South Korean golfer Bae Sang-moon will begin his mandatory military service next week, a source close to the PGA Tour player said Tuesday.
Bae will report for basic training next Tuesday at a camp in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul, according to the source.
Earlier this year, the 29-year-old lost a legal battle against the local military manpower agency over extension of his overseas travel permit. The two-time PGA Tour winner sought to extend his visa, which expired at the end of last year, so that he could continue playing in the United States.
Though Bae has a green card, the South Korean government rejected his request for extension, on the grounds that he'd spent too much time in South Korea in recent years to be considered a foreign resident.
Bae returned home in October to compete at the Presidents Cup in Incheon, west of Seoul. He'd announced earlier that he would enter the military after the competition.
Bae will be able to return to the PGA Tour in late 2017. (Yonhap)