Bae Sang-moon set for pro golf return following military service

South Korean golfer Bae Sang-moon

Bae Sang-moon will make his long-awaited return to golf at next month's Shinhan Donghae Open on the Asian Tour, after completing his mandatory service in the South Korean military.

The 31-year-old has not played a professional event since October 2015, when he represented the international team at the Presidents Cup.

A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, Bae was then required to join the military, after failing in a bid to delay his conscription.

Ahead of his competitive comeback, he was quoted by the Asian Tour's official website as saying: "I've had such great memories serving in the military, and I feel that I've grown a lot stronger.

"I did a lot of weightlifting and running to improve my conditioning, and I am not concerned about my fitness level at all.

"Even though I didn't get to play much, I grew to love golf even more."

Bae's back! Fitter and stronger after military service. All ready to add star power #ShinhanDonghaeOpen https://t.co/nrlFBQQvDN pic.twitter.com/Y3HbbvHlYV

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) August 16, 2017

Following his last PGA Tour appearance in the 2015 Tour Championship, Bae was 85th in the Official Golf World Rankings, having previously climbed as high as 26th.

However, his lack of action has resulted in a slump to 1,639th.