Anthony Kim’s comeback victory chasing down Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau to win for the first time in 16 years is the story of the year for me.
I caught up with him a few weeks ago to talk about his season, that dramatic victory, and what comes next.
“Obviously, the win in Adelaide was great, and it couldn't have been at a better place with all the people,” AK said about his season. “And then, to be completely honest, after I won Adelaide, I feel like I kind of just went through the motions for a little while.
“I've worked really hard, and now that I’m sober, obviously, having Bella and being a father and husband is the most important thing to me. But, professionally, that was the greatest moment of my career. And being able to share that with my family, obviously, is the reason.
“But... I almost. I almost had… I don't really know how to put it into words, but for a month or two there, I was wondering, you know, is golf really as important as some of the priorities in my life. And I think, I just, I was practising hard, but I wasn't at the same time. My head wasn't into it as much.
“And over the last couple months, I've kind of found that fire again. And I think it showed in my scores, because I don't think I necessarily played any differently, but I've been more focused, you know, just a little more gritty playing golf and not letting the mental mistakes bother me as much and trying to fight through those.
“So, yeah, I mean, that's not really an answer, but I would give my season just because of the fact that I won, like a B plus. I think in about a year, I will hit my stride. I was actually talking to a buddy of mine recently, we just had dinner and, I said, I think in about a year, I will be as good as I've ever been.”
AK’s comments about struggling for motivation when reaching the summit of the mountain will resonate with a lot of elite athletes. When you’re focused on an ultimate goal, sometimes when it arrives, especially if it’s sooner than expected, it can feel like “is this it?” AK went into more detail on that:
“The competitor in me says that, of course, I have bigger goals than to win one golf tournament. My goals are to be the best player I can be. And I think that I've never reached any of those goals.
“I'm 41 years old now and a part of me was like, okay, where do I go from here? Obviously, I want to continue winning golf tournaments or putting myself in positions to win golf tournaments. But, a part of me was like, okay, well, I didn't know that I was gonna climb this mountain this quickly this year.
“I wanted to give myself four or five opportunities this year, and next year give myself more opportunities. And I finally had one opportunity, and it wasn’t even a great one, right? I didn't realise until after the tournament, but the betting market had me at 0.1%. I mean, I should have bought a lottery ticket, right? I would have won more money.
“But the thing is, it happened. And again, I think it's a different story if it happens in Riyadh, or if it happens in an event where the crowd wasn't as big, or the crowd wasn't as supportive. But being in Australia, in that environment and with those two guys (Rahm and DeChambeau), obviously was a pretty big high for me coming from where I came from.”
Continues in thread.
@AnthonyKim_Golf@livgolf_league@4AcesGC_