American Express Day One Tied 14th, Fowler Tied 3rd One Stroke Behind, Kim Siwoo Withdraws After Struggling with 15 Over Par
Im Sungjae is making an iron shot on the first day of the American Express. La Quinta, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits
[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] 'Rookie of the Year' Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics) is off to a strong start.
On the 17th (Korean time), at the opening day of the American Express (total prize money $6.7 million) held at La Quinta Golf Club (par 72, 7,060 yards) in La Quinta, California, USA, he posted 5-under par to settle in a tie for 14th place. Jack Blair and Grayson Murray are tied for the lead. Blair shot 8-under on the La Quinta course, and Murray also shot 8-under on the Stadium Course (par 72, 7,113 yards). This tournament rotates through three different courses including the Tournament Course (par 72, 7,159 yards), and the final day’s competition for the championship is held again on the Stadium Course.
It is interesting that Im Sung-jae is ranked as the 'No. 1 favorite to win' by the PGA Tour. Last year, he demonstrated consistency by entering the 'Top 10' seven times, powered by strong stamina playing as many as 35 tournaments, and in the 2020 season, he is gradually approaching the winning circle with a runner-up finish at the Sanderson Farms in September and a tie for third at the Zozo Championship in October. On this day, he opened his scoring with a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 3), accelerated with consecutive birdies on the 5th and 6th holes, and sealed the round with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes.
Locally, the big news is the winning charge of Ricky Fowler (USA), ranked 22nd in the world. He surged to 7-under par at La Quinta to secure a tie for 3rd place, just one stroke behind the leaders. Korea’s Lee Kyoung-hoon (29, CJ Logistics) posted 4-under par on the relatively challenging Stadium Course to tie for 37th place. Korean fans are pleased with the strong performance of Noh Seung-yul (29). After completing his military service, he made a successful return after 2 years and 3 months, landing at a tie for 49th place with 3-under par.
An Byeong-hun (29) remained tied for 74th place at 2-under par. He created excitement by posting 5-under par over the first 9 holes, including four consecutive birdies from holes 10 to 13 and a birdie on the 15th hole (par 4), but his momentum was halted by a quadruple bogey on the 6th hole (par 4) in the back nine. It was unfortunate that his tee shots missed twice. Kim Si-woo (25) struggled badly with 15-over par on the Tournament Course and withdrew after falling to last place. He recorded only one birdie, one bogey, one double bogey, three triple bogeys, and one quadruple bogey.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
