Tranlate this title Tom Kim shares Tiger Woods text he received hours before winning gold in spanish

Tiger Woods has always been a golfer who was willing to help younger players, whether by giving them advice about their game or talking about the mental side of golf.

Promising golfer Tim Kim has also spoken about that side of the 15-time major champion.

Tom Kim has added another memorable moment to his 2026 season after winning the individual gold medal at the Asian Games, and Tiger Woods played a small role before the South Korean stepped onto the course for the final round.

Kim woke up on Saturday morning in Japan and saw a message from the 15-time major champion. Woods did not send him a long speech or complicated advice before one of the most important rounds of his career.

“Just be you. Nothing more, nothing less.”

A few hours later, the 24-year-old completed a final-round 64 at Kasugai Country Club East Course and finished the tournament at 18-under par. That left him three shots ahead of his closest rivals and secured the individual gold medal.

The result also brought an important benefit away from golf. Kim earned an exemption from South Korea’s mandatory military service, something that had been discussed a lot before the tournament.

“I came here believing that if I just did my thing, things would work out well in the end,” Kim said.

“I tried to maintain that mindset throughout and just play my game.”

Kim started the final round one shot ahead at 12-under. He made four birdies on the front nine and then added an eagle at the par-five 13th to create more distance between himself and the players chasing him.

His only bogey came at the 17th hole. By that stage, the South Korean had finally looked at the leaderboard and knew he had a three-shot advantage.

Tom Kim talks about Woods’ message

Kim and Woods have developed a relationship over the last few years, while they are also connected through TGL. Woods co-founded the competition alongside Rory McIlroy, and Kim has spent time around the American legend during the project.

The four-time PGA Tour winner admitted that he had still not replied to Woods after winning the gold medal.

“No, I haven’t,” Kim joked.

“But I think I will send him a photo of me biting my gold medal.”

The South Korean also explained that he deliberately tried not to follow the leaderboard too much during the round.

“There were not that many leaderboards but I think it was better for me not to know where I stood,” he said.

“If I got too ahead of myself, it would only have made me more nervous. Without knowing my score, I just wanted to keep making birdies.”

Kim also took silver in the team event after South Korea finished behind China.

The individual gold was enough to settle one question that had followed him for some time. South Korean athletes can receive a military service exemption by winning an Asian Games gold medal or an Olympic medal.

Kim had competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics but did not finish on the podium, leaving the Asian Games as another important opportunity.

A difficult trip after the Presidents Cup

Kim arrived in Japan after a very demanding week at the Presidents Cup in Illinois. He had been one of the best players for the International Team at Medinah, collecting four points from five matches.

He partnered fellow South Korean Si Woo Kim in all four team sessions and won three of those matches. Kim then defeated Wyndham Clark 3&2 in the Sunday singles.

The International Team still lost 17-13 after taking a three-point lead into the final day, but the 24-year-old did not have much time to think about the result.

He travelled directly to Japan and arrived early on Tuesday morning before heading almost immediately to the course.

“I landed here at 5 a.m. Tuesday, took a shuttle out to the course at 8:30 a.m. and left at 6 p.m.,” Kim said.

“I played my practice round in rain while still jet-lagged. It did not even feel like I had a tournament starting the next day.”

His 2026 season had already included several notable results before the Asian Games. Kim won the Scottish Open in July and later finished third at the U.S. Open.

The Korean has also already started thinking about another international target. Golf will again be part of the Olympic program in Los Angeles in 2028, where the competition is expected to be played at Riviera Country Club.

“With the Olympics being in the U.S., I will feel pretty comfortable there, and I have played at Riviera many times,” Kim said.

“My next goal is to win an Olympic gold medal.”