Anthony Kim eyes major starts after stunning Adelaide comeback
Anthony Kim produced a comeback for the ages with a dominant victory at LIV Adelaide, his first win in nearly 16 years. The triumph not only ended a long drought but also injected real momentum into Kim’s bid to reappear in major championships in 2026 — potentially marking his first major starts since 2011.
World ranking boost creates realistic route to Augusta and Aronimink
Kim’s win at Adelaide delivered an enormous jump in the Official World Golf Ranking, lifting him from 847th to 203rd. That surge stems from a rule change enacted ahead of the 2026 season that granted world ranking points to top-10 finishers in LIV events. The change has transformed the math for players on that circuit and, in Kim’s case, opened tangible pathways to at least two majors.
The toughest target is the Masters. The tournament is set for April 9-12, 2026 (ET), and the most straightforward route for Kim is to sit inside the top 50 in the OWGR by the April 6 cutoff. With only three LIV tournaments remaining before that deadline, Kim will likely need another high finish or another victory to bridge the roughly 153-spot gap he currently faces. A single more strong week could make a dramatic difference, but time is limited.
The PGA Championship at Aronimink also looks attainable. That event traditionally extends invitations to players well beyond the top 50; finishing inside the top 100 in the world ranking ahead of the tournament has historically been enough to earn entry. Kim’s improved ranking trajectory gives him extra runway to climb the additional spots needed for a PGA invite, and he has more time to accomplish that than he does for the Masters.
U. S. Open and LIV standing bring another direct path
The U. S. Open presents multiple options for Kim. One straightforward mechanism is the OWGR: players ranked inside the top 60 by the week before the tournament or the May 18, 2026 (ET) cutoff would be eligible. But Kim also benefits from a new tournament exemption that specifically accounts for players on his circuit.
A special exemption into the 2026 U. S. Open will go to the top player in the 2026 LIV Individual standings who is not otherwise exempt and is inside the top three of those standings as of May 18, 2026 (ET). After Adelaide, Kim sits second in the LIV Individual standings, with only one player ahead of him. That places a U. S. Open berth squarely within reach if he can maintain or improve his position through the spring — provided players above him are already exempt by other criteria.
There are also local exemptions available into the 36-hole final stage of U. S. Open qualifying, which could offer yet another route for Kim to reach Shinnecock Hills. Between world ranking movement, his strong position in the LIV standings, and those local qualifying avenues, multiple realistic scenarios exist for Kim to secure a U. S. Open start.
What comes next for Kim
Kim’s victory produced emotional scenes and a reminder of his past form — he reached as high as No. 6 in the world in 2008 and posted a career-best major finish, a tie for third, at the 2010 Masters. He said the win felt ‘‘pretty insane’’ and acknowledged the personal struggles he’d overcome on the way back. Now, with the ranking mechanics altered and new exemptions in play, Kim’s immediate focus will be on capitalizing over the next weeks to keep the major dream alive.
With fewer than four months until the Masters and just over a month beyond that before critical U. S. Open and PGA cutoffs, the calendar is tight. Kim’s Adelaide victory has rewritten the narrative from comeback attempt to genuine contender for major championship starts — but the work to convert that momentum into Augusta, Aronimink or Shinnecock Hills tee times is only beginning.
