Will Im Sungjae Make New History?

Playoff Final Tour Championship Entry
2022 Runner-up Holds Best Asian Player Record
Starting This Year FedEx Cup Ranking 11th, Hopes for Victory

Im Sung-jae is challenging a new history.

Im Sung-jae

From the 29th (local time), the final third round of the 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs (PO) Tour Championship, part of the PGA Tour, will kick off at East Lake Golf Club (par 71, 7,490 yards) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, lasting four days. The third round of the FedEx Cup PO is a fierce battleground where the top-performing players of the season gather. Only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup rankings can participate in the Tour Championship. It is a "bonus tournament" played without a cut-off.

There is an enormous prize money at stake. The total prize money for the Tour Championship is 100 million dollars (approximately 133.3 billion KRW). After the tournament ends, bonus prize money is awarded according to the rankings. The winner receives 25 million dollars (approximately 33.3 billion KRW), second place 12.5 million dollars, third place 7.5 million dollars, fourth place 6 million dollars, fifth place 5 million dollars, and even the last place, 30th, receives 550,000 dollars (approximately 700 million KRW).

Unlike the regular season, the Tour Championship gives an advantage to players with higher points. The higher the ranking, the more advantageous it is. The first place starts with a 10-under-par stroke advantage. From second to fifth place, there are bonuses ranging from 5 to 8 under par according to the ranking. Sixth to tenth place receive 4 under par, eleventh to fifteenth place 3 under par, sixteenth to twentieth place 2 under par, twenty-first to twenty-fifth place 1 under par, and twenty-sixth to thirtieth place even par is applied differentially.

Im Sung-jae cannot forget 2022. He broke the record for the highest FedEx Cup finish by an Asian player, previously held by "Tank" Choi Kyung-ju in 2007, by finishing tied for second place. This year, Im Sung-jae is ranked 11th in the FedEx Cup standings and starts with a 3-under-par bonus. He is determined to wash away the regret of finishing as runner-up in this tournament two years ago. Im Sung-jae will start the first round alongside Sahis Sigala (USA).