Sungjae Im "3rd Place in Fall Series PO"..."Who Are the 9 Early Birds?"

Big News: Goo Chi Leads Current No.1 After Winning 9th RSM Classic, McIlroy Wins 4th CJ Cup, Matsuyama Wins 5th Zozo Championship

Im Sung-jae is currently ranked 3rd in the PO rankings, led by his victory at the Shriners Children's Open, the third event of the Fall Series.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "PO Ranking 3rd."

Im Sung-jae (23)'s performance in the PGA Tour's fall series. He secured his first win of the 2021/2022 season early by winning the third event, the Shriners Children's Open, on the 11th of last month. The PGA Tour immediately follows the Tour Championship, the final third playoff (PO) event, with the next season. This is to counter the DP World Tour (European Tour). World stars usually take a break and then start the new season at the Sentry Tournament in Hawaii in January.

Since 2019, the 'game' has expanded and the trend has changed, which is interesting. In high-stakes matches with total prize money of $10 million, such as the CJ Cup, Zozo Championship, and the World Golf Championships (WGC) HSBC Champions, top players like Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods (both from the U.S.), and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) have risen to the top, heating up the atmosphere. Last year, due to the impact of COVID-19, majors like the Masters and the US Open were held in the fall, drawing even more spotlight.

Taylor Gooch experienced the joy of his first victory in 104 tournaments over 5 years since joining the PGA Tour in 2017 at the 9th round of the RSM Classic.

This year as well, world number one Jon Rahm (Spain) made news by competing in the first event, the Fortinet Championship, in September. A total of nine tournaments have seen nine different champions, including Taylor Gooch, joining the 'early bird' ranks. Gooch especially tasted his first victory at the ninth event, the RSM Classic, which ended on the 22nd. It was his first win in 103 PGA Tour starts over five years since 2017. With one win and three top-10 finishes in six events, he proudly holds the 'PO 1st place' as of the 29th.

Sam Burns (also from the U.S.) is second with his win at the second event, the Sanderson Farms Championship, followed by Im Sung-jae in third. Although it is still early in the season, the top-ranked players are motivated by the 'Comcast Business Tour Top 10' prize money of a whopping $20 million (23.77 billion KRW), awarded based on regular season performance before the PO in August next year. The PGA Tour has recently introduced various bonus systems, including a $50 million (59.46 billion KRW) 'Player Impact Program' bonus, to counter the launch of the Premier Golf League (PGL) led by Saudi Arabia.

Rory McIlroy won the 4th round of the CJ Cup, entering a perfect comeback mode.

McIlroy drew attention by winning the fourth event, the CJ Cup. After a slump since the HSBC Champions in November 2019, he is in perfect revival mode with wins at the Wells Fargo Championship in May and the CJ Cup in October. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) achieved a five-stroke victory at the fifth event, the Zozo Championship, shaking off the disappointment of losing the inaugural championship to Woods in 2019, and Viktor Hovland (Norway) successfully defended his title at the seventh event, the World Wide Technology Championship.

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