Refer Report
Sungjae Im (26, pictured) is writing a new history in Korean men’s golf. He will be the first Korean to participate in the Tour Championship, the final round of the PGA Tour playoffs, which begins on the 29th (local time). In an interview with Korean reporters, Sungjae Im said, “I’m happy to have achieved my biggest goal of the season, advancing to the Tour Championship,” and “I want to break Hideki Matsuyama’s (Japan) record of 9 consecutive years by participating in the tournament for 10 consecutive years or more.”
The Tour Championship, the final PGA Tour playoff, is a ‘battle of the stars’ where only the top 30 players with FedEx Cup points accumulated throughout the season can participate. As the stars with the best skills are all participating, the rewards are also extraordinary. It is a ‘battle of money’ with a total bonus of 100 million dollars (about 133.2 billion won), and the winner will receive 25 million dollars (about 33.2 billion won). Even if you finish last, 30th, you will earn a bonus of 550,000 dollars (about 730 million won). In addition to the huge bonus prize money, you will be eligible to participate in the four major tournaments and eight signature tournaments with a total prize money of 20 million dollars (about 26.6 billion won) next season. This is why Sungjae Im sets his goal of advancing to the ‘Tour Championship’ at the start of every season.
Sungjae Im has been participating in the Tour Championship for six consecutive years since his debut season on the PGA Tour in 2018-19. Having tied with K.J. Choi for five consecutive years last year, he has also earned a ticket to the Tour Championship this year, setting a new record for a Korean. Although he has not won this season, he has consistently maintained his position in the top ranks, recording seven top-10 finishes. Among active PGA Tour players, only Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau (both from the U.S., eight consecutive times) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland, seven consecutive times) have participated in more consecutive years than Sungjae Im.
At the beginning of this season, Im Sung-jae had a somewhat disappointing time. He started off well by tying for 5th place after setting a new PGA Tour 72-hole birdie record (34) at the opening tournament, The Sentry, in early January, but things started to go wrong after that. He missed the cut at the Masters, which he was more confident about than any other major, and his FedEx Cup ranking dropped to 52nd at one point. However, he started to improve by tying for 12th place at the following RBC Heritage. Although he missed the cut at the major tournaments, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, he maintained his top rank by tying for 4th place at his signature tournament, the Wells Fargo Championship, and tying for 7th place at the Open, the last major of the season.
Regarding the eventful season, Im Sung-jae said, “It wasn’t a good start, but it was a good finish, and ultimately, it was a satisfying season,” adding, “I tied for 7th place at the Open, but it’s a shame that I didn’t do well in the other major tournaments.”
Regarding the early season slump, Im Sung-jae said, “I was mentally and technically shaken a lot at the time, and it felt different from the past five years,” and “I thought I was going to have a slump, but the flow was not good, so I changed my swing and putt, and a good direction was created.” During that time, Im Sung-jae said he believed in himself and persevered. He said, “I had patience even when golf wasn’t going well,” and “My secret is to believe that things would turn out well and work hard.”
Sungjae Im enters the Tour Championship ranked 11th in the FedEx Cup rankings. Under the system where players start with strokes gained based on their ranking, Sungjae Im starts the first round at 3-under par. He is 7 strokes behind the leader, Scotty Scheffler (USA), who starts at 10-under par. Still, he expressed confidence, saying, “If I maintain a good feeling for 4 days and shoot low scores, anyone from 1st to 30th place has a chance.” In fact, Sungjae Im started the Tour Championship in 2002 with a 6-stroke disadvantage, but finished tied for 2nd place, 1 stroke behind winner McIlroy.
From the first day of the competition, Im Seong-jae plans to play aggressively. He said, “I have to focus from the first day as I’m starting off with a 10-point lead,” and “The first day will be the most important match as I need to reduce my score in the first round to be able to compete in the second to fourth rounds.”
Reporter Jo Soo-young delinews@hankyung.com
Source: Korean