Sungjae Im "Chasing Victory Again in Hawaii"... Heo Inhoe's 'Surprise Entry'

Sony Open New Year First Win Bid, Smith 'Title Defense', English's 2nd Consecutive Victory Appearance, Korea's Kang Sung-hoon, Lee Kyoung-hoon, Kim Si-woo Join the Field

Sungjae Im will once again challenge for the victory at the Sony Open.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "I've got the hang of it."

Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) is once again challenging for a PGA Tour victory in Hawaii. The Sony Open (total prize money $6.6 million) opens on the night of the 14th (Korean time) at the Waialae Golf Club in Honolulu, Hawaii (par 70, 7,044 yards). This is the first full-field event of 2021. The Sentry Tournament, which ended on the 11th, was held as a 'champion of champions' event with only last year's champions participating. Cameron Smith (Australia) is defending his title.

For Im Sung-jae, finishing tied for 5th at the Sentry Tournament is encouraging as it means he has sufficiently tuned his competitive shot feel. He combined his 'solid strike power' with a maximum drive of 376 yards, a fairway hit rate, and an iron shot green hit rate all at 83.33%. Additionally, he added an average of 1.70 'stingy putts' per hole. It is rather unfortunate that he fell behind in the winning competition by shooting 4 under par on the final day. This is why the PGA Tour has named him the number one favorite to win this tournament.

Im Sung-jae joined the PGA Tour in 2019 and showed his fighting spirit by entering the top 10 seven times in 35 events, becoming the first Asian to win Rookie of the Year. In March last year, he finally secured his first victory at the Honda Classic, becoming the seventh Korean champion in history. Although he faltered mid-season due to the impact of COVID-19, he regained momentum with a 22nd place at the US Open in September and a runner-up finish at the postponed 'Fall Masters' in November.

At the Masters, he especially drew more spotlight by fiercely competing for the win on the final day in the champion group with world number one Dustin Johnson (USA). He was satisfied with his runner-up finish in his first appearance, setting a new milestone surpassing Choi Kyung-ju's 3rd place in 2004. It is interesting that Im Sung-jae has established a home in Sugarloaf TPC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, at the end of the year. He has built a solid base camp, and the actual effects are clearly showing.

Cameron Smith attempted to defend his title at the Sony Open.

Smith recalls the thrilling memory of winning last year after a playoff battle with Brendan Steele (USA). Harris English (USA), the 'Sentry Tournament champion,' is another player to watch. He secured his third career win in eight years with a playoff birdie on the first hole against Joaquin Niemann (Chile). Niemann is dreaming of revenge, and world number 5 Collin Morikawa and Webb Simpson (both USA) have joined the competition for the title.

The Korean contingent includes Kang Sung-hoon (34), Lee Kyoung-hoon (30), and Kim Si-woo (26, all CJ Logistics). Former champion Choi Kyung-ju (2008) and sponsor invitee Yang Yong-eun (49) are backing them up. A surprise for domestic fans is the 'unexpected appearance' of Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour member Heo In-hoi (34). He came to Hawaii for preseason training and earned a ticket by finishing tied for 2nd in the Monday qualifier. He expressed his intention to "keep looking for opportunities until the very end."