In fairness, the two South Koreans might have a point, too. While the Ryder Cup is one of the biggest events in golf, Im and Kim are playing for something far bigger this week at the Asian Games — military exemptions.

The opportunity for this life-changing scenario for Im, 25, and Kim, 28, first arose when, in February 2022, news circulated that for the first time professional golfers would be allowed to compete in the Asian Games. Previously, the games were for amateurs only, meaning there was only one real opportunity for professional golfers like Im and Kim to avoid their nation’s mandatory 21-month military-service requirement, and that was by winning a medal of any colour at the Olympic Games. When they both failed to do that at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, it meant they would have to wait until Paris in 2024, without a guarantee of making the team or a guarantee of being in form, for another opportunity. Winning PGA Tour events, or contending in majors, two things both Im and Kim have done, unfortunately mean nothing when it comes to fulfulling this duty.

The Asian Games were originally scheduled to take place this time last year, but they were postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim and Im were announced as two of the team members by the Korea Golf Association in 2022. They will be joined by amateurs Jang Yu-bin and Cho Yoo-young. In order to be “largely exempt” from service, which must be completed before your mid-30s, they will need to win a gold medal in either the team or individual portion of the games.

Should neither Im or Kim win gold at the Asian Games, or win a medal of any kind in the Olympics next August, they could suffer a similar fate as Sangmoon Bae, another former South Korean phenom who won twice on the PGA Tour in 2013 and 2014 before he had to fulfill his military requirement after the 2015 Presidents Cup. Bae, 29 at the time, began his service that November and it ended in August 2017. The now 37-year-old has bounced between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours ever since, even picking up a KFT win in 2018 at the Albertsons Boise Open. Most recently, he played in the Fortinet Championship earlier this month, tying for 52nd. Other cases of well-known South Korean golfers having to complete service include eight-time PGA Tour winner KJ Choi and 2009 PGA champion YE Yang, who each completed their service in their early 20s before finding success in pro golf.

The golf portion of the games will take place at West Lake International Golf Course, located in the Xihu District of Hangzhou. As popular Twitter account Sungjae Tracker pointed out, it could be difficult to follow along live. But the schedule and results can be found here. Day 1 of golf competition will begin September 28 and it runs to October 1, when medals will be on the line. Im, currently ranked 27th in the world, finished inside the top 20 in four of his last six PGA Tour events. Kim, ranked 40th, recently qualified for just his second career Tour Championship, where he tied for 17th.

Main image: Sean M Haffey

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The summer is officially heating up, and we don’t mean that in a cliche way. It’s literally scorching hot, with Monday, July 3 being reported as the hottest day ever recorded globally. And it’s only going to get hotter, according to the “experts.”

For hardcore golfers, this means two things: 1. you’re about to go through a LOT of golf gloves in a short period of time, and 2. your golf tan is about to be in peak form. We’re talking about Stewart Cink black-and-white cookie head form:

Stewart Cink is tied for 4th but will remain undefeated as the holder of 'Golf's Worst Tan' award…. pic.twitter.com/oV3gZTupPI

— Your Golf Travel (@yourgolftravel) August 12, 2018

It’s unavoidable this time of year. Even if you load up on sunscreen (which you absolutely always should), it’s still going to be impossible to combat the goofy-ass golf tan look. A simple beach or pool day will quickly turn into a comedy hour with everyone pointing out that your feet are insanely white in comparison to your legs, and that your torso is blinding everyone. Put your shirt back on you freakshow. 

Those of us brave enough to show off the golf tan in public cannot be shamed, however. Some of us wear it with pride. People like Si Woo Kim. Heroes:

Me & Si Woo…we’re just alike. pic.twitter.com/0g1K3KHTdc

— Tour Junkies (@Tour_Junkies) July 5, 2023

Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff. If you just zoomed on on Si Woo’s bicep, you’d probably automatically assume it was Stewart Cink’s dome. That’s how you know this is one of the greats. Not to be outdone by Patrick Reed:

Let us celebrate the Patrick Reed tan-line forehead. cc: @ByTheMinGolf @Adam_Sarson @NoLayingUp pic.twitter.com/LuTyyhkp57

— Consolidated News (@ConsolidatedNws) January 13, 2015

Or Jim Furyk:

Jim Furyk's hat tan line is out of control!

The tan spot from the cutout above where you adjust hat size—that's just next level stuff. pic.twitter.com/ma32faNjif

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) March 15, 2019

And there you have it, your Mount Rushmore of tour pro golfer tans: Stewart Cink, Si Woo Kim, Patrick Reed, Jim Furyk. That’s a group you can go to war with. A group that should probably mix in one shirtless beach day every now and then just to mitigate things, although that would mean we wouldn’t get these legendary photos. On second thought, keep doing what you’re doing, boys. 

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No wonder the stand-out South Korean appeared to exude a calm determination down the stretch on Sunday at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Kim birdied the final two holes at Waialae Country Club, the first with an aggressive chip-in, and rallied to edge Hayden Buckley by a stroke for his fourth PGA Tour title.

“I don’t know about that it [made] me a better player, but I think definitely helps for [dealing with] the pressure in any tournament,” Kim, 27, said after becoming the first Korean player to win the Sony Open since KJ Choi in 2008. “I think that helps more learning about it.

“I tried my best every shot. Was a little shaky in like last four holes, but, yeah, was trying to get confidence and keep calm.”

Kim sure didn’t look shaky. Coming out strong with birdies on his first three holes and then tacking on those clutch birdies at the finish, Kim shot his second-straight six-under 64 and completed 72 holes in 18-under 262. He won for the first time in almost two years, since the 2021 American Express, and collected a cheque for $1.422 million.

SI WOO HIM ? 

