▲ Sungjae Im
Sungjae Im jumped to a tie for fourth place in the second round of the BMW Championship (total purse $20 million), the second event of the PGA Tour Playoffs, keeping alive his hopes of reaching the playoff finale for the eighth consecutive year.
Im shot a 6-under 64 with seven birdies and one bogey in the second round held at Bellerive Country Club (par 70) in St. Louis, Missouri, on the 22nd (KST).
Starting the day in a tie for 12th after shaving three strokes the previous day, Im recorded a total of 9-under 131, tying for fourth place alongside Chris Gotterup of the United States.
Trailing solo leader Wyndham Clark of the U.S. (12-under 128), who cut six strokes on this day, by three strokes, Im closed within two strokes of second-place Gary Woodland of the U.S. (11-under 129) and one stroke of third-place J.J. Spaun of the U.S. (10-under 130).
This tournament features the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings, and following the event, the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup rankings will secure berths in the playoff finale, the Tour Championship (total purse $40 million).
If Im maintains a tie for fourth place, his FedEx ranking could leap by 12 spots, enabling him to advance to the playoff finale for the eighth straight year.
Im carded a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4) by placing his second shot right next to the hole, succeeded on a 2.3-meter birdie putt on the 3rd hole (par 3), and secured consecutive birdies on holes 7 and 8 to shave four strokes on the front nine alone.
Im sank a challenging 4.3-meter birdie putt on the 11th hole (par 4) and grabbed another birdie on the 13th hole (par 3) to surge into a tie for second.
Im committed his first bogey on the 14th hole (par 4) when his par putt narrowly missed the hole, but bounced back from the crisis by successfully sinking a 7.7-meter long-range birdie putt on the 15th hole (par 4).
Saving the remaining holes from 16 to 18 with pars, Im finished the second round in a tie for fourth place and kept his championship hopes alive.
Kim Si-woo, who has already secured his spot in the playoff finale as No. 4 in the FedEx Cup rankings, recorded a 1-under 69 with five birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey, placing him in a tie for 34th at 1-under 139 overall.
Kim Joo-hyung, ranked 26th in the FedEx Cup standings, managed to cut just one stroke after grabbing five birdies against four bogeys, remaining at 1-over 141 in a tie for 43rd.
At his current ranking, Kim Joo-hyung could drop to 29th in the FedEx Cup standings, leaving him in need of a strong performance in the remaining rounds.
World No. 1 and FedEx St. Jude Championship winner Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. cut five strokes to climb to a tie for 25th at 3-under 137 overall.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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