Golfers make mockery of Ryder Cup pressure by winning event to avoid army duty

PGA Tour players Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im earned exemptions from their mandatory 21-month military service after winning gold at the Asian Games. The Republic of Korea won the men’s team event with a 25-stroke win over Thailand, which took the silver and bronze medalists Hong Kong.

Earning a medal of any colour at the Asian Games or the Olympics is enough to get a government exception. Conscription is otherwise compulsory for all men from South Korea.

Fellow Korean PGA Tour players Sang-Moon Bae and Seung Yul-Noh have paused their careers to fulfill the obligation within the last decade. Im and Kim are the first pro players to represent their country at the biennial games following a relaxation of the rules that previously prevented professionals from competing.

Amateur players Cho Woo-young and Jang Yu-bin completed the four-strong team. There was no place for current world No. 16 Tom Kim, who ranked below Im and Kim when the team got selected.

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In the singles portion of the team event, the whole quartet contributed as Im came 2nd with Kim back in 4th, then Jang and Cho in 5th, and a tie for 6th. Their resounding victory reduces their mandatory service to a few weeks of training compared to almost two years.

That difference in duration made for real pressure compared to their American and European contemporaries competing at the Ryder Cup over the same weekend. Im made as much clear while speaking to reporters after his crowning achievement.

“This has been the longest four days of my career,” he said. “Every hole felt so important, and I knew every shot counted for our team event.

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“I wanted to fight for every shot and do the best I could until the finish.” Looking to the future, he added: “I think I should be able to stay focused even more on the PGA Tour.

“I feel like I can have a really long and successful run there. I think this will help me so much mentally.”

Aged 25, Im already has an accomplished career on the Tour. After being named Rookie of the Year in 2018-19, he has backed that up by winning The Honda Classic in 2020 and the 2021 Shriners Children’s Open.

Inevitably, he got asked to compare these triumphs with his most recent win. In reply, Im said: “Obviously, both are pretty sweet, but this gold medal is extra special.”

His pro partner Kim has also tasted success on the Tour. He became the youngest winner in Players Championship history in 2017, aged 21, after beating Louis Oosthuizen and Ian Poulter.

A year before, he won the Wyndham Championship five strokes ahead of Luke Donald. More recently, he has also taken home 2021 The American Express, finishing a stroke ahead of Patrick Cantlay and the Sony Open in Hawaii at the start of this year.

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