An incredible chip-in from Si Woo Kim answering @HBuckley13’s birdie @SonyOpenHawaii. pic.twitter.com/0cgRc3cfKD

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 16, 2023

In a showdown of 20-something newly married men — both Kim and Buckley tied the knot with their long-time girlfriends last month — the former concocted the key shot after beginning the day three strokes off the lead. Kim flew a 7-iron over the pin at the par-3 17th and found a light patch of rough 28 feet from the hole but with the grain growing against the intended direction of the shot. Initially, he thought about playing conservatively, but then Buckley holed a 16-foot birdie putt behind him at the par-4 16th to break a tie they had shared off and on over the late stages of the inward nine.

“It was little tricky. But I knew he made a birdie,” Kim said. “I heard the noise, so I have to hit it aggressive. I have nothing to lose, so I just hit it aggressive.”

He executed the chip perfectly and reacted with an enthusiastic fist pump. Then he immediately regrouped and found the green in two at the par-5 closing hole with a 5-iron from 222 yards out of the left fairway bunker. Two putts from 42 feet and his work was finished.

Buckley, 26, seeking his first tour title in his 40th start, came up short of the green on the home hole and then pitched to 12 feet. He pulled the tying putt slightly, and the ball veered just left of the hole. The Mississippi native closed with a 68.

Chris Kirk, twice a runner-up at Waialae, also had a 68 and added a third-place finish to his record with a 265 total.

“Winning on the PGA Tour is the hardest thing to do and sometimes you just get beat. I feel like that’s what happened today,” said Buckley, who entered the final round with a two-stroke lead over Kirk, Ben Taylor and David Lipsky. “Overall, I was impressed by what I did, and I think I’ll remember this day and it’ll just make me better.”

Amid the breeziest conditions of the tournament, Kim tied the low round of the day with the kind of ball-striking proficiency he exhibited all week. He hit 15 greens in regulation each of the four days and led in strokes gained/approach the green on Sunday. He was also second in proximity to the hole, averaging 24 feet. For the week he led in both categories, which explains his T-2 standing in putts per greens in regulation. That also helped to offset negative standing in strokes gained/putting each of the last two days, including -0.458 in the final round.

Though he won the Players at an early age, Kim said he has never thought of himself as one of the better players on tour. “Like I won the rookie year here [in 2016 at the Wyndham Championship], and then after next year I won the like pretty much the fifth major championship,” he said. “After I was thinking, like, I’m not a good player, and then here’s like too many good players here. I think that’s why a little bit hard time next couple years after Players.

“Yeah, my dad keep talking to me, you’re not the top player, so don’t try to act like top player,” he added with a slight laugh.

“There’s a lot of Si Woo as a golfer, especially on the inside,” said Australia’s Adam Scott, the former Masters winner, who thought Kim was one of the best players for the International team in Charlotte. “I think when he’s in a position like this, the fire burns hot, and he’s going to be hard to beat if he’s in the lead I would say.”

Kim, 84th in the world when he stepped foot on Oahu, wouldn’t disagree that he is more driven than he appears. In the past that meant getting in his own way. “Like a little bit of holding me up,” he said. But he’s learned a lot in recent years, a lot about himself, and experiences like the Presidents Cup certainly helped. Mostly, he has learned to balance his emotions as he strives to become a top player.

“Always hard, but I’ve got too much high expectation, so I think that makes me more nervous. This year the goal is like with my caddie, with Manny [Villegas], I talked to him the week before here, so I’m trying to be better attitude, like, act better. When I [don’t] hit the best shot, try to be less upset. I think that helps for this week.”

On Sunday, he hit the best shot—and at the right time. Something a top player would do.

The post Si Woo Kim always had the talent to win on the PGA Tour. Now he’s got the desire appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Si-Woo shot an opening seven-under 64 to nip his fellow South Korean by one shot as both played their way near the top of the leaderboard on Day 1 in Las Vegas. Not surprisingly, they were still feeling those North Carolina vibes.

“We still talk about the Presidents Cup, like some holes,” said Si-Woo, who led the Internationals with three points and currently trails leader Tom Hoge by one shot. “Then I finish the hole, and Tom came over on 18 and I said, if you make that one, I got to ask you to go throw the hat like the last hole Saturday.”

Overall, Tom said there wasn’t much talk about what happened at Quail Hollow among the two golfers and the third player in the group, Max Homa. The American got off to a hot start at four-under through seven, before shooting 67. Homa defeated Tom in Sunday singles as the Americans beat the Internationals 17.5 to 12.5 in the biennial event.

“No, not much,” Tom said of the Presidents Cup chatter, “but it was fun because obviously I had my partner with me, my Saturday afternoon partner, and obviously playing with Max on Sunday. So it was — we had so much fun.”

Tom certainly had a better time today than last year at this event when he came to Vegas but didn’t have the PGA Tour status to play. Now the 20-year-old has his card locked up for these next two seasons thanks to winning the Wyndham Championship in August. Playing the back nine first, Tom got off to a slow start, but fed off his playing partners.

“When your group kind of plays well, it’s just kind of like it helps you play—it gives you momentum when you don’t really have some,” said Tom, who fared well for his first full round at TPC Summerlin. “I feel like just being one under through my first six, five holes, I was losing a little pace, but made a really good birdie on 17. Obviously our group played really well today. So definitely, being kind of close to those guys, it was definitely a fun round.”

The best part? The Presidents Cup gang will all be there again together on Friday.

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The post Presidents Cup teammates Si-Woo Kim and Tom Kim had more fun together in Vegas appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

On Thursday, Kim returned to the scene of the crime, which is now the scene of the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, seemingly in so-so form. In his last six starts, he had missed three cuts but also posted back-to-back top 20s, bookending that stretch with an odd WD after 54 holes at last week’s Wyndham Championship. Although, if you know anything about Kim, the “odd WD” is just the norm. He could come out and shoot 80 the next round and WD again, or he could come out and shoot 62 and lead the golf tournament.

