Kim completes fairytale comeback; Tabuena earns P5.1 million at joint 44th

Aces GC player Anthony Kim from the US reacts as he claims the title on the final day of the LIV Golf Adelaide tournament at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide on February 15, 2026.

(Photo by Michael Errey / AFP)

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.