Anthony Kim is in his second season with LIV Golf, and he's also celebrating two years of sobriety.
In an Instagram post, Kim said he checked into rehab because he was "barely physically able [to] walk in" because his "body was shutting down." Kim shared photos of medications he took in rehab to get through withdrawal.
Kim said he "contemplated ending [his] life everyday for almost 2 decades even while playing [on the PGA Tour]."
The three-time PGA Tour winner said he was using drugs and alcohol even in the middle of golf tournaments.
"Everyday I chose drugs & alcohol [to] numb the pain I felt no matter wat (sic) happened in my professional life," he said. "I got so good at hiding it that I lost who I was. It’s f--kin hard playing majors making porta potty stops every few holes."
Kim credits his wife Emily and daughter Bella, along with a number of his friends, for their help and encouragement throughout the rehab process.
"I am not proud of who I was but I am [today]," he wrote.
Kim walked away from the PGA Tour in 2012 after withdrawing from the Wells Fargo Championship. He was rarely seen in public, though some in Dallas spoke about the occasional Kim sighting. Long-repeated reporting claimed Kim was not playing on the PGA Tour because he chose to accept money from an insurance policy that protected him against injury, though that policy, it has been reported, blocked him from returning to pro golf.
Last year, Kim signed with LIV Golf, saying he had been back into playing golf for less than a year when he signed with the league. In his time away from golf, Kim has endured seven different surgeries, suggesting he feels lucky to still be alive. Kim has returned for a second LIV Golf season, playing in the 54-player league as an unaffiliated player.
Kim believes he still has a lot to do.
"My journey is far from over," he said. "[S]ome [great] golf is loading & my motto of 1% better one day at a time is how I am going to live 4 the rest of my life."
