Anthony Kim Rusty Again at LIV Golf Hong Kong But Beats Phil Mickelson

Anthony Kim continues to acclimate to the challenges professional golf after his mysterious 12-year hiatus.

Coming off of a last-place finish with scores of 76-76-74 in Jeddah, the 38-year-old fired a 76 in his opening round Friday in Hong Kong to kick off his second start on LIV. Kim, a three-time PGA Tour winner, last played at a Tour event at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship. He disappeared from the public eye shortly after as injuries derailed his career. But now pro golf’s mystery man is back. 

On Friday Kim struggled in his opening holes, going 4-over through four with a double at his second hole, the par-4 11th. Kim steadied from there, playing the next nine in 1-under par before closing with two more bogeys. 

The three-time PGA Tour winner said last week that his game is trending in the right direction, but his comfort level is still not where it needs to be on the course. 

“Unfortunately it's still taking me a couple holes to get comfortable. I think most of my over-par scores are the first six holes. If I can just figure a way to get my mind right before I get out there, I think I'll be in great shape,” Kim said in Jeddah on Sunday. 

Unlike last week, Kim’s rusty score did not land him in last place. He is currently tied with Hudson Swafford and four shots ahead of six-time major champion Phil Mickelson. 

Mickelson, the captain of HyFlyers GC, got off to a rough start on the short and narrow 6,700-yard layout, shooting 80 with three double bogeys and four bogeys. 

Mickelson’s performance comes as a surprise, as the three-time Masters champion finished tied for 6th at last week’s event—his best finish to date on the Saudi-backed tour. During a Thursday team press conference, Mickelson spoke about carrying that momentum into Hong Kong.

“It was the best finish I've had out here. I started to find some things in my game that I'm hoping to build on and continue solid play going into Hong Kong's event, going into this week. But there's a lot of positives for me to build on from last week,” Mickelson said. 

South Africa’s Dean Burmester and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer currently lead the event at 7 under. 

Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are two shots back at 5 under, while reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm came in at 3 under after a triple bogey on the par-4 18th.