Im Sungjae "European Version of War of Money Launch"... What About the Lead?

DP World Tour Championship Opening on the Afternoon of the 10th, European Tour 2020 Season Final, 'Raid to Dubai' Clash with Leader in First Place

Im Sung-jae challenges for his first European Tour victory at the DP World Tour Championship.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics) is set to enter the 'European version of the money war.'

The battleground is the European Tour DP World Tour Championship (total prize money $8 million), opening on the night of the 10th (Korean time) at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (par 72, 7,677 yards). This tournament is especially the final event of the 2020 season. The winner's prize is a whopping $3 million (32.5 billion KRW), and the 'Race to Dubai' bonus for first place, equivalent to the PGA Tour Playoffs (PO), is $500,000 (540 million KRW).

Im Sung-jae focused on the PGA Tour this year but has already secured 1,122.4 points in five tournaments co-sanctioned with the European Tour, including a runner-up finish at the Masters in November. He confidently ranks 15th in the points ranking. Currently, he trails first place Patrick Reed (USA, 2,427.7 points) by 1,305.3 points, and the 2,000 points awarded for a win could propel him to the top spot. Notably, he achieved his first PGA Tour victory at the Honda Classic last March.

This is a great opportunity for him to conquer the European Tour following his PGA Tour success. Since the new season began, he has gained confidence on the major stage with a 22nd place at the US Open in September and a tie for 2nd at the Masters. At the Masters, he notably competed fiercely for the lead in the final round alongside world number one Dustin Johnson (USA) in the champion group, drawing significant spotlight. Im Sung-jae also expressed his determination, saying, "I will do my best to finish strong."

Patrick Reed has started defending his No. 1 position in the European Tour's 'Race to Dubai' at the DP World Tour Championship.

Reed took over first place after winning the World Golf Championships (WGC) Mexico Championship in February. Tommy Fleetwood (England) is second (1,967.7 points), Colin Morikawa (USA), the first major PGA Championship winner in August, is third (1,881.7 points), Lee Westwood (England) is fourth (1,793.0 points), and Christian Bezuidenhout (South Africa), who has won twice in the past three weeks, is fifth (1,717.7 points). The 'top 5' are fiercely competing for the lead in the final stretch.

Experts favor the 'PGA contingent' including Reed and Morikawa. Bezuidenhout's rising form is formidable. He quickly secured two wins at the Alfred Dunhill Championship on the 30th of last month and the South African Open on the 6th of this month, showing strong momentum. Europe sees Tyrrell Hatton joining the winner's race. Since 2017, he has alternated between the PGA Tour and European Tour and finally won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last March. Andy Sullivan (both England) and Antoine Rozner (France) are also eyeing their chances.

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