PGA Tour star avoids military service after taking advantage of loophole

07:08 ET, Sun, Oct 4, 2026 Updated: 07:08 ET, Sun, Oct 4, 2026

Tom Kim won a gold medal at the Asian Games (Image: Getty Images)

PGA Tour standout Tom Kim successfully sidestepped a two-year interruption to his career by avoiding mandatory military service after claiming the Asian Games individual gold medal on Saturday.

Kim, who competed in the Presidents Cup the previous week in Chicago before Donald Trump, flew directly to Japan once the tournament wrapped up. He hit the ground running upon arrival, leading after the opening three rounds with the knowledge that an individual victory would secure him a military service exemption.

Before his final round, Kim checked his phone to find an encouraging message from Tiger Woods, who has long been a supporter of the young Korean golfer. Woods' message read: "Just be you. Nothing more, nothing less."

"No, I haven't," he said when asked whether he'd replied to the 15-time major champion. "But I think I will send him a photo of me biting my gold medal."

Kim's medal secured an exemption (Image: Getty Images)

Kim had previously come agonizingly close to securing an exemption, finishing eighth at the 2024 Paris Olympics after sitting in a medal position following the opening day.

His raw emotion on the 18th green Saturday was unmistakable, with his celebratory display mirroring that of Rory McIlroy at the 2025 Masters, where the Northern Irishman claimed his first Green Jacket and completed the career Grand Slam. Speaking after the tournament, Kim demonstrated his maturity by stating that the prospect of military service never crossed his mind during competition, and that his sole focus was on claiming gold.

"I tried not to think about it. I tried to play the best for my country," said Kim. "Selfishly, I didn't really think about myself; I just thought I wanted to bring a medal for my country. It's unbelievable. I had one goal, to be able to represent Korea and win the gold, it's something I'll never forget for the rest of my career."

It has been an outstanding year for the 24-year-old PGA Tour star, who achieved his best-ever U.S. Open result with a third-place finish at Shinnecock back in June. He built on that momentum by claiming victory at the Scottish Open in July — his fourth PGA Tour title — and will wrap up the year ranked inside the top 40 of the Official World Golf Ranking, currently positioned at 32nd, having finished 2025 outside the top 100.