The Presidents Cup is entering its decisive stretch, with the International team on the verge of ending Team USA’s winning streak. But even if they do win, Tom Kim might not be there to celebrate because his Sunday plans extend beyond Medinah. After playing a key role for the International team throughout the week, the South Korean star could soon face a very different kind of pressure.
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With golf at the Asian Games beginning just days after the Presidents Cup, Kim’s schedule has drawn attention. A couple of his team members told AP News that Kim will leave right after his Sunday singles match. However, they asked for anonymity because Tom Kim has yet to reveal the news to anyone.
The stakes for the South Korean professional at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are way more than just another golf tournament. If he wins a gold medal in either individual or team golf, he would qualify for an exemption from South Korea’s mandatory military service.
All able South Korean men face mandatory military service. It usually lasts about 18 to 21 months. However, athletes and artists excelling in certain fields can get an exemption. For athletes, this exemption comes from winning gold at the Asian Games or any medal at the Olympics. Tom Kim missed out on this at the Paris Olympics, where he fell short of bronze by four shots.
For Kim, winning gold in Japan could therefore have a major impact on his professional golf career and future schedule. If he does win a gold medal, he could continue playing on the PGA Tour. But if he could not, he would have to manage his golf playing schedule alongside mandatory military service.
The team also has a familiar precedent. Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im were members of South Korea’s gold-medal-winning men’s golf team at the 2023 Asian Games.
The 24-year-old has been one of the International team’s key performers this week. He won three of his first four matches. His partnership with fellow South Korean Si Woo Kim has also produced three victories. This makes his reported departure particularly notable as the International team chases its first Presidents Cup victory since 1998.
Tom Kim was scheduled to play the second Sunday singles match against Clark. They were to tee off at 11:14 am local time, and their game is already underway.
Clark took an early lead by birdieing the par-4 third. But Kim won the point back on the next hole to tie the score again. The American professional then won the sixth with another birdie. Tom Kim replied with a birdie on the par-4 eighth. The South Korean professional made par, while Clark bogeyed the eighth. He is currently 1 up over Clark after his birdie on the 10th hole.
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim have driven the International team’s rise at the 2026 Presidents Cup. The four-time PGA Tour winner has played a significant role in this. But he downplayed his importance after Saturday’s four-ball.
Tom Kim said he was only a sacrificial lamb in Saturday’s four-ball
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim made a late surge in their Saturday four-ball game to beat Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa. Speaking about their strategy after the match, Kim revealed that he was trying to be the sacrificial lamb.
“I just tried to make as many pars for Si Woo as possible. He was playing great, and I was kind of the sacrificial lamb today. I was trying to be in play so he could be aggressive. The point that we won was because of him, and I couldn’t be more proud of him, and I’m grateful to have him as my partner,” he said in a post-match interview.
He meant that he tried to keep his ball in play and make pars so Si Woo could attack. In four-balls, the better score of the two partners counts. Thus, Tom Kim staying on track for pars would allow Si Woo Kim to take chances for an even better score. And it worked.
After tying through 15 holes, Si Woo Kim made back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th to win the match 2 up. Collin Morikawa grew so agitated that he slammed his driver into the turf.
That recent run also highlights why Tom Kim’s reported departure carries extra weight for the International team, given how much he and Si Woo Kim have contributed at Medinah.