While there were several significant storylines heading into the LIV Golf Jeddah event in Saudi Arabia, none were bigger than Anthony Kim, who made his highly anticipated return to professional golf after a 12-year absence.
But the three-time PGA Tour winner’s return was anything but triumphant as Kim finished in last place, a full 33 shots back of winner Joaquin Niemann, who took his second victory in three starts on the Saudi-backed series this season and has already racked up more than $8 million in prize money.
And that doesn’t include Niemann’s four top-five finishes in four starts between the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour, including his win at the Australian Open, which helped him earn an invitation to The Masters.
But what somewhat got lost between the negative aspects of Kim’s return and Niemann’s ongoing dominance to start the 2024 season was the play of Phil Mickelson, whose performance in Jeddah marked his best individual finish in LIV Golf since defecting from the PGA Tour two years ago.
