Tom Kim is in range of an Olympic medal. At stake is being excused from military service

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — Tom Kim had a run of three straight birdies on the back nine Friday for a 3-under 68 that put him in the mix for an Olympic medal that would be valuable in ways 58 other players at Le Golf National can't appreciate. It would make him exempt from mandatory military service in South Korea, a topic that comes up at every Olympics since golf returned to the program in 2016.