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Tom Kim's Asian Games win avoids military service
Tom Kim's Asian Games gold avoids 18-21 month South Korean military service.
In brief
Tom Kim's Asian Games gold avoids 18-21 month South Korean military service. Tom Kim won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, avoiding mandatory military service for South Korean men. Originally reported by Golf.
Tom Kim wins Asian Games gold
Tom Kim earned individual gold for South Korea at the 2026 Asian Games.
“Tom Kim celebrates winning gold at the 2026 Asian Games”
Avoids South Korean military service
His win prevents 18-21 month mandatory military service for South Korean men.
“the 24-year-old will avoid an 18-21 month stretch in the South Korean military”
Career-altering impact
Tom Kim’s win ranks among 2026’s biggest achievements after Gary Woodland and Anthony Kim.
“where does this one rank among some of the biggest of 2026?”
James Colgan’s view
Winning under career-altering pressure is extremely impressive for golfers.
“To win when the weight of a career-altering inevitability hangs over you if you don’t win? That’s extremely, extremely impressive”
Josh Schrock’s view
Tom Kim’s win has greater career impact than Gary Woodland’s recent wins.
“Given the potential career-altering stakes, I’d say this win is potentially the biggest of the year”
Alan Bastable’s view
Tom Kim has two more chances at major events before military service ends.
“Kim, who is 24, still would have had two more chances, at the next Summer Olympics (L.A. in 2028) and next Asian Games (Doha in 2030)”
S.H. Kim’s situation
S.H. Kim, 28, has no more major event opportunities.
“His time is up”
Tom Kim’s PGA Tour wins
Tom Kim had three PGA Tour wins from 2022-23 but didn’t win again until 2026.
“Tom Kim had three PGA Tour wins from 2022-23, but didn’t win again until this year’s Genesis Scottish Open”
Presidents Cup performance
Tom Kim was one of the best players at the 2026 Presidents Cup.
“Last week he was one of the best players at the Presidents Cup”
Tom Kim’s ceiling
Tom Kim needs to improve ball-striking and distance to reach top-10 status.
“He’ll need to elevate another notch, either in his ball-striking or his distance, to ascend into the territory of a top-10 player in the world”
Putter improvement
Tom Kim’s putter has improved significantly over the last two years.
“The putter has improved and it’s fair to envision a big year for him in 2027”
LIV Golf uncertainty
Sergio Garcia’s LIV contract status is unclear due to bankruptcy.
“In a court filing last week, representatives for Sergio Garcia asked the court for clarity on the status of Garcia’s existing LIV contract in light of the league’s bankruptcy”
The bottom line
Tom Kim won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, avoiding mandatory military service for South Korean men.
