Sungjae Im Set to Compete in Paju This Week

Sungjae Im, a member of the PGA Tour, will make an appearance in Paju.

From April 23, he will compete for four days at the Woori Financial Championship, part of the KPGA Tour, to be held at the Valley and Seowon courses (par 71, 7,018 yards) of Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. This is the second event of the KPGA Tour, following last week's season opener, the DB Insurance Promy Open.

A total of 144 players will participate in the Woori Financial Championship. After the second round, the top 60 players including ties will advance to the third round. The winner will earn a two-year exemption on the KPGA Tour (2027-2028) and 1,000 Genesis points. The total prize purse is 1.5 billion won, with the winner taking home 300 million won.

Sungjae Im challenges for his third win at the Woori Financial Championship. Photo by KPGA

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This week’s tournament is considered Sungjae Im’s home turf. He won this event in 2023 and successfully defended his title in 2024. However, he missed the cut by one stroke last year, ending his hopes of a third consecutive victory.

Sungjae Im is determined to reclaim the title at his sponsor’s event. After joining the PGA Tour late due to a right wrist injury, he missed the cut in his first two tournaments, then finished tied for fourth at the Valspar Championship. Although he has since hovered in the lower ranks in three subsequent events without notable results, he is aiming for a comeback on the Korean stage.

Im stated, “Last year, I was disappointed to finish the tournament the way I did, but this year I want to deliver better performance. Playing in front of Korean fans is always special. I will do my best and stay focused until the end to show my best game.”

Taehun Lee, a Korean-Canadian golfer competing in LIV Golf, will aim for his second consecutive victory. Last year, he captured the trophy after a playoff, and from this year, he will also receive sponsorship from Woori Financial Group, the tournament’s sponsor. Lee commented, “Defending my title is my biggest goal. I am even more excited to compete in the main sponsor’s event and want to repay the support with great play.”

Lee Sangyeop, who won the season opener this year, will try for back-to-back victories. The field also includes Lee Junghwan, who plays on both the DP World Tour and the KPGA Tour; Hwang Junggon, who has seven wins in domestic and international events; and Cho Wooyoung, who won the Asian Tour’s Philippine Golf Championship in February this year.

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