Sungjae Im "3-Under Par Olympic Warm-Up"... Siwoo Kim 'Withdraws'

On the First Day of the John Deere Classic, Munoz and Hadley Share Lead at 8 Under Par, Kang Sung-hoon Surges with 4 Under Par

'Olympic member' Im Sung-jae performed well with 3 under par on the first day of the John Deere Classic, while Kim Si-woo withdrew after struggling with 7 over par.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] The paths of 'Olympic members' Im Sung-jae (23) and Kim Si-woo (26, both CJ Logistics) diverged.

On the 9th (Korean time), Im Sung-jae posted a 3-under-par on the first day of the PGA Tour John Deere Classic (total prize money $6.2 million) held at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, USA (par 71, 7,268 yards), placing tied for 29th. Attention should be paid to his tuning of practical shot senses ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in Saitama, Japan, at Kasumigaseki Golf Club starting on the 29th. Another player, Kim Si-woo's withdrawal is regrettable.

Im Sung-jae started at the 10th hole (par 5), making three birdies including 'stepping stone birdies' at the 15th and 17th holes, and a 'hole-in-one-like birdie' at the 3rd hole (par 3) on the back nine. He boasts a 'computer iron shot' that only missed the green twice with a maximum drive of 320 yards. His average putts per hole were 1.81, although the number of birdies was relatively low. He is on an upward trend, having finished tied for 8th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic that ended on the 5th, entering the 'top 10' for the first time in four months.

He will not participate in the final major of the 2021 season, The Open Championship, which begins on the night of the 15th at Royal St George's Golf Club in England. Playing The Open would make the grueling schedule from England to Japan burdensome. For Im Sung-jae, finishing within the top 3 at the Olympics is most important. A very special prize, military service exemption, awaits him. Kim Si-woo was halted after making four bogeys and one triple bogey over eight holes.

The leaders are Sebastian Munoz (Colombia) and Chesson Hadley tied for first at 8-under-par, with Chez Reavie and Hank Lebioda (both USA) chasing closely at one stroke behind, tied for third at 7-under-par 64. Cameron Davis (Australia), the 'Rocket Mortgage Classic champion,' is challenging for back-to-back wins from tied 12th at 4-under-par. For Korea, Kang Sung-hoon (34) is tied 12th, Choi Kyung-ju (51, SK Telecom) is tied 52nd at 2-under-par, and An Byeong-hun (30) and Bae Sang-moon (35) are tied 102nd at even par.

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