Tied for 17th in Tour Championship First Round
Scheffler in Second Place by Two Strokes, MacIntyre Tied for Third
McIlroy Tied for Eighth, Rose Tied for 21st
Sungjae Im started off with a score of 2-under-par 68.
On August 21 (local time), at East Lake Golf Club (par 70, 7,440 yards) in Atlanta, Georgia, during the first round of the Tour Championship-the final event of the PGA Tour Playoffs (total prize money: $40 million)-Im carded five birdies and three bogeys to finish at 2-under. He is tied for 17th place. Russell Henley (USA) surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 9-under-par 61.
Sungjae Im is reading the green on the 14th hole of the first round of the Tour Championship. Atlanta=AFP·Yonhap News
Im had a shaky start with bogeys on holes 1 and 5. He shifted the momentum with his first birdie on the 6th hole (par 5), then picked up additional birdies on holes 9 and 12. After a second bogey on the 14th hole (par 4), he finished the round with back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 18. Although he trails the leader by seven strokes, with three days remaining, a comeback is still within reach. He recorded a fairway accuracy rate of 85.71% and a greens-in-regulation rate of 72.22%. However, he struggled on the greens.
Since 2019, Im has competed in the Tour Championship, the top stage, for seven consecutive seasons. In 2022, he finished tied for second, earning recognition as a world-class player, and last year, he performed well again, finishing seventh in this event.
World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler (USA) made seven birdies and is in second place at 7-under-par 63, two strokes behind the leader. Five players-Robert MacIntyre (Scotland), Tommy Fleetwood (England), Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Patrick Cantlay (all USA)-are tied for third at 6-under-par 64 and are in pursuit.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is tied for eighth at 4-under-par 66, while Justin Rose (England) is tied for 21st at 1-under-par 69. The Tour Championship is a stage where the top 30 players who have survived until the end compete against each other. Starting this year, the bonus stroke system based on FedEx Cup rankings has been abolished, making all 30 players contenders for the title.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
