Sang-moon Bae may have to suspend his golf career.
The 28-year-old Korean has been denied an extension of his permit for overseas travel, which may mean he'll have to participate in his country's military conscription. Bae's travel visa expires at the end of the month. If it's not extended, Bae will have to join the military. All Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35 must spend approximately two years in the military unless otherwise exempted. Men aged 25-35 who have not completed their military service must acquire a travel visa to remain overseas.
Bae says he is eligible for a three-year extension of his travel visa, according to the Yonhap News Agency, because he has been a permanent U.S. resident for more than a year and did not spend more than half the year or three consecutive months in South Korea in 2014.
In October, Bae won his second PGA Tour event, taking the Frys.com Open. In his last PGA Tour start, he finished T-5 at the CIMB Classic. At No. 84 in the Official World Golf Ranking, he's the highest-ranked Korean in the world. He currently would be one of two Korean representatives in the 2016 men's Olympic golf tournament. Were he to win a medal of any color, he'd be permanently exempted from military conscription.
