Im Sung-jae finishes 7th at PGA Tour playoff finale
Im Sung-jae plays a shot on the seventh hole during the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 1. AFP-Yonhap
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 was one of two 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. 26, Im, An and another 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. (Yonhap)