'2 Consecutive Wins March' Im Sung-jae "This Time on Sponsor's Stage"... What About 'Number 2' Johnson?

Schwinners Aim for 2nd Consecutive Win at The CJ Cup, Big Stars Johnson and Morikawa Join, Korean Tour Members Including Kim Juhyung Also Compete

'Shriners Champ' Im Sung-jae's sponsor stage The CJ Cup challenges for '2 consecutive weeks of victory'.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘Shriners Champ’ Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) is now aiming for a ‘2 consecutive wins march’ on his sponsor’s stage.

The CJ Cup (total prize money $9.75 million), opening on the night of the 14th (Korean time) at The Summit Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (par 72, 7,431 yards), is the only PGA Tour event held in Korea. Established in 2017 and originally held at Nine Bridges in Jeju, it moved to the U.S. last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, big stars such as world No. 2 Dustin Johnson, No. 3 Collin Morikawa, and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele (all from the U.S.) are all participating, heating up the atmosphere even more.

Im Sung-jae achieved a commanding 4-stroke victory (24-under 260) at the 3rd event of the 2021/2022 season, the Shriners Children’s Open, which ended on the 11th. It is noteworthy that during the process of hitting a maximum 354-yard ‘long drive’ and shooting 9-under on the final day, he missed the green only once, demonstrating ‘precise shots.’ The PGA Tour also ranked him as the ‘6th favorite to win.’ He expressed confidence, saying, "My shot feel is good," and "I will keep the momentum going."

World No. 2 Dustin Johnson is aiming for his first win of the 2021/2022 season at the CJ Cup.

Johnson and Morikawa are the main rivals to watch. Johnson won the Masters in November last year, which counted toward the 2021 season, but has not won since, causing some frustration; this is his first start of the new season. Last month, he showcased exceptional power by going 5-0 in the Ryder Cup, the intercontinental golf competition between the U.S. and Europe. Morikawa secured two wins in major matches, including the World Golf Championships (WGC) Workday Championship in February and The Open in July.

Defending champion Jason Kokrak is aiming to defend his title, and past champions such as Justin Thomas (2017 and 2019) and Brooks Koepka (both from the U.S., 2018) have joined the competition for the crown. Thomas won The Players Championship, known as the ‘5th major,’ in March, and Koepka claimed the Phoenix Open in February. It is interesting that Koepka is considered the ‘early bird,’ being the first among world stars to compete at the Shriners and fine-tune his winning shot feel.

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Sergio Garcia (Spain), and Viktor Hovland (Norway), all members of the European Ryder Cup team, are formidable contenders. Korea is supported by the ‘CJ squad’ including Kim Si-woo (26), Lee Kyung-hoon (30), Kang Sung-hoon (34), and An Byeong-hun (30). Domestic fans are eagerly anticipating the performance of their homegrown players. KPGA Championship winner Seo Yo-seop (25, DB Insurance) and Genesis Championship winner Lee Jae-kyung (22), along with Kim Joo-hyung (19, CJ Logistics), Kim Han-byeol (25), and Shin Sang-hoon (23), who qualified based on the points ranking, will also participate.