"Let's go" - Michael Phelps raves over Anthony Kim's potential return to golf
Michael Phelps recently expressed his excitement for legendary golfer Anthony Kim’s return to sport after a decade-long break. The 38-year-old is currently in talks with the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League about returning to professional golf.
As a sincere follower of the sport, the American was elated with the news of Anthony Kim’s return.
Phelps expressed his excitement at the legend's comeback on his Instagram story, saying:
“Let's gooooo…I can't wait."
American golfer Anthony Ha-Jin Kim is a three-time winner of the PGA Tour. He has also participated in reputed championships like the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.
Kim’s career took a huge turn in 2012 when he withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship in May. The golfer underwent surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury in his left leg in June. Since then he has not competed in any PGA Tour or other professional championships.
In 2016, he did play in a number of charity events but admitted he was not ready to play professionally again. He explained that ongoing physical therapy and numerous surgeries were the reasons behind his delay.
Presently, he is planning his professional return to pro tournaments in spring. An interesting point of his comeback is that he has collected at least part of a disability insurance policy, reportedly worth $10 million to $20 million.
Michael Phelps on his love for golf
Michael Phelps has no stone unturned in proving his swimming prowess. After retiring from his sport, the 23-time Olympic champion dived into golf, competing in charity and reputed championships.
During an interview with Boardroom in 2023, Phelps described his love for golf,
"I’m a super competitive human, so being able to play golf and compete with anybody you possibly play with is so cool,” Phelps said.
He also added,
“I can go out and play with (world No. 2 Jon) Rahm and he gives me a ton of shots, but I still compete. That’s one of the things I love about golf.”
During the 2012 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Michael Phelps made headlines for his impeccably hitting the longest-televised 159ft putt. It became a world record, before being broken by Ian Poulter at the Open Championship in July 2022 with a 162-feet long putt.
He also competed at the ICON series golf tournament in 2022, representing Team USA. He had the opportunity to play the concluded ICON series, he played alongside 15-time PGA tour winner Fred Couples, two-time NBA Champion JR Smith, and several others.