Defiant Anthony Kim hits a milestone of incredible proportions

LIV Golf’s future may be in doubt, but the tour’s top story for the 2026 season, Anthony Kim, just keeps getting better.

A year and a half ago, Kim was ranked 2,289th on the Official World Golf Ranking and made a splash on his return to professional golf. But after completing her latest LIV on Sunday, Kim has reached a global level that no one would have believed possible in 2024.

Following a top 10 finish at LIV Golf Virginia, where he also sealed a team victory, Kim moved into the top 200 on the OWGR for the first time in 14 years. However, after his round, Kim was quick to remind reporters that he had nothing to prove, saying “I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks of me.”

Anthony Kim shot 62 to finish T6 at LIV Golf Virginia, moving up the world rankings

Starting the final round at Trump National DC behind the leaders, Kim made an impressive 10 birdies and zero bogeys in a final round of 10-under 62.

A fine final round moved him up the leaderboard to a tie for 6th place, representing his second-best LIV Golf finish ever. Kim’s only better result was his record win at LIV Golf Adelaide in February.

This season, top-10 finishers at LIV events earn world-class points, and Kim’s victory in Australia moved him from 847 to 203 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Until last week’s tournament, Kim failed to collect another top 10, dropping to 207th on the OWGR in the process. But his T6 in Virginia earned Kim another dose of world-class points.

Now, Kim has gone all the way to 184. The last time Kim was a golfer ranked in the top 200 was back in 2012.

But Kim added some secondary heroes to Virginia, too. Dustin Johnson, the captain of the 4Aces, chose Kim to enter the tournament to win the team, and AK won.

During his team’s post-tournament press conference on Sunday in Virginia, Kim was asked if his T6 was proof that his victory in Adelaide was no fluke. Kim responded defiantly by repeating a theme she has touched on several times this year: she has nothing to prove to anyone but her family.

“I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. I work hard. I live with my family. Happy Mother’s Day, Emily. To my mother, to all mothers who work hard, sacrifice for their children.

He continued: “Yeah, I don’t give a sh–. This is what I’m doing. I’m just going to keep working hard and keep getting better and see whatever happens.”

The top finish was not enough to earn Kim an exemption from next month’s US Open. The top player on LIV Golf’s otherwise ineligible list earns tee times at Shinnecock Hills. Kim was in the running, but Lucas Herbert got an exemption for his title at LIV Golf Virginia. Herbert is currently ranked 3rd in the LIV Individual rankings, while Kim is ranked 5th.

The 2026 Open Championship offers a similar exemption, and Kim has two more events to try to move ahead of Herbert with secured times at Royal Birkdale in July.

Kim held her team’s press conference well, expressing her gratitude for the support she received from fans during her comeback.

“Man, it’s unbelievable. Obviously I played decent golf 20 years ago when not many people knew who I was, but the amount of support I got from people, not just golfers, but people outside of golf fighting their own issues, because we all have them, was amazing,” Kim said on Sunday. “I really can’t believe how many people are influenced by me just trying to play golf. I know I’m blessed to be doing it. That’s why it’s up to me to keep working hard.”