KIM COMPLETES FAIRYTALE COMEBACK; TABUENA EARNS P5.1 MILLION AT JOINT 44TH

MANILA, Philippines -- Anthony Kim completed one of golf’s most compelling comeback chapters, overpowering the field at the LIV Golf Adelaide with a blistering final-round charge that left former World No. 1 Jon Rahm and the rest of the contenders in his wake in Australia Sunday.

Five strokes behind Rahm after 54 holes at The Grange Golf Club, Kim unleashed a dazzling assault that rekindled memories of his fearless prime. He opened with a four-birdie frontside run to erase the deficit, then delivered the decisive blow with another four-birdie burst from No. 12. Each putt seemed to carry the weight of a 12-year absence, and each one dropped with conviction.

A birdie on the 17th gave Kim a three-shot cushion. Unlike the previous day, when Rahm surged with a 66 to seize control, the Spaniard faltered under final-round pressure, closing out with a 71 for a 268 total, three shots shy of Kim, who fired a scintillating 63 to finish at 23-under 265.

For Kim, 40, the victory, worth a whopping $4 million, was far more than a trophy.

Once among the game’s brightest young stars, he stepped away from competitive golf for over a decade. His return in 2024 was met with skepticism, and after relegation following the 2025 LIV season, he had to grind through the Promotions event just to regain status.

A modest tie for 22nd in Riyadh last week earned him a spot with Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC in Adelaide – and he seized it emphatically.

From wildcard to champion, Kim’s triumph stands as a testament to resilience, belief and rediscovered brilliance.

While Kim authored a fairytale ending, Miguel Tabuena endured another frustrating fade.

Determined to mount a Sunday charge, Tabuena opened with a birdie on No. 9 and bounced back from a double bogey on the par-3 12th with a birdie on the next and an eagle-2 on the par-4 15th after holing out from roughly 30 yards – a moment that briefly hinted at something special. But the momentum proved fleeting.

The par-3 holes ultimately undid his round.

On the par-3 third, another errant tee shot led to a costly double bogey. He birdied the fourth but dropped another shot on the par-3 sixth, his tee shot again missed its target, erasing any remaining hope of a late surge.

In all, Tabuena dropped five strokes on par-3 holes alone – a damaging statistic in a tournament where precision off the tee, especially with mid- to long-irons, proved decisive. His inability to control distance and direction on those short holes forced him into recovery mode too often, blunting the aggressive mindset needed to contend.

He signed for a 73 and finished at four-under 284, tied for 44th in a field of 57 – only marginally better than his tie for 48th finish in his LIV Golf debut in Riyadh.

Another week, another charge that fizzled.

Still, Tabuena, who earned $88,500 (P5.1 million), remains optimistic as the LIV Golf caravan heads to Hong Kong next month.

2026-02-15T07:31:21Z