'Shriners Champ' Im Sung-jae "Advancing to 2 Wins on Customized Course"... 'Number 1' Scheffler "Avenge 2nd Place at US Open"

World Stars Including Thomas, Burns, McIlroy to Compete at PGA Tour Travelers Championship Opening Night on 23rd

'Shriners Champ' Im Sung-jae challenges for his second win of the season at the Travelers Championship.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Ranked 8th among predicted PGA Tour winners."

'Shriners Champ' Im Sung-jae (24, CJ Logistics) is challenging for his second win of the season on a 'customized course.' The Travelers Championship (total prize money $8.3 million) of the PGA Tour, opening on the night of the 23rd (Korean time) at River Highlands TPC in Cromwell, Connecticut, USA (par 70, 6,852 yards), features a relatively short course length but narrow fairways and tricky greens. In fact, past champions such as Dustin Johnson in 2020 and Harris English last year (both from the USA) all had high iron shot accuracy or were 'water-saving putters.'

Im Sung-jae is also relying on his 'needle-like iron shots' with a greens-in-regulation rate of 70% this season (8th on the PGA Tour). He has been on the rise, including an early first win of the 2022 season at the Shriners Open last October and six top-10 finishes in 19 tournaments. It is interesting that he was held back by COVID-19 after returning to Korea for the first time in 2 years and 7 months last month to participate in the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour Woori Financial Championship.

Fortunately, he is showing signs of resurgence with a tie for 15th at the Charles Schwab Challenge and a tie for 10th at the Memorial Tournament on the 6th. It was disappointing to miss the cut at the 122nd US Open, the third major of this season, which ended on the 20th. The path to victory is not easy. World stars such as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas (both USA), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, and Jordan Spieth (all USA) are all competing.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is aiming for his fifth win at the Travelers Championship.

Scheffler is especially the 'new golf emperor,' having swept 4 wins in his last 12 tournaments. Despite finishing 2nd at the Charles Schwab Challenge and the US Open, his number of wins is still lacking. After failing to achieve the historic sixth 'Masters-US Open' simultaneous victory, he immediately declared his participation in this tournament. Thomas joined the 'US Open revenge' effort. His attempt at back-to-back major wins was halted at a tie for 37th due to a 4-over-par slump on the final day, following the PGA Championship last month.

McIlroy is aiming for his third win, while Burns is already hunting for his fourth victory. English is the defending champion. Last year, on the final day, he had a thrilling memory of clinching his fourth career win after an intense 8-hole playoff against Kramer Hickok (USA), repeatedly battling on the 17th and 18th holes (par 4). Hickok is now eager for a 'revenge match.' The Korean contingent, including Lee Kyoung-hoon (31), Kim Si-woo (27), and Kang Sung-hoon (35, CJ Logistics), who won back-to-back AT&T titles, are also looking for opportunities.

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