Anthony Kim’s T5 at Riyadh Golf Club was his best finish since coming back from the 12-year hiatus. But he knew he could do better than that. He had revealed working with golf coach Matt Killen to improve his consistency in alignment. And that was doing wonders for him. Hence, Kim finds it ‘disappointing’.

But Phil Mickelson still chose to applaud him for his efforts. Responding to Kim’s post talking about being disappointed, Lefty said, “Amazing progress AK. You’re on a great path.” The former LIV Golf pro has talked about looking for a way to retain his contract.

Kim did express that he’s going to keep working on getting 1% better each day. And Mickelson was impressed by the dedication he is putting into the craft. The fruits of his efforts are clearly showing after his recent finish. Before this, the 40-year-old’s best finish in LIV Golf was T25 since his return.

In 2024, Anthony Kim got a T89 finish in the PIF Saudi International. He jumped up 84 places in just one year. This further illustrates how much progress he has made, further explaining Phil Mickelson’s response to his tweet.

Lefty has been very supportive of Kim’s journey recently. He even applauded him for his amazing 7-under par in the second round of the PIF Saudi International 2025. “This is so great to see 👏👏 Have a great weekend AK👊,” commented Mickelson in response to the video shared by Flushing It.

He did the same a few weeks ago when Kim was competing in the Link Hong Kong Open. After seeing him working hard on the course, Mickelson tweeted, “He’s worked hard and has gotten better every day. I’m rooting hard for his success.” Kim finished T63 in the tournament with a 6-under par. However, Mickelson was just moved by how far he had come from being someone who had returned from a 12-year hiatus.

But did you know that Phil Mickelson & Anthony Kim’s relationship goes way beyond their connection through LIV Golf? Apparently, Lefty has always been one of his biggest supporters.

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The Phil Mickelson & Anthony Kim connection

“The world of golf is drawn to him,” said Phil Mickelson when Anthony Kim returned to pro golf last year. He knew what the 40-year-old was capable of. That’s because the two veterans share a connection that dates back to 2008.

As a rising star, Kim qualified for the 2008 Ryder Cup. He was only 23 at that time and had turned pro a couple of years ago. And in his first couple of matches, he was paired with Mickelson. So Lefty took him under his wing and taught him along the way as they played the fourball and foursome contests together.

In total, they were paired together three times that year at Valhalla Golf Club. And their pairing produced a win, a loss, and a draw, which helped them earn 1.5 points. Kim managed 1 more point in Sunday singles. Since then, Mickelson has frequently mentioned that Kim is one of the most talented golfers in the world.

Anthony Kim enjoyed an illustrious career before he got severely injured. In 2008, he won the AT&T National & the Wachovia Championship. His last PGA Tour win came in 2010, the Shell Houston Open. Slowly finding his old rhythm back, it will be interesting to see if Anthony Kim can add more trophies to his cabinet in the near future.