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Anthony Kim’s Clutch Birdie Putt Keeps LIV Golf Comeback Hopes Alive

The top three finishers at LIV Golf Promotions will claim spots on LIV in 2026, while those who place top 10 will receive a full exemption into the Asian Tour’s International Series.
Max Schreiber|
Anthony Kim made the cut at LIV Golf Promotions with a birdie on the 18th hole.
Anthony Kim made the cut at LIV Golf Promotions with a birdie on the 18th hole. | Jeff Swinger-Imagn Images

It was one of the biggest putts of Anthony Kim’s career. 

Needing to make the cut at the LIV Golf Promotions tournament at Black Diamond Ranch in Florida, he needed a birdie on his last hole after bogeying No. 17. And from roughly 10 feet, he did just that, essentially keeping his hopes to rejoin LIV Golf alive. 

“I’ve played in a few qualifiers. You’ve just got to stay patient,” the 40-year-old said after a 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.”

The three-time PGA Tour winner and 2008 U.S. Ryder Cupper took a 12-year hiatus from golf until joining LIV in 2024. ​​However, he was relegated from the league after failing to secure a point last season. 

But the LIV Golf Promotions is an opportunity for him to re-secure playing privileges. The top three finishers will claim spots on the circuit in 2026, while those who place top 10, including ties, will receive a full exemption into the Asian Tour’s International Series.

After the first two rounds at Black Diamond, the scores reset, giving Kim a fresh start on the leaderboard. 

“Anything can happen in 36 holes,” he said. “I also know that I can make a lot of birdies. I think I have as good a chance as anybody to make it through, and I'll get some good rest and I’ll be ready for the weekend.”

And that’s a much different mindset than he would have had during last season. 

“I think six, seven months ago, that would have been a 76, 75,” he said. “I probably would have gotten super aggressive on holes I didn’t need to and maybe got a little aggressive on the putts coming in.

“But we can talk about roller coasters on the round today, but my life has been a pretty big roller coaster, so this is pretty smooth for me.”

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Max Schreiber
MAX SCHREIBER

Max Schreiber is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, covering golf. Before joining SI in October 2024, the Mahwah, N.J., native, worked as an associate editor for the Golf Channel and wrote for RyderCup.com and FanSided. He is a multiplatform producer for Newsday and has a bachelor's in communications and journalism from Quinnipiac University. In his free time, you can find him doing anything regarding the Yankees, Giants, Knicks and Islanders.

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