Sungjae Im Tied for 2nd in PGA Tour Playoff Opener 3rd Round, Two Strokes Behind Leader Scheffler

South Korean golfer Im Sung-jae has narrowed the gap with leader Scottie Scheffler of the United States to two strokes after the third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the opening playoff event of the 2026 PGA Tour season with a total purse of $20 million.

Playing at TPC Southwind (par 70) in Memphis, Tennessee, on Sunday (KST), Im shot 3-under 67 with five birdies and two bogeys.

With a three-round total of 11-under 199, Im tied for second place alongside Sam Burns of the United States.

Tournament leader Scheffler carded a 2-under 68 on the day, bringing his total to 13-under 197.

Im will look to capture a come-from-behind victory in the final round scheduled for Monday (KST).

By opening a three-stroke cushion over the group tied for fourth and a five-stroke lead over the group tied for 10th, Im also boosted his chances of advancing to the second playoff event, the BMW Championship.

The PGA Tour playoff opener features the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings, with the field narrowing to the top 50 for the second event and the top 30 earning berths in the season-ending Tour Championship.

If Im finishes the tournament in second place, he is projected to climb from 53rd to 35th in the FedEx Cup rankings.

Im picked up his first birdie on the par-4 1st hole, but stumbled on the par-5 3rd when his tee shot drifted right and his second shot found the water, resulting in a penalty stroke and a bogey.

However, Im did not lose his focus.

He sank a 4.6-meter birdie putt on the par-4 6th hole and picked up another stroke on the par-4 9th by landing his second shot 1.8 meters from the pin.

On the back nine, he dropped a shot with a bogey on the par-3 11th, but immediately bounced back with a birdie on the par-4 12th and added another on the par-5 16th to maintain his position.

Kim Si-woo, who was tied for 27th after the second round, carded a 5-under 65 with seven birdies and two bogeys, surging into a tie for sixth place at 7-under 203 overall.

Kim Joo-hyung also displayed a strong upward trajectory.

He shot a 7-under 63 featuring nine birdies and two bogeys, leaping from a tie for 45th into a tie for 10th place at 6-under 204 overall.

Kim Joo-hyung got off to a blistering start in the early holes, stringing together six consecutive birdies from the par-4 2nd hole to the par-4 7th.

He raised hopes for a "magic 59" after going 8-under through 15 holes, though he fell just short by dropping a stroke over the final three holes.

Jake Knapp of the United States and Tommy Fleetwood of England tied for fourth at 8-under 202, while Alex Noren of Sweden, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, and Brian Harman of the United States joined Kim Si-woo in a tie for sixth at 6-under 204.

Viktor Hovland of Norway, who shared second place with Im through the second round, slipped to a tie for 10th after shooting 2-over on the day.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.