[Golf.com] Anthony Kim, MIA since 2012, wrestles with whether to tee it up again or reap an 8-figure disability settlement

September 17, 2014

 

A three-time winner with more than $12 million in earnings, Anthony Kim last played in 2012.

A three-time winner with more than $12 million in earnings, Anthony Kim last played in 2012.

[Golf.com] No IMG staffer would comment for this story, but the party line is that Anthony Kim is still injured and expected to return to the Tour someday. This is refuted by a close friend of Kim’s in Dallas who watched him hit balls recently. (Kim declined numerous interview requests from SI, and his comrade would speak only anonymously, saying, “He’d be f—— livid if he knew I was talking to you.”) “AK’s not injured,” says the friend. “He can play, he can walk. His swing looks good, the strike sounds solid, his ball flight is good. His physical health is not the issue.”

So what is? The answer very well may lie in an insurance policy Kim has against a career-ending injury. An IMG source pegged its value at $10 million, tax-free. Kim’s friend, who has had financial discussions with him, says, “It’s significantly north of that. Not quite 20, but close. That is weighing on him, very much so. He’s trying to weigh the risk of coming back. The way he’s phrased it to me is, ‘If I take one swing on Tour, the policy is voided.’” [READ MORE]