Getty Anthony Kim during the LIV Golf Miami event at Trump National Doral.
It’s been an eventful 2024 campaign for LIV Golf thus far, as three of the first four tournaments came down to the final holes, with two of the four going to a playoff.
And that’s now three of five as the final round of LIV Golf Miami on April 7 went to a playoff as well, with Dean Burmester emerging victorious over Sergio Garcia, who took his second loss in extra holes on the year. Garcia also lost a playoff to Joaquin Niemann in the season opener at Mayakoba.
But along with the good at the top of the leaderboard comes the bad on the other end. And as it’s gone for the majority of the year, Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim found themselves near the bottom at Trump National Doral.
In Kim’s case, he finished dead last among those who played all 54 holes for the second time in three starts since his return to professional golf after nearly a decade away. He also posted the worst overall score since his return.
As for Mickelson, he found himself in the bottom 10 for the third time this season, finishing 47th.
Anthony Kim Shot His Worst Overall Score Since Joining LIV Golf
Classy chip-in for @AnthonyKim_Golf 👌
After 10 years away from professional golf, Anthony Kim wasn’t really expected to win in LIV Golf. But it’s safe to say most fans were hoping for more than what they’ve seen from the three-time PGA Tour winner thus far.
In his LIV debut in Jeddah from March 1-3, he shot 76-76-74 to finish in last place at 16-over, 33 shots back of winner Joaquin Niemann.
A week later in Hong Kong, Kim finished in 50th, but showed the brilliance that made him a fan favorite all those years ago. After opening with a 6-over round of 76, he knocked four strokes off in round two, firing a 2-over 72. He then went off in the final round, shooting one of the lowest scores of the day with a 5-under 65, giving fans hope that Miami might be his best tourney yet.
It wasn’t.
Playing a course where he shot even par over 12 rounds in three appearances on the PGA Tour, Kim opened his week with a 4-over round of 76, and it only got worse from there. In Round 2, the 38-year-old carded a pair of birdies but also had nine bogeys and a double-bogey en route to a 9-over 81.
And in Round 3, he was better but not by much, recording two birdies, two bogeys, and four doubles for an 8-over 80. At 21-over for the tournament, this was Kim’s worst finish since his return, five shots worse than his 16-over finish in Jeddah.
For more perspective on just how poorly Kim performed, he finished 32 shots behind Burmester and Garcia, who tied at 11-under ahead of their playoff battle.
Phil Mickelson Finished 47th at LIV Golf Miami
Short game clinic from @PhilMickelson 👍
The 2024 LIV Golf campaign has been quite the roller-coaster ride for Phil Mickelson.
In the season opener at Mayakoba, Lefty posted his worst 54-hole score since joining the Saudi-backed series, shooting 11-over to tie for 51st. After tying for 30th in Las Vegas, Mickelson bounced back beautifully and recorded just his third top-10 finish in LIV, tying for sixth in Jeddah.
But Phil couldn’t maintain the momentum. Just a week later in Hong Kong, he had the worst finish of his LIV career to date, tying for 52nd.
Given his familiarity with Doral, where he teed it up 18 times as a member of the PGA Tour and once won, shooting 19-under at the 2008 WGC-CA Championship, one would think Mickelson would have had a good week in Miami.
He didn’t.
While Phil played nowhere near as poorly as Kim, he shot 76-72-76 to finish at 8-over for the week, good for solo 47th. Perhaps he can find his game at The Masters, which begins April 11. Mickelson, of course, is a three-time winner at Augusta and tied for second at the year’s first major a year ago.
The next LIV Golf event is set for April 26-28 from The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia.