Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they delve into the hottest topics in sports, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Tom Kim’s win at the Asian Games, wrap up our Presidents Cup debrief and examine the uncertain future of LIV Golf.
Tom Kim won the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday and won the individual gold medal for South Korea, but his win also means the 24-year-old will avoid an 18-21-month stint in the South Korean military required of all males in the country. We’ve seen plenty of impact wins this season — Gary Woodland and Anthony Kim come to mind — but where does this one rank among the biggest of 2026?
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): It’s not on the level of AK and Gary Woodland, but I think it’s in that neighborhood. Winning is, like, the hardest thing to do in golf. To win when the weight of a career-changing inevitability rests on you no win? It is very, very impressive.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@schrock_and_awe): Given the potential career-changing wins, I’d say this win is potentially the biggest of the year. AK and Woodland’s wins were big stories in their own right, but if AK had lost to LIV Adelaide, their future wouldn’t have been much impacted outside of their bank account. The pressure that Tom Kim must have felt knowing how the military service impacted Sangmoon Bae and the others was undoubtedly immense and it did. What a weight to shoulder.
Alan Bastable, Executive Editor (@alan_bastable): Dramatic stuff for sure, even if he hadn’t done it, Kim, who is 24, would still have had two more chances, at the next Summer Olympics (LA in 2028) and the next Asian Games (Doha in 2030). That was not the case for Kim’s fellow Asian, SH Kim, who is 28. His time is up. Tough stuff. Interesting the stock the Korean government puts in those two events in particular; You’d think a major championship win would rank high in terms of national pride.
Tom Kim had three wins on the PGA Tour from 2022 to 2023, but didn’t win again until this year’s Genesis Scottish Open. Last week he was one of the best players in the Presidents Cup, and now his latest victory will surely extend his professional career. What has changed and what is the ceiling for Tom Kim?
Hanging: I think we can see Tom Kim’s ceiling now. He is a player on the rise who can hang with some of the best in the world. He’ll need to step it up another notch—both in his ballhandling and his distance—to ascend into the territory of a top-10 player in the world; and he has to learn to play faster to earn the adoration of the wider sport. But he is only 24. He still has room to grow to reach.
Schrock: Tom Kim was so young when he burst onto the scene, it’s easy to forget that he’s still only 24 years old and has probably reached his prime. He admitted to having to eat “humble pie” in the last two years, but thinks his game and his mind are better for it. The putter has improved and it is right to imagine a great year for him in 2027.
Bastable: Yes, it’s the putter. Kim’s iron game has always been elite, but when he gets to the green, he struggles to put the ball in the hole. In his last starts, he has largely won shots on the green, which historically has not been the case for him. Just look at this season: despite a strong finishing kick, he still finished 83rd in SG: Putting. For him to raise to the next level, he will need to improve with the flatstick. If he could bottle his Presidents Cup game and bring that excellent and energy to every stage of the Tour.
While we are officially a week removed from the The United States narrowly beat the Internationals in the Presidents’ Cup – and discussed some points of discussion in this area last week – there is still a lot to learn from Medinah. One we haven’t covered: What has 2027 Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk learned that will help him in Ireland?
Hanging: That if he really wants things to be competitive at Adare Manor, he must be really, really, REALLY serious about creating a plan to improve the team’s performance in the game frame.
Schrock: I hope he learned that while the US team remains really good in singles, they still have a lot of work to do in team golf, especially in foursomes. A singles charge on Sunday against the Internationals should not document the big problem that has plagued the Americans for several competitions in a row.
Bastable: That JK (Jackson Koivun) could soon be the new JT of the United States (Justin Thomas).
And what European captain Luke Donald might be thinking looking at the Americans? And will any of this be useful for him come next year?
Hanging: That his advantage in the framework of the game – the thing that allowed the Europeans to win two straight Cups under his watch – is still prolific.
Schrock: That he still has the upper hand on a talented American team that does not know what to do in foursomes, where the Europeans beat them.
Bastable: Lol, pretty sure Donald isn’t too worried about what the Americans are doing; it has a lot more weights—like shampoo brands and thread counts—to sort out. Donald and Furyk will address the media on Tuesday. Maybe we’ll get some insight into LD’s Adare Manor planning then.
In a court filing last week, representatives for Sergio Garcia asked the court for clarity on the status of Garcia’s existing LIV contract in light of the league’s bankruptcy: Is his LIV contract terminated as part of the bankruptcy? And, if not, he wants the authority of the court to terminate the contract itself. How much of a blow would the departure of Garcia, one of the original members of LIV, be for the future of the league?
Hanging: Definitely a blow in the sense that any professional golfer coming out of LIV is bad for LIV at this junction. But is there anything about Sergio’s departure that is specifically damaging to LIV’s future? Eh.
Schrock: LIV really can’t afford to lose players, especially those with a high name-ID regardless of their age. I think it signals where things are likely headed, but if LIV 2.0 doesn’t get off the ground, it won’t be because the Fireballs skipper has left.
Bastable: Sergio always sneaky moves the needle, if not always for the right reasons, and still has a lot of game. LIV didn’t want to lose. Then again, there are much bigger fish lurking on the LIV deck, and it looks like at least a couple of them (looking at you, Joaco) could make big decisions in the coming weeks.