Kim chose the latter in the opening round, exorcising some serious Southwind demons with an eight-under 62 to grab a share of the lead with JJ Spaun. Remember that back-nine 43 with a 13 on a par 3 from last summer? Kim shot a seven-under 28 on that same back nine on Thursday, which, for those bad at arithmetic, is 15 shots better than 43. On the par-3 11th, he was 10 shots better than a year ago, settling for a par and then proceeding to play the final seven holes in six-under, finishing with a walk-off eagle two at the 18th:

Starting the Playoffs with a BANG ?

Si Woo Kim holes out to finish his last 6 in -6.

He leads by 2 @FedExChamp. pic.twitter.com/v7LAqPjFeW

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 11, 2022

In keeping with the odd theme, Kim claimed he completely changed his putting grip mid-round, which explained the late charge.

“Yeah, it was great to start birdie, two under and then I was a little struggling putting,” said Kim. “And then I just decided to change the putting grip, so I think that makes more feel comfortable. I think that’s why a couple putts [went in] on the back nine and I got confidence.”

That’s a great lesson for us hacks. If you can’t make a putt, just change your grip mid-round. Of course, we’re not three-time PGA Tour winners, so results may vary.

Tony Finau can do no wrong

Tony Finau. Ben Jared

If the back-to-back wins didn’t make it clear enough, Tony Finau’s first-round 64 at TPC Southwind made it abundantly clear that this man is HOT right now. He can do no wrong, as evidenced by this first-hole birdie that had absolutely zero business being a birdie:

Probably not the way he intended …

But a birdie to start @TonyFinauGolf's round nonetheless. pic.twitter.com/lRFnmsUX7u

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 11, 2022

Yeah, that’s when you know it’s going good. It’s going really good when you’re mentioned in the same breath as Tiger Woods. Calm down, everyone. We’re not suggesting Finau is Tiger, just that he is officially chasing Tiger for the most consecutive rounds of 68 or better on the PGA Tour. Finau is at 10, while Woods’ got all the way to 14 in the 2007-08 season. If Finau reaches that mark, there’s a decent chance he’ll bag a third win in a row and then be leading the BMW after the first round next week. No pressure, Tone.

Rusty Rory McIlroy digs himself a hole

Rory McIlroy. Stacy Revere

The last time we saw Rory McIlroy, he was breaking hearts yet again in a major championship, the Northern Irishman coming up two shots short of a playoff with Cameron Smith at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews. The story everyone had written the night before went up in flames and, sadly, we won’t get another opportunity at a Rory story like that until the 2023 Masters.

Between now and then, though, there is still meaningful golf to be played, starting with the playoffs, in which McIlroy has thrived in his career. The post-Open Championship rust proved to be too powerful on Thursday, however, with McIlroy digging himself in a deep hole. The four-time major champ shot an even-par 70, normally a solid score in a big-time event like this one, but it has him T-78, eight shots back thanks to the soft scoring conditions. McIlroy made four birdies and four bogeys, the fourth being the biggest momentum killer at the 15th, where he rinsed one off the tee.

Knowing McIlroy, he’ll bounce back and end up in the mix on Sunday. If he goes on to miss the cut, though, it would mark his first MC in nine starts, a stretch that has featured eight consecutive top-20 finishes.

Recent relocation paying off already for Sahith Theegala

Sahith Theegala. Keyur Khamar

If you recall at the Open Championship, Sahith Theegala got off to a fast start, which was not all that surprising given how talented he is. That said, it was his very first Open, and his very first time playing on that type of turf across the pond. He fell in love immediately, eventually tying for 34th, his first non-MC result in a major. The Pepperdine product is a fast-learner.

This week in Memphis they are playing on Bermuda grass, which is not a surface Theegala grew up familiar with in California. And yet, he opened with a seven-under 63, putting him a shot off the lead in his first career FedEx Cup start. A recent life move was a big help on Thursday, he explained.

“I honestly credit some of this to the move to Houston,” Theegala said. “I moved to Houston four months ago now, to The Woodlands, and I’ve been practicing in this stuff [Bermuda] like every day. I’m like I’m never going to play in grainier conditions than there and these might be a little bit grainier, so it’s helped a ton just practicing there the last three months.”

Theegala made the move out of pure “I’m so done with this” energy, the 24-year-old having had enough of traveling in and out of LAX. So he went searching for a more central location and he found it in Texas.

“My aunt used to live in The Woodlands and I just have like really good childhood memories there, just hanging there,” he added. “So it’s like what’s better — it doesn’t seem like too much of a better spot because it’s a two-hour flight everywhere direct and it’s been so awesome for that. And also, I’m going to be an LA guy my whole life, but just golf I feel like in Houston is more similar to a lot of courses that we play. Just kind of those factors and kind of being on my own, I guess.”
Smart kid.

The (potential) mega-movers

Troy Merritt. Andy Lyons

It’s playoff time which means guys are fighting for their Tour Championship lives, and while it’s only one round, a handful of players made some serious headway toward East Lake. The obvious mega-mover is Rickie Fowler. But then there are some lesser-known bubble stories like Troy Merritt, who entered the week at 64th, which is a missed-cut away from the end of your season. But a five-under 65 has Merritt projected at 44th, which would be safely into next week and in great position to make a run at East Lake at the BMW. Again, though, it’s early.

Others to watch over the next three days include Lee Hodges, who also shot 65 and moved from 99th to 63rd (projected), Ryan Palmer (110th to 71st, proj.), Michael Thompson (103rd to 68th, proj.) and Jason Day (113th to 74th, proj.). If any of those guys go backward, it’s curtains on 2021-22. Forward, and they might go from having a bad season to great one.

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By Daniel Rapaport
For most golfers, the Tokyo Olympics present a delightful change of pace. For one week every four years, they play not just for prize money and World Ranking points but national pride. They rub shoulders with the best track stars and basketball players and swimmers in the world. It’s the experience of a lifetime. All good stuff.

