Anthony Kim shows promise with improved performance despite finishing last in his return to Pro Golf at LIV Jeddah

It's a wrap on Anthony Kim's official return to professional golf. The LIV Golf member played his first tournament this weekend, and it wasn't always pretty. He struggled at times and ultimately finished last among his competitors. He showed some flashes of the player he once was and had a better final round than his prior two, albeit still four over par.

Kim's 14 final holes on the round were all par, so he was consistently solid. He avoided the rough fate that befell him in the first two rounds, even if it was in a losing effort.

Kim said after the round via Yahoo! Sports:

"Obviously it was a rough week. I'm excited to be playing professional golf again, and I feel pretty blessed I have this opportunity. I'm definitely hitting the ball well, doing lot of things well. I know scores don't reflect that."

Ultimately, much of that was to be expected. The former PGA Tour star hadn't played a single hole of professional golf since 2012 when he curiously withdrew from injury, never to return again.

He was pretty good then, but he's not the same player that exists today. His return to LIV Golf Jeddah should confirm that he's not that golfer anymore and it might be a little rough. But if his final round is any indication, there's some talent still in there.

Kim ultimately returned to LIV Golf, but he was reportedly talking to both tours. He apparently had a $10 million insurance policy with the PGA Tour that would have been voided had he returned, and he was in discussion with them before ultimately choosing LIV, where the money tends to flow a little more freely.

That's especially true for those who might struggle thanks to the lack of a cut. Every golfer on LIV makes money for their performance no matter how bad it is. As a result, he earned $50,000 for his showing, which is not a bad way to come back to golf after 12 years.

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Anthony Kim reflects on poor showing

Anthony Kim knows it wasn't a resounding or triumphant return to the sport of professional golf. He knows last place is not what he or anyone expected of him, but he believes there's something positive to build on.

Anthony Kim returned to pro golf this weekend

Kim said via Golf.com:

“Obviously disappointed with the score, but I played much better than the score. I’ve got a lot to build on. Just made a lot of unforced errors and that was unfortunate, but I feel like I’m not that far away.”

He continued:

“I would be lying to say that I didn’t have certain expectations. At least even if I played bad, I thought I would shoot around par. It was unfortunate that I made so many unforced errors from the middle of the fairway. That’s generally my strength is my iron game. To make so many unforced errors is really disappointing.”

The golfer believes he can clean those miscues up and ensure that he does better in future showings with LIV Golf.