Im Sungjae "Dreams of Wearing the Green Jacket"..."Regret Over the Postponement of the Hangzhou Asian Games"

Korean Tour Woori Financial Championship Pre-Tournament Interview: "Masters Victory and One Win Each Year as Goals," "No Comment" on Marriage Questions

Im Sung-jae, ranked 20th in the world, is answering questions from the press at the Woori Financial Championship media day event. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Im Sung-jae (24, CJ Logistics), ranked 20th in the world, named winning the Masters as his dream he definitely wants to achieve.

At the media day event for the KPGA Korean Tour Woori Financial Championship (total prize money 1.3 billion KRW) held on the 10th at Ferrum Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 7,216 yards), he said, "Among the majors, my best results have been at the Masters," adding, "My dream is to wear the green jacket when I am in the best condition someday." Im finished as runner-up at the 2020 Masters and showed his potential to win by finishing 8th this year.

He will participate in the Woori Financial Championship, which opens on the 12th. This will be his first domestic tournament appearance in 2 years and 7 months since winning the Genesis Championship in September 2019. After the tournament, he will immediately return to the U.S. to compete in the PGA Championship, a major on the PGA Tour, which starts on the 20th. "The schedule of traveling back and forth between Korea and the U.S. will be tough and tiring, but I will enjoy playing here in Korea and manage my condition well," he said.

Im Sung-jae has recorded two career wins, at the 2020 Honda Classic and last year's Shriners Children's Open. "My goal is to win at least one tournament every year," he said, expressing his determination, "I plan to continue playing on the Champions Tour for players aged 50 and over, and if I can win one tournament each year until then, I believe I can accumulate many victories." He also added, "Another goal is to maintain my tour card by finishing inside the top 125 every year for over 20 years."

Regarding the postponement of the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, he said, "There is nothing I can do about it, so once the new dates are set and I participate, I want to achieve good results," reflecting on his disappointment, "I was really looking forward to the Asian Games as it was approaching, and I was trying to raise my performance accordingly." When asked about marriage, he said, "Nothing is decided yet, but if possible, I want to get married soon," but when asked if he is seeing someone, he replied, "No comment."

Im Sung-jae will start the first round at 11:30 a.m. on the 12th from the 1st hole alongside ‘Maekyung Open champ’ Kim Bi-o (32, Hoban Construction) and ‘DB Insurance champ’ Park Sang-hyun (39, Dong-A Pharmaceutical). "I am still struggling with jet lag and waking up early in the morning," he said. "Many people kept watching me during today's practice round." He continued, "The green slopes are very challenging, so I have to think carefully when hitting the second shot," promising fans, "I will show you some great shots."

Hwang Jung-gon, Lee Jun-seok, Im Sung-jae, and Kim Bi-o (from left) are cheering at the Woori Financial Championship photocall event. Photo by KPGA

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