Ram's Declaration of Candidacy "'Number 1' with Pride~"... What About Im Sung-jae?

WGC Series FedEx St. Jude: Back-to-Back Wins Attempt, McIlroy and Top 8 Compete, Korea's Kang Sung-hoon and An Byeong-hoon Join

'Number 1' Jon Rahm challenges back-to-back victories at the WGC Series FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] The world No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) is set to compete.

On the night of the 30th (Korean time), the World Golf Championships (WGC) FedEx St. Jude Invitational (total prize money $10.5 million) will open at Southwind Golf Club (par 70, 7,244 yards) in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. This tournament is famous as the "money feast" of the WGC series. The winner's prize money reaches a whopping $1,785,000 (2.14 billion KRW). Only 78 players participate. There is no cut-off. Only Adam Scott (Australia), ranked 9th in the world top 10, is absent.

Among the "top 50," 45 players have entered. However, the absence of the "resurrected golf emperor" Tiger Woods (USA) is regrettable. He has won this tournament eight times and swept 18 victories in the WGC series. He skipped this tournament to prepare for the major PGA Championship (total prize money $11 million) held on the 6th of next month. Rahm is making his first appearance since becoming No. 1. On the 20th, he secured his first win of the 2020 season and his fourth career victory at the Memorial Tournament.

Above all, he made big news by becoming the first Spanish player in 31 years since Seve Ballesteros in 1989 to reach world No. 1. His powerful long drives averaging 304.1 yards (35th) and precise iron shots with a green hit rate of 70.91% (17th) are his driving forces. He ranks 6th in average score (69.399) and 7th in prize money ranking ($3,685,112). However, he has yet to collect a WGC series winner's trophy. His best results are one 2nd place and two tied 3rd places.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is set to reclaim the 'Number 1' spot at the WGC Series FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

He did not participate in last week's 3M Open and prepared for this tournament. He is determined to "lay the foundation for a long reign as world No. 1 with back-to-back wins." He will play alongside "Hulk" Bryson DeChambeau and "golf idol" Rickie Fowler (both USA) in the first round. For world No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), this is a battle to reclaim the No. 1 ranking. Although the PGA Tour resumed after being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he has not been able to regain his strength.

Since winning the HSBC Champions in October last year, he is aiming for his fourth WGC series victory and his second title at this tournament in six years since 2014. Last year, he finished tied for 4th. He is grouped with Webb Simpson and Jordan Spieth (both USA). Defending champion Brooks Koepka (USA) is aiming for back-to-back wins. However, he has not fully recovered his form since knee surgery last year, which is a variable. He will tee off with Patrick Reed (USA) and "super rookie" Viktor Hovland (Norway).

2018 champion Justin Thomas and 2016 champion and "WGC slammer" Dustin Johnson (both USA) are strong contenders for the title. Webb Simpson, last year's runner-up, and Bryson DeChambeau, who has transformed into a long hitter, are also dark horses. The Korean contingent is led by "Honda Classic champion" Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics). However, his recent five consecutive poor performances since tied 10th at the Charles Schwab Challenge in June are a concern. Kang Sung-hoon (33) and An Byeong-hun (29, both CJ Logistics) have joined the field.

Sungjae Im leads the "Korean Corps" at the WGC Series FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

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