Tom Kim Seeks Military Exemption at Asian Games

Tom Kim, the 24-year-old Seoul-born four-time PGA Tour winner, is scheduled to face Wyndham Clark in Sunday singles at Medinah before departing late afternoon for the Asian Games in Japan. The Games open Wednesday; a gold in the individual or team event would exempt him from South Korea's mandatory 18-to-21-month military service. Kim has secured three of four points this week for the International side, which last won the Presidents Cup in 1998. He closed with a 68 at the 2024 Paris Olympics yet finished four shots short of bronze. Since his selection while ranked No. 144 he has won the Genesis Scottish Open and finished third at the U.S. Open, rising to No. 31. Teammates Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim obtained exemptions via 2023 team gold by 25 shots. Kim will compete alongside Do-yeob Moon and S.H. Kim; Japan’s Keita Nakajima, Kazuki Higa and Taishi Moto are identified as primary rivals. No facts are contested across the sources. Kim was unavailable after Saturday’s foursomes loss and has not spoken publicly about the Asian Games. Both the Presidents Cup result and his exemption bid remain unresolved.