Korea’s Sungjae Im surged into contention at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Saturday with the day’s low round of 7-under 63 catapulting him into tied eighth place and four back of leader J.J. Spaun.
Following subdued rounds of 70 and 68, the 24-year-old Im hit his best form at TPC Southwind in Memphis with one eagle, six birdies and a lone bogey on golf’s “Moving Day” to give himself a fighting chance of winning the opening FedExCup Playoffs event.
Related: Spaun steadfast at TPC Southwind with career low 54-hole total
He heads into Sunday’s final round on 9-under 201 knowing a strong finish can enhance his hopes of becoming the first ever Asian golfer to win the FedExCup since its inception in 2007.
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Im, who qualified 10th for the Playoffs, signalled his intention right from the get-go when he brilliantly sank a 33-footer for birdie on the par-4 first hole. A bogey at the next hole hardly dampened his spirit as he swiftly responded with a glorious eagle on the par-5 third after knocking his second shot to within 13 feet of the pin from 240 yards. Im made another gain on the par-3 eighth to turn in 32 before closing his day in a flourish with four birdies over the last six holes.
“It wasn’t hot today. It was great to play in the morning,” said the world No. 20 and two-time PGA TOUR winner. “Thursday and Friday were very hot, so it was physically difficult to play, but it was nice because it was cool today. I think this helped a lot in today’s low score.”
He is counting on another fast in the final day to catch leader Spaun as his putter worked brilliantly during the third round with a lengthy conversion on his opening hole. “I started off well by converting a 30-foot birdie putt on the first. Then I made an eagle on third, which gave me a good momentum,” he said.
“So I kept this momentum and hit some good iron shots with perfect distance control that helped me make more birdies. There were also a couple of mid to long distance putts on the back nine which led to my good score.”
Im’s form heading into the post-season has been impressive following two joint runner-up finishes at the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship. He is seeking a second win of the season and also to the second successive Korean winner on TOUR following young compatriot Joohyung “Tom” Kim’s success at the Wyndham Championship last Sunday.
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“Now that I am in top-10, I have chance to win. I hope I would get same score as today, but there are so many good players in the top-10. I just have to keep to my game plan and focus on each shot,” said Im, who boasts of eight top-10 finishes to date.
The in-form 20-year-old Kim, who became the second youngest winner on TOUR since World War II, enjoyed a steady rise on the leaderboard following a 66 to be tied for 17th place with seven others including compatriot K.H. Lee (69) on 8-under. Another Korean, Si Woo Kim, who co-led the first round, endured another disappointing 72 to slip to T52, 10 shots off the pace.
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India’s Anirban Lahiri, who had missed the cut on Friday, is currently projected to fall from 63rd to 73rd position with how the leaderboard is staked. The top-70 will advance into next week’s BMW Championship, followed by the top-30 for the season-finale, TOUR Championship.
