Kevin Kisner and Anthony Kim both turned professional in 2006. Kim earned his PGA Tour card quickly, reaching sixth in the world within two years. Kisner spent five years on mini-tours before earning his card for the 2011 season. Now, nearly twenty years later, Kisner, who is NBC Sports‘ lead golf analyst and a U.S. Ryder Cup vice captain, spoke on the Fore Play Podcast about what many in golf have long thought about Kim.

After Kim won at LIV Golf Adelaide, Kisner praised his return and called him a generational talent. Kim responded on social media, thanking Kisner and noting the respect between them, even with the current divide in professional golf.

“@Kevin_kisner appreciate the love brother. My guy was a dog,” Kim wrote.

“He was like a generational talent that everybody already talks about. Like, just never missed the middle of the face. One of the most impressive ball striking guys I’ve ever seen in my life. He got relegated, right? If he doesn’t get his card back in tour school, where does he go? Like he’d probably quit golf again,” the 42-year-old said.

This is not nostalgia. The 4x PGA Tour winner saw Kim play during a period when the PGA Tour had some of the best ball strikers in the game. His view comes from direct competition, not from a broadcaster’s perspective.

Kim finished 55th in the 2025 LIV Golf individual standings, well below the relegation line. He had to play the LIV Golf Promotions event at Black Diamond Ranch in Florida, needing a top-three finish to keep his place. He shot 66 and 69 in the final rounds and secured the last available wild card spot.

A month later, he signed with 4Aces GC, replacing Patrick Reed, who had left for the PGA Tour just days before LIV Golf Adelaide began. The 4Aces GC GM Chris Rosaasen confirmed there were no hard feelings over Reed’s departure, telling Front Office Sports the team had moved forward cleanly.

The 40-year-old entered the final round five shots behind Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. He shot a bogey-free 9-under 63, tying the course record, making birdies on five of his last seven holes to win at 23-under, three clear of Rahm. It was his first professional victory in 5,795 days.

The $4 million check represented nearly 39% of everything he had earned across six full PGA Tour seasons.

“‘I was more proud of him, just for — I know all the work he’s put in. I know all the things he’s been through,'” Dustin Johnson told Flushing It.

“I knew it was coming,” Kim said. “Nobody else has to believe in me but me.”

Kisner, watching from the broadcast side of golf’s divided landscape, had believed anyway.

“The dude’s got way too much talent to not find it. Eventually, he just needs more reps. Now the sky’s the limit for him. Like he could win them all now. He’s that good,” he said.

Kim’s win at Adelaide stands out, but the process behind it shows what professional survival looks like under LIV Golf’s relegation rules.

Anthony Kim’s comeback and the reality of LIV Golf relegation

Kim is not the first to claw his way back from relegation. Scott Vincent managed it after a year on the Asian Tour, winning the International Series Morocco and topping the rankings to regain his card for 2026. Hudson Swafford, on the other hand, never made it back.

The difference between those outcomes is often just one strong run of form or a single team willing to take a chance. What sets Kim apart is what he did after returning. He won immediately as a signed team member, beating two of LIV Golf’s top players in the final round.

In golf, calling someone a dog is a mark of respect. It means a player who refuses to give in, no matter the situation. Kim was not just being polite. He saw in Kisner the same determination that Kisner saw in him. Both started together in 2006 and have spent years showing, each in their own way, that they deserve their place.