PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The ultimate highway to the Masters is thru San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open, with the winner going straight to Augusta Nationwide if he hasn’t already certified.
The exception is SH Kim, who will return to Korea immediately whatever the end result.
Kim, who turns 28 in September, completed eighth on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour factors listing and earned his second PGA Tour card. Nevertheless, as a result of his impending obligatory army service in South Korea, he was granted a 90-day journey extension earlier this yr.
This offers them time till the Texas Open from April 2nd to fifth earlier than they expire. Though Kim didn’t qualify for The Gamers Championship, she has performed each week she has been eligible. His finest outcomes got here earlier this yr, when he tied for thirteenth on the Sony Open and tied for 18th on the American Categorical.
“I plan to play till Valero,” the participant stated by way of an interpreter. “What occurs after that is determined by many components. I’d come again this yr. I’ve to return to Korea first.”
It was by no means simple for a participant to surrender two years of his prime. Sangmoon Bae joined the army after the 2015 Presidents Cup. He was by no means the identical. The identical goes for Noh Seung-yeol, who returned from the draft across the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
The PGA Tour has plans to assist with that. Tour officers are making remaining preparations to permit Kim to play at dwelling on the Korean PGA circuit regardless of present process a medical extension throughout the a number of weeks he has been ineligible for the PGA Tour (main and signature occasions).
The purpose is to remain in form till the top of September in preparation for the Asian Video games, that are held each 4 years and are more and more essential for Koreans. Gold medal winners on the Asian Video games, each individually and as a staff, are exempt from army service.
Olympic medals include exemptions, which is why Tom Kim was so devastated when he fell 4 strokes wanting successful bronze on the 2024 Paris Video games.
Skilled athletes competed within the Asian Video games for the primary time in 2023 (postponed by a yr because of the pandemic). Lim Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo participated as two amateurs, and South Korea gained the staff gold medal with a 25-stroke lead.
“I used to be nonetheless frightened of the (expletive),” Kim Si-woo stated with amusing final week. He stated the world rankings will decide who performs final.
Tom Kim and SH Kim are at the moment on the high of the world rankings for Koreans nonetheless being drafted. SH stated solely that he hasn’t determined who will play but, however wish to be on that staff. Solely a gold medal can carry him again to the PGA Tour within the fall.
