Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim nearing exemption from mandatory military service with dominant performance at the Asian Games

123rd U.S. Open Championship - Practice Day 1
Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim (via Getty Images)

Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim are in China playing in the Asian Games 2023. They were not just playing to win the tournament but also to get South Korean military exemptions.

Sharing the piece of information on X (formerly Twitter), NUCLR GOLF wrote that both the golfers are in the South Korean team and on their way to winning the gold.

Interestingly, South Korea has a compulsion of 21 months of military service that could be avoided only in certain special circumstances.

The professional golfers of Asian origin who played on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were initially prohibited from playing in the Asian Games. However, the newest rule change allowed Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim to participate in the mega event and have a chance to get exemptions from the South Korean military.


How have Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim performed in the 2022-23 season?

Both the South Korean golfers played numerous events on the PGA Tour this season. While Im did not win any tournament this season, Kim did win the Sony Open in Hawaii earlier in January.

Let's take a closer look at each of the South Korean's golfers' performances this season:


Sungjae Im's Results in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season

The 25-year-old South Korean golfer played 30 tournaments on the leading American Tour this season. He missed the cut only on six instances.

Although Sungjae Im could not register a single win this season, he did finish 18 times inside the top 25. Interestingly, he had nine top 10 finishes as well. He has earned a total of $6,487,421 playing on the PGA Tour.

Below are the leaderboard standings of Sungajae Im this season:

  • Shriners Children's Open - 7
  • ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP - T29
  • THE CJ CUP in South Carolina - T34
  • Hero World Challenge - T8
  • Sentry Tournament of Champions - T13
  • Sony Open in Hawaii - Missed Cut
  • The American Express - T18
  • Farmers Insurance Open - T4
  • WM Phoenix Open - T6
  • The Genesis Invitational - T56
  • The Honda Classic - T42
  • Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard - T21
  • THE PLAYERS Championship - T6
  • Masters Tournament - T16
  • RBC Heritage - T7
  • Zurich Classic of New Orleans - 6
  • Wells Fargo Championship - T8
  • PGA Championship Missed Cut
  • Charles Schwab Challenge - Missed Cut
  • The Memorial Tournament pres. by Workday - T41
  • U.S. Open - Missed Cut
  • Travelers Championship - T29
  • Rocket Mortgage Classic - T24
  • Genesis Scottish Open - Missed Cut
  • The Open - T20
  • 3M Open - Missed Cut
  • Wyndham Championship - T14
  • FedEx St. Jude Championship - T6
  • BMW Championship - 7
  • TOUR Championship - 24

Si Woo Kim's Results in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season

The 28-year-old South Korean golfer had a decent season on the leading American Tour. He had 28 starts this season and missed the cut only in five of them.

Si Woo Kim won the Sony Open in Hawaii and earned a whopping $1,422,000 paycheck. He finished five times inside the top 10.

Following are the leaderboard standings of Si Woo Kim on the PGA Tour this season:

  • Shriners Children's Open - T8
  • ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP - T45
  • THE CJ CUP in South Carolina - T52
  • Cadence Bank Houston Open - T35
  • Sony Open in Hawaii - 1
  • The American Express - T22
  • Farmers Insurance Open - T25
  • WM Phoenix Open - T23
  • The Genesis Invitational - Missed Cut
  • Arnold Palmer Invitational - T39
  • THE PLAYERS Championship - T27
  • Valero Texas Open - T39
  • Masters Tournament - T29
  • RBC Heritage - Missed Cut
  • Zurich Classic of New Orleans - T7
  • Wells Fargo Championship - T43
  • AT&T Byron Nelson - T2
  • PGA Championship - Missed Cut
  • Charles Schwab Challenge - T29
  • The Memorial Tournament pres. by Workday - 4
  • U.S. Open - T39
  • Travelers Championship - Missed Cut
  • The Open - Missed Cut
  • Wyndham Championship - T33
  • FedEx St. Jude Championship - T16
  • BMW Championship - T31
  • TOUR Championship - T20

Si Woo Kim finished in 20th spot in the FedEx Cup rankings. He earned a total of $5,380,062 competing on the PGA Tour 2022-23 season.

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