'AG Hero' Im Sung-jae 3 Under Par... "Smooth Start in Japan"
Zozo Championship 1R Tied 8th, 3 Shots Behind
MoriKawa Leads, Ko and Grillo Tied 2nd
Lee Kyoung-hoon and Song Young-han Tied 17th, Kim Sung-hyun 26th
Im Sung-jae had a steady start.
On the 19th, at the Narashino Country Club (par 70, 7,079 yards) in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, he shot a 3-under-par 67 in the first round of the PGA Tour's Zozo Championship (total prize money $8.5 million), placing him tied for 8th. Collin Morikawa leads with 6-under-par 64, while Eric Cole (both from the USA) and Emiliano Grillo (Argentina), among others, are tied for 2nd place at 5-under-par 65, engaging in a chase.
Im Sung-jae recorded six birdies and three bogeys. He was cruising with birdies on holes 3, 6, and 8, but consecutive bogeys on holes 9 and 10 slowed him down. After birdies on holes 11 and 14, he took a brief breather with a bogey on the 16th hole (par 3), then secured a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5) to secure his place for the next round. His fairway hit rate was 76.9% (tied 4th), greens in regulation 77.78% (tied 10th), and putts per hole 1.71 (27th), all impressive stats. He is three strokes behind the leader, well within striking distance for a comeback.
Earlier this month, Im Sung-jae won a team gold medal and an individual silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He also showed peak form by finishing runner-up at last week's KPGA Korean Tour Genesis Championship. He performed well at the Zozo Championship in 2019, finishing tied for 3rd. On the PGA Tour, he has two wins: the 2020 Honda Classic and the 2021 Shriners Children's Open.
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World No. 6 Xander Schauffele and defending champion Keegan Bradley (both from the USA) joined the group tied for 8th. From Korea, Lee Kyung-hoon, who performed well with a tie for 7th at last week's Shriners Children's Open, and Song Young-han, who plays on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), are tied for 17th at 2-under-par 68. Rookie Kim Sung-hyun finished the first round tied for 26th at 1-under-par 69.
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