Anthony Kim’s comeback to the game of golf has been one of the biggest stories in the sport in 2024. Now the 38-year-old has explained why he walked away from the game 12 years ago in a candid interview with David Feherty.

We’ve detailed much of what Kim revealed below, but you can check out the full interview here.

Where did Kim disappear to when he walked away?

“I really didn’t leave the house. I watched a lot of reality TV and ate a lot of food. And really just hung out with my animals and occasionally had a good time.”

On his multiple surgeries

“I know public opinion was that I took this money and ran and decided I was going to hang out but that wasn’t the case at all. I had multiple, multiple surgeries in a few years and my body still isn’t what it used to be.

“I’ve had multiple shoulder surgeries. Hand surgery. Spinal fusion. I’ve had a lot of injuries and a lot of surgeries.”

Interest from the PGA Tour?

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any interest. They did reach out about the possibility of me playing on the PGA Tour again, and I weighed up both options, and through all these experiences I’ve learned that as much as you try to make good decisions in your life, you still need to remain true to who you are, and that’s something that’s actually helping me in my golf game. Because I took some risks that were unnecessary before and now, I’m a little bit more calculated, and I’m going to keep taking risks as I go along.”

His expectations for 2024

“That’s a tough question because obviously, I’ve played at a high level before, but at the same time I understand that I’ve taken 12 years away from the game, and obviously there’s lots of opinions about whether I’ve played lots of golf or not, and the honest answer is no I have not played any golf until about two and a half months or three months ago when I got the call from Greg about possibly playing again.

“I wasn’t even considering playing golf, so my expectations are to just take it day by day, work hard, and see where that gets me because the guys are getting better and I’ve been away for a long time, so there’s a lot of rust, but I feel I’m able to compete if I just keep working on the right things.”

Did he watch golf in his time away?

“I have an interesting relationship with golf. I don’t think I ever loved it. What’s very weird to me now is that I’m falling in love with the game. That’s such a weird spot for me because golf was filled with pressure and lots of different emotions for me because my family had to go through a lot to give me this opportunity to play golf. So with that added pressure, I was willing to risk a lot more, that was my nature. I was aggressive on the golf course, aggressive off the golf course and that led to my demise.”

On battling his demons

“I had no self-worth until I became a father….I started turning my life around about a year and a half ago.”

On becoming a father

“She’s my everything. Obviously my relationship with my wife is unbelievable, can’t thank her enough and owe so much to her. But a lot of the inspiration comes from Bella (daughter), I feel so blessed to be a dad, I wasn’t expecting to be able to have a child.

“I lost faith in myself, on top of that the doctors said I wouldn’t be able to have a child because of all the things my body has been through. That was very disappointing, that made me feel even smaller than I had felt originally. But this blessing happened and now I’m getting to experience this.”

On his first tee shot back

“It felt different. I actually put a ‘B’ on my ball with a heart around it for Bella. When I look down it actually calms me down. I thought I would be a little more nervous than I was because it’s a completely different atmosphere and I’m playing clear-minded, but didn’t have as many nerves as I thought and I hit a good one.”

On ‘good times’ in early career

“That’s a tough question because I thought I was having a great time. And I don’t remember any of those times. And when I say that I literally don’t remember any of those times because you figure at 22, 24 years old you’re supposed to be doing those things and it’s okay. But with the personality I have, which is an addictive personality,  it can get out of hand.

“Unfortunately I was around people that enjoyed the same things and maybe didn’t have the same opportunities as I did. And the same responsibilities honestly.”

On dropping his old friends

“I have probably shed 98 percent of the people who were around me. I was around some bad people. People that took advantage of me, scam artists. And when you’re 24 or 25, even 30 years old, you don’t realize the snakes that are living under your roof.

“But through the grace of God, I’m here. I’m able to tell my story, hopefully inspire other people and, again, my daughter’s going to be proud of me no matter how I play and that’s the most important thing to me.”

On upcoming documentary

“There’s a lot of layers to it. It’s been on my mind for a long time. I feel like I have an amazing platform and opportunity, especially with LIV to be able to share my story. And I think it’ll benefit a lot of people. I’ve had some very low points in my life. I’ve experienced some pretty traumatic things and I hope I can inspire someone to dig out of a hole that maybe they don’t see a light at the end of a tunnel and ultimately they find some strength in the people around them, and self-belief that they can get out of it.”

Who helped him to turn his life around?

“Obviously my wife and my mother are inspirations for me. It would have been easy for either of them to turn their back on me, but the ultimate inspiration is my daughter. When I had her my life completely changed, and no matter how I do at golf, it doesn’t matter.

“Obviously through this platform at LIV she’s getting to see the world and that’s my dream for her. I want her to be happy, experience the world and live a life where she feels loved and cared for.”

Can he reach the top level again?

“I believe absolutely I can do it at that level again. I’m prepared more than ever for success. I don’t think in my first career…I didn’t know what to expect. It was my mistakes that were the reason I fell down…this deep hole. Having better people around this time around definitely helps.”