South Korean golfers Sungjae Im & Si Woo Kim team for win, exemption from military service

While the focus of the golf world this week was the Ryder Cup in Italy, something equally special was happening in Hangzhou, China, at the Asian Games.

South Korean golfers Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im helped their home country win the gold medal in golf. That’s a big deal for one reason: It makes the two PGA Tour pros — Im is ranked 27th in the world while Kim is No. 40 — exempt from serving the two-year mandatory military service that is required in Korea.

Teaming with amateurs Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young, Im, 25, and Kim, 28, cruised to a 25-stroke win over Thailand for the team gold medal Sunday at the West Lake International Golf Course. It was the country’s first men’s golf title in 13 years.

“This has been the longest four days of my career,” Im told reporters. “Every hole felt so important, and I knew every shot counted for our team event. I wanted to fight for every shot and do the best I could until the finish.”

All able-bodied males are obligated to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military once they turn 19. They can postpone the date of their service but without a significant cultural justification, like an Olympic medal, service is mandatory.

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Seung Yul-Noh and Sang-Moon Bae are two Korean golfers who won on the PGA Tour before their mandatory service obligation but haven’t been able to regain their form after taking two years away from competition.

Only an Olympic medal, or a gold medal at the Asian Games, is worthy of an exemption in the eyes of the South Korean government. Im and Kim failed to medal at the Olympics in Japan.

Im finished runner-up in the individual portion of the event, a shot back of China’s Taichi Kho, a Notre Dame alum who primarily plays on the Asian Tour. Kim was three shots behind Im, finishing fourth place.