Tom Kim Returns at Mexico Open After Asian Games Gold Ends Military Question

Tom Kim is back on the PGA Tour this week at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open, and his return carries a story far bigger than golf. The South Korean returns to Tour play for the first time since August after winning individual gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, a triumph that exempts him from his country's mandatory military service.

The Mexico Open, played at Vidanta Vallarta from October 29 to November 1, offers a $6 million purse, with $1.08 million and 500 FedExCup points to the winner. It is the fifth of eight FedExCup Fall events, and the points on offer matter hugely for players trying to finish inside the fall top 100 and secure full Tour status for 2027. Defending champion Brian Campbell is in the field, and Kim has been grouped with Wyndham Clark and Campbell for the opening rounds.

Kim enters as one of the leading contenders in sportsbook and simulation models, alongside Clark and Doug Ghim. After months away from the Tour, and with the weight of the military question lifted, the 24-year-old has a chance to remind everyone why he was one of the game's brightest young stars — starting on Thursday in Mexico.