South Korea’s Sungjae Im has gotten off to a solid start in the second round of the FedExCup Playoffs on the U.S. Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, keeping his hopes of reaching the season finale alive for the fifth consecutive year.
Lim shot a 2-under 68 with three birdies and a bogey to sit in a tie for 12th place after the first round of the BMW Championship ($20 million purse) at Olympia Fields Country Club (par 70-7,366 yards) in Olympia Fields, Illinois, U.S., on Monday (Aug. 18).
The BMW Championship was the second event of the 2022-2023 season playoffs following last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, which featured only the top 50 players in the FedExCup points standings.
After this event, only the top 30 will advance to the season-ending Tour Championship.
Lim, who has played in the Tour Championship four years in a row, finishing runner-up last year, is not completely out of the woods this season as he is 28th in the FedExCup standings after the first round, but his projected FedExCup ranking will rise to 24th based on his first round performance today.
This is a great opportunity for the Korean to get his first win of the season, as he is currently tied for 14th at the Wyndham Championship and tied for sixth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Lim started the day with back-to-back birdies on the first and second holes, but then bogeyed the seventh (par-4) without adding another birdie in the first half.
In the second half, he dropped a 6-meter birdie putt on the 13th (par-3) to drop another stroke.
Ahn, who is currently 38th in the FedExCup standings, traded two birdies for two bogeys to finish the first round at even-par 70 and tied for 23rd. Ahn will need a better finish to qualify for the Tour Championship.
Kim Si-woo, who enters the tournament with the highest FedExCup ranking of any Korean player at No. 17, is tied for 30th (1-over par 71), while Kim Joo-hyung, who is No. 18 on the FedExCup, is tied for 40th (2-over par 72).
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (NI), last year’s Tour Championship winner, carded five birdies and no bogeys for a 5-under 65 to share the lead with Brian Harman (USA).
McIlroy, currently third in the FedExCup points standings, can move into first place with a win here.
Players start the Tour Championship in different positions based on their FedExCup standings leading up to the BMW Championship. The FedExCup leader starts the Tour Championship at 10-under par, second at 8-under, third at 7-under, and so on.
McIlroy started the Tour Championship in seventh place last season and came from behind to win.
Tied for third (4-under 66), one shot back of the lead, is World No. 1 and FedExCup No. 2 Scott Schauffler, 먹튀검증토토사이트 along with Rickie Fowler (USA) and Matt Fitzpatrick (England).
Yon Rahm (Spain), who began the tournament atop the FedExCup standings, and Patrick Cantlay (USA), the 2021 and 2022 winner of the event, are tied for 12th with Lim.