The Valero Texas Open early next month is the last shot for pros to punch their tickets to the Masters. S.H. Kim will tee off at San Antonio with the hope of earning that last invite. But he might have to forego the Masters spot even if he wins the tournament due to his country’s strict rules.

“I’m playing until Valero,” said the Korean pro while speaking about the impending military duty, “Anything after that is a lot of factors going into play. I might come back again this year. First, I have to go back to Korea.”

South Korea’s law proclaims that all able-bodied males aged between 18 and 35 must undertake military service. S.H. Kim will turn 28 this September. Currently, he is playing on the PGA Tour thanks to a 90-day travel extension he was given in January.

It ends after the Valero Texas Open, which complicates the matter for Kim.  The South Korean pro has traditionally played well at San Antonio. In 2024, he bagged a T14, and a year before that, he finished at T15.

Last year, he was playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, and after a stellar season in the developmental circuit, he earned his PGA Tour card back.  S.H. Kim has two top-20 finishes in seven starts this year on the PGA Tour, having played in every single tournament in which he was eligible.

Associated Press reported that PGA Tour officials are trying to work out a plan that would permit Kim to take a medical extension while continuing to compete on the Korea PGA circuit during the weeks he would not be permitted to play on the PGA Tour. The main goal is to keep him in form for the Asian Games, which will be held in Japan from September 19.

An Olympic medal (Gold, silver, or bronze) or a Gold Medal at the Asian Games are the only two ways to skip the conscription for athletes. Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim both earned that after helping the South Korean golf team snatch the Gold Medal at the 2023 Asian Games. But others haven’t been that fortunate, and most have paid the price with their careers.

Top Stories

Jordan Spieth’s Gesture Toward Amateur Golfers Speaks Volumes About His True Character

Wyndham Clark Faces Heat After Taking Controversial Caddie Decision 2 Days Before $9.1M PGA Tour Event

Ex-ESPN Host Justifies Scottie Scheffler’s Behavior After He Clashed With Reporter

Viktor Hovland Issues Blunt Take on Jay Monahan After Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour Return

History reveals that S.H. Kim faces a threat to his golf career

Sangmoon Bae had to return to his country for military duties in 2015, having lost the legal battle to postpone his conscription. He argued that his residency in the United States allowed him to defer the mandatory military duty. But the court ruled that Bae spent too much time in South Korea to be allowed the exemption and was asked to fulfill his duty.

He was a two-time PGA Tour winner and a top-100 golfer before his military duty. He missed seven cuts in eight PGA Tour starts after coming back and was never able to regain the lost momentum. Now the 39-year-old plays in the Korn Ferry Tour, where he has only one win.

Similarly, Seung-yul Noh, a one-time PGA Tour winner, now plies his trade in the Korn Ferry Tour. The long break from golf had an effect on their game that never wore off. The conscription includes a five-week-long boot camp and, after that, an almost two-year-long active military duty. Koreans face severe punishment if they dodge the draft.

A key reason why the Asian Games will play an important role in S.H. Kim’s life. It is yet to be decided who will be part of the South Korean team. Tom Kim is another contender who missed his shot at an Olympic medal in 2024 after double-bogeying the 18th hole in the final round. He was later seen wiping his tears in the clubhouse.

However, before anything else, Kim will look to improve his performance.

S.H. Kim’s promising 2026 start faded at The Players Championship

S.H. Kim finished eighth on the Korn Ferry Tour points list in 2025, earning him a spot on the PGA Tour for 2026. Then, on January 15, he started his campaign with a T13 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Following that, he maintained the momentum with a T18 at the American Express. However, following AmEx, his performance saw a slump again as he finished 63rd in the Farmers Insurance Open and at T54 in the WM Phoenix Open. 

For the 2026 PGA Tour season, S.H. Kim has made 5 of 7 cuts and currently ranks 157th in the Official World Golf Ranking as of March 15, 2026. And owing to his recent struggles, he missed the cut at The Players Championship. Now, as his near future in the sport remains uncertain, only time will tell how things will unfold for the South Korean tour pro.