Im Sung-jae tees off on the seventh hole. [Getty Images]
Im Sung-jae tees off on the seventh hole. [Getty Images]

Im Sung-jae moved into a tie for second place at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which carries a $20 million purse.

Im carded six birdies and two bogeys for a 4-under-par 66 on Saturday (Korean Standard Time) at TPC Southwind (par 70, 7,288 yards) in Memphis, Tennessee, lifting his 36-hole total to 8-under 132 and into a share of second place with Viktor Hovland of Norway.

Scottie Scheffler of the United States, the FedEx Cup points leader, surged from a tie for 17th into sole possession of the lead with a stunning 9-under 61 on the day, reaching 11-under 129 overall. Scheffler reeled off five consecutive birdies on holes 1 through 5 and added three more in a row on holes 15 through 17, finishing with 11 birdies against two bogeys.

Im made a fast start, draining birdies on each of the first three holes — all from 3 to 5 meters out. He added two more on the par-4 sixth and par-4 ninth, aided by precise iron play, and turned in 5-under with a bogey-free front nine to briefly hold the lead.

Im's round hit a bump on the par-4 15th, where a tee shot into a penalty zone led to his first bogey. He bounced back immediately on the par-5 16th, sticking his third shot to within a meter of the pin for a birdie. A three-putt bogey on the par-4 17th, however, left him three strokes behind Scheffler heading into the third round.

Im was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2019 and reached the Tour Championship — the playoff finale — in seven consecutive seasons through last year, an unmatched streak. A wrist injury in the first half of this season disrupted his form, and he finished the regular season 53rd in the FedEx Cup standings, leaving his place in the finale in doubt. If he holds Friday's score through the end of the first playoff event, he could climb to 36th in the FedEx Cup rankings.

Ludvig Aberg of Sweden shot a 5-under 65 to sit alone in fourth at 7-under 133. Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman of the United States, Tommy Fleetwood of England and Nico Echavarria of Colombia are tied for fifth at 6-under 134.

Michael Kim, a Korean American who shared the lead after Friday's opening round, struggled to a 2-over 72 and dropped to 19th at 3-under 137.

Kim Si-woo, seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, carded a 2-under round to sit in a tie for 27th at 2-under 138 alongside Min Woo Lee of Australia. Tom Kim, meanwhile, was derailed by a triple bogey on the 12th hole, dropping two strokes to fall into a tie for 45th at 1-over 141.


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