For Sungjae Im and Si-Woo Kim, however, it’s perhaps the most important golf tournament they’ll ever play.

As South Korean citizens, both Im and Kim are subject to mandatory military service. All able-bodied men are required to spend between 18 and 21 months serving their nation upon turning 19 years old, though it can be delayed for valid reasons such as studying or working abroad. Which, of course, Im and Kim are doing—both are PGA Tour winners ranked inside the top 60 in the world.

Still, they will eventually be required to put their golf careers on hold and enlist—unless they win a medal this week. The South Korean government provides exemptions for any athletes who wins a medal at the Olympics or a gold at the Asian Games. With the Asian Games golf competition being limited to amateurs, the Olympics present the only opportunity for Im, 23, and Kim, 26, to get their exemption. K.H. Lee and Sung Kang, both PGA Tour winners, won gold at the Asian Games before turning pro and thus do not have to serve.

“I know it’s true that if we earn a medal the Korean government will exempt us from serving military,” Kim told reporters Wednesday ahead of the opening round of the men’s tournament at Kasumigaseki Golf Club. “But I don’t really, like, focus or think about the service in the military. My only goal is to win the championship and get medal and be honoured.”

Im echoed a similar sentiment.

“Also, I only focus and think about winning games, not the military problem. So, yeah, that’s it.”

They’re clearly trying to treat this as just another tournament, so as to avoid putting too much pressure on themselves and having that impact their play. But one needs only to look at their recent schedule to understand just how significant this tournament is. Im and Kim both opted to skip the Open Championship, the year’s final major, in order to focus on the Olympics. Im flew from the U.S. to South Korea on July 14 and has been in Japan since July 23.

“I wanted to get used to the time difference between Japan and United States,” Im said, “so I went, I flew to Korea because the time difference, the time is the same here, so I made myself so comfortable and relaxed and prepared for the Olympic games.”l

Five years ago in Rio, Byeong-Hun An represented South Korea and finished T-11, thus failing to earn a medal and receive his exemption. An has yet to fulfill his service requirement, but two other prominent South Korean players have—Sangmoon Bae and Seung-yul Noh, who have both struggled significantly since returning to professional golf after a nearly two-year absence.

At 23, Im could potentially have multiple chances to earn an Olympic medal. The runner-up at last year’s Masters has just three top-10 finishes in 25 starts this year. Kim won his third PGA Tour title at The American Express in January but has just one top-10 finish in his last 12 starts.

The post At Olympics, Sungjae im and Si Woo Kim say they’re not thinking about ‘military problem’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
Golfing pressure comes in two forms. The first is opportunity pressure. This occurs when a player is at the doorstep of an accomplishment, perhaps a life-changing one. A chance to beat Pop for the first time. A 15-footer to win a PGA Tour event. These are good nerves. Any competitive golfer worth a damn relishes these situations. They’re what you practice for.

The second type of pressure, a bit darker in nature, ​mostly​ plagues those brave souls who play this game for a living. No sane person dreams of avoidance pressure. These are the putts you absolutely, positively need to make, for a miss brings real-life consequences. Having to make birdie to keep your Tour card for another season. Needing a back-nine push to get to the final stage of Q-School and avoid another year of Monday’s and mini-tours.

Sungjae Im hasn’t dealt with much avoidance pressure of late. The 23-year-old won the first Korn Ferry Tour event he ever played in, back in January 2018, then finished solo second the next week to guarantee a PGA Tour card for the following year. He earned a reputation as golf’s road warrior by playing 35 events in his rookie season—and doing so without a home base in the U.S., living out of a suitcase—made it to the Tour Championship and won ​R​ookie of the ​Y​ear. He breezed onto the Presidents Cup team at Royal Melbourne and won his first Tour event two months later with a macho finish at the Honda Classic. A runner-up at last fall’s Masters brought him inside the world’s top 20 and firmly established Im as one of the game’s top young stars.

Si Woo Kim, 26, has enjoyed similar professional comfort ever since he won twice on the PGA Tour as a 21-year-old. The second of those victories made him the youngest-ever winner of the Players Championship in 2017, locked up his Tour card for five years and put $1.89 million in his pocket. He hasn’t quite blossomed into a perennial contender, but he did add a third career victory at The American Express in January and recently surpassed $14 million in career earnings. He’s more than fine.

In the pyramid of professional golf, these two 20-somethings enjoy the view from tip-top. Their careers are the envy of countless grinders out there clawing for a breakthrough. And yet, in the eyes of the South Korean government, Im and Kim are but two able-bodied men with an unpaid debt to their country.

This week, both Im and Kim will be reunited with avoidance pressure of the highest order. In anticipation of perhaps the most important tournament of their lives, both men took the extraordinary step of skipping the Open Championship to devote their entire focus to the Olympics. Can you blame them? A medal would exempt them from mandatory military service. A fourth-place finish or worse—well, they’d prefer not to think about that.

To understand the origin of all this, we’ll need a brief history lesson. Some geography, too. Seoul is the capital of South Korea, a city of roughly 10 million people that boasts the fourth-largest metropolitan economy in the world (behind Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, for those curious). It lies 35 miles south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a 2.5 mile-wide strip that serves as a buffer between highly developed South Korea and totalitarian North Korea. The nations are, at least technically, still at war.

At the conclusion of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union divided up Korea—which was, until then, a single political entity under Japanese colonial rule—into two countries, split by the 38th parallel. The communist North would live inside the Soviet sphere of influence; the South, including Seoul, would fall in the U.S.’ occupation zone. This arrangement was only set to last for five years before an eventual reunification. But as the wartime alliance between the U.S. and Soviets devolved into a bitter rivalry, the agreement fell through, and the North’s invasion of the South in 1950 marked the first armed conflict of the Cold War. After three years of bitter fighting resulted in a stalemate, the two sides agreed on an armistice but never formally drafted a treaty. Thus, the conflict remains ongoing, and despite recent signs of a potential détente, fears of re-escalation continue to loom large in the collective South Korean psyche.

