‘It’s a crazy feeling’: Tom Kim avoids career-altering military service with gold at Asian Games

Tom Kim has won four PGA Tour events, but on Saturday he may have captured the biggest win of his career.

With a career-changing military exemption on the line, Kim fired a six-under 64 in the final round of the men’s golf event at the 2026 Asian Games to earn the individual gold medal for South Korea.

Thanks to the victory, Kim, who is 24, will avoid an 18-21 month stretch in the South Korean military that is required of all able-bodied males in the country. Such a lengthy interruption could have had devastating effects on the promising pro’s golf career.

Unfortunately, a fellow PGA Tour pro playing on Kim’s South Korean team narrowly missed earning a similar exemption in the team event.

Tom Kim earns military exemption with gold, fellow Tour pro just misses out

After Tom Kim finished up his 3 and 2 singles victory over Wyndham Clark last Sunday at the 2026 Presidents Cup, he had one goal on his mind: fly to Japan and do everything he could to win gold for himself and his country’s team at the 2026 Asian Games.

A gold medal at the Asian Games is one of the few ways South Korean males can avoid mandatory military service, which must be served between the ages of 18 and 35. An exemption also exists for South Koreans who earn any medal in the Olympics, a feat Kim just missed out on achieving with a T8 at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Through three rounds, Kim had set himself up for a momentous victory, carrying a one-shot lead into the final round in the individual tournament. The South Korean team — made up of Kim, fellow PGA Tour veteran S.H Kim and Mun Do-yeob — also held a one-shot lead in the team event with 18 holes to play.

After his round, Kim told the Associated Press that he tried his best to keep the potential military exemption out of his mind during the final round.

“I tried not to think about it,” Kim said. “I just tried to play (the) best for my country. It’s a big stepping stone. I think the pressure that I felt this week, I’ll be able to implement it in my upcoming seasons.”

But Kim didn’t let the pressure get to him. He made four birdies on the front nine at Kasugai Country Club’s East Course, then added another birdie and an eagle on the back nine. The only lowlight was a late bogey at the par-4 17th hole, but Kim held on to finish at 18 under, good enough for a three-shot victory over Japan’s Higa Kazuki, China’s Ding Wenyi and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana. Kazuki took the silver in the first playoff, then Kaewkanjana claimed the bronze in the second.

“It’s a crazy feeling. I’m just glad it’s over,” Kim told Reuters following his gold-medal win. “This day was the longest day I think I’ve ever had in my life. It’s only been six, five hours but it is definitely the longest, and I’m just glad it’s done.”

While Kim was happy to have earned the exemption, he admitted that wasn’t the best part about his victory in Japan

“I’m more proud that I’m able to bring a medal for my country,” Kim told the AP.

Kim’s compatriot S.H. Kim was not as fortunate. While South Korea opened the day leading the team event by one, S.H. Kim struggled in the final round, making three back-nine bogeys to shoot 73. South Korea’s third player, Mun Do-yeob, shot a 70.

With that, their team finished at 26 under, two shots behind China, who took the gold medal. A gold medal for South Korea in the team event would have given S.H. Kim a military exemption, too. But the silver medal leaves him with few avenues to avoid his own mandatory service.