Im Sung-jae tees off on the fifth hole during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the opening event of the PGA Tour playoffs, on Thursday. [AP]
Im Sung-jae tees off on the fifth hole during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the opening event of the PGA Tour playoffs, on Thursday. [AP]

Im Sung-jae got off to a strong start in the opening round of the 2026 PGA Tour playoffs on Thursday, positioning himself well for a run at the second playoff event next week.

Im carded seven birdies and three bogeys for a 4-under-par 66 at TPC Southwind (par 70) in Memphis, Tennessee, in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events, which carries a $20 million purse. He sits in a tie for sixth, just one stroke behind the five-way tie for the lead at 5-under 65.

Im got his round going with a birdie on the par-5 third hole, then added back-to-back birdies on the par-4 fifth and sixth to build early momentum. A bogey on the par-3 eighth tempered his front nine, which he finished at 2 under. The back nine brought more ups and downs — a birdie on the par-4 10th was followed by a bogey on the par-3 11th, and a birdie on the par-3 14th was offset by a bogey on the par-4 15th.

Im steadied himself down the stretch, hitting a deft third shot from a bunker near the green on the par-5 16th to set up a birdie, then draining a putt of just over 6 meters on the par-4 17th for another birdie to close on a high note.

Speaking to reporters after his round, Im said he was pleased with how the day unfolded. "Starting the first round at 4 under was a great feeling," he said. "To advance to next week, I need to keep chipping away at my score. I think I finished the first day pretty much as planned."

Im acknowledged the brutal conditions while expressing confidence in his focus. "It's extremely hot this week — I think everyone is struggling," he said. "I'll stay as focused as I can. I didn't manage my score well on the back nine, but bouncing back with consecutive birdies on 16 and 17 was great. I think I finished the back nine on a really good note."

Im has qualified for the Tour Championship, the playoff finale, in seven consecutive seasons from 2019 through last year. This season, however, early injuries hampered his play, and he entered the playoffs ranked 53rd in the FedEx Cup standings.

Kim Ju-hyung watches his tee shot on the fifth hole during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the opening event of the PGA Tour playoffs, on Thursday. [AFP]
Kim Ju-hyung watches his tee shot on the fifth hole during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the opening event of the PGA Tour playoffs, on Thursday. [AFP]

The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the playoffs through last week's regular-season finale, the Wyndham Championship. With FedEx Cup No. 60 Daniel Berger of the United States sitting out due to injury, 69 players teed it up this week. The top 50 after this event will advance to next week's BMW Championship, and the field will then be cut to 30 for the Tour Championship, the playoff finale, which begins Aug. 27.

If Im finishes the tournament at his current standing, his FedEx Cup ranking would climb from 53rd to 45th, securing him a spot in the BMW Championship.

Jordan Spieth, Michael Kim and three others shared the lead at 5-under 65. Tommy Fleetwood of England, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Adam Scott of Australia were among those tied with Im in sixth.

World No. 1 and FedEx Cup points leader Scottie Scheffler of the United States opened with a 2-under 68, placing him in a tie for 17th.

Kim Ju-hyung, ranked 26th in the FedEx Cup standings, shot a 1-under 69 to finish in a tie for 26th. Kim Si-woo, who recorded 10 top-10 finishes this season and entered the playoffs ranked seventh in the FedEx Cup, carded an even-par 70 to finish in a tie for 37th after the opening round.


yjc@heraldcorp.com