Im Sung-jae recorded a top-10 finish at the final PGA Tour playoff event with a strong final round in Atlanta.
Im finished seventh at the Tour Championship at 18-under 269, following a final round of 64 at East Lake Golf Club in the Georgian state capital on Sunday (local time).
Im had six birdies, one eagle and one bogey to end up 12 strokes behind the champion, Scottie Scheffler of the United States. Im’s 64 was tied for the second-lowest score of the final round, behind only Russell Henley’s 62.
This was Im’s eighth top-10 performance in 25 tournaments this season, and four of those have come over his last eight starts.
Im has now played in six consecutive Tour Championships, a record streak for a South Korean player. The 26-year-old said he was pleased with his performance on the revamped East Lake.
“I had a fun round today. The course has changed so much, but I was able to make quick adjustments over the past four days,” Im said. “I feel like I’ve wrapped up the season on a strong note. So I am hap
py about that.”
In this Getty Images photo, Im Sung-jae of South Korea plays a shot on the seventh hole during the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Sept. 1, 2024. (Yonhap)
Im was one of two South Koreans, alongside An Byeong-hun, to qualify for the Tour Championship, open only to the top 30 players in FedEx Cup points after two playoff events.
An tied for 21st place at eight-under. He shot a two-under 69 in the final round.
Under the “starting strokes” system unique to the Tour Championship, Im, who was 11th in the FedEx Cup standings before the Tour Championship, began the tournament at three-under. An, at 16th in FedEx Cup points, started at two-under.
Scheffler, FedEx Cup points leader, began the Tour Championship at 10-under.
The built-in deficit proved too much to overcome for Im, whose career-best showing at a Tour Championship remains a runner-up finish in 2022.
The PGA Tour will wrap up the season with eight “FedEx Cup Fall” tournaments. Starting Sept. 2
6, Im, An and another South Korean, Tom Kim, will compete at the Presidents Cup for the International Team, a squad made up of non-European, non-American players, up against the mighty United States.
The trio of South Koreans were among the top six automatic selections for the International Team, thanks to their world ranking positions. Captain Mike Weir is scheduled to announce his six additional picks Tuesday.
The U.S. has won 12 of the 14 Presidents Cups so far, with one loss and one tie. The lone International victory came in 1998 in Melbourne.
Led by Scheffler, world No. 1 with seven PGA Tour titles this year, the U.S. squad will once again be heavily favored, but Im said his International Team will not go down without a fight.
“We will carry high expectations of ourselves at the Presidents Cup,” Im said. “We will play hard and try to make it an entertaining competition.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency