PGA Tour star needs to win Olympic gold medal to avoid military service

Tom Kim is on a mission to evade military duty by bagging Olympic gold in Paris this week, which could see him granted an exemption from South Korea's 21-month service rule .

The 22-year-old golf sensation is currently shining at Le Golf National, just three strokes adrift from the lead with a fierce eight-under halfway through the competition. Kim impressed spectators with a scorching five-under-par 66 to kickstart the event on Thursday, following up with a solid three-under 68 on Friday, cementing his status as a contender.

Compatriot An Byeong-hun is also vying for that precious podium spot which would liberate him from military obligations. The duo has been tight-lipped regarding the situation, lightly touching upon it during pre-event media talks.

During his press conference earlier this week, Kim addressed the topic, emphasizing their focus is on the game itself. "I think the easiest answer for us is we're here to play good this week," he admitted.

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"We are not focused on that. We are here to represent our country and I want - to be honest, I want me and Ben to be standing in that stadium not for exemption but for our country.

"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. We are going to go throughout and we are going to play our best and I really hope he and I are standing on that podium."

Meanwhile, Kim has British golfer Tommy Fleetwood amongst his key rivals in the quest for Olympic victory. Fleetwood is in a three-way deadlock atop the leaderboard as we hit halfway, sharing the pole position with Japan's star Hideki Matsuyama and the reigning champ Xander Schauffele.

When pressed on whether he could relate to the immense pressure his Korean competitor faces this week, Fleetwood confessed, "Not really, no."

"Obviously I guess where we're from, we don't grow up even having to think about that or know that that's coming. So I think -- I don't know how Tom would feel about it or people have gone in his position in the past and whether they are, you know, very ready for whatever the circumstance is.

"It's hard, really. Without having any experience of it, so I don't know. But definitely, I can't imagine sort of what it's like."

His remarks resonate as fellow PGA Tour icons Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim skirted military duty thanks to their triumph at last year's Asian Games, where they clutched gold for South Korea in men's golf at the 2023 spectacle.