Anthony Kim Eyes Return to Majors After Adelaide Shock and Key Rule Changes
Anthony Kim produced a stunning comeback at the 2026 LIV Golf Adelaide event, not only claiming his first victory in 16 years but also creating a credible route back into golf’s biggest stages. A rule change that allows LIV events to award Official World Golf Ranking points combined with his Adelaide win has thrust Kim back into major-championship contention for 2026.
LIV recognition and OWGR points changed the calculus
Before Adelaide, Kim’s world ranking position made major qualification a near-impossible task. The recent recognition of LIV Golf for world ranking purposes altered that landscape: top-10 finishes in LIV events now produce OWGR points. Kim capitalized in dramatic fashion, vaulting from 847th to 203rd in the Official World Golf Ranking after his Adelaide triumph.
That leap is more than a headline-grabbing stat. It converts Kim’s comeback from a feel-good story into a tangible campaign with realistic targets. With only three LIV events remaining before the Masters’ entry deadline, Kim will need another big finish or two to keep the momentum and continue climbing the rankings.
Masters and PGA: climbing the OWGR to meet entry windows
The Masters, slated for April 9-12, 2026 ET at Augusta National, presents the toughest immediate mountain. The primary pathway back to Augusta for a player in Kim’s position is to be inside the top 50 of the world by April 6, 2026 ET. Moving from 203rd into the top 50 in a short span will likely require multiple wins or several high finishes in the remaining LIV events ahead of that cutoff.
The PGA Championship is somewhat more forgiving. Historically, championship fields use world ranking thresholds that extend beyond the Masters’ top-50 window; players ranked inside roughly the top 100 often find themselves eligible for the PGA. Kim therefore faces a smaller climb for the PGA than for Augusta, and he has more time to amass the necessary points before the entry period for that major.
U. S. Open offers the clearest route — world ranking or LIV standings
The U. S. Open at Shinnecock Hills provides Kim with two plausible avenues. The first is the world ranking path: players inside the top 60 by May 18, 2026 ET or the week prior to the event commonly receive spots. That date gives Kim extra runway compared with the Masters cutoff.
Even more advantageous is a new exemption tied to LIV’s season standings. For the 2026 U. S. Open, a special exemption has been created for the top LIV player who is not otherwise exempt and who sits inside the top three of the 2026 LIV Individual Standings as of May 18, 2026 ET. Because Kim now sits second in the LIV Individual standings after Adelaide — with only one player ahead of him — a top-three finish in the LIV race could directly secure him a Shinnecock tee time, provided players above him are already exempt through other criteria.
That combination of pathways is significant. Kim not only defeated elite competition in Adelaide, including the likes of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, but he also positioned himself within reach of multiple major fields thanks to the OWGR points now available to LIV competitors and the newly established U. S. Open exemption tied to LIV standings.
For now, the immediate focus for Kim and his camp will be consistency and seizing opportunities in the remaining LIV schedule. A second victory or a string of top-10s could transform this headline weekend into a full-scale return to the majors, marking his first starts in those events since 2011.
