PGA Tour Winner Kim Joo-hyung Captures Asian Games Golf Gold Medal

By Yoo Jee-ho

KASUGAI, Japan, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- PGA Tour winner Kim Joo-hyung captured the men's golf gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, while also helping South Korea take silver in the team event.

Kim shot six-under 64 in the final round at Kasugai Country Club East Course in Kasugai, just northeast of the main host city of Nagoya, to finish at 18-under 262.

Three players tied for second place after 72 holes, forcing a playoff to determine the silver and bronze medal winners. Kazuki Higa of Japan won silver and Sadom Kaewkanjana held off Ding Wenyi of China for bronze.

With this gold medal, Kim, 24, also earned exemption from the mandatory military service. Athletes who win an Asian Games gold medal and who have not already fulfilled their duty are eligible for exemption. Kim, a four-time PGA Tour champion, has joined a growing list of top athletes who have enjoyed this benefit, including a pair of fellow PGA Tour veterans in Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, who won the team gold medal three years ago.

In the team standings, where the two best scores out of three players for each country were added after every round, South Korea finished in second place behind China at 26-under.

Kim entered the final round nursing a one-stroke lead over two players, Higa and Wang Hei-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei, at 12-under.

Ding birdied the first three holes to get within one of Kim, who picked up his first birdie of the round on the second hole to stay in first place at 13-under.

After saving par on the par-4 third despite an errant tee shot, Kim chipped in for a birdie at the par-3 fourth hole after missing the green long, now leading the field by two at 14-under.

Kim birdied the par-4 sixth to move to 15-under, but Ding kept the pressure on the South Korean with his fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 eighth, which took him to 14-under.

Kim responded with his own birdie at the eighth hole to regain a two-stroke advantage over Ding at 16-under, with Higa lurking at 13-under.

Kim missed a makeable birdie putt on the ninth hole and then got into some trouble on the 10th hole, where he sent his second shot past the green. But Kim chipped the ball onto the green and sank a knee-knocker of a par putt to remain at 16-under.

Following a birdie at the 11th, Kim essentially clinched his gold medal with an eagle at the par-5 13th.

A superb second shot at the 520-yard hole, an eight-iron from 163 yards out, left him with a short eagle attempt, and Kim drained it to open up a four-stroke lead with five holes to play.

Kim kept things steady with pars on the next three holes. He nearly put his second shot into water on the par-4 16th but still saved par from just off the green.

Kim pulled his tee shot into the trees at the par-4 17th en route to his first bogey of the round, dropping him to 18-under, but he still had a three-shot advantage with just one hole to play.

Kim closed out his win with a par on the 18th, setting off an exuberant celebration on the green.