Korean golfers look to end Tour on a high note at Wyndham Championship

Golf

Published: 03 Aug. 2022, 16:52

Korean golfers look to end Tour on a high note at Wyndham Championship

Im Sung-jae follows through on his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the 3M Open golf tournament at the Tournament Players Club in Blaine, Minnesota on July 24. [AP/YONHAP]

The final regular season event of the 2021-22 PGA Tour, the Wyndham Championship, lands at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina on Thursday with six Koreans — Im Sung-jae, Kang Sung-hoon, Kim Joo–hyung, Lee Kyoung-hoon and Kim Si-woo — looking to end the season with a bang.

Golfers will be looking to do their best at the final regular season event, especially because the final 125 golfers eligible to play the FedEx Cup Playoffs will be determined after the 72 holes are played from Thursday to Sunday.

Only the top 125 golfers will be given the chance to play the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first FedEx Cup playoff starting next week.

After the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the BMW Championship will see the field reduced to the top 70. Then the season finale, the TOUR Championship in Atlanta, will be exclusive to the top 30 golfers.

Kim Si-woo plays his shot from the ninth tee during the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club on July 30 in Detroit, Michigan. [AFP/YONHAP]

The Wyndham Championship is especially special for Kim Si-woo, who won his very first PGA Tour title at the event in 2016, five strokes over Luke Donald of England, to become the youngest winner. He also set the course record of 60 in the second round.

Even though Kim Si-woo was unable to repeat that result, he has come close in the last three seasons, finishing solo fifth in 2019, tied for third in 2020 and last year narrowly missing out on the title after a playoff against five other players. In 20 rounds he’s posted 65 or better eight times.

This year, Kim Si-woo has not been able to win any PGA titles. His strong performance at the event may allow him to win his first title of the season at the very last minute.

The top Korean golfer going into the Wyndham Championship is Im, who is No. 15 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility points list.

Im aims to solidify his current 15th position that he achieved with one win and six top 10 finishes this season.

No Asian golfer has ever won the crowning event of the PGA Tour, the Tour Championship. But Im hopes to be able to give it a fourth try this year after finishing 19th in 2019, 11th in 2020 and tying for 20th last year.

Im started out the 2021-22 season confident, winning his second event of the season, the Shriners Children’s Open last October.

Despite finding a total of seven top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the 3M Open in July, Im has not been able to show off his prowess as much in the majors this season.

Despite one top-10 finish at the Masters Tournament where he finished tied for eighth, Im missed the cut at the U.S. Open, tied for 81st at the Open Championship and was forced to skip the PGA Championship after testing positive for Covid-19.

“I have won once, and made a few top 10s, which sums up a great season,” said Im. “I think my last four years on TOUR have gone very well. It was a shame though I was not able to make more great performances in the majors but I had a top-10 in the Masters so I'm happy with where I am at this moment.

“For now, I need to focus on two of the playoff events before the TOUR Championship. I think I will be able to aim for something if I can get into the top 10 before the final week. I'm aiming to do that.”

Im Sung-jae lines up a putt on the 12th green during the third round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 23 in Blaine, Minnesota. [AFP/YONHAP]

After the three FedEx Cup tournaments, Im is also virtually guaranteed to play the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina from Sept. 20 to Sept. 25 as he is currently third on the international team standings.

Im will play as part of the International Team that will face the U.S. Team. The 2022 Presidents Cup International Team qualification period runs from the 2021 Open Championship through the 2022 BMW Championship. The Team will comprise the top eight players from the Presidents Cup International Team Points List. The current top eight players are Cameron Smith, Hideki Matsuyama, Im, Joaquin Niemann, Corey Conners, Adam Scott, Mito Pereira and Lee.

Im debuted on the Presidents Cup in 2019 when he was able to contribute 3.5 points, including a four & three win over Gary Woodlands in the singles despite being his first time playing the event.

“When I first got into the team, I was very nervous but in the end, I enjoyed a decent performance and I was very happy. I was able to provide something to our team,” Im said about his past performance at the Presidents Cup.

“For the Presidents Cup, teamwork is essential. I hope we can win over the U.S. The players from our team are doing great these days and I think we can create some great moments. I want to be part of it and help in every way possible.”

K.J. Choi hits off the 10th tee during the second round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament on July 1, 2022, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. [AP/YONHAP]

This year's Presidents Cup will be ever more special as Korean golf legend K. J. Choi has been appointed as one of four assistant captains, joining the leadership of the International Team for the third time.

At the Wyndham Championships on Thursday, Im will tee off at 7:56 a.m. alongside J.T. Poston and Will Zalatoris of the United States.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]