The Asian Games in Hangzhou, China was a special event that took place during the same week as the Ryder Cup, which was held in Italy.
South Koreans Si Woo Kim, Sungjae im and their country won the gold in golf. This is a huge deal because it makes both PGA Tour professionals — Im is ranked No. 27 in the world, while Kim is No. The Korean military requires that all men aged 40 and older serve two years of mandatory service.
Im and Kim, along with Jang Yubin and Cho Wooyoung, won the gold medal for their team at the West Lake International Golf Course on Sunday by a margin of 25 strokes. This was the first golf title for men in 13 years.
Upon reaching the age of 19, all males who are physically fit must serve in the military for between 18 and 21 month. The date can be delayed, but if there is no cultural reason to justify the service, such as an Olympic medal, then service will be mandatory.
Seung Yul Noh and Sang Moon Bae, two Korean golfers that won on the PGA Tour prior to their mandatory service obligations have not been able regain their form two years after their absence from competition.
In the eyes of South Korea’s government, only an Olympic medal or a gold at the Asian Games is worth an exemption. Im and Kim did not medal at the Olympics held in Japan.
Im was the runner-up of the individual event. He finished one shot behind China’s Taichi Kho, a Notre Dame alumnus who plays primarily on the Asian Tour. Kim finished fourth, three shots behind Im.
Im told reporters that it was the longest four-day period of his career. “I knew that every shot was important for our team competition, so I felt like each hole was very important. “I wanted to give it my all and fight for each shot.”
