Korea’s Si Woo Kim came agonisingly close to a second victory of the season at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday as he led five other Asian stars into the lucrative FedExCup Playoffs which begins later this week.
Starting the day six off the lead, the 26-year-old Kim fired a closing 6-under 64 at Sedgefield Country Club to join a six-way playoff which American Kevin Kisner triumphed following a birdie on the second extra hole.
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Kim, who won his career third PGA Tour victory at The American Express in February, has now qualified for his sixth successive FedExCup Playoffs at 30th position on the points list, with other Asians joining him for a crack at the 15 million top prize including Hideki Matsuyama of Japan (14th), Korea’s Sungjae Im (31st), K.H. Lee of Korea (34th), C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei (118th) and India’s Anirban Lahiri (121st).
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The top 125 will tee up in THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National in New Jersey on Thursday, followed by the top 70 at the BMW Championship and the leading 30 at the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship which will crown the new FedExCup champion.
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“Yeah, it was great round,” said Kim. “First three holes kind of boring, like I didn’t make birdie. Then I try to just keep patient, I don’t think about like winning, just try to be inside the top-10,” added the Korean star, whose finish was his fifth top-10 of the 2020-21 season.
He birdied the fourth hole from 17 feet and then made eagle on the next hole from seven feet to begin his run up the leaderboard. Three more birdies on 10, 13 and 17 put him on 15-under 265 in the clubhouse which got him into the playoff which also featured Adam Scott, Kevin Na, Roger Sloan and Branden Grace.
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The tied second finish was Kim’s fourth top 5 at the Donald Ross-designed Sedgefield, which include his maiden Tour victory in 2016. “I won here so that was like everything, like was a dream winning on the PGA Tour. And then I have like three top-5s on this course, so I feel so comfortable and I love this place,” said Kim.
Countryman Sung Kang, who needed a win at Wyndham to qualify for the Playoffs, came in tied 15th after closing with a 67 while Lee also shot a 67 to settle for a share of 24th position alongside Im, who signed off with a 68.
Pan, the bronze medallist at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, closed with a 67 to finish tied 29th to ensure a return into the FedExCup Playoffs after missing out last season, as with Lahiri.
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