Tom Kim Asian Games update: How the PGA Tour star got on in Round 1

Tom Kim has made a solid start to his Asian Games campaign, carding a 3-under 67 despite arriving in Japan off the back of a gruelling week at the Presidents Cup.

The South Korean finished as the International team's leading points scorer at Medinah, collecting four points from five matches as Geoff Ogilvy's side ultimately suffered a 17-13 defeat to the United States.

Kim's final contribution at the Presidents Cup came in Sunday's singles, where he defeated Wyndham Clark 3&2. 

However, there was little time to reflect on his impressive week in Chicago, with the 24-year-old immediately turning his attention towards Japan and an Asian Games campaign carrying significant personal importance.

Just 48 hours after beating Clark, Kim was back on the golf course at Kasugai Country Club East Course.

And despite the demanding schedule and long journey, he produced a respectable opening round of 67 to sit tied seventh after 18 holes.

Kim's five birdies were offset by two bogeys, leaving him two shots behind the opening-round leaders, Japan's Kazuki Higa and Chinese Taipei's Wang Wei-hsuan, who both opened with five-under 65s.

The South Korean was also competing alongside Japan's Keita Nakajima and Hong Kong's Taichi Kho, who carded rounds of 68 and 69 respectively.

Keep up to speed with scores here

Kim battling fatigue after Presidents Cup

The quality of Kim's opening round is arguably made more impressive by the circumstances surrounding his arrival in Japan.

After completing his Presidents Cup commitments in Illinois on Sunday, Kim travelled across the world and was dealing with a significant time-zone change before teeing it up at Kasugai.

The lack of preparation and recovery time was reflected in his own comments after the round.

Kim revealed he had managed just six hours of sleep during the previous 48 hours, while admitting that the effects of the previous week's workload began to catch up with him on the back nine.

"I've had six hours of sleep in the last 48 so I'm hanging in there," Kim said.

He added that he began to feel the effects of playing all five sessions at the Presidents Cup as his opening round progressed.

"It's just a lot of golf," Kim said, with the immediate priority now being to get some proper rest before the second round.

Gold medal carries huge significance for Kim

While Kim is one of the biggest names in the Asian Games golf field, his involvement is about considerably more than simply adding another title to his CV.

A gold medal in either the individual or team competition would allow Kim to avoid South Korea's mandatory military service, giving him the opportunity to continue his PGA Tour career without the interruption of an extended period away from professional golf.

Kim is therefore competing with considerably more at stake than most of the field.

South Korea also made an encouraging start in the team competition.

The team score is calculated using the two lowest individual scores from each round, with Kim's 67 and Mun Do-yeob's 66 combining to give South Korea a 7-under total. 

That leaves them tied for second alongside China, two shots behind hosts Japan.

Mun produced the best round of the three South Korean players, firing a bogey-free 66 to sit tied third individually, while Kim Seong-hyeon posted a 2-under 68 to share ninth.

Kim still has work to do

The opening round leaves Kim within touching distance of the leaders, but there are still 54 holes remaining.

A two-shot deficit is hardly insurmountable, particularly given the quality of the field and the fact that Kim has arrived in Japan in excellent form.

His Presidents Cup performance continued a strong run of form, and he now has three more rounds to turn a promising start into a gold-medal challenge.

After travelling from Chicago to Japan and immediately producing a 3-under 67, Kim has given himself a platform to contend.

The bigger question is whether he can maintain that level over the next three days, with both an Asian Games gold medal and his future availability on the PGA Tour potentially riding on the outcome.