Chung Sung-Jun
In the absence of a formal treaty with North Korea, South Korea has mandated military service for all able-bodied men to esnure the country is defended.

“Think of the distance between Brooklyn, New York, and Newark, New Jersey,” says professor Hwansoo Kim, chair of the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University. “And then think of 30,000 cannons facing Brooklyn. In one second, they could be launched. Imagine the level of damage that might occur if war broke out. That’s the level of danger. It’s not far away. The entire weaponry of North Korea was placed toward Seoul to potentially maximize human casualties. In that context, a draft system has been required and mandatory to protect the country from any possible invasion.”

Article 39 of the South Korean constitution, ratified in July 1948, states that “all citizens shall have the duty of national defense under the conditions as prescribed by Act.” It wasn’t implemented until 1957, four years after the armistice, and states that compulsory military service would be required for all men upon turning 19 years old. The service can be delayed for legitimate reasons, such as working or studying abroad, and while the complicated rules differ for men of certain citizenship/resident statuses, all must eventually enlist by their mid 30’s. For some, it’s much sooner than that. Failure to do so can result in jail time or, for those abroad, a loss of citizenship and a ban from returning. Unlike some other nations with mandatory military service, such as Israel, women are not required to serve but can do so voluntarily. The length of the service has decreased over time, from 36 months originally to now, when it ranges between 18 and 21 months depending on the branch of the military. According to a 2018 article from the New York Times, roughly 230,000 men enlist each year, forming a large portion of the standing army of roughly 550,000.

“No young man wants to serve, really,” says Hwansoo Kim. “None of them want to spend two years out of their lives in quarantine, really. They are definitely against it. But at the same time, they accept it as fate. There is a hatred of this whole system, but at the same time, it’s a rite of passage. You have to do it. You cannot avoid it.”

Kim, a former Buddhist monk, described his own time in the military as a “traumatic, memorable and transformative experience.” Alexander Suh, a Chicago-born Korean national who served voluntarily to preserve an option to live and work in South Korea, paints a similarly stark picture.

“We had vacation days, but other than those, you’re not really allowed off base,” says Suh, now a corporate lawyer in New York. “It’s very different from the U.S. military. We weren’t allowed to have phones. You couldn’t just leave.

“I slept in a room with just a ton of bunk beds. I think that was the case pretty much everywhere. They’ve been trying to renovate and give people actual mattresses. We had these portable ones that you pulled out. Most people just felt like they didn’t have a choice. I would look toward the future and think about studying for the LSAT while I was in the military. I would just think about once I got out. That’s a big problem facing Korean military—morale.”

It’s an experience all South Korean men go through—unless you’re one of a very, very select few. The South Korean government considers a very narrow set of accomplishments sufficient to “enhance national prestige” and thus exempt a citizen from military service. The first exemptions were introduced in 1973 by president Park Chung-hee, who promised an exemption to any athlete who medaled in the 1976 Olympic ​G​ames. Shortly thereafter, the criteria expanded to include a gold medal at the Asian Games, also held every four years. At present, those remain the only two avenues for an athlete to exempt himself from military service. There was, however, an exception made for the national soccer team at the 2002 World Cup, which was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. Prior to the tournament, president Kim Dae-jung vowed to give exemptions to the entire team should they reach the round of 16. The “Reds” overachieved considerably and made it to the semifinal before losing to Germany. Twenty-three men received two years of their life back. ​Another exception was made for the national team at the inaugural World Baseball Classic​ in 2006​, where only a semifinal berth would be good enough. They cleared that bar, finishing third.

Andreas Rentz
Members of the 2002 South Korean national soccer team were among the few athletes to earn exemption from military service due to a strong showing in the World Cup.

A number of South Korea’s top athletes have earned their exemptions more conventionally. Heung-Min Son, a striker for Tottenham Hotspur, got his by guiding the national team to a 2-1 overtime victory in the gold medal match of the 2018 Asian Games. Hyeon Chung, the first South Korean tennis player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal, took gold in the 2014 Asian ​G​ames. And while more classically trained artists and musicians have received exemptions, members of BTS, the best-selling music group in the country’s history—and perhaps the world’s most popular band at present—only received permission to have their service delayed, rather than exempted, when a new law passed in December 2020.

“It’s not like the government is unwilling to make exceptions—it’s that Koreans in general want fairness,” says Hwansoo Kim. “If my son has to serve, it doesn’t matter how powerful you are. How famous you are. You have to follow the same rule, or the entire system will collapse. That sentiment is very deep among people in South Korea.

“If someone tries to skirt their duty or get out of it—if that becomes public knowledge, that person’s reputation is in danger. There would be genuine hatred. That person wouldn’t deserve to be a political leader or even a leader in Korean society.”

Consider the saga of Steve Seung Jun Yoo, a popular pop singer in the late 1990s. In 2002, just before he was set to be drafted into the service, Yoo obtained U.S. citizenship. The South Korean government considered this an act of desertion and banned him from entering the nation of his birth. For life.

South Korea’s two most famous male golfers both did their time, albeit before they established themselves as top-level professionals. K.J. Choi didn’t turn pro until the age of 24, after he fulfilled his military duties, and didn’t play in a PGA Tour event until he was 28. Despite the late start, Choi would go on to win eight PGA Tour events, reach No. 5 in the world and ranks 34th all-time in career earnings with more than $32 million. Y.E. Yang, who stared down Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship to become the country’s only male major winner, enlisted in 1993 at ag​e​ 21.

Icon Sports Wire
Y.E. Yang (pictured) and K.J. Choi both served in the military before their professional golf careers.

