[Masters] Im Sung-jae 'Tied 2nd, 4 Strokes Behind'... Johnson "Leading the Pack"

Day 3 4-Under-Par Surge, Ram Tied 7th, McIlroy Tied 10th, Woods Tied 20th

Im Sung-jae is making a hybrid shot on the 15th hole on the third day of the Masters. Augusta (Georgia, USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a Masters victory battle for Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics).

On the 15th (Korean time), at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA (par 72, 7,475 yards), Im shot 4 under par on the third day of the 'Masters' and climbed to a tie for 2nd place (12 under par, 204 strokes). Abraham Ancer (Mexico) and Cameron Smith (Australia) also joined this group. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA) surged with 7 under par to dominate the top of the leaderboard (16 under par, 200 strokes).

Im Sung-jae started from a tie for 5th place, one stroke behind, and collected 5 birdies (1 bogey). He gained momentum with consecutive birdies on holes 2 and 3, added birdies on holes 11 and 15, and although he made his only bogey on hole 17, he showed resilience by making a birdie on the final 18th hole (all par 4s). Last year, he demonstrated outstanding skills and was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, and in March, he won his first career title at the Honda Classic.

Dustin Johnson (right) hands his putter to his caddie after finishing the third day of the Masters with a 4-stroke lead. Augusta, Georgia, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

He is 4 strokes behind the leader and is causing a stir in his first Masters appearance. The best result by a Korean player is 3rd place by 'Tank' Choi Kyung-ju (50, SK Telecom) in 2004. Johnson played a perfect round with no bogeys, recording 1 eagle and 5 birdies. His ability to reduce 4 strokes in the first 4 holes, including an eagle on hole 2 (par 5) and consecutive birdies on holes 3 and 4, stood out. This is his second major win in 4 years since his 2016 US Open victory and his 24th career win.

Justin Thomas (USA), who was co-leader the previous day, fell back to 6th place (10 under par, 206 strokes) with a 1 under par round. 'Number 2' Jon Rahm (Spain) and 2018 champion Patrick Reed (USA) are tied for 7th place (9 under par, 207 strokes). Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who is challenging for the 'Career Grand Slam,' reduced 5 strokes but remains tied for 10th place (8 under par, 208 strokes), 8 strokes behind, making the record achievement unlikely. Brooks Koepka (USA) is in this group.

Defending champion Tiger Woods (USA) exchanged 2 birdies and 2 bogeys, failing to reduce his score. He is tied for 20th place (5 under par, 211 strokes). After bogeys on holes 8 and 11, he found consolation with birdies on holes 12 and 15. 'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau (USA) is tied for 29th place (3 under par, 213 strokes). For Korea, Kim Si-woo (25) is tied for 36th place (2 under par, 214 strokes), and Kang Sung-hoon (33, both CJ Logistics) is tied for 44th place (1 under par, 215 strokes).

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