Anthony Kim Is Back on the Course With a Noticeable Injury
He was gone for 12 years, and Anthony Kim looks a little different upon his return.
Published Feb. 13 2026, 2:13 p.m. ET
When he disappeared from the world of golf, Anthony Kim was a name to be reckoned with. He stepped away from the PGA Tour in 2012, and stayed away from professional golf until his sudden return to the spotlight in 2024.
However, instead of returning to the PGA, he joined its rival conference, LIV Golf.
In 2024, LIV announced his plan to rejoin the world of pro golf during the Saudi Arabian tournament, and Anthony made his triumphant return. But golf fans have noticed that he looks different since returning. So, what happened to his face while he was gone? Here's what we know.
What happened to Anthony Kim's face?
In 2024, LIV announced, "Following a retirement of nearly 12 years, the 38-year-old American will make his official return to professional competition this week at LIV Golf Jeddah, March 1-3 at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia."
Anthony said at the time, “After stepping away from the game years ago due to injury, I’m happy to officially announce my return to the world of professional golf. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very grateful for all the highs, lows, and lessons learned from the first part of my career. I want to compete with the best players in the world, and I’m on a mission to prove to myself that I can win again."
While he didn't say much about his absence at the time, he has since opened up and revealed that his absence involved a lot of personal turmoil, including numerous surgeries, addiction, and “some very, very dark moments,” according to Sports Illustrated.
People are obsessed with the fact that Anthony looked different, but it doesn't seem like anything major has happened. In reality, he probably just got older. 12 years away from the spotlight takes its physical toll on everyone. And, considering the fact that Anthony is now 40, and he left in his 20s, he's looking pretty fresh.
Anthony Kim replaces Patrick Reed in LIV team.
Nonetheless, people couldn't seem to let it go. Anthony apparently chose to embrace the controversy, posting an old video of himself to Instagram with the caption, "Hi Haters. I’m Back" (via We Got This Covered).
Since then, he's been working on building back to his pre-hiatus career. In 2026, he moved to a new team on LIV, replacing Patrick Reed after being signed by Dustin Johnson.
Per Golf Digest, Dustin announced his addition to the team via statement, saying, "We’re super-excited to have AK join the team. Obviously, he’s trending in the right direction. When you take that long from the game, it takes a while to get it back. But I’ve played enough with him, and you can tell it’s still in there. He’s been working really hard, and I think he’s going to be a really good addition.”
His return to golf has been a steady upward march, proving that his time off and old injuries aren't going to stop him from getting back in the game; literally and figuratively.