There's good reason to root for the South Koreans to medal in Olympic men's golf

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — No matter your interest in Sunday’s final round of the Olympic men’s golf tournament, root for South Korea’s Tom Kim and Byeong Hun An to win medals.

It'd change their lives. Really.

We talk often about pressure to win in sports, but rarely does a sporting event carry true-life implications the way this tournament could for these two golfers.

In South Korea, able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to serve in the military for at least 18 months to as long as two years. Application of this is nearly universal, fame or not. Internationally famous boy band members, for instance, have been made to serve.

“I guess the other Koreans would say, ‘Everyone goes, so why do we get exempt from it?’” An told reporters this week at Le Golf National.

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Exceptions are granted for special situations, though, and one of those is winning an Olympic medal. For South Korean golfers, winning no other tournament besides the Asian Games – even a major championship – meets these qualifications.

Kim, 22, and An, 32, are both within shouting distance of a medal entering Sunday. They’ll need to play well.

An (7 under) is seven strokes behind leaders Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm after playing his way back into contention Saturday with a 66. An was 8 under through the first 11 holes, climbing within a couple shots of the lead, before finding the water on No. 13 and making double bogey.

Kim (10 under) opened with a 66 and a 68 to start Saturday’s round only three shots back. But he was unable to gain much ground on the leaders Saturday, finishing with a 69. He'll start Saturday four shots off the lead, tied for sixth.

One of the PGA Tour’s bright young stars, who was profiled on Netflix’s “Full Swing” golf series, Kim hasn’t wished to discuss the topic much this week. Asked after Friday’s second round how he can block out what it means for him to be in contention at the Olympics, Kim replied, “Good question.”

“I want me and Ben to be standing in that stadium not for exemption but for our country,” Kim told reporters before the tournament. “That's the most important part. That's the pride of being a South Korean. We have our services, and it is what it is.”

This topic has come up before in golf. Last year, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im earned an exemption from service by helping the South Korean team win a gold medal at the Asian Games.

Sang-Moon Bae is perhaps the most well-known example. He played and won on the PGA Tour before serving in the military, and after returning to golf, his performance dipped.

“It's not easy,” An told reporters this week. “You don't get to practice or play for a year and a half-ish. It's very harsh for golfers.”