Has PGA Tour’s Byeong Hun An served term in the military? Everything you need to know

Byeong Hun An carded 72 and 68 in the first two rounds of the 2024 Olympics and was nine strokes behind the lead. He has a lot of hard work to do to close the lead and come back into contention, as winning a medal here has more meaning for him than for others.

An is representing South Korea at the 2024 Olympics alongside Tom Kim. While both are looking to bring the gold home, they also have their eyes on buying some time from the mandatory military service that they will have to do back in their country.

For the uninitiated, South Korea has the strictest conscription rule, which mandates all male citizens of the country aged 18–35 to serve in the military for 18–21 months. Both Byeong Hun An and Tom Kim have yet to do their military service. The only way these two can delay the obligation is by winning gold at the Olympics or the Asian Games.

Byeong Hun An couldn't compete at the 2023 Asian Games as he was lower in the rankings compared to Si Woo Kim and Sung Jae Im, both of whom won gold and successfully postponed their military service.

Many athletes, including golfers such as Y.E. Yang, K.J. Choi, and Sang-Moon Bae, have done their military service in the past. However, the worst case was Bae's, who left when he was a top 100 player and had two wins on the PGA Tour. Upon returning, he was never the same player and now ranks 552nd in the world.

While Tom Kim is just 22 years old and has a lot of time, Byeong Hun An has turned 32 years old and doesn't have many opportunities left to delay the obligation.

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Byeong Hun An off the red hot start at the 2024 Olympics, Round 3

Byeong Hun An has made a hot start in the third round of the 2024 Olympics Golf men's event, going 8-under for the day in just eleven holes. He fired eight birdies, including six on the front nine, with four consecutive birdies on holes 4 through 7.

At the time of writing this article, An was aggregating at 10-under, just one stroke behind the lead. An's fellow countryman, Tom Kim, has had a slow start so far and was even par for the round after five holes.