putts of his career. It amazes the player himself, as he said, the two putts that he made outside of 10 feet felt like a mile. One fan summed it up best, saying, “I’ve been glued since he teed off yesterday. You want to talk about an emotional rollercoaster yesterday! Today was epic.”

As one fan repeated the same sentiment, responding to the NUCLR GOLF post with enthusiasm, “I am, and I’m cheering for AK!”

Even people who dislike the LIV Golf are cheering for Anthony Kim’s amazing comeback for the ages. They admitted, “I’m no LIV fan, but this is an amazing comeback for AK. He has put in the work, and I hope he makes it.”

And for the people who followed the golfer’s life for years, they feel this story isn’t just about hitting balls. It is about a man winning his own life back. AK is now a sober father who finds his true purpose in his young daughter, Bella. Seeing him climb the leaderboard makes the story come full circle. So one happy fan noted, “Nice to see him getting the job done. He’s one of the better stories from LIV at the moment.”

The stage is now set for a dramatic Sunday finish, as the LIV Golf Promotion is an opportunity for him to re-secure playing privileges. Richard T. Lee holds the lead at -6, but Kim is only two shots back. He must finish in the top three to secure his place for next season. Even if he fails to achieve that spot, he will receive a full exemption into the Asian Tour’s International Series, as the event guarantees that to the contenders who finish in the top 10 positions.