'Number 21' Im Sung-jae "This time Haberton"... "Disappointed with 8th place at the Masters"

On the Night of the 14th, RBC Heritage Opens with Consecutive Appearances, Sink Defends Title, Smith and Simpson Compete for Victory, Kim Siwoo Joins

Im Sung-jae challenges for his second win of the 2022 season at the RBC Heritage.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] Im Sung-jae (24), ranked 21st in the world, chose a rigorous schedule instead of resting right after the Masters.

On the night of the 14th (Korean time), he immediately entered the RBC Heritage (total prize money $8 million), a PGA Tour event opening at Harbour Town Golf Links (par 71, 7,121 yards) in Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA. After starting the final day of the Masters in 3rd place, he slipped to a tie for 8th due to a poor 3-over-par performance, leaving some regrets. Defending champion Stewart Cink is aiming to defend his title, while Harold Varner III (both from the USA) and Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) are seeking revenge after finishing tied for 2nd last year.

It is interesting that Im Sung-jae is ranked 10th among the 'top contenders' for the win. Last year, he finished tied for 13th, showing a good compatibility with Harbour Town. He stayed near the top of the leaderboard throughout the 3 rounds but failed to make the top 10 due to an even-par performance on the final day. However, this year is different. Since early October last year, when he secured his first win of the 2022 season at the Shriners Children's Open, he has been on an upward trend with five top-10 finishes in 14 tournaments, including one victory.

‘The 5th Major’ The Players Champion Cameron Smith took on the RBC Heritage to ‘avenge his 3rd place at the Masters.’

Cameron Smith (Australia), the champion of The Players Championship, known as the '5th Major,' is a player to watch. During the final 4th round of the Masters, he engaged in a fierce chase but suffered a critical blow with a '4-on 2-putt' triple bogey at the crucial 12th hole (par 3), settling for a tie for 3rd place. Following the Masters results, Shane Lowry (Ireland) tied for 3rd, Collin Morikawa (USA) 5th, Corey Conners (Canada) tied for 6th, Justin Thomas tied for 8th, and Dustin Johnson tied for 12th will all be competing.

Webb Simpson (USA), the 2020 champion, is a dark horse. He has shown particular strength at Harbour Town, finishing tied for 5th in 2018 and tied for 9th last year. The 'K Brothers' include Kim Si-woo (27), who joined the field. In 2018, Kim was tied for the lead with Satoshi Kodaira (Japan) at 12-under-par 272 but suffered a painful defeat on the third hole of the playoff resumed at the 17th hole (par 3). Kodaira, who participated as an invitee, attracted even more spotlight. Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) and Kang Sung-hoon (35) are also accompanying the field.

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