Sungjae Im "Competing in a Domestic Tournament After a Long Time"... Bio Kim "Going for 2 Consecutive Wins~"

Challenging Victory at Woori Financial Championship, a Newly Sponsored Tournament, Park Sang-hyun Aims for 2nd Season Win, Park Chan-ho 'Recommended Player'

Im Sung-jae, ranked 20th in the world, will compete in the Korean Tour Woori Financial Championship hosted by his sub-sponsor Woori Financial Group.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Im Sung-jae (24, CJ Logistics), ranked 20th in the world, is making his domestic appearance.

He will compete in the newly established Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour event, the Woori Financial Championship (total prize money 1.3 billion KRW), held on the 12th at Ferrum Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 7,216 yards). Woori Financial Group, which had hosted the Woori Investment & Securities Ladies Championship on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour until 2014, is holding a golf tournament again after seven years. Im Sung-jae secured his entry as one of the KPGA players ranked within the top 300 in the world.

Im Sung-jae is the representative young gun of Korean men's golf. He has won twice on the PGA Tour. In 2015, he made waves by passing both the Korean Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) Qualifying Tournaments (QT) simultaneously. He traveled between Korea and Japan for two years until 2017, then passed the PGA Korn Ferry Tour (second-tier) QT in second place in December and moved to the United States. In 2018, he swept two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour and quickly earned his PGA Tour card.

He debuted on the PGA Tour in 2019 and showed consistency by finishing in the top 10 seven times in 35 tournaments, becoming the first Asian to win Rookie of the Year. In March 2020, at the Honda Classic, he became the seventh Korean champion in history after just 50 events. In November, at the "Fall Masters," he competed in the final group against then world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA) and finished second. Last October, he secured a four-stroke victory at the Shriners Children's Open.

He also performed well with a tie for 8th place at the Masters last month. In the 2021/2022 season, including one win, he finished in the top 10 five times and is currently ranked 10th in the FedEx Cup standings. Im Sung-jae is skipping two PGA Tour events to participate in the domestic tournament and will compete in the major PGA Championship immediately after returning, following a tight schedule. His last domestic tournament appearance was at the Genesis Championship held at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon in October 2019, where he won, marking a gap of two years and seven months.

Kim Bi-o challenges for a second consecutive win at the newly established Woori Financial Championship.

Kim Bi-o (32, Hoban Construction) is aiming for his second consecutive win. He is on an upswing after securing his seventh career victory at last week's GS Caltex Maekyung Open. Park Sang-hyun (39, Dong-A Pharmaceutical), winner of last month's season opener DB Insurance Promy Open, is aiming for his second win. Kim Tae-hoon (37, Webcash Group), Moon Kyung-jun (40, NH Nonghyup Bank), and Lee Hyung-joon (30, Welcome Savings Bank) have also joined. National representatives Jo Woo-young (21) and Jang Yoo-bin (20) are also listed. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Park Chan-ho (49) is participating as a recommended player.

Major League Baseball alumnus Park Chan-ho will appear as a recommended player in the Woori Financial Championship.

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