Tom Kim puts South Korean military service theory to rest after video of his Olympic tears goes viral  

South Korean golfer Tom Kim denied that his tears on the golf course on Sunday had anything to do with missing out on medaling and not being able to avoid mandatory military service in his home country. 

Kim had finished eighth in the Olympic tournament after sitting in contention for a bronze medal for most of the day, but a double-bogey on the 18th hole dropped him back and left the golfer in tears. 

The belief was that the emotional reaction came in response to just missing out on the medal, which would have allowed him to skip the 18 to 21 months of mandatory military service in South Korea required for all able-bodied men before the age of 35. They must enlist before their 28th birthday.

🚨😢🇰🇷 Tom Kim is emotional in the scoring trailer. A podium finish was needed to avoid the prospect of mandatory military service. pic.twitter.com/4I7X0WGMhP

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 4, 2024

“Not at all,” Kim told reporters, according to The Telegraph. “I wasn’t really thinking about that at all. I was just trying to get a medal for my country and not myself. I’ve never been really this emotional after a round.”

While service is mandatory, it could have been avoided if the 22-year-old won a medal at the Olympics or a gold at the Asian Games.

Kim will get two more opportunities at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

While it would be understandable if that were the reason for the emotional response, Kim insisted it wasn’t the case. 

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Scottie Sheffler, who won gold, came over to comfort Kim after the 18th hole. 

“These emotions are surprising but I think it’s just all the hard work I’ve done this year to put myself in this position — those things are coming out,” Kim said. “And just the things Scottie said to me after the round really kind of came out and I’m just trying to hold it together.

“He’s a really good buddy of mine and understands what I’ve gone through. Just those things and a friend to say something like that after what he did [winning the gold], it means a lot.”

The situation brings up memories of another South Korean golfer, Sangmoon Bae. 

Bae had to do his military service at the height of his golf career in 2015 and after he returned to the game two years later, he was not the same player he once was.