Story byAnthony Kim's dedication to correcting his alignment woes have paid off in a big way.@AnthonyKim / IGZephyr MeltonMon, February 16, 2026 at 2:33 AM UTC·4 min readWelcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF. com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer. Two years ago, Anthony Kim shocked the golf world when he announced he would end his 12-year hiatus from professional golf and tee it up on the LIV Golf circuit. After over a decade out of the public eye, golf’s folk hero of the 2000s was set to make a triumphant return. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKim’s most ardent supporters and enthusiastic backers expected him to pick up right where he left off: carding birdies and electrifying crowds, just as he’d done on the PGA Tour as a 20-something wunderkind. The reality was quite the opposite. In Kim’s first season on LIV, he failed to earn a single point in the standings, with a 36th-place finish in West Virginia representing his best effort in Year 1.