Anthony Kim Heads Group of 3 Promoted to LIV Golf League 2026

Anthony Kim, Richard T. Lee, and Björn Hellgren have qualified for the LIV Golf League 2026 season as Wild Cards after defeating the field at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida. They will compete against the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Joaquin Niemann in 13 LIV events across five continents.

So, who are the three golfers promoted to the LIV Golf League?

Anthony Kim: Former Ryder Cup Star Now LIV Golf Comeback Player

Anthony Ha-Jin Kim, born June 19, 1985, in Los Angeles, California, is a Korean-American professional golfer known for his explosive early career on the PGA Tour. A standout amateur, he set the University of Oklahoma record for the lowest career scoring average relative to par and helped the United States win the 2005 Walker Cup. Turning professional in 2006, Kim quickly made an impact with a T2 debut at the Valero Texas Open and earned his PGA Tour card for 2007. He secured three PGA Tour victories: the 2008 Wachovia Championship (a five-shot win at 16-under), the 2008 AT&T National (two-shot victory over Freddie Jacobson), and the 2010 Shell Houston Open (playoff win over Vaughn Taylor). These triumphs made him the fifth player in 30 years to win three times before age 25, joining legends like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio García, and Adam Scott. His peak came in 2008, reaching world No. 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking and contributing to the U.S. Ryder Cup victory with a notable 5 & 4 singles win over Sergio Garcia.

Kim's major championship highlights include a third-place finish at the 2010 Masters (with a final-round 65), T5 at the 2011 Open Championship, and setting the Masters record for most birdies in a round (11 in the second round of 2009). He also played in the 2009 Presidents Cup (3–1 record) and amassed over $12 million in PGA Tour earnings across 122 starts. A left Achilles tendon injury requiring surgery in 2012 sidelined him for more than a decade, during which he did not compete professionally. In February 2024, Kim made a highly anticipated return to competitive golf as a wildcard individual in the LIV Golf League, debuting in Jeddah and continuing as a wildcard in 2025, marking his resurgence after years away from the sport.

Richard T. Lee: Canada's Prodigy on the Asian Tour

Richard Taehoon Lee, born October 29, 1990, in Toronto, Ontario, is a Canadian professional golfer currently competing on the Asian Tour. The son of former South Korean tournament player and current teaching professional Jeff Lee, he resides in Chandler, Arizona. As a teenager, Lee showcased exceptional talent, finishing runner-up to Philip Francis at the 2006 U.S. Junior Amateur at age 15, which earned him an exemption into sectional qualifying for the 2007 U.S. Open. He advanced as runner-up in his qualifier, becoming the second-youngest player in the tournament's 107-year history at just 16 years old, though he withdrew during the second round due to a wrist injury.

Lee turned professional immediately after the 2007 U.S. Open and pursued opportunities in Asia, earning runner-up finishes at qualifying school for both the Asian Tour and OneAsia Tour in 2013. He claimed Asian Tour Rookie of the Year honors that year and has since secured six professional victories: three on the Asian Tour—including the Solaire Open (2014), Shinhan Donghae Open (2017, co-sanctioned with the Korean Tour), and BNI Indonesian Masters (2024)—and four on the Korean Tour, most recently the Woori Financial Group Championship in April 2025 via playoff. With a career blending early major exposure and consistent success on Asian circuits, Lee remains a prominent figure in international golf.

Björn Hellgren: Swedish Youth Hockey Star Turned Professional Golfer

Björn Hellgren, born Adam Lasse Björn Hellgren on November 21, 1990, in Västerås, Sweden, is a professional golfer competing primarily on the Asian Tour. After playing ice hockey in his youth on one of Sweden's premier teams, he accepted a golf scholarship to Florida State University, where he competed for the Seminoles men's golf team from 2011 to 2013 alongside notable players Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger. Hellgren left college after two years and turned professional in 2013 following the European Amateur Championship, immediately winning his debut event on the Nordea Tour, the Landeryd Masters.

Hellgren joined the Asian Tour in January 2020 after a strong showing at Q-School, though his early participation was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned in late 2021 and achieved steady progress, including a tie for third at the Yeangder TPC in Taiwan in 2022 (where he led the driving distance stats at 313.62 yards) and four top-10 finishes in 2024, finishing 31st in the Order of Merit. His standout achievement came in 2025 with a victory at the Saudi Open presented by PIF, marking his maiden Asian Tour title in a dramatic final-round battle. Earlier in his career, he was runner-up at the 2021 Dormy Open on the Challenge Tour. Hellgren continues to build his profile on the international stage.

Kim, Lee, and Hellgren join Scott Vincent and Yosuke Asaji as the five Wild Cards for 2026.

Quotes, data, and photos courtesy of LIV Golf