Sungjae Im Cruises "Tied 15th, 5 Shots Behind"... Siwoo Kim Tied 27th

Sanderson Farms Championship Day 2: Zalatoris, Watney, and Tigal? Share Lead, Defending Champ Garcia 'Cut Off'

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics·photo) is on a smooth sailing.

On the 2nd (Korean time) at Jackson Golf Club in Mississippi, USA (par 72, 7,461 yards), during the second day of the PGA Tour 2021/2022 season's second event, the Sanderson Farms Championship (total prize money $7 million), he added 3 under par to stand tied for 15th place (8 under par 136 strokes). The co-leaders at 13 under par 131 strokes are 'Rookie of the Year' Will Zalatoris, Nick Watney, and Sahith Theegala, while Cameron Young and Hayden Buckley (both from the USA) are tied for 4th place (12 under par 132 strokes).

Im Sung-jae started tied for 7th place, 3 strokes behind, and recorded 1 eagle, 3 birdies, and 2 bogeys. After a birdie on the 1st hole, he lost it with a bogey on the 2nd hole (both par 4), then made a birdie on the 5th hole (par 5) to reduce one stroke in the front nine. In the back nine, he showcased his long hitting power with an eagle on the 11th hole and a birdie on the 14th hole (both par 5). However, a putting mistake on the final 18th hole (par 4) resulted in a bogey, which was regrettable. He is 5 strokes behind the co-leaders, still in a position to hope for a comeback victory.

Will Zalatoris is hitting an iron shot on the 8th hole during the second day of the Sanderson Farms Championship. Jackson, USA=Getty Images/Multivitz

Zalatoris demonstrated a 'superhuman strength' by collecting 11 birdies without any bogeys. Although he has no wins yet, he is a 'young gun' who finished 2nd at the Masters last April. Korea's Kim Si-woo (26, CJ Logistics) took a breather with 1 under par, tied for 27th place (7 under par 137 strokes). Kang Sung-hoon (34, CJ Logistics) barely made it to the final round, tied for 55th place (5 under par 139 strokes). Defending champion Sergio Garcia (Spain), Lee Kyung-hoon (30), and Noh Seung-yul (31) were cut off.