When Anthony Kim greeted the golf world with “Hello haters,” many were baffled. Who are the ‘haters’ Kim was talking about? If anything, the golf fans were on their toes to see one of the most iconic and beloved stars return. Sure, he was landing on the other side of the frontier, but enthusiasm was no less to witness Kim’s opening round. 

The 38-year-old has since then played a total of eight rounds with mixed performances over Jeddah, Hong Kong, and Macau. Still missing from the narrative, though, was the reason behind his prolonged hiatus. Before his home soil debut, Kim offered some hints of who could be the haters. But what becomes evident is that, in the polarized post-LIV era, Kim doesn’t enjoy the same fanfare as 2012.

Anthony Kim got played by ‘scam artists’

The former PGA Tour pro said he got mixed up with ‘bad people’, who took advantage of his situation. But, a decade later, he has cut off from most. “I would say I’ve probably shed 98% of people that were around me. I’m not gonna lie I was around some bad people. People that took advantage of me. Scam artists,” Kim said in a tell-all chat with David Feherty.

Kim was a PGA Tour hotshot when an injury put a spanner on his future aspirations. Multiple surgeries later, the 38-year-old was living off of his insurance, which, per some estimates, was around $10 million. That was also considered to be a sticking point for his return. However, Anthony Kim hinted that there was more to it. 

Echoing what he said in Jeddah that he was in a bad place, Kim said, “When you’re 24 or 25, 30 years old, you don’t realize the snakes that are living under your roof. People blackmailed me, took advantage of me in different ways.” While the trailer for the interview doesn’t offer further details, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, too, hinted that the three-time PGA Tour winner was in a dark place. 

Norman also revealed, “He has been reinvigorated through his wife Emily, through his daughter Bella and it’s brought something back to him.” Kim, who wore a ‘Girl Dad’ t-shirt during the practice rounds at Jeddah, said, “My daughter is gonna be proud of me no matter how I play.” However, the glimpse into his traumatic past failed to inspire empathy among netizens. 

Fans rubbish Kim’s claims as facile remarks to save face

First off, many found it hard to believe that Kim’s story is still relevant. After all, he came back to the game because he received huge bucks, some point out. One fan commented, “Where’s the inspirational story I’m missing? He quit the PGA for Insurance money then went to guaranteed money to Golf at LIV.” Echoing similar thoughts, another user blasted the LIV Golfer: “Ain’t no one care.” But this user was at their sarcastic best when they dubbed it a “cautionary tale” for common people. 

The full interview with David Feherty will drop on LIV Golf+ at 9 AM ET on April 2. But, one fan asked, “What the heck is Liv Golf+”.   Others pointed out that LIV Golf is just using Kim to market their app because no one was interested in using that to stream the games. 

However, LIV Golf fans thought this was the impetus the breakaway league has been missing. They believe Kim’s story will not only galvanize people to download the app but also attract more eyeballs to LIV Golf Miami.

Anthony Kim, in a separate clip, also said that his passion for the game has been reignited. The one-to-one chat is expected to be a tell-all interview where the 38-year-old might spill the beans about his hiatus. But how well that lands among the golf community is a matter of debate. LIV Golf Miami will tee off on April 5 in Trump National Doral, the venue of last year’s Team Championship. 

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