MEDINAH, Ill. — It was a sad scene: A group of golfers, dressed in black, milling about in silence. Their caddies and families, standing beside them. And all watching as their red-shirted counterparts spilled onto the 18th green at Medinah Country Club, the United States team celebrating a win the International team had desperately wanted for themselves.
A scene only made sadder because one of their teammates had already hit the road.
Tom Kim had played his heart out. He’d earned four points for his squad — the most by any golfer on either side — and he’d stayed as long as he could. And then, when he ducked out early, it was for good reason.
Still, there was a little extra melancholy in his absence, knowing the International team was missing the player who’d been at their center, both competitively and emotionally, all week long. Kim, like many of his teammates, speaks with reverence and gratitude about these weeks; they come just once every two years and bring a welcome dose of camaraderie to the blessed-but-lonely existence of a pro golfer. It would have been joyous to have Kim there in victory, and it would have brought comfort to have him there in defeat.
Instead, Kim was off to another team competition, one with arguably higher stakes. As first reported by the AP’s Doug Ferguson, Kim is bound for the Asian Games, where he’ll play for gold, and for a military exemption, alongside two of his South Korean countrymen.
Those Games begin Wednesday in Japan. And so Kim’s flight out of Chicago was scheduled to leave around the same time the U.S. team accepted its trophy.
Before we go further, a word on Kim’s on-course performance this week: He was exceptional. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday he was brilliant alongside his friend and teammate Si Woo Kim, serving as the ham to Si Woo’s egg, the two combining for a 3-1-0 record as the heartbeat of the Internationals. And on Sunday he was even better, going it alone against in-form Wyndham Clark in the second match of the day. Through seven holes he was 1 down. By the 14th hole he was 3 up. That was the final margin, too, as Kim provided the first yellow flag of the day as his side chased its first win in a dozen editions of the Cup.
“Just be relentless. That’s what I had in my heart,” Kim said post-round. “The U.S. is really, really good, and there’s a reason why they’re good. They’re very stacked, and it was a tough task for everyone. I’m just glad I did my part for the team … I’m just very proud. This is probably my best Presidents Cup yet.”
Kim got plenty of love all week from his partner.
“We know very well each other,” Si Woo Kim had said after an earlier session. “He helps me a lot, gives me a lot of confidence, and I think I give him a lot of confidence.”
On Sunday, International captain Geoff Ogilvy sang Kim’s praises, too.
“Tom’s a fantastic player,” he said. “The Kims make an incredible pair. They’re fun to watch. They bring so much energy to this team. And they’re very reliable, and they win us a lot of points … we love having them on our side.”
It just wasn’t quite enough. Kim closed out his match, as did Sungjae Im three matches behind him. But then came a wave of red; the Internationals picked up just a half-point from the final seven matches and watched as their three-point lead turned into a four-point loss.
As for the Asian Games — and everything at stake? In short, able-bodied men in South Korea are required to serve in the military in their 20s. But there are exemptions for some sportsmen and artists. An Olympic medal is one way to receive a pass. (Kim finished 8th in 2024, four shots outside bronze-medal position.) A gold medal at the Asian Games — in either the individual or team competition — is another.
Kim was understandably reluctant to get into the particulars. He was still focused on the Cup at hand, for one thing. For another, military exemptions are a delicate subject. But he said that what the two competitions have in common is playing for a larger purpose.
“I think when you get a chance to represent something more than yourself, it’s always an honor,” he said. “Playing for the [International] Shield, playing for the country, no matter what it is, if it’s bigger than yourself, I think it’s something that’s very honorable and something you should be always grateful for, and I’m very appreciative, and I’m very grateful to make the team this week.
“Personally I think next week, I’m excited to go back to Asia,” he added. “I haven’t been to Asia for so long, so I’m excited to go back home and see some friends and hopefully have a good week.”
Kim was just 20 when he made his Presidents Cup debut in Charlotte; he played all five sessions that week and went 2-3-0. He played four more times in Montreal, going 1-2-1. This week’s 4-1-0 effort brought him over the .500 mark all-time, which is rareified air for the International team. It also elevated his record with Si Woo to a sparkling 5-2-0.
Now comes a different type of team format. Kim will play alongside fellow pro S.H. Kim, who has been playing the Korean PGA since his return home earlier this year, and Doyeob Moon, who played for Korean G.C. on LIV Golf this year.
This is just the second time the Games have welcomed professional golfers. In 2023, the last time they were held, two of Tom Kim’s Presidents Cup teammates this week — Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im — were part of a team that won by 25 shots.
“I was still scared as [expletive],” Si Woo told Ferguson earlier this year, reflecting on that win.
This week the South Korean team is expecting stiff competition from the host nation; Japan’s team is comprised of current PGA Tour player Keita Nakajima, last year’s Asian Tour winner Kazuki Higa and current Arizona golfer Taishi Moto.
The good news for Kim? He’ll come in knowing his game is good enough to beat the best golfers in the world.
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