Sungjae Im Tied 4th "Top 5 in Sight"... Sync Leads for Third Day

RBC Heritage Day 3: 2 Under Par, Morikawa Chasing from 2nd Place 5 Shots Behind, Grillo in 3rd

Im Sung-jae is taking a shot on the 16th hole on the third day of the RBC Heritage. Hilton Head (South Carolina, USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) is tied for 4th place.

On the 18th (Korean time), at the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA (par 71, 7,121 yards), Im shot 2-under par on the third day of the PGA Tour RBC Heritage (total prize money $7.1 million), bringing his 3-round total to 11-under par 202. The 48-year-old veteran Stewart Cink (USA) maintained the lead for the third day (18-under par 195), while world No. 4 Collin Morikawa (USA) is in a tough chase in 2nd place, 5 strokes behind (13-under par 200).

Im recorded 5 birdies and 3 bogeys. He opened the scoring early with a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 5), but his iron shots faltered, leading to a back-and-forth battle of birdies and bogeys. He bogeyed the 6th hole (par 4), made consecutive birdies on the 9th and 10th holes, then bogeys again on the 11th and 14th holes. Fortunately, he finished strong with consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, securing a spot for the final 4th round. He relied on an average of 1.50 putts per hole, showing very precise putting. He is 7 strokes behind the leader, comfortably within the top 5.

Stewart Cink (left) is talking with his caddie at the 5th hole on the third day of the RBC Heritage. Hilton Head (South Carolina, USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

Cink is approaching his third victory at this tournament, 17 years after his wins in 2000 and 2004. The leading group includes Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) in 3rd place (12-under par 201), and defending champion Webb Simpson surged to a tie for 6th place (10-under par 203) with a daily best 7-under par. "Match King" Billy Horschel is tied for 10th (9-under par 204), while "Number 1" Dustin Johnson (both USA) is tied for 36th (5-under par 208).

“American Express Champion” Kim Si-woo (26) is tied for 42nd (4-under par 209). He was left disappointed as his birdie on the 3rd hole (par 4) was counted as par. This was because the ball stopped right next to the hole and went in after about a minute. According to golf rule 13.3a, a player may wait an additional 10 seconds along with the time it takes to walk to the hole. Lee Kyoung-hoon (30) is tied for 47th (3-under par 210), and Kang Sung-hoon (34, both CJ Logistics) is tied for 60th (1-under par 212).