Sungjae Im, Raise Your FedEx Cup Ranking

Targeting a Niche Market at the 3M Open
Preparing for the FedEx Cup Playoffs Final as 29th in the Rankings
Fourth Highest-Ranked Player After McNealy, Burns, and Gotterup

World No. 28 Sungjae Im is targeting a 'niche market' opportunity.

On July 24 (local time), he will compete in the 3M Open (total prize money: $8.4 million) on the PGA Tour, held at TPC Twin Cities (par 71) in Blaine, Minnesota, USA. Only two regular season events remain on the PGA Tour: the 3M Open and the following Wyndham Championship. To qualify for the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, players must accumulate ranking points.

Sungjae Im aims for victory at the 3M Open. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Sungjae Im is currently ranked 29th in the FedEx Cup standings. Although this is the best result among Korean players, he cannot be certain of qualifying for the final playoff event, the Tour Championship. He needs to raise his FedEx Cup ranking as much as possible in the remaining two regular season tournaments. Among Korean players, Kim Siwoo is ranked 43rd, An Byeonghun is 67th, and Kim Joo-hyung is 89th in the FedEx Cup standings.

The entry list presents an opportunity. Not a single player ranked in the top 10 of the world rankings or the FedEx Cup standings is competing. After finishing the last major tournament, The Open, last week, Sungjae Im flew straight to Minnesota in the north-central United States.

Based on FedEx Cup rankings, Sungjae Im is the fourth highest-ranked player in the field. Only Maverick McNealy (11th), Sam Burns (22nd), and Chris Gotterup (23rd), all from the United States, are ranked higher than him. In the world rankings, Sungjae Im is also fifth among the field, following these three players and Wyndham Clark (USA). This year, without a win, Sungjae Im has finished in the top 10 three times in 24 tournaments. His best individual result was third place at The Sentry in January. With many top players absent, this tournament presents a prime opportunity for his first win of the season.