Sungjae Im Ties for 7th Place "Wind Is Not a Problem"... Jones Leads

Honda Classic Title Defense Day 3: 1 Under Par "5 Shots Behind Leader", Wise and Holmes Tied for 2nd, 3 Shots Back in Victory Race

Im Sung-jae is watching the ball immediately after his tee shot on the 17th hole of the third day of the Honda Classic. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Five strokes behind the leader."

World No. 18 Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) still has a chance to defend his title. On the 21st (Korean time), at the PGA National Golf Club (par 70, 6,966 yards) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA, during the third day of the PGA Tour Honda Classic (total prize money $7 million), he added one under par to jump to a tie for 7th place (5 under par, 205 strokes). Matt Jones (Australia) leads (10 under par, 200 strokes), while Aaron Wise and J.B. Holmes (both USA) are chasing in a tie for 2nd place, three strokes behind (7 under par, 203 strokes).

Im Sung-jae started tied for 16th and recorded four birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. He opened the scoring early with a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 4), exchanged a bogey on the 5th hole (par 3) for a birdie on the 6th hole (par 4). He gained momentum with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 12th and 14th holes in the back nine, but suffered a double bogey on the 17th hole (par 3), known as the 'Bear Trap.' His tee shot landed in the greenside bunker, and his second shot went into the rough, resulting in a '3-on 2-putt.'

Im said, "I aimed for a safe bogey with a layup because attacking the green risked going into the water," adding, "It's disappointing to end up with a double bogey." He took pride in scoring under par despite the strong winds. Notably, his 'stingy putting' stood out with an average of 1.64 putts per hole. He expressed confidence, saying, "I hope the bad weather continues tomorrow as well," and "Everyone can compete for the win under these tough conditions."

Aaron Wise, who had fired six under par for two consecutive days, collapsed with a 3-over par and dropped to a tie for 2nd place. The leading group includes Pan Cheng-tsung (Taiwan), Cameron Tringale, and Sam Ryder, all tied for 4th place (6 under par, 204 strokes). Veteran Phil Mickelson performed well, tied for 27th place (2 under par, 208 strokes), while past champions Keith Mitchell (2019) and Rickie Fowler (2017), both from the USA, remained tied for 55th place (2 over par, 212 strokes) and tied for 66th place (6 over par, 216 strokes), respectively.

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