Kim Joo-hyung has secured South Korea's first individual gold medal in men's golf at the Asian Games in 16 years.
On October 3, at the Aichi Prefectural Kasugai Country Club's East Course (par 70), Kim shot a final round of 6-under 64, which included one eagle, five birdies, and one bogey.
With a total score of 18-under 262, Kim outpaced the second-place group, which included Kazuki Higa of Japan, Wenyi Ding of China, and Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand, all at 15-under 265, by three strokes.
This marks the first time a South Korean golfer has won the individual event at the Asian Games since Kim Min-hwi in the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
Kim's victory also grants him military benefits, allowing him to continue his professional career on the PGA Tour with greater stability.
This achievement comes after a demanding schedule. Kim traveled directly to Nagoya from the Presidents Cup held in the United States last week. He arrived in Japan just one day before the tournament, facing challenges from jet lag and lack of sleep. Despite these hurdles, he improved his scores throughout the rounds, taking the solo lead by one stroke after the third round.
The pivotal moment in the final round came at the 13th hole (par 5), where Kim placed his second shot within about one meter of the hole and calmly made the eagle putt, sealing his victory.
Competing alongside him, Moon Do-yeop finished in a tie for eighth place with a total score of 8-under 272, while Kim Sung-hyun ended in a tie for 24th at 1-over 281.
Unfortunately, the men's team missed out on the gold medal in the team event. The team, which combines the top two scores from three players each round, finished with a total of 26-under 534, falling two strokes short of China, which scored 28-under 532 to take the gold. Japan secured the bronze with a score of 23-under 537.
In the women's competition, the South Korean team did not win any medals, with Yang Yoon-seo finishing fourth in the individual event and the team also placing fourth.
This marks the first time since golf was officially included in the Asian Games at the 1990 Beijing Games that South Korean women's golf has gone without a medal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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