This week at No Laying Up, we’re introducing a new feature called Pen Pals, where two (or more) members of our squad tackle a subject the way degenerate novelists of the 20th century used to — with written correspondence. First up are Kevin Van Valkenburg and D.J. Piehowski on Anthony Kim’s return to professional golf, development that made them wistful for days gone by, and wondering whether we’ll ever see a needle mover again in any of the leagues.
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To: D.J. Piehowski
From: Kevin Van Valkenburg
D.J. –
As you know, nobody loves a spicy golf take more than I do. To borrow a baseball analogy, there is something intoxicating about a wily veteran columnist reaching back and throwing 97 with movement when they really feel strongly about an issue. I'll never forget Rick Reilly just torching Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus on the back page of Sports Illustrated when they testified against Casey Martin being able to take a cart under the Americans with Disabilities Act. And who can forget Stephen A. Smith detonating Kwame Brown when the Lakers traded him away for a package that brought them Pau Gasol?
The Midnight Troubadour
Tough and timeless, this polo is built for the long ride. Featuring a crisp, non-collapsing collar and a rugged, stretchy fabric, it's the perfect shirt for any cowboy's wardrobe.
But watching Anthony Kim return to professional golf this week after 12 years away, I feel like it calls for the opposite approach. I want to talk about AK's return with a little nuance, and perhaps use a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer. I remember when Golf Twitter first became a thing in, say, 2013 or 2014, the idea that AK might return and be a force of nature felt like a very real thing. No Laying Up even sold shirts back then with AK's face on them beneath the phrase: "Legends Never Die." And while Kim (thankfully) lived, at some point, an actual comeback seemed almost like an afterthought. I kind of liked that AK became a folk hero instead of slowly crumbling before our eyes, a frustrated, oft-injured pro.
Even two years ago, when I first heard rumors that LIV was trying to coax him into a comeback, I didn't take it all that seriously. What, after all, could we really expect? Bjorn Borg retired from tennis when he was 26 and the No. 1 player in the world, and when he attempted a comeback 10 years later, he got rocked, failing to win even a single set in his first nine matches. Kim wasn't exactly the No. 1 player when he walked away from golf; why not preserve the mystery? The reason that "legends never die" is they don't stick around — all that does is the stories of their best moments.
Of course, I couldn't resist following Kim's return last week. The rollout was typical LIV, overproduced and a little hamfisted, well-meaning but also tone deaf. I'm not sure why we had to pretend like AK had "haters" when he's one of the few guys from the past Golf Twitter seems to love unequivocally. Some of his return also feels rushed because of course LIV can't resist parading its newest shiny object. I wish they'd chosen to tease us with a documentary (maybe even a series) about his decision to return, let the excitement build while he worked on his game and his personal issues, and then rolled him out with an actual team in 2025. But it's possible that's not what he wanted and they're trying to be respectful of his wishes — or his team's wishes.
I didn't wake up at 3 a.m. on Friday to watch his debut, granted, but I did watch the highlight reels. Mostly what I came away thinking was: I hope he still finds joy in this, and he's not being steered down this path by anyone who doesn't have his best interests at heart. I don't care about him hitting shanks or starting Day 1 in DFL after shooting 76. I just don't want him treated like a circus act by an organization that's desperate to catch the attention — any attention — of fans.
What did you think?
KVV
• • •
To: Kevin Van Valkenburg
From: D.J. Piehowski
KVV,
For legal reasons, any similarities between the likeness of AK and what appeared on those t-shirts is purely coincidental.
I've tried really hard to just sit with the AK stuff (instead of hucking #takes), mostly just to try to figure out how I actually feel about it. Obviously, the feelings are mixed. I'll say upfront that if he has the desire to play competitive golf again, then I'm sincerely glad he's doing so (even if my selfish preference would be to keep my memory of him preserved in a YouTube snow globe).
But even now, I think my first reaction to his comeback news remains my biggest takeaway: Imagine the pro game getting so disillusioning that this news could become... borderline uninteresting. If you've been a hardcore golf fan for the past 15 years, it's almost unfathomable. I think back to the days when we would lose our minds about a DM... from someone who saw a text... about someone who had heard a rumor... that a friend had seen AK hitting balls. The myth of Anthony Kim became way more powerful than the person ever could have been. I don't think people realized (or cared) that his career had become more like a meme – the perfect antidote to all the cookie cutter, EA Sports create-a-player drones of the PGA Tour. What's more fun to talk about? Webb Simpson or the idea of Anthony Kim? I honestly never even really thought about what it would be like if he actually came back.
It's 5:09 p.m. on Friday afternoon. AK's full round is available and accessible to watch on many platforms. I just haven't. I'm sure I will watch the highlights at some point. But none of it feels pressing, which is such an unexpected place to be.
I saw a few swing videos this week. I know he shot 76. I know he hit a shank. I know he wore a collared shirt. Other than that, I couldn't tell you all that much about "The Dance of Redemption" so far, other than I always pictured the dancing being a little more fun than this. I'm rooting for him to play well. I just don't really need to watch it. Maybe that will change.
Today, I've gotten two (2) text messages about his first competitive round in 12 years. LIV posted the highlight of his first competitive tee shot since 2012. Thirty-eight accounts retweeted it. This is a pretty pointless measure of what's successful and what isn't. But it's pretty good proof that the community that poured gas on the meme is a lot different.
On one hand, putting this all on LIV is probably slightly unfair. The whole world of men's pro golf feels so fractured and arbitrary outside of the majors that I'm not really running to the TV to watch anything, let alone downloading an app to watch LIV Golf Jeddah at 3 a.m.
But let me ask you this: How would this week feel differently if AK chose to make his comeback at Riviera or Phoenix or Torrey Pines?
D.J.
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To: D.J. Piehowski
From: Kevin Van Valkenburg
-Pie Man:
I've been thinking about your question all morning. There would have been more buzz, certainly. I think the support from fans would have been massive. But would it have faded just as quickly? I don't think he would have broken 80 at Riv or Torrey, so maybe this was part of the strategy. I don't think a return to the PGA Tour was ever realistic, certainly at this point in his life. It's clear LIV is rolling him out there before he's ready to compete at a high level, which seems counterintuitive to their overall fight for credibility.
I suspect AK's team looked at what LIV was offering — guaranteed money, guaranteed starts, a relaxed environment, very few media obligations — and saw it as a no-brainer.
I actually want him to play well. I hope he does have better golf in front of him, in time. One of the dumbest possible narratives is that people like me are rooting against him to make some broader point about LIV or the PGA Tour. But I also feel a bit about his return like I did when George Lucas dropped "The Phantom Menace," or when Arrested Development returned for Season 4. Talking about something in the abstract, when it's nothing but potential in your mind, is a lot more interesting than being disappointed when it can't live u
Source: https://nolayingup.com/blog/pen-pals-anthony-kim-liv-golf