Sungjae Im "1 Win in Dell Match Play Qualifier"... Thomas and DeChambeau "Already 1 Loss?"

On Day One of the Dell Technologies Match Play, Henry Wins by 1 Hole, Kim Si-woo Ties with Fleetwood, 'Number 1' Johnson Cruises to First Victory

Im Sung-jae defeated Russell Henley on the first day of the Dell Technologies Match Play, securing his first win in the preliminary round.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "One win in the preliminaries."

Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) won his first match at the World Golf Championships (WGC) Series Dell Technologies Match Play (total prize money $10.5 million). On the 25th (Korean time), he faced Russell Henley (USA) at Austin Golf Club in Texas (par 71, 7,108 yards) and secured a narrow victory by 1 hole. This is a stage famous for being the largest match play event worldwide. Sixty-four players are divided into 16 groups, similar to the FIFA World Cup, playing three group matches each, with the top player advancing to the round of 16.

Im Sung-jae led by 3 holes in the front nine, including holes 1, 7, and 9, lost holes 10 and 11 in the back nine, but showed remarkable resilience by holding on until the final 18th hole. Currently ranked 17th in the world, with Brooks Koepka (USA) absent, he received the No. 1 seed in Group 16, making his advancement from the preliminaries expected. Victor Perez (France) emerged as a competitor by defeating Marc Leishman (Australia) by 2 holes in the same group. Kim Si-woo (26, CJ Logistics) drew with Tommy Fleetwood (England) in Group 5.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA) comfortably defeated Adam Long (USA) by 2 holes, and No. 3 Jon Rahm (Spain) beat Sebastian Mu?oz (Colombia) by 1 hole, setting a smooth tone. Attention should be paid to defending champion Kevin Kisner (USA), who is particularly strong in match play, including being runner-up in 2018. He also holds the unique record of winning the championship in 2019 despite losing one preliminary match. On this day, he started his title defense by beating Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) by 2 holes.

Justin Thomas shows disappointment after missing a birdie putt on the 14th hole on the first day of the Dell Technologies Match Play. Texas (Texas, USA) = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

True to match play, upsets continued from the first day. No. 2 Justin Thomas lost to Matt Kuchar by 3 holes, and "The Hulk" Bryson DeChambeau (both USA) was caught by Antoine Rozner (France), ranked 64th in the world, by 2 holes. It is interesting that Rozner has never played in a PGA Tour event. After exchanging holes 2 (par 4) and 3 (par 4), he gained momentum by making consecutive birdies on holes 4, 9, and 12.

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) also suffered a heavy defeat by 6 holes to Ian Poulter (England). Poulter originally did not have a spot in this tournament but entered due to a withdrawal among the "top 64" players. On this day, he played almost divinely, sweeping five holes from 9 to 13. Birdie on hole 9 (par 4), par on hole 10 (par 4), birdie on hole 11 (par 3), and an eagle with a "2-on 1-putt" on hole 12 (par 5). Meanwhile, McIlroy showed a lackluster performance, including a bogey on hole 13 (par 4), and bowed his head in defeat.

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