LIV Golf star's harrowing admission as comeback continues in Australia

Anthony Kim's comeback to golf continues in Australia this week (Image: Getty)

Anthony Kim has opened up about his struggles with addiction and mental health, with the 38-year-old continuing his return to professional golf playing as a wildcard this season on the LIV Golf tour. Kim, a three-time PGA Tour winner, spent 12 years away from Golf following surgery on his injured left Achilles in 2012. 

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The surgery on his Achilles was the first of seven major procedures Kim underwent, with the American also going under the knife for his shoulder, back, hand, knee, and other Achilles. It wasn't just the injuries that kept Kim from playing, though, with his mental health also a massive cause for concern at one point. 

"When I was at a low point in my life, I was scared I would wake up in the morning because of all the things I would have to deal with,” he told Australian newspaper The Age. "But now the biggest fear I have is not waking up in the morning, not being able to love and support my family. A lot of amazing people have pushed me to talk to other people and talk to professionals. 

"At one point I had to be away from my family for a while and get help. That was a low point in my life. I’ve never been one to talk about anything emotional, but a lot of people were there for me – people I didn’t expect to be there.”

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Kim struggled with injuries and his mental health (Image: Getty)

Now focussed on his comeback, Kim admitted the past 18 months haven't been easy - but he's got a point to prove. "The difference between my first career, and where I’m at now, is I used to want to prove to other people I could do it at this level,” he added. "It took away from me taking care of myself. I based my self-worth around what other people were thinking, as opposed to how I feel about myself when I go to bed at night.

“It doesn’t matter what you believe in, but I believe there’s a higher power, and I pray that I can deal with the demons every day presents. Unfortunately, at a younger age, I didn’t deal with them well, and I did a lot of things I did to cover them. I’m a leader of my family and I do feel like I have a bigger purpose on this earth. I’m going to do my best to spread that message.”

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Kim is rebuilding his career in LIV Golf (Image: Getty)

Kim will play in LIV Golf's Adelaide event in Australia, and the former world No. 6 will hope for a better performance than the ones he put in at the Saudi Arabia event, and in Hong Kong, finishing below 50th. He still dreams of winning, though, despite being the 4,263rd golfer in the world.

"I think about it every day; I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he said. “That’s not the person I am. When I had the conversation with Greg [Norman] about certain expectations. I told him, ‘I’m not here to be another one of the guys. If you want me to be, I shouldn’t be on this tour’. He sees some ability in me, but he wanted me to manage my expectations because there’s a lot of good players. I’m not here to be finishing 20th, 30th, 40th or 50th. I’m here to start competing for tournaments, and with some hard work and a couple of good bounces, I’m sure I’ll be there.”

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