[Golf Topic] Im Sung-jae's New Year Praise: "2 Wins, Entering Top 10 in World Rankings~"

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ○…Im Sung-jae (22, photo), the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, received praise from experts.

Paul Azinger, a commentator for NBC in the United States, predicted Im Sung-jae's performance in his article "5 Bold Predictions for the 2020 Season" published on Golf.com on the 4th (Korean time). He said, "Im Sung-jae will be ranked in the top 10 in the world before the year ends," and evaluated, "He can achieve good results including about two wins." Currently ranked 34th in the world, Im Sung-jae has yet to win on the PGA Tour. Last season, he participated in 35 tournaments and finished in the 'Top 10' seven times, earning the Rookie of the Year award.

The 2019/2020 season is also going smoothly. He has played in six tournaments, finishing in the 'Top 3' twice, including runner-up at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Azinger said, "People might think this is a reckless prediction because they don't know Im Sung-jae well," but added, "Judging by his performance last season and at the Presidents Cup, he is a player with outstanding talent." Azinger has 12 PGA Tour wins and was the champion of the 1993 major PGA Championship.

In addition to Im Sung-jae, Azinger made four more predictions for the new season. He predicted that Patrick Cantlay (USA) will finish the season as world number one. "I like Cantlay's play," he explained, "He has excellent emotional control and a good swing." He also forecasted Rory McIlroy's (Northern Ireland) Masters victory, Cameron Smith's (Australia) rise, and the 'resurrected golf emperor' Tiger Woods' (USA) 16th major win.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.