[HEADLINE] Korean-American Anthony Kim Wins LIV Golf Adelaide
[BYLINE] By Ahn Hyun-duk
Korean-American golfer Anthony Kim (USA) won the LIV Golf Adelaide tournament, which carries a total purse of $30 million. The victory marks his first win in 15 years and 10 months since capturing the PGA Tour Houston Open.
Kim shot a 9-under-par 63 at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia (par 72, 7,111 yards) on February 15 to claim the title. In the final fourth round, he carded nine birdies without a single bogey, finishing three strokes ahead of runner-up Jon Rahm (20-under-par 268). This is his third career victory on tour.
Kim entered contention on the front nine with three birdies. He then reeled off four consecutive birdies on holes 12 through 14, extending his lead to three strokes over second-place Jon Rahm (Spain). Rahm, who had been co-leader the previous day, failed to gain ground through the 15th hole (par 4), trading one birdie for one bogey. When Rahm birdied the 16th hole (par 4) to pull within two strokes, Kim immediately responded by sinking a birdie putt from approximately 4.5 meters on the 17th hole (par 4) to restore his three-shot cushion. After securing par on the final 18th hole (par 4), Kim ran onto the green to embrace his wife and daughter in celebration.
Kim will receive $4.224 million (approximately 6.1 billion won), combining the $4 million individual winner's purse with $225,000 representing 25% of the third-place team prize.
Kim was once regarded as a rival to "golf emperor" Tiger Woods (USA) and attracted significant attention in American golf circles. However, he disappeared from the golf world in 2012, ceasing all golf-related activities, before joining LIV Golf in 2024. Yet he had never finished in the top 20 at any LIV Golf event. His best LIV Golf result prior to this tournament was a tied 22nd-place finish at last week's LIV Golf Riyadh, the 2026 season opener. Even in this tournament, he trailed co-leaders Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau (USA) by five strokes in third place through three rounds, making a comeback appear unlikely. Nevertheless, he overcame the five-shot deficit to claim his first victory in 16 years.
Kim, who once ranked as high as sixth in the world in 2008, currently sits at 847th in the world rankings.
[DISCLAIMER] This article was automatically translated from Korean using AI. For accuracy, please refer to the original article.