‘Shriners Champ’ Im Sung-jae "Marching Toward 2 Wins in Fall Series"... Finau and Koepka Join

Hewlett-Packard Houston Open Already Challenging 2nd Win of 2022 Season, Finau and Kepka "Early Bird Ready"

'Shriners Champ' Im Sung-jae is already challenging for his second win of the 2021/2022 season at the Hewlett Packard Houston Open.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘Shriners Champ’ Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) is advancing toward his second win in the fall series.

On the night of the 11th (Korean time), the 8th event of the 2021/2022 PGA Tour season, the Hewlett Packard Houston Open (total prize money $7.5 million), opens at Memorial Park in Houston, Texas (par 71, 7,021 yards). With defending champion Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) absent, Lanto Griffin is challenging to reclaim the top spot after two years. World No. 12 Tony Finau and No. 15 Brooks Koepka (both from the USA) have joined the competition for the title.

Im Sung-jae secured his place as a new season champion early last month at the Shriners Children's Open. It is interesting that his first win at the Honda Classic in March last year came on his 50th event, and this time it is his 100th tournament. It is noteworthy that he achieved a dominant 4-stroke victory with a daily best 9-under par on the final day. This truly shows his exceptional tenacity. The following week, he demonstrated his stamina again by shooting 8-under par on the last day to finish tied for 9th at The CJ Cup.

Im Sung-jae was actually the 2020/2021 season’s birdie leader with 498 birdies. This indicates his ability to make a strong push. After a rare three-week break, he is aiming for his ‘second win summit.’ Although it is still early in the season, he has already secured a spot in the ‘top 5’ in various individual titles, including 2nd place in the FedEx Cup points ranking (554 points) and 4th in the money list ($1,547,000). Korea is represented by Kang Sung-hoon (34) and Noh Seung-yul (31). Kang Sung-hoon, in particular, still carries the pain of finishing runner-up in this tournament in 2017.

Ortiz’s title defense has been hindered by a shoulder injury. Last year, he received even more spotlight by fending off the chase of then world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA), and he built a monumental achievement as the first Mexican player to win in 42 years since Victor Regalado’s 1978 Quad Cities Open victory. He gained momentum by finishing runner-up at the World Wide Technology Championship that ended on the 8th. He admitted, “My left shoulder has worsened.”

Finau and Koepka are aiming to be ‘early birds.’ Since Finau’s win at the first playoff event, The Northern Trust, in August, he has struggled with consecutive tied 45th finishes at The CJ Cup and the World Wide Technology Championship, while Koepka also suffered the humiliation of missing the cut at the World Wide Technology Championship. Past champions such as Jim Herman in 2016, Russell Henley in 2017 (both USA), and Ian Poulter in 2018 (England) are all participating.

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