Anthony Kim earns his way back onto LIV Golf as top 3 who make it through qualifying

By Canadian Press on January 11, 2026.

LECANTO, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Kim gets another season on LIV Golf and this time he earned it, finishing among the top three players over the final 36 holes of the qualifying tournament at Black Diamond who get a full year on the Saudi-funded league.

Kim, who stepped away from golf for 12 years amid drug and alcohol struggles, had a 1-under 69 to make it with two shots to spare.

“I’m not here to prove everybody wrong, I’m here to prove myself right,” Kim said.

Richard T. Lee of Canada had a 65 and was medalist by five shots over Bjorn Hellgren of Sweden, who had a 64. Lee finished at 11-under 129. Kim was six shots behind.

The LIV Golf Promotions event featured four rounds, with the scores reset after Thursday and Friday and the cumulative score over the final 36 holes.

Kim joined the league in 2024 as a wild card and played 10 events, his best finish 36th out of the 54-man fields. He played a full schedule in 2025 and his best result was a tie for 25th. He finished 55th in the standings and was relegated, his only way being the Promotions event.

Kim reached as high as No. 6 in the world in 2008 — the year he played on a winning U.S. team at the Ryder Cup. The 40-year-old played six times on the Asian Tour last year and made four cuts, ending with a tie for fifth in the Saudi International.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

The Associated Press