Im Sungjae "Starting 2020 in Hawaii"... What About Thomas?

Sony Open PGA Tour Debut Victory Bid, 'Sentry Champ' Thomas Aims for 2nd Consecutive Win, Reed Seeks Redemption

'PGA Tour Rookie of the Year' Im Sung-jae will start the 2020 season at the Sony Open.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics), ranked 34th in the world, will start 2020 in Hawaii.

The Sony Open (total prize money $6.6 million), opening on the 10th (Korean time) at the Waialae Golf Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the first full-field PGA Tour event of the year. The Sentry Tournament, which ended on the 6th, was a 'champion of champions' event featuring only 34 winners from last year's tour. Matt Kuchar was defending his title, and 'Sentry Champ' Justin Thomas (USA) was aiming for his second consecutive win.

Im Sung-jae became the first Asian player to win Rookie of the Year last year. He entered the PGA Tour in 2018 as the Korn Ferry Tour (2nd tier) money leader and was the only rookie to advance to the Tour Championship, the final third round of the Playoffs, gaining momentum. His consistency was remarkable, finishing in the top 10 seven times in 35 tournaments. The playoff loss at the Sanderson Farms event, which counts toward the 2020 season in September, was somewhat disappointing. He consoled himself with a victory at the Korean Tour Genesis Championship in October.

The 'Returned Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) once again approached the winner's circle with a tie for 3rd place at the Zozo Championship, where he set the PGA Tour record for most wins (82 wins). He is currently 10th in the money rankings ($1,587,700). It is noteworthy that Im Sung-jae earned 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss at the Presidents Cup in December, representing the International team against the USA. After recharging his energy in Korea, he immediately headed to Hawaii to familiarize himself with the course.

Locally, the spotlight is on Thomas's 'back-to-back wins.' On the final day of the Sentry Tournament, he tied with Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele (both USA) and finally secured the winning birdie on the third playoff hole. This is his second win of the season and 12th career victory, just three months after The CJ Cup in October last year. He also set a remarkable record as the third golfer to achieve 12 or more wins before turning 27, following Woods (34 wins) and Jack Nicklaus (20 wins).

While world No. 1 Brooks Koepka (USA) and No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are resting, Thomas is gaining momentum. He currently leads both the money list ($3,507,000) and the FedEx Cup points standings (1,162 points). Moreover, Thomas has thrilling experience of back-to-back wins from 2017. At that year's Sony Open, he recorded a 'magical 59' on the first day and set a record for the lowest 72-hole score (27 under par, 253 strokes).

The PGA Tour also named Thomas as the top favorite to win. Patrick Reed (USA) is seeking revenge, and 2018 champion Patton Kizzire (USA) is aiming to reclaim the title after two years. Korea is represented by Kang Sung-hoon (33), who tuned his competitive shot skills while finishing tied for 25th at the Sentry Tournament last May as the AT&T Byron Nelson champion, which is encouraging. Lee Kyoung-hoon (29, also CJ Logistics) is looking for his opportunity.

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