One reason Sungjae Im finds himself in third place in the FedExCup standings is because of his improved short game.
Through the first 13 events (eight starts) this season, the Korean star ranks second in Strokes Gained: Around the Greens with an average of 0.746 strokes on the field per round. That’s with 27 measured rounds. The category leader is Jim Knous with a 1.069 average through nine measured rounds.
A year ago, Im ranked a dismal 142nd in that category, with a minus-0.079 average per round. The year before that, he ranked 92nd in the category at 92nd at 0.007 – essentially matching the Tour average.
In winning the Shriners Childrens Open last October, Im credited his wedge play during a tournament that turned into a birdiefest, as he won at 24 under. The other parts of Im’s game have always been either spectacular or solid; it was the short game that was his statistical weakness. Evidently he’s fixed that.
With the Florida Swing coming up in a few weeks, don’t be surprised if Im makes a push to overtake Hideki Matsuyama atop the standings. Im generally plays well in the Sunshine State – his other Tour win came at The Honda Classic in 2020, and last year he had three top-25 finishes in Florida.
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