Tom Kim Is Currently Fighting For The Future Of His Golf Career In A Tournament Nobody Has Heard Of

One week ago, Tom Kim was starring at the 2026 Presidents Cup for the International Team alongside South Korean countryman Si-Woo Kim as they defeated the American team of Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantley in the opening session, 3&2.

Kim went 4-1-0 at the event, scoring the most points of any player on either team. But just one week later, his professional golf future is in serious doubt.

The 24-year-old is currently fighting to keep his golf career afloat as he competes at the 2026 Asian Games. Through two rounds, Kim is 7-under, two shots behind co-leaders Wenyi Ding and Wei-hsuan Wang. Meanwhile, South Korea sits two shots back Japan for the team lead.

After a 66 in round two, Tom Kim is T5 and two shots back of the lead (co-held by Wenyi Ding and Wei-hsuan Wang). Korea are also two shots back in the team standings. It’s extremely tight. https://t.co/tVvgCHIujZ pic.twitter.com/zNwiL11IqP

— Sam Harrop (@sam_golf) October 1, 2026

Why does any of that matter so much? Because if Kim does not win gold, or Korea does not win gold, then he will not be exempt from mandatory military service and will need to serve between 18 and 21 months in the Korean military.

Si Woo Kim avoided a similar fate by winning a team gold with fellow PGA Tour star Sungjae Im at the Asian Games in 2023.

But not every Korean star has been so lucky.

Former Korean Golf Stars Have Had Careers Derailed By Military Service

Kim is currently ranked No. 32 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and there’s a feeling around the golf world that he could well be a future major champion after winning the Genesis Scottish Open and finishing 14th in the FedEx Cup this past season.

But that becomes a lot more difficult if he has to miss two full years of his prime.

Just ask Sangmoon Bae. Bae, a 16-time winner across the world, was ranked as high as No. 26 in the world in 2011. In 2015, Bae was forced into mandatory service. He returned to the PGA Tour in 2017, but never won another event on a major world tour. He made just five of 17 cuts on Tour after returning.

“You know, I just hope I will play good when I come back,” Bae told Golf Digest in 2015. “Because I really love golf and playing on the PGA Tour.”

Perhaps Kim and/or his team can win gold, and he will avoid the spectre of military service hanging over his head. Or perhaps he can do so at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he’d just need to earn a medal of any kind.

But for now, the promising young star’s career is in limbo, and he may be playing in the most important tournament of his life.