The most recent Korean winner on the PGA Tour, K.H. Lee, was part of the gold-medal winning golf team at the 2010 Asian Games and is exempted. Sung Kang, winner of the 2019 AT&T Byron Nelson, won his Asian Games gold in 2006. Other Korean-born players have avoided military service by national association rather than on-course achievements. Charlie Wi moved to the United States as a 10-year-old and obtained his green card shortly thereafter, which allowed him to skip military service while still keeping his Korean citizenship. Wi played under the Korean flag for the duration of his 10-plus years on the PGA Tour, which included five runner-up finishes. He did, however, have to limit his time spent South Korea so as not to trigger a rule that would trump his green-card status.

“Until I turned 35 years old, I could not be in Korea for more than six months a year,” Wi says. “When I was playing the Asian Tour, I had to really be careful to make sure I didn’t spend too much time there. I didn’t feel a duty to serve because I didn’t see myself—I am Korean, but I lived in the U.S. full time since I was a kid.”

Kevin Na, a five-time winner on Tour, spent the first eight years of his life in Seoul before his family emigrated to Southern California. He became a U.S. citizen upon turning 18, which resulted in him losing his Korean citizenship and thus not having to serve.

“(South Korea) doesn’t like making exemptions or giving special treatment to athletes or celebrities,” Na says, pointing out that he was planning to play the Korean Open but would’ve had to miss the U.S. Open due to a non-negotiable quarantine requirement. “Would it be nice to not go all the way, but find some kind of middle ground where it benefits both sides but you’re not setting a bad example? That’d be nice.

“When you win a major, would you be exempt? That hasn’t happened yet. I think you should be exempt. I think you’ve done, what that does for your country in the golf world is pretty big. Look what it did in Japan for Hideki. I think it would be pretty close for that. If a guy wins a major, I’m all for it. Exempt the guy. Those two years, what he could be doing representing your country, give him an exemption. He deserves it.”

While that situation—a South Korean man who has not served, winning a major championship—indeed has not played out, one thing is clear: as far as the military goes, PGA Tour wins don’t mean squat. Sangmoon Bae won two PGA Tour events in a 17-month stretch from May 2013 to October 2014. That run of form, plus a buttery swing that suggested top-10-in-the-world potential, earned him a captain’s pick into the 2015 Presidents Cup, played on home soil in Incheon. Bae played a central role in the drama that week, going undefeated in three team sessions before International Team captain Nick Price put him out last in the singles session. Needing to win the last hole to halve the Presidents Cup, Bae bungled the 18th to lose the decisive point to Bill Haas. It would be the last tournament he played for 23 months.

Bae, like Wi, held a U.S. green card. But unlike Wi, he miscalculated how much time he’d spent in his homeland—roughly 100 days in 2014, according to the Daegu District Court—and earned significant money playing events in South Korea, which disqualified him from an overseas resident permit that would have delayed his service.

“The plaintiff is not supposed to determine when to serve his time arbitrarily,” the court said in its decision. “If he gets the privilege just because he is an excellent athlete who could make a fortune during his prime, it could demoralize everyone who does not have the privilege.”

Rather than fight the decision, Bae accepted his fate and enlisted in November 2015.

“From the ruling, I learned that it is more of a priority for me to fulfill my duty as a Korean than to do my job as a golfer,” he said, clearly wanting to avoid the much-maligned Draft Dodger label.

Dylan Buell
Since returning from his obligatory military service, Sangmoon Bae has not been the same player.

Then 28 and very much able-bodied, Bae became a private first-class in the 36th infantry division of the Korean army. This wasn’t a clerical gig, eighter; Bae served as a rifleman. He operated machine guns, wore the uniform, marched in formation and slept in the barracks. ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski traveled to South Korea to visit Bae for a video essay that aired before the 2016 Masters, which Bae qualified for by reaching the Tour Championship. In the piece, Wojciechowski reports Bae’s salary as $2,000 per year, a stark contrast from the $2.6 million he made during the prior PGA Tour season.

“I had a colourful life as a golfer before,” Bae told ESPN, “and it was a really hard decision for me because I had to leave all that behind. But, ultimately, my goal is to become a respected golfer in Korea, and I believe it was necessary for me to enlist in the army. And, so far, I believe I made the right choice.”

Bae was discharged in August 2017 and returned to professional golf shortly thereafter on a “Mandatory Obligation” exemption, which the Tour created for the special circumstance. It essentially functioned as a Major Medical exemption, giving the player a certain amount of starts upon his return to earn a certain amount of FedEx Cup points and keep status.

“That’s one of the hardest parts,” says Wi, “is that when you get back you’re basically on a major medical. You don’t get those reps in Triple A to get your game back. You have to right to the big leagues.”

“It’s not the same,” says Kevin Na. “You can practice all you want, but if you don’t play in competition, you will get rusty. The two guys that have gone to serve, they haven’t been the same.”

Bae missed the cut in seven of his first eight PGA Tour starts back but his Mandatory Obligation exemption got him a spot into the Korn Ferry Tour finals. He won the third of the four finals events to guarantee full PGA Tour status for the 2018-19 season, but missed 14 of 22 cuts that campaign to lose his card. He’s fallen further since—with one finish better than T-57 in 10 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, he​’s now​ 933rd in the world ranking.

Just after Bae left the service, another promising young South Korean player entered it. Seung-yul Noh, winner of the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, left the PGA Tour in 2017 to fulfill his duty as a South Korean man. In contrast to Bae’s experience, Noh secured a position in a more “civil service” type role—he lived at home and worked a 9-to-5 type gig during the week, which multiple sources described to Golf Digest as “pushing papers.” He was free to practice golf on the weekends. Since coming back to professional golf in 2019, Noh has split his time between playing in the U.S. and in Korea; in 14 starts on the PGA Tour since returning, he has nine missed cuts, two withdrawals and one finish better than T-54.

