Just two weeks ago, the golf world was thrown into a frenzy after Anthony Kim made his comeback. The golfer who was once dubbed the ‘next Tiger Woods’ made his debut at the Greg Norman-led LIV Golf’s Jeddah event as a wildcard. However, one can’t help but imagine what would have happened if the golfer had joined the PGA Tour instead of the Saudi-backed league. Well, who else but Jay Monahan can answer the question?

The commissioner of the men’s circuit took to an interview ahead of THE PLAYERS Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach on Tuesday. During the session, Monahan was asked about the 38-year-old’s potential return to the PGA Tour instead of the PIF-funded circuit, and he faintly alluded to how no prospective privileges would have been offered to the golfer for the same.

Jay Monahan’s casual ‘No’ to offering benefits to Anthony Kim

“I’m glad that Anthony is healthy and well,” expressed the 53-year-old Tour official as answered the questions pertaining to the LIV Golf Pro. However, before that, he revealed the details surrounding the talks the Tour had with the athlete, as he divulged, “I did not have direct conversations with Anthony. Members of our team did, and they very clearly laid out what it would take for him to earn his way back to the PGA TOUR.”

Additionally, the commissioner also disclosed how he would have liked Kim to return to his American circuit instead of LIV Golf but via competing his way into the same. “I would have liked to see him compete to make his way back to the TOUR,” said Monahan before continuing, “But that’s a decision he didn’t, you know — obviously he made a different decision.” Regardless, when asked if any sponsor invites would have been available to the pro, the official replied, “He’s not a member of the PGA TOUR, so I don’t have any, anything further to add,” subtly alluding to how no special benefits would have been awarded to him for his return.

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But even so, such a situation, if it happened, would have been in stark contrast to his current state of affairs, which, as per reports, has apparently guaranteed a paycheck of $50,000 per event. Moreover, he will be allowed to make a total of 11 LIV Golf starts in 2024, allowing him to rake in at least $550,000 for the tournaments he played.

As of now, the golfer has played in two events following his comeback to the Saudi-backed league. Unfortunately, his return to the sport of golf was not what he imagined it to be, all the while forcing him to the lower rung of the leaderboard.

Kim’s underwhelming LIV Golf comeback

During the Jeddah event, the American Pro registered scores of 76-76-74 over the three days of play, totaling a 16-over par 226 and placing himself at T53. What’s more, he scored 16 bogeys, 2 double bogeys, along with four birdies. “Obviously disappointed with the score, but I played much better than the score,” he said after the first round of the tournament before admitting, “I’ve got a lot to build on. Just made a lot of unforced errors, and that was unfortunate.”

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Interestingly, his second event on the disruptive Tour seemed to have been much better, as he carded a 5-under 65 on the final round to propel his total to 3-over 213. Although he could only finish T50, the golfer’s performance undoubtedly turned the heads of many in the community. With such a display of skill, many would surely be hoping for a scintillating performance from the athlete in the future.

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