World No. 21 Burger "3-Shot Lead"... Im Sungjae "Cut Off at Winning Turf?"

Honda Classic Day 2: 5 Under Par, Kirk and Kitayama Tied for 2nd in Chase, Lee Kyung-hoon Tied 53rd Survives for Korea

Daniel Berger is reading the putting line on the 18th hole on the second day of the Honda Classic. Palm Beach Gardens, USA = Getty Images / Multivitz Photo by Multivitz

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Five under par for two consecutive days."

‘Number 21’ Daniel Berger is on the march for his first win of the 2022 season. On the 26th (Korean time), at the PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA (par 70, 7,125 yards), during the second day of the PGA Tour Honda Classic (total prize money $8 million), he lowered his score by 5 strokes to take a 3-stroke lead (10 under par, 130 strokes). Chris Kirk and Kurt Kitayama (both from the USA) are in a chase at joint 2nd place (7 under par, 133 strokes). ‘Shriners Champion’ Im Sung-jae (24) was cut off.

Berger is the player who achieved back-to-back wins at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 2016 and 2017. When he won the Charles Schwab Challenge in June 2020, he reached his ‘third win milestone’ after a playoff battle with Collin Morikawa, adding to his distinctive presence. This event, which resumed after a shutdown due to the COVID-19 impact following the March ‘fifth major’ The Players Championship, attracted the spotlight. Last February, he secured his fourth career win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

On this day, Berger combined 6 birdies and 1 bogey. He started well with a birdie on the 13th hole (par 4), and at the crucial ‘Bear Trap,’ he maintained momentum with a bogey on the 15th hole (par 3) and a birdie on the 16th hole (par 4), then rode the wave with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5). His aggressive play in the back nine, including consecutive birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes and a birdie on the 7th hole (par 3), stood out. With a greens in regulation rate of 77.78% and an average of 1.57 putts per hole, his ‘pinpoint iron shots’ and ‘stingy putting’ were impressive.

Im Sung-jae is attempting a bunker shot on the 3rd hole of the second day at the Honda Classic. Palm Beach Gardens, USA = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

Following the Genesis Invitational, a premium match, the world’s ‘Top 10’ players took a break, increasing Berger’s chances of winning. In fact, there are no significant competitors in the leading group. Brooks Koepka (USA) remained at joint 31st place (even par, 140 strokes). From Korea, along with Im Sung-jae, Kang Sung-hoon (35) and Noh Seung-yul (32) left the course early, and Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) was the only one to survive at joint 53rd place (2 over par, 142 strokes). Defending champion Matt Jones (Australia) was also cut off.

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