Another PGA Tour candidate for service would seem to be Byeong Hun-An, who was born in Seoul but moved to Florida in 2005 to attend the David Leadbetter Academy. An’s father, Ahn Jae-hyung, won bronze in doubles table tennis at the 1988 Summer Olympics to receive his exemption. His son, the golfer, qualified for the 2016 Olympics but finished T-11, seven shots back of that precious medal. Now 29, the clock is ticking.

“I’m enjoying my life right now with my family,” An says, a bit jumpy upon being reminded of potentially leaving behind Tour life for barracks life. “My plan is to keep my card this year. I haven’t thought about it yet. We’ll see. Just gotta play well next week, every week. That’s my focus for now.”

Golf at the Asian Games is limited to amateurs, and Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im’s golfing timelines didn’t line up with making the South Korean national team at the right time. Kim turned pro at 17 in 2012, bisecting the 2010 and 2014 ​G​ames. His decision paid off immediately when he became the youngest player to ever receive his PGA Tour card through Q-School later that year. (He actually had to wait until mid-2013 to join the tour, as rules prohibited anyone under the age of 18 from being a member). Im was not selected to make the team in 2014 and turned pro a year later, also as a 17-year-old.

Photo: Matt Sullivan

As such, both remain on the clock. At 23, Im could have two cracks at earning his exemption. But given the fleeting nature of golfing greatness, there’s no guarantee he’ll qualify for the 2024 Games in Paris and be in good enough form for a medal. His play has been solid if a bit disappointing this year, having made 21 of 25 cuts but posting just three top 10s and, more pertinently, zero top-threes. Kim’s situation is a bit more dire—he’ll be 29 by the time the next Olympics roll around. With just one top 10 in his last 12 starts, he’ll need to recapture the magic from Palm Springs if he’s to have any chance of medaling.

“Well, I would say if we’re fighting for fourth and third place, I’m open for bribing if he needs me to make a three-putt on the last hole,” joked world No. 1 Jon Rahm, who was incredulous upon hearing the medal-for-exemption situation at the PGA Championship. “We can always talk about it. I like Korean food. We can always talk about it.”

For Im and Kim, it’s the furthest thing from a joking matter. Having to serve wouldn’t only cost them two years of prime earnings; it would mean trading in the freedom of traveling around the country playing the PGA Tour for the rude shrieks of an alarm clock. Going from having a team hanging on your every word to taking orders from someone you’ve never met. But all that, at least, has a time limit. There is a definitive end. The true test, as Sangmoon Bae and Seung-yul Noh know all too well, comes after you complete this Korean rit​e​ of passage: can you, after all that time off, become the golfer you once were?

“It’s not the same,” says Kevin Na. “You can practice all you want, but if you don’t play in competition, you will get rusty. The two guys that have gone to serve, they haven’t been the same.”

The post Two South Korean golfers will play these Olympics with everything to lose appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
Si Woo Kim has been a Golf Twitter machine in the last couple of weeks. First, there was him breaking his putter when he slammed it in anger at the Masters, and he had to play the last three holes of the second round by using his 3-wood on the greens.

On Saturday in the RBC Heritage, the circumstance was a bit more comical—involving Kim’s putter, no less—but Kim still ended up on the unfortunate side of the ledger.

On the third hole at Harbour Town, Kim hit a putt from off the green and the ball somehow stopped about an eighth of a roll from going in and hung over the edge. In our Saturday morning groups with our buddies, we’d joke about blowing on it and waiting for an earthquake. In Kim’s case, he walked up to the ball and just waited. Playing partner Matt Kuchar crouched down to see the ball and said he thought it was still moving.

And they looked and waited.

And looked and waited.

Cliffhanger.

Si Woo Kim’s birdie putt hung on the edge for over a minute. ?

Per the rules, a stroke will be added and it will be counted as par since it took longer than 10 seconds to drop. pic.twitter.com/jU3ayv9Mu2

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 17, 2021

And then, to everyone’s delight, the ball toppled in for an apparent birdie.

Until the party pooper, PGA Tour rules official Stephen Cox, showed up. He informed Kim that the Rules of Golf only allow for a reasonable amount of time to reach the ball, and then you’ve got 10 more seconds to wait. Cox said that even if the ball appears to be moving, the golfer has to play it.

“You can make the argument that there comes a point in time you’ve got to play that golf ball, and that’s why we put a time limit on it,” Cox said.

Anyone who watched knew that Kim waited far longer than 10 seconds. In fact, our count (using our trusty phone stopwatch) put the time at 1 minute, 10 seconds. We could have gone to pour a cup of coffee in that time.

Without actually having putted in the ball in the hole, Kim was told he would need to add a stroke to his score, and thus got a 4, and hopefully will be able to hide from Golf Twitter for a while.

The post Rules question arises when Si Woo Kim watches ball on lip for more than a minute appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
In order to win the Masters, you have to keep your head for all 72 holes, never letting your emotions get the best of you. At least that’s the theory, a theory Si Woo Kim put to the test on Friday at Augusta National.

Through 13 holes of his second round, Kim was putting together one of the rounds of the week, having gone four-under without a bogey. But he finally slipped up at the 14th green, lipping out a five-footer for par and making his first bogey of the day.

It wasn’t until the next green, though, that Kim let out a little rage. After flying his second shot over the green, his eagle chip rolled past the hole and off the other side of the green, fortunately stopping short of the water. Kim, clearly running hot, then slammed his putter into the ground, bending it to the point that he could no longer use it:

Following a three-putt on No. 14, Si Woo Kim breaks his putter.

He’s currently tied for fifth at -4. pic.twitter.com/2mp9K0CXgZ

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 9, 2021

At the time, Kim was just three shots off of Justin Rose’s lead, making this without a doubt one of the wildest, or, most questionable moves in Masters history. When you’re very much in contention, it’s probably best to have your putter, especially at Augusta National.

