Tom Kim and Team South Korea remain in chaser mode with 36 holes left to go at the Asian Games.
Kim, who is seeking an exemption from mandatory military service, shot 4-under 66 on Thursday after an opening 67. He's 7 under overall and T-5, two shots behind co-leaders Wenyi Ding and Wei-hsuan Wang at Kasugai Country Club East Course in Japan. The South Korean team is also two shots behind Japan and a stroke behind China with two rounds remaining.
If Kim, who flew to Japan immediately after the Presidents Cup, wins a gold medal in the men’s competition or the team competition, he would be excused from his mandatory military service. All able-bodied males in South Korea 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 will tee it up Friday in the penultimate pairing, needing another strong round to position himself and Team South Korea in great shape heading into Saturday's final round. He's playing alongside fellow PGA Tour pro Keita Nakajima and Yunhe Zheng of China.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: At Asian Games, Tom Kim remains 2 back with military service exemption at stake
