Sungjae Im "Even-Par Warm-Up on Day One"...Wallace Leads at 6 Under Par

RSM Classic Round 1 Tied 64th, Kang Sung-hoon, Lee Kyung-hoon, and Choi Kyung-joo Tied 76th at 1 Over Par

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Even-par warm-up."

Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics, photo) stood tied for 64th place on the first day of the PGA Tour RSM Classic (total prize money $6.6 million), which opened on the 20th (Korean time) at the Sea Island Resort Plantation Course (par 72, 7,060 yards) in Georgia, USA. He recorded 3 birdies, 1 bogey, and 1 double bogey. It was unfortunate that a double bogey occurred due to a tee shot mistake on the first hole, the 10th hole (par 4). He made up for it with birdies on the 15th and 18th holes. In the back nine, he exchanged a bogey on the 3rd hole (par 3) for a birdie on the 6th hole (par 4).

Im Sung-jae made his first appearance at the Masters, which ended on the 16th, and finished as runner-up. Riding that momentum, he is aiming for his first win of the 2020/2021 season. "My short game had been lacking recently, but I gained confidence," he said, raising expectations by adding, "I think the good flow will continue." Although he unleashed a maximum drive of 313 yards that day, he struggled as his iron shot green hit rate dropped to 66.67%. The second round, continuing on the Seaside Course (par 70, 7,005 yards), has become even more important.

The tournament format alternates between the Seaside Course and the Plantation Course for the 1st and 2nd rounds, then holds the 3rd and 4th rounds again on the Seaside Course. Matt Wallace (England) and Camilo Villegas (Colombia) lead jointly at 6 under par, with eight players including Rory Sabbatini (Slovakia) chasing at one stroke behind, tied for 3rd place at 5 under par. South Korea’s Kang Sung-hoon (33), Lee Kyung-hoon (29, both CJ Logistics), and Choi Kyung-ju (50, SK Telecom) are all tied for 76th place at 1 over par.

Defending champion Tyler Duncan (USA) is tied for 132nd place at 4 over par, making title defense challenging. World No. 6 Webb Simpson (USA) is tied for 31st place at 2 under par, dreaming of revenge after last year’s playoff loss. Stewart Cink (USA), who won the Safeway Open last September and reached the milestone of '600 tournament appearances,' has fallen to tied 132nd place and is in danger of missing the cut. The CJ Cup champion Jason Kokrak (USA) also struggled, tied for 144th place at 5 over par.

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