Kim was forced to use his 3-wood, and he was able to two-putt on 15 to save his par. He did it again at the 16th, just missing a 12-footer for birdie and settling for another par. At the 17th, he faced a much bigger challenge – a 30-footer for birdie. Once again, he two-putted with the 3-wood. At 18? Yep, another two-putt par for a three-under 69, putting him at four-under for the tournament. Pretty impressive.

Si Woo Kim is now using his three wood to putt after smashing his putter into the ground ?

Kim is three back of the leader. pic.twitter.com/kQVFjx1KEd

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) April 9, 2021

Luckily, he can replace the putter on Saturday, when he will begin the day firmly in the mix, and probably will treat his new putter more kindly.

The post Si Woo Kim breaking his putter while in contention is one of the wildest moves in Masters history appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
If you’ve ever watched a golf broadcast you’ve undoubtedly heard the cliche (and vastly overused term) “moving day” in reference to the third round of a PGA Tour event. Except Saturday at the Wyndham Championship really was.

With tee times moved up because of bad weather in the afternoon, and conditions soft, players took advantage with some seriously scorable conditions. Combined players posted 19 rounds of 65 or better on the par-70 Sedgefield Country Club, including a career-low 61 for Jim Herman and a career-low 62 for Rob Oppenheim, lifting both into contention.

With so many birdies, it made for a packed leader board with 18 players within a stroke of the lead at one point before things settled down.

Joining the players who made the most of the red-number day was Si Woo Kim, whose eight-under 62 included a spectacular reaction to the third hole-in-one of his career, and leads by two over Oppenheim and Doc Redman. Here’s more on that and a few other observations from a birdie-filled, early-bird third round of the Wyndham Championship.

A feel-good story to keep an eye on
Rob Oppenheim has played professional golf for nearly two decades and has ended every one of those 18 years having to go to the PGA Tour’s old qualifying school or, more recently, the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Sunday, he’ll have a chance to change that after racking up seven birdies, an eagle and just one bogey (on the 18th hole) during his career-best third round. “I just felt very comfortable,” he said. “Tee to green was solid and made some putts.”

Jared C. Tilton
Rob Oppenheim sits tied for second, two strokes off the lead entering the final round. His best finish in 76 career PGA Tour starts is T-8.

That’s an understatement. Oppenheim made a 50-footer for birdie on the first and backed it up with a 34-footer for another birdie one hole later. Terrific iron play—he hit 16 greens—and a hot putter continued throughout, putting him on the precipice of his first career win on tour.

Oppenheim started the week 145th on the FedEx Cup points list. Even without a win, a top-five finish would get the 40-year-old Massachusetts native inside the top 125 and into the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time. However, in 76 career starts, Oppenheim’s best showing is a T-8.

“I’ve never been in one of the last two or three groups on Sunday, but I’ve been in plenty of situations where I’ve been fighting to keep my job or trying to get out here,” said Oppenheim, whose previous best finish in the FedEx Cup standings was 158th in the 2015-’16 season. “Don’t get much more pressure than that.”

Mind you, this year is a little different for Oppenheim. Because of the number of tournaments lost to the COVID-19 shutdown, all players with tour cards keep their status for the 2020-’21 season. So Oppenheim isn’t quite playing for his livelihood next year, but a top 125 finish on the points list does improve his status. Either way, he’s curious how he’ll react come Sunday.

“We’ll see what I’m feeling, but I’m excited,” he said. “I like the golf course, very comfortable here, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Did we mention that he was also 500 to 1 to win at the start of the week?

Jared C. Tilton
Jim Herman shot his career-best score in a PGA Tour event when he posted a nine-under 61 Saturday at Sedgefield Country Club.

Another career day
Jim Herman came into this week having missed the cut in seven of his last 11 starts, so naturally it stood to reason that he’d shoot a scorching 61 on Saturday, right?

Or perhaps it was just another sign that the 40-year-old was about to win for third time in his career.

Prior to his victory at last year’s Barbasol Championship, Herman had missed the cut in 12 of his 14 starts leading into the event.

Five straight birdies, including one from 45 feet on the 14th, before a par at the 18th certainly helped the cause on Saturday.

Chris Keane
Webb Simpson is contending at the Wyndham Championship … again.

Webb lurking
It will absolutely stun you to know that Webb Simpson, who has finished in the top three each of the last three years at Sedgefield, will go into the final round in contention yet again after a 65 on Saturday.

But if the eight-time tour winner is going to add another trophy from this event to his mantel—he won the Wyndham in 2011—he’s probably going to need something even lower on Sunday.

With five strokes and six players separating Simpson from Kim, that’s an awful lot of ground to make up in what will undoubtedly be another shootout.

Shots from Saturday that might end up costing Simpson: A bogey from 154 yards out in the middle of the fairway on the fourth hole and another on the difficult 18th after missing the fairway left off the tee.

Si Woo makin’ that ace, makin’ that ace
If you missed Si Woo Kim’s hole-in-one on the third hole Saturday, you can read about it and his epic reaction here.

If that wasn’t enough excitement, he nearly made another ace with his ball stopping just inches from the flag on Sedgefield’s 12th hole. It set up one of seven birdies to go with his eagle and just one bogey, and of course garnered another NBD reaction from the 25-year-old Korean.

Si Woo Kim already has one ace today.

He couldn’t get any closer to a second … ?#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/VuTkQ1RsY8

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 15, 2020

Only three other players on tour have ever made two aces in one round, with Brian Harman the last to do so at the 2015 Barclays. Kim, meanwhile, will have to instead settle for a two-shot lead as he tries to pick up his third career victory on Sunday.

The post Si Woo Kim keeps knocking down flags and four other takeaways from Saturday at the Wyndham Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.