Sungjae Im "Starting 2021 in Hawaii..."... What about 'Number 1' Johnson?

'King of Kings' Sentry Tournament Entry List: World Stars Including Johnson, Rahm, Thomas, DeChambeau Gathered

Im Sung-jae starts 2021 at the 'King of Kings' Sentry Tournament.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is Seongjae Im's (23, CJ Logistics) first outing of 2021.

The Sentry Tournament on the PGA Tour, with a total prize money of $6.7 million, opens on the night of the 7th (Korean time) at the Plantation Golf Course (Par 73, 7,518 yards) at Kapalua Resort on Maui Island, Hawaii, USA. This tournament is especially fierce as it is a 'champion of champions' event featuring only last year's winners. World stars such as world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA), No. 2 Jon Rahm (Spain), No. 3 Justin Thomas, and No. 5 Bryson DeChambeau (both USA) have all gathered.

Im Seongjae qualifies as the defending champion of last year's Honda Classic. He passed the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (QT) in 2nd place in December 2017 and moved to the US. He entered the PGA Tour in 2019 as the Korn Ferry Tour money leader in 2018. He showed remarkable consistency by playing in as many as 35 events and finishing in the 'Top 10' seven times. He was the only rookie to advance to the Tour Championship, the final third playoff (PO) event, becoming the first Asian to win Rookie of the Year.

In March 2020, he achieved his first victory at the Honda Classic. He became the 7th Korean champion in history, following 'Tank' K.J. Choi (51, SK Telecom), Yang Yong-eun (49), Bae Sang-moon (35), Noh Seung-yul (30), Kim Si-woo (26), and Kang Sung-hoon (34). After a slump in the middle of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he regained momentum with a 22nd place at the US Open in September and a runner-up finish at the Masters in November. It is interesting that Im recently bought a house inside Sugarloaf TPC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, establishing a solid base camp.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson has announced his participation in the 2021 season opener, the Sentry Tournament.

Locally, the spotlight is on Johnson. He swept four wins, including three in the 2020 season and one in the 2021 season, truly opening the era of 'Johnson's reign.' Notably, he achieved an astonishing record of 'win-runner-up-win' in three playoff events from August to September and secured a $15 million (16.32 billion KRW) bonus. In November, he capped off the 'Fall Masters' with a tournament record low score (20 under par, 268 strokes) victory in spectacular fashion.

It is worth noting that Johnson was the champion in 2013 and 2018. Plantation is especially favorable for long hitters. Heavy hitters like Rahm, Thomas, and DeChambeau have joined the field. Thomas is the defending champion. He recalls the thrilling memory of winning last year after an extended playoff against Patrick Reed and Xander Schauffele (both USA). He is particularly strong in Hawaii, having achieved 'back-to-back wins' including this tournament in 2017 and the Sony Open.

DeChambeau's 'long drive experiment' is another point of interest. Last year, he bulked up by gaining 18 kg, leading the PGA Tour in average driving distance in both the 2019/2020 season (322.1 yards) and the 2020/2021 season (337.8 yards). He reaped great benefits by winning the US Open by 6 strokes (6 under par, 274 strokes). He is currently testing a '48-inch long driver.' Reed and Schauffele are dreaming of a 'revenge match.'

Justin Thomas has stepped up to defend his title at the Sentry Tournament.

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