'Shriners Champ' Im Sung-jae Tied 5th "Bay Hill is the Promised Land"... McIlroy "Did You See the 7-Under?"

PGA Tour Premier Match Arnold Palmer Invitational Day 1 Starts at 4 Under Par, Horschel Ties for 2nd at 5 Under Par, Kim Siwoo at 2 Under Par

Im Sung-jae is attempting a bunker shot on the 11th hole on the first day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Orlando, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘Shriners Champ’ Im Sung-jae (24) is off to a good start.

On the 4th (Korean time), at Bay Hill Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, USA (par 72, 7,466 yards), the first day of the PGA Tour premium match Arnold Palmer Invitational (total prize money $12 million), he posted 4 under par to tie for 5th place. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), the 2018 winner, leads at 7 under par, aiming to reclaim the top spot after 4 years, while Billy Horschel and Bo Ho-sler (USA) are in a two-stroke chase tied for 2nd place (5 under par, 67 strokes).

Im Sung-jae recorded 5 birdies and 1 bogey. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), he energized the game with three ‘stepping stone birdies’ at holes 12, 14, and 16. He made a birdie at the 4th hole (par 5) in the back nine, had his only bogey at the 5th hole (par 4), but recovered with a birdie at the 6th hole (par 5). It is interesting that he made birdies on all four par 5 holes. With a maximum drive of 314 yards, a greens in regulation rate of 77.78%, ‘computer iron shots,’ and an average of 1.64 putts per hole, his ‘stingy putting’ complemented his play.

Since early October last year, when he secured his first win of the 2022 season at the Shriners Open, he has confidently ranked 5th in the Playoff (PO) rankings, backed by four top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments. This tournament is especially his ‘promised land,’ where he finished 3rd consecutively in 2019 and 2020. His signature ‘high trajectory iron shots’ seem to be effective on this notoriously difficult course. Im Sung-jae himself expressed high expectations, saying, "My shot feel is good."

Rory McIlroy is preparing for a shot on the 18th hole on the first day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Orlando, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

McIlroy had 1 eagle, 6 birdies, and 1 bogey. The highlight was the eagle at the 16th hole (par 5). After successfully reaching the green in two shots, he sank a long 12.5-meter putt. After achieving his 20th career win at the CJ Cup last October, he enjoyed a long vacation and warmed up with a tie for 10th place at the Genesis Invitational on the 20th of last month. He recalls the thrilling memory of shooting 8 under par on the final day in 2008 to achieve a 3-stroke victory.

World No. 3 Viktor Hovland (Norway) and 2020 champion Tyrrell Hatton (England) joined the win race tied for 11th at 3 under par. Korea’s Kim Si-woo (27) joined this group, looking for an opportunity. Lee Kyung-hoon (31) remained tied for 21st at 2 under par. No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) made an even-par round with 4 birdies and 4 bogeys, tied for 51st. The ‘Honda Classic champ’ Jeb Straka (Austria)’s bid for a second consecutive win was halted at tied 104th at 4 over par.

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