What happened to Anthony Kim’s face?

In 2012, pro-golfer Anthony Kim had Achilles tendon surgery, with a typical recovery time of 12 months, but he mysteriously stayed away from the sport for 12 years. In late Feb. 2024, LIV Golf said Kim would return, and it got golf fans talking — less about Kim’s swing and more about his face.

After the news broke, Kim posted an old video of himself on Instagram captioned, “Hi Haters. I’m Back,” likely referring to the controversy surrounding current and former PGA players who jumped ship for LIV. LIV Golf is an upstart tour with Saudi Arabian backing that has paid big bucks to lure PGA players to compete.

LIV aside, the return of the flamboyant player was big news in the world of sports. The story changed, however, when Nathan Hubbard, a golf podcaster, shared a strange X post about Kim just days after his comeback was announced.

What’s wrong with Kim’s face?

Nathan Hubbard’s Feb. 27, 2024 X post read, “The thing that is going to surprise most of you when you see Anthony Kim is his face. And the thing that LIV has oddly not shown yet in the lead up to his return…is his face,” quickly followed by the comment, “This…sounded ominous and weird af. Not meant to be. Just wait.”

At that point, Kim hadn’t been seen, and he’s only seen in the Instagram clip he shared from a distance and in silhouette. (Kim’s Instagram is now private.) Based on Hubbard’s comment, however, suspicions were aroused. Since then, LIV has shared a promotional picture of Kim, and according to some, Hubbard’s X post still doesn’t make sense.

Anthony Kim just looks older?

By now, we’ve all had a good look at Anthony Kim 2.0. Compare his face to when he was younger, and he looks a bit different, but time takes its toll on everyone. Kim has not commented on the purported change in his appearance some say they see, or whether he had plastic or reconstructive surgery. So, we agree with Spencer Aguiar from Tee Off Sports in his response to Hubbard’s observation.

Kim’s possible facial changes notwithstanding, no one’s sure where Kim’s been for 12 years. According to NPR, it’s been rumored that Kim had an insurance policy on his body. As injuries mounted, including the Achilles tendon surgery, it was more lucrative for him to hang up the 9-iron. Kim’s first tournament back was LIV Golf Jeddah in early March 2024. He finished last place.