Comebacks are a regular occurrence in sport; however, none too many close to the incredible feat achieved by American golfer Anthony Kim. The 40-year-old, 12 years after quitting golf amid alcohol and drug addiction, emerged victorious at LIV Golf Adelaide by three shots in a final-round shootout against Spanish icon Jon Rahm at the Grange. Celebrating his Herculean effort, golfing royalty Tiger Woods had a heartfelt message for Kim.

“We can all relate to struggles. We all struggle in life,” Tiger Woods said at a pre-tournament press conference before the Genesis Invitational in San Diego, California. “The longer it goes, the more tough times you’ve had. But for him to fight through it and for Anthony to get to where he’s gotten to, from the low that he was in, is something that, as I said, you have to just wrap your heart around it.”

Tiger Woods was one of Anthony Kim’s biggest idols as he entered the golf world at the age of 20. The two interacted throughout the late 2000s as Kim emerged as one of the PGA Tour’s most popular rising stars. Tiger also famously asked about him during a practice round at the 2007 PGA Championship.

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However, Anthony Kim fell out of the professional circuit in 2014 as he battled addiction to drugs and alcohol.And his contact with his idol ceased. But now, as he embarked on this valiant journey to register his first victory since the 2010 Shell Houston Open, Tiger Woods took a moment to reflect on his incredible fight.

“He had so much natural talent. He could hit any shot he wanted,” Wood added. “Then to see him struggle in life and didn’t really want to play golf, didn’t really want to be part of golf, and for him to come all the way back and for him to win and to be as devoted as he is to his family, it’s a story in which, you just have to wrap your heart around it because of the struggles.”

While Anthony Kim and Tiger Woods share a relationship built on respect and admiration for each other, these comments from the 15-time major champion also come up despite his position against LIV Golf. However, Woods isn’t the only PGA star to celebrate Anthony Kim’s miraculous comeback, as two-time major champion Justin Thomas also celebrated this historic victory.

Thomas heaps praise on Anthony Kim after Adelaide win

While the rivalry between the PGA and LIV continues, former World No. 1 Justin Thomas took a moment to celebrate Anthony Kim’s incredible victory. Thomas shared an Instagram story about the 40-year-old’s stunning comeback with the song My Sacrifice by Creed.

“So awesome,” Justin Thomas posted on Instagram. “Incredible story, and dude has been grinding to get back. Respect Anthony Kim!”

Anthony Kim’s incredible journey, from not playing golf for 12 years to beating two major winners, truly deserves a lot of respect, and the comments by Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods reiterate this fact.