The final prelude to the Masters is in San Antonio, during the Valero Texas Open. The winner, if not yet qualified, gets a direct pass to Augusta National. However, there is an exception: S.H. Kim. This South Korean player, regardless of the result, will return to his country. Kim, who will turn 28 in September, achieved eighth place on the Korn Ferry Tour points list in 2025, securing his PGA Tour card for the second time. However, mandatory military service in South Korea is looming. At the beginning of the year, he was granted a 90-day travel extension, giving him until the Texas Open, which takes place from April 2nd to 5th. Kim, who did not make the cut at The Players Championship, has participated in every week he has been eligible. His best results came at the beginning of the year: a tie for 13th at the Sony Open and a tie for 18th at The American Express. “I will play until the Valero,” Kim declared through a translator. “Anything after that depends on many factors. I could return this year. First I must return to Korea.” Losing two years at the peak of their careers is never easy for players. Sangmoon Bae went from the Presidents Cup in 2015 to military service, and he hasn’t been the same since. The same happened to Seung-yul Noh, whose return from conscription coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. The PGA Tour is working on a plan to help. Circuit executives are finalizing an agreement so that Kim can obtain a medical extension and continue playing at home on the Korean PGA Tour during the weeks when he would not be eligible on the PGA Tour (majors and featured events). The idea is to stay in shape for the end of September and be ready for the Asian Games, which are held every four years and are increasingly important for South Koreans. Gold medal winners at the Asian Games, whether individually or as part of a team, are exempt from military service. Any medal at the Olympic Games comes with an exemption, which is why Tom Kim was so disappointed when he finished four strokes away from a chance at bronze at the Paris 2024 Games. Professionals competed in the Asian Games for the first time in 2023 (delayed by a year due to the pandemic). Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim competed with two amateurs, and South Korea won the team gold by 25 strokes.
Tom Kim and S.H. Kim are currently the highest-ranked South Koreans in the world ranking among those still facing conscription. S.H. said that it has not yet been decided who will play, but he hopes to be part of that team. A gold medal is the only thing that can bring him back to the PGA Tour in the fall.“I was still scared,” Si Woo Kim said last week with a laugh. He added that the world ranking determined who played last time.
Si Woo Kim
