If you’ve been wondering what happened to Anthony Kim over the last couple of years, you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n
The promising professional golfer \u2013 now 29 years old – was at the apex of an astounding career when he suddenly vanished from the world of professional golf in 2012, leaving a multitude of fans wondering what drove the young up-and-comer to leave the game that he played so well.<\/p>\n
The Once Promising Golf Star<\/strong><\/p>\n After qualifying for his PGA Tour card in 2007, Kim refused to take his time working his way up the leaderboard on the professional circuit, making the cut for top 100 golfers in the world to wrap up the 2007 season, only to move Team USA on to Ryder Cup glory at Valhalla in 2008.<\/p>\n With three PGA Tour victories and three appearances on national teams, including his unforgettable Ryder Cup appearance in 2008, it seemed like Anthony Kim was setting himself up for a rock-solid career as a twenty-something Tour pro that today\u2019s golfing veterans – including his former mentor, Phil Mickelson – could pass the torch to.<\/p>\n So why hasn’t Anthony Kim and his handy Nike golf balls<\/a> played on Tour since 2012?\u00a0 People are starting to talk, with word getting out through former colleagues and close friends that Kim\u2019s reluctance to come back to professional golf may have everything to do with a hefty insurance policy that could net him between $10 and $20 million.<\/p>\n Not Just About Love of The Game<\/strong><\/p>\n It would be easy for fans and spectators alike to assume that Anthony Kim\u2019s departure from the world of professional golf was all about the money.\u00a0 That would also make for an unfair assumption into Kim\u2019s character and competitive spirit.\u00a0 The truth is that AK has some serious health issues to consider, which could be making his hesitancy to take another professional swing even that much harder to cope with.<\/p>\n Playing through an injury to his left thumb at the 2010 Masters at Augusta, Kim underwent surgery to repair a partial tear in a ligament in his thumb that had been affecting his performance for months.\u00a0 After recovering from surgery and returning to play, Kim then developed a severe case of tendinitis in his left wrist \u2013 most likely due to compensating for his prior thumb injury on his swings with his favored Adams hybrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n One injury snowballed into another, and by mid-2012 an injury to his Achilles tendon would be the final trick in a disappearing act that has perplexed the world of professional golf.<\/p>\n According to a friend of Kim\u2019s, stepping back onto the Tour could cost AK a huge settlement from an insurance policy that was taken out specifically to address a career-ending injury: \u201cThe way he’s phrased it to me is, \u2018If I take one swing on Tour, the policy is voided.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n And with another source at IMG \u2013 Kim\u2019s management agency \u2013 estimating that the total value of the insurance policy is close to a $10 million tax-free payout, Kim\u2019s return to professional golf could be a multi-million dollar gamble that is simply too risky to take.<\/p>\n Risk Versus Reward<\/strong><\/p>\n On one hand, Anthony Kim will earn between $10 to $20 million should his injuries be deemed career ending, qualifying him as a recipient of an enormous insurance policy payday.<\/p>\n