MEDINAH, Ill. – Tom Kim has been one of the leaders this week in the International Team’s bid to pull off a colossal upset at the Presidents Cup and win for the first time since 1998. But Kim may not be around for the celebration if his team goes on to victory on Sunday. That’s because the 24-year-old South Korean, who is scheduled to play against American Wyndham Clark in the second of 12 singles match at Medinah No. 3, is expected to depart before the outcome of the biennial competition may be decided.
As first reported by the Associated Press, Kim is one of three Korean golfers competing in the Asian Games in Japan, which begins Wednesday at Kasugai Country Club in the Aichi Prefecture.
Kim, ranked No. 31 in the world and winner of the Genesis
Scottish Open in July, will have a lot at stake. Should he win a gold medal in the men’s competition or the team competition, he would be excused from his mandatory military service.
The AP said it spoke to two people involved with the International team who confirmed Kim is leaving for Japan late Sunday afternoon. “They spoke on condition of anonymity because Kim hasn’t spoken about the Asian Games,” the AP noted. Kim was not available Saturday after losing his foursomes match.
All able-bodied males are obligated to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military once they turn 19. They can postpone the date of their service but without a significant cultural justification, like an Olympic medal, service is mandatory.
Kim fell four shots out of a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
Seung Yul-Noh and Sang-Moon Bae are two Korean golfers who won on the PGA Tour before their mandatory service obligation but haven’t been able to regain their form after taking two years away from competition.
Kim’s International Team teammates Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim won the gold medal in the team competition by 25 shots for South Korea in 2023 and earned an exemption from military service.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Tom Kim faces early Presidents Cup exit in pursuit of military exemption
