‘Shriners Champ’ Im Sung-jae "Challenging for Victory Again at Bay Hill"... What About 'Number 1' Jon Rahm?

At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, 'Marching Toward 2nd Victory,' World Stars Including Rahm and McIlroy Gather, Defending Champion DeChambeau 'Withdraws Due to Injury'

Sungjae Im is making another push for his second victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Another tough course this time."

'Shriners Champ' Im Sung-jae (24) is once again aiming for his second victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (total prize money $12 million), which kicks off on the night of the 3rd (Korean time) at Bay Hill Golf Club (par 72, 7,466 yards) in Orlando, Florida, USA. As expected from a top-tier match, world stars such as World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain), No. 4 Viktor Hovland (Norway), and No. 5 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are all participating, while Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is already eyeing his third win.

Im Sung-jae is particularly motivated. This is due to his 'cut off' at the Honda Classic, which ended on the 28th of last month. At the 'promised land' where he earned his first win in 2020, he had a rollercoaster performance with 4-over par on the first day and even par on the second day. This tournament was also the stage where he first achieved 3rd place on the PGA Tour in 2019. It is interesting that both the Honda Classic battlegrounds, PGA National and Bay Hill in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, are notorious courses. The average score at Bay Hill from 2015 to 2021 soared to as high as 72.75 strokes.

Attention should be paid to Im Sung-jae's fairway hit rate of 66.47% (27th) and greens in regulation rate of 74.23% (11th), showcasing his 'needle-like iron shots.' He confidently holds 5th place in the Playoff (PO) rankings, backed by four top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments, including an early win at the Shriners Open last October for the 2022 season. Experts have ranked him as the 11th favorite to win. He added his determination, saying, "I will give my all from the first day."

Rory McIlroy is challenging to reclaim the top spot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the first time in four years since 2018.

Rahm is in urgent need of his first win. He has been frustrated with just missing out, finishing runner-up at the Sentry Tournament in January and 3rd at the Farmers Open, lacking that crucial '2%'. Locally, the spotlight is on McIlroy. Memories remain vivid of his thrilling final day in 2008 when he shot 8-under par to secure a 3-stroke victory. After recording his 20th career win at the CJ Cup last October, he took a sweet break and warmed up with a tie for 10th place at the Genesis Invitational on the 20th of last month.

Past champions such as Jason Day in 2016, Mark Leishman (both Australia) in 2017, and Tyrrell Hatton (England) in 2020 are also contenders for another win. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (USA) will not participate due to wrist and hip injuries. His absence is especially regrettable since last year he entertained fans with a 'par 5 hole-in-one attempt' on the 6th hole. At the dogleg hole where the fairway curves in a semicircle along the left lake, he hit an impressive 377 yards over the water. South Korea is represented by Kim Si-woo (27) and Lee Kyung-hoon (31).

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