[ad_1]
February 24: Korean rising star Sungjae Im hopes to become the second Asian golfer to win a tournament at the World Golf Championships when he lines up alongside the stars of the game at the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession which kicks off Thursday.
Fresh off a two-week hiatus, the 22-year-old will take on the region’s challenge in the elite peloton of 73 players with 48 of the top 50 golfers in the official world golf rankings gathered at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, in Florida.
Defending champion Patrick Reed, defending FedExCup winner and world No.1 Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thoma, Xander Sc Chaudele, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are among the big guns who will aim for success in the showpiece. $ 10.5 million, which is the first WGC event of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season following the cancellation of the WGC-HSBC champions last October.
Since the launch of the World Golf Championships in 1999, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan remains the only Asian golfer to win the 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions and 2017 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational triumphs. I am the highest ranked Asian player in the world at 17eup, hopes to join his Presidents Cup International teammate on the honor roll.
“The WGCs are big events. It would be nice to become the second Asian winner of a WGC after Hideki but I think I need a big effort to do so. I hope to get good results every year in the WGC tournaments, ”Im said.
So far he has competed in three WGC events during his flourishing career, with a tie for 11e place to the WGC-HSBC Champions in 2019 being his best result. After starting 2021 with five consecutive tournaments that resulted in a top five and two more top-20s, the Korean, nicknamed “Ironman” due to his non-stop playing schedule, believes his form is peaking to potentially challenge. a second. Victory of the PGA TOUR. With no reduction midway through this week, I’m planning to go into attack mode from the start.
“You probably have to be a little more aggressive,” said Im, who broke through for her first PGA TOUR victory at the Honda Classic last March. “I think I’ll change my strategy. If you play well in the first round, you can decide whether to play it safe or aggressive. At the WGC I feel really comfortable because there is no cut halfway so I think that can help me play better.
He’s also excited to face the main players from other international tours this week. On Tuesday, Im played a practice round with future Korean Australian golfer, Minwoo Lee, at The Concession.
“It’s a huge event. The best players from the six main tours of the world are here, along with the top ranked players in the world rankings. I think it’s fun and great to have a chance to compete with other world class players. I will focus on each shot and do my best during the four days of competition, ”he said.
This week’s WGC-Workday Championship marks the start of another busy round of golf for Im. He will travel to the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard next week where he finished two in the top three in the past two years before playing in TOUR’s flagship THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He will then defend his Honda title and then go to the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, which is limited to the 64 best golfers in the world.
Other Asians joining Im in the field this week include Matsuyama, five-time PGA TOUR winner, and Yuki Inamori, who is two-time Japan Open champion. The WGC-Workday Championship is a newly named event replacing the WGC-Mexico Championship, which could not be hosted in Mexico due to logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source link
