# Tom Kim's Asian Games win avoids military service

> Tom Kim's Asian Games gold avoids 18-21 month South Korean military service.
- Title: Tom Kim's Asian Games win avoids military service · Golf
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: tom kim, south korean military, asian games, 2026 asian games, presidents cup, liv golf, sergio garcia, golf, liverpool, golf tour, golf news, golf editors
- Source: Golf — https://golf.com/news/tom-kim-asian-games-tour-confidential
- Published: 2026-10-04T23:14:26+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tom kim, south korean military, asian games, 2026 asian games, presidents cup, liv golf, sergio garcia, golf, liverpool, golf tour, golf news, golf editors
## 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
## Key takeaway

Tom Kim won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, avoiding mandatory military service for South Korean men.