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Anthony Ha-Jin Kim (born June 19, 1985) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LIV Golf League. He previously played on the PGA Tour, where he won three events, and appeared in the 2008 Ryder Cup and the 2009 Presidents Cup. He suffered an achilles injury in 2012 and subsequently ceased to compete in golf. In 2024, he returned to professional golf and signed a contract with LIV Golf.
In May 2008, Kim won his first PGA Tour tournament at the Wachovia Championship, defeating former British Open champion Ben Curtis by five shots. Kim's 16-under par 272 total was the lowest score in the tournament's history until 2015. He shot an opening day 70, but rallied for subsequent rounds of 67-66-69 and was several shots clear of Curtis most of the final round. He earned $1,152,000 for his victory, and reached a new career high of 16th in the world rankings.
In July 2008, Kim won his second PGA Tour tournament at the AT&T National, defeating Freddie Jacobson by two shots. Kim shot a 5 under 65 in the fourth round to capture the title. The victory was especially meaningful because the tournament is hosted by Tiger Woods. Furthermore, Kim became the first American under 25 to win twice in one year on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 2000. This win moved him to 14th in the World Rankings. A pair of T-3 finishes in the final two 2008 FedEx Cup events pushed him to 6th in the World Rankings. He has spent over 20 weeks in the top-10 since 2008.
In September 2008, Kim was a critical part of the United States' victory in the Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club, defeating Ryder Cup veteran Sergio García 5 & 4 in the first match of the Sunday single matches. Later that year he joined the European Tour for the 2009 season, making his debut as a member at the 2008 HSBC Champions, the first tournament of the 2009 season.
At the 2009 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia at Augusta National Golf Club, Kim set the record for most birdies in a round with eleven in the second round, surpassing Nick Price, who had ten birdies in 1986.
At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Kim posted an impressive 3–1 record, which included a 5 and 3 victory over Robert Allenby in the Sunday singles match.
Kim lost to Ross Fisher in the finals of the Volvo World Match Play in October 2009 4 & 3 after once again beating Robert Allenby in the semi-finals.
In April 2010, Kim won the Shell Houston Open, beating Vaughn Taylor in a playoff. He became only the fifth player in 30 years to have won three times on the PGA Tour before the age of 25, the others being Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio García and Adam Scott. He followed up with third place finish in the Masters Tournament, after a final round 65. Those results were achieved despite a thumb injury for which he underwent surgery in May. Having missed several months of the season, he dropped outside the automatic qualification places for United States team for the 2010 Ryder Cup in the final event, and was not one of captain Corey Pavin's wildcard picks.
In April 2014, Golf Channel reported that Kim no longer plays golf, even on a recreational level. As of 2014, he was reported to have had an insurance policy that would pay him $10-20 million in the case of a career-ending injury. In 2016, Kim played in a number of charity events, but said he was not ready to play professionally again. He also cited ongoing physical therapy and numerous surgeries as the reasons for delaying his return.
In April 2019, during an encounter with a fan in West Hollywood, California, Kim referred to his golf game as "non-existent". On January 1, 2021, Adam Schriber, Kim's longtime coach, posted a photo of the two in front of the Dallas skyline with the caption "2021 is going to be special".
Kim played his first competitive tournament since 2012 at LIV Golf Jeddah in March 2024. He placed last at 16-over-par 226, which was 33 shots behind the winner Joaquín Niemann. Kim finished 56th out of 57 players in the 2024 LIV Golf League seasonal rankings. He retained his wildcard status for the 2025 LIV Golf League season, where he finished 55th in the rankings, outside the top-48 cutoff and was relegated. In 23 tournaments during his first two seasons on LIV Golf, his best finish was a tie for 25th at LIV Golf Dallas in 2025.
In November 2025, Kim shot a bogey-free, 7-under 64 at the PIF Saudi International. This was his lowest round since shooting 64 at the 2011 Barclays Singapore Open. He finished the Saudi International in a tie for fifth, which was his first top-10 finish in 14 years. Kim finished third in the LIV Golf Promotions event in January 2026, which earned him a spot in the 2026 LIV Golf League season.
In 2025, Kim announced that he had been sober for two years. He had previously struggled with drug and alcohol abuse and said he had contemplated suicide "for almost two decades even when playing the PGA Tour". Kim said that when he entered rehabilitation his "body was shutting down". He stated: "In rehab I found faith, self love and respect and purpose." He credited his wife and daughter for inspiring him to overcome addiction.
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
Other playoff record (1–2)
CUT = missed the half-way cut
CUT = missed the halfway cut
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
Professional
Amateur wins
Note: this list may be incomplete.
Professional wins (4)
PGA Tour wins (3)
1 May 4, 2008 Wachovia Championship 70-67-66-69=272 −16 5 strokes Ben Curtis 2 Jul 6, 2008 AT&T National 67-67-69-65=268 −12 2 strokes Freddie Jacobson 3 Apr 4, 2010 Shell Houston Open 68-69-69-70=276 −12 Playoff Vaughn Taylor 1 2010 Shell Houston Open Vaughn Taylor Won with par on first extra hole
Other wins (1)
1 Nov 11, 2009 Kiwi Challenge 71-66=137 −5 Playoff Sean O'Hair 1 2008 Kiwi Challenge Hunter Mahan Lost to par on second extra hole 2 2009 Kiwi Challenge Sean O'Hair Won with bogey on first extra hole 3 2011 Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters Rory McIlroy Lost to par on first extra hole
Results in major championships
Masters Tournament T20 3 CUT U.S. Open T20 T26 T16 T54 The Open Championship T7 CUT T5 PGA Championship T50 T55 T51 CUT CUT
T = tie
Summary
2 4 2 3
Results in The Players Championship
The Players Championship CUT T42 CUT CUT
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
WGC-Match Play R32 R64 R64 WGC-Championship 58 T22 60 WGC-Invitational T36 T36 T76 Champions T10 T25
"T" = Tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
PGA Tour career summary
* Rank as of the 2015–16 season, the last time he appeared on the career money list
(non-member) 60 6 39 24 87 232
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
See also
External links
Categories: American Male Golfers, Oklahoma Sooners Men's Golfers, Pga Tour Golfers, European Tour Golfers, Liv Golf Players, Ryder Cup Competitors For The United States, Presidents Cup Competitors For The United States, Golfers From Los Angeles, Golfers From Dallas, Golfers From Riverside County, California, Sportspeople Of Korean Descent, Sportspeople From La Quinta, California, American People Of Korean Descent, 1985 Births, Living People
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