Im Sung-jae finishes tied for 2nd, best Asian finisher at PGA Tour finale

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Im Sung-jae finishes tied for 2nd, best Asian finisher at PGA Tour finale

Im Sung-jae high-fives fans while walking to the sixth tee box during the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia. [GETTY IMAGES]

Im Sung-jae high-fives fans while walking to the sixth tee box during the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia. [GETTY IMAGES]

 
Im Sung-jae reached new heights at the Tour Championship on Sunday, as he finished tied for second and became the best Asian finisher at the PGA Tour finale.
 
On Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, Im began the week with a 4-under in the staggered-start tournament based on his tied-for-sixth position on the FedExCup ranking.
 
For the season-ending finale, Tour Championship contenders enter the tournament with scores already bolstered by their standings.
 
Im moved up to a tied sixth position on the first day Thursday with a 67 then moved to a tied fourth following a 5-under 65 in the second round.
 
On Friday, Im showed off a stunt of chipping in an eagle on the sixth hole and carding five birdies for a 12-under total, trailing the leader at the time Scottie Scheffler of the United States by seven strokes. The World No. 1 began the week at 10-under as the No. 1 seed and carded a 66 for 19-under.
 
Im Sung-jae uses an umbrella on the second green during the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia. [GETTY IMAGES]

Im Sung-jae uses an umbrella on the second green during the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia. [GETTY IMAGES]

 
Then on moving day, Im got to within three strokes of the lead despite dangerous weather conditions forcing the suspension of play. Storms and lightning struck East Lake Golf Club on Saturday, sending four spectators to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
 
Im's form did not waver despite the pause, rolling in a 9-foot birdie on the fifth to start his hot run, followed by a 12-foot eagle conversation on the par 5, sixth, which he also had eagled on Friday. He then knocked in putts of 12 feet and 6 feet over the next two holes before dropping his first bogey on the 14th hole after missing the fairway.
 
On Sunday, Im faced a seven-shot deficit entering the final 18 holes. In the first nine, Im carded four birdies and a lone bogey, and then got to within one shot of the lead, sinking a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-4 12th, tying for second place.
 
However, Im slipped on the par-4 14th, fluffing his third shot from the greenside rough. His third shot landed short of the green and his fourth shot landed on the green but far from the hole. He tried to mend his mistake with a bogey at best but missed his putt and ended up with a double bogey.
 
But Im kept his form, bouncing back with birdies on the 15th and 17th holes. Despite his powerful performance, Im parred the last hole, leaving him one shot shy of Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and having to settle for a tied second.
 
Mcllory became the first golfer to win three FedExCup trophies on Sunday, after having won the Tour's ultimate prize in 2016 and 2019.
 
Lee Kyoung-hoon tees off on the third hole during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Lee Kyoung-hoon tees off on the third hole during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday. [EPA/YONHAP]

 
Countryman Lee Kyoung-hoon, the only other Korean who made it into the top 30 of the FedExCup standings and into the Tour Championship, finished 27th in his debut at East Lake Golf Club.
 
Not only is Im the first Korean to compete at the Tour Championship four times in a row, he is now the top-ranked Korean at the event. No Korean golfer has won the FedExCup since it began in 2007, with K. J. Choi having come the closest with a fifth-place finish in the inaugural year, before Im. Im finished tied for 20th last year, 11th in 2020 and 19th in 2019 when he was also named Rookie of the Year.
 
"Honestly, my goal this week was to finish top five, and to be finishing this high up is very unexpected, but it was a great finish and I'm glad how everything came together," said Im on Sunday. "I'm very happy I was able to show consistency throughout, especially in the biggest tournament at the end of the FedExCup Playoffs."
 
However, Im did lament his error on the 14th that may have robbed him of winning the ultimate trophy.
 
"Definitely a mistake on my part," said Im. "First of all, I pushed a tee shot to the right, missed the fairway, and then I was able to get it close to the green but the approach shot didn't come out as I expected. I look back and it was a mistake, but it is what it is."
 
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy poses with the trophy after winning the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia. [USA TODAY/YONHAP]

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy poses with the trophy after winning the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia. [USA TODAY/YONHAP]

 
The winner of the FedEx Cup is 33-year-old McIlroy who now owns 22 PGA Tour titles with the victory on Sunday.  
 
"What a week, what a day," said Mcllroy.
 
"I didn't give myself much of a chance teeing off. Six behind, I thought it was going to be really tough to make it up. I got a little lucky with Scottie not playing his best golf today, and I took advantage of that with my good play. It means an awful lot. You know, to be the first to do anything in the game that you love so much, it's an incredibly proud moment. I believe in the game of golf, I believe in this Tour in particular, I believe in the players on this Tour. It's the greatest place in the world to play golf, bar none."

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