Sang-Moon Bae is facing a life crisis. A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, he is under orders to return home to South Korea for military duty.
As the PGA Tour preps to restart from its holiday hiatus, word arrived that Bae must complete his mandatory service. His request for exemption was denied, according to the Reuters news agency.
The U.S. tour resumes Jan. 9 with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Resort in Hawaii. Friday was the deadline for tournament entry.
Bae, 28, is qualified for the Masters. He is a two-time Tour winner, including this season's first event, October's Frys.com Open. If he doesn't return to South Korea, he faces possible criminal charges.
South Korea remains at war with North Korea, more than 60 years after hostilities ended on the peninsula. So men between 18 and 35 must serve two years in the military.
According to Golf Digest, Bae's legal representatives tried to an extension. However, South Korea's Military Manpower Administration disagreed.
At No. 84 in world rankings, Bae is the top Korean on the PGA Tour. Despite that, he likely will not play next week in Maui.