Becoming exempt from mandatory military service by winning a gold medal was plenty for 24-year-old South Korean. But what didn’t hurt Kim in overcoming the fears of losing his final round lead in Japan was something more: inspiration. And that appears to have come in the form of a text message from none other than Tiger Woods. Kim has become friends with the 15-time major winner as a teammate on the Jupiter Links Golf Club in the TGL. After Kim won the Genesis Scottish Open in July for his first victory since October 2023, Woods sent a congratulatory text. And Kim revealed that the night before the final round of the Asian Games, Woods again shot him a message: “Just be you. Nothing more, nothing less.” Kim came through with a final-round 66 to claim the gold by three shots. Kim seemed to play off the importance of the win at first, but his relief has become evident in the aftermath. “I feel like I have been unloading things off my shoulders all season, like taking water buckets out of my bag,” Kim said. “I think I can finally get a good night’s sleep now.” And he can partially thank Tiger.