There are comebacks, and then there are comebacks that make you sit up and rewatch the last nine holes like you missed something.
Anthony Kim just won his first professional event since 2010. Let that breathe for a second. Sixteen years between wins, in a sport where most guys feel like they are running out of time after one bad season.
And this wasn’t some ceremonial victory. He beat Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. He started the day five shots back, then went out and fired a final round 63, one shot off the course record, and took the trophy.
What makes it hit harder is the part casual fans miss. During AK’s time away, he wasn’t grinding on the range and waiting for a sponsor call. He wasn’t even touching a club. At one point, the conversation around him sounded like he might never come back at all.
A complete exit from the game
A lot of golfers go a long time between wins. That happens. They stay on tour, they keep playing, they keep cashing checks, and eventually one week everything clicks.
Anthony Kim’s situation was different. He stepped away in a way most pros never do, and the gap became about more than golf. He dealt with injuries, he took an insurance payout, and he battled alcohol and substance abuse, to the point that rehab became part of the story.
That is why this win feels like something bigger than a hot putter on Sunday. It looks like a guy rebuilding his whole life, then walking back into elite competition and proving he still belongs.
When someone wins after a long absence, people love to say the field was soft, or that it fell into their lap. Save that energy.
Five shots back is real separation. A 63 under pressure is real golf. Beating that kind of talent at the top of the board means you didn’t get handed anything.
That is the part I respect most. Not the nostalgia. Not the debate bait. The fact that he had to go earn it, and he did.
Before the comments fill up, yes, I know where this happened
Some of you are already typing, “But it was LIV.” I know.
That matters if we’re having the greatest-comeback conversation, because tours, depth of field, pressure, and legacy all change the weight of a win. If you want a quick refresher on the structure and reality of the league, here’s a plain-English breakdown of what LIV Golf is and how it works.
Still, beating Rahm and Bryson under tournament pressure says something. Great players don’t stop being great because the logo on the leaderboard changes.
So is this better than Tiger’s comeback?
In my opinion, not yet.
Tiger’s comeback has a different gravity because he did it on the PGA Tour, then capped the story by winning a major. That is the bar. That is the mountain.
And Tiger did it while fighting his own body for years, then finding a way to compete anyway. If you want the full picture of what he has dealt with over time, this Tiger Woods injury timeline lays it out clearly.
That said, I’m not dismissing AK’s story. Based on adversity alone, what he overcame belongs in the same breath. Tiger overcame injuries and built one of the greatest mental comeback stories we’ve ever seen. AK disappeared from the sport entirely, dealt with real life demons, then came back and won.
Those are two different kinds of hard.
Why the Tiger comparison keeps popping up
Golf fans love a clean storyline. They want a single champion of best comeback. They want one name at the top of the mountain.
The truth is, comebacks in golf don’t all live on the same scale.
- Time away: Not touching a club for years changes your relationship with the game.
- Competition level: Where you win affects how the world weighs it.
- What was at stake: A major hits differently than anything else in golf.
- What you overcame: Injuries, addiction, identity, all of it counts.
That is why I treat this as an incredible comeback today, and a “potential historic comeback” if the next chapters follow through.
What AK has to do next to make this a true all-time comeback
One win is a moment. Multiple wins become a statement.
If Anthony Kim keeps contending, keeps winning, and eventually finds a path back onto the PGA Tour, then we can have the serious conversation about whether this is the greatest comeback in golf history.
Because at that point, you’re talking about a player who left the sport, fought his way back into form, proved he could win against elite talent, then did it on the biggest stage again.
That is the full arc. That is the movie.
The part golfers should pay attention to
From a coaching perspective, the most impressive element here isn’t the headline. It’s the competitive readiness.
You don’t take years away from the game, then casually shoot 63 while chasing down a lead. That requires a level of trust in your swing, your decision-making, and your ability to reset after mistakes. That is mental fitness. That is also reps, even if the world thinks you came out of nowhere.
When you watch his next starts, watch how he handles the boring stuff:
- Does he stay patient when birdies do not fall early?
- Does he protect his score when the driver gets loose?
- Does he respond well after a bad hole?
- Does he look like a guy who expects to be there on Sunday?
Those are the signals that tell you whether this was a single spike week or the beginning of a run.
What’s next: Hong Kong, March 5, 2026
The next LIV stop is Hong Kong, starting March 5, 2026. That’s the next chapter, because nothing quiets the one week wonder crowd like showing up again and putting yourself in the mix.
Wins are rare in pro golf. Back-to-back contention is even rarer. If AK puts himself near the top again, some players will start thinking they have a real problem on our hands.
My honest takeaway
Golf should recognize and respect this win.
It is a feel-good story, but it’s also more than that. It’s proof that someone can step away from the game in the most extreme way, rebuild, and still beat elite talent when the pressure is real.
Is it bigger than Tiger’s comeback today? I’m not there yet.
Could it become bigger if AK keeps winning and eventually proves he can do it on the biggest tour? Absolutely.
Do you think Anthony Kim could win on the PGA Tour in the future, or do you think this is as high as the story goes? Let me know, because this is one of the few debates in golf that is actually worth having.