By Joshua Lees
Anthony Kim's decision to make the move to LIV Golf may well be a bitter pill to swallow for Rory McIlroy, after the Northern Irishman previously claimed he 'missed' the American's presence on the PGA Tour.
Kim has become the latest big name to join the LIV setup, and despite not featuring professionally for over a decade, it will go down as one of the league's biggest signings yet. Kim had become golf's forgotten man after previously bursting onto the scene of the PGA Tour in the late 2000's
Earning comparisons to the great Tiger Woods, the 38-year-old won three PGA Tour events in two years after reaching No. 6 in the world, as well as earning a spot in the 2009 USA Ryder Cup team.
READ MORE: Anthony Kim shows off swing after 12 years and is still doing what Tiger Woods hasn't seen beforeREAD MORE:Relegated LIV Golf star's honest verdict on breakaway league and Phil Mickelson speaks volumes
His rapid rise came quickly crashing down though, as a number of injuries saw him withdraw from a number of events in 2012, ending at the Wells Fargo Championship. Twelve years on, the three-time Tour winner has not been seen since, but has made a shock return with LIV for this week's event in Jeddah.
Kim joins a whole host of big names on the breakaway circuit, including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson. One man who has opted to remain loyal to the PGA Tour is McIlroy, who has vented his frustrations with the rapid rise of the Saudi league on a number of occasions over the past two years.
And while he has not played alongside Kim in some time, the American's move may well have been tougher to take for the four-time major winner than most. Speaking about his wish for the former Ryder Cupper to return to the PGA Tour back in 2019, McIlroy said: "I miss Anthony Kim.
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US.
"The tour was a better place with him in it. He was exciting. “I remember quite a lot about that round [at the 2009 Masters]. You’re trying to focus on what you’re doing but you can’t help but notice this guy’s going on a bit of a run. That was something that was pretty cool.
"You saw him at The Ryder Cup in Valhalla in 2008 doing what he did. Yeah, it was cool to be a part of. It was cool to see. It’s good to know that it can be done.” As noted by McIlroy, he played alongside Kim at the 2009 Masters, where the 38-year-old rolled in a remarkable 11 birdies around Augusta National, the most in a round in Masters history.
One man who was central in bringing the former world No. 6 back to action is LIV CEO Greg Norman, and the Australian had a welcoming message for Kim ahead of his first event in 12 years. "He oozes incredible talent," Norman wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
"The world has seen it in the past and now it is an honour as Commissioner of LIV Golf to give the opportunity for this star to be reborn. Welcome back and to the LIV Golf family mate. The golf world has missed you."