Sungjae Im Fires 7-Under as Play Suspended Due to Rain

17 Holes Played in Truist Championship Round 1

McCarty Shoots 8 Under, Fleetwood at 4 Under

Kim Siwoo at 3 Under, McIlroy Makes Only 1 Birdie

Sungjae Im delivered a stellar performance.

On May 7 (local time), at Quail Hollow Club (par 71) in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, he recorded 1 eagle and 7 birdies (with 2 bogeys) during the first round of the Truist Championship, a signature event on the PGA Tour with a total prize fund of 20 million dollars. Starting his round on the 10th hole, Im was unable to finish the final 9th hole (par 4) due to heavy rain, but still secured a spot near the top of the leaderboard.

Sungjae Im is teeing off on the 12th hole during the first round of the Truist Championship. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Since tying for 4th place at the Valspar Championship in March, Sungjae Im had not finished inside the top 25 in his next four PGA Tour events.

He tallied an impressive 6 birdies on the front nine alone. In the second half, he faltered briefly with bogeys on the 3rd and 5th holes (both par 4s). However, Im regained momentum on the 7th hole (par 5), reaching the green with his second shot and sinking a 4-meter eagle putt.

Matt McCarty (USA) surged to the lead with an 8-under-par 63. Tommy Fleetwood (England) finished the first round with a 4-under-par 67. Kim Siwoo, who has been enjoying a strong season, carded 3 birdies through 16 holes and ended his round with 2 holes left to play.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who has won four times at Quail Hollow Club, managed just 1 birdie to finish with a 1-under-par 70. McIlroy commented, "I can't remember the last time I played a round without a birdie, so I was very happy to make one on the final hole." McIlroy has failed to record a birdie in only 7 of his 986 PGA Tour rounds, with the most recent instance being at the 2024 Masters Tournament.

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