Im Sung-jae tees off on the fourth hole. [AFP]
Im Sung-jae tees off on the fourth hole. [AFP]

Im Sung-jae opened the BMW Championship — the second event of the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs, carrying a purse of $20 million — in a tie for 12th place.

Im carded five birdies and two bogeys for a 3-under-par 67 on Thursday at Bellerive Country Club (par 70, 7,448 yards) in St. Louis, Missouri, joining Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Akshay Bhatia of the United States in a share of 12th.

Im opened with a birdie on the par-4 second hole but slipped down the leaderboard after back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth. He recovered with four birdies on the back nine, sinking putts from 3.6 meters on the 10th and 7 meters on the 11th, then adding consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th. On the par-4 14th he hit his approach to within a meter of the pin; on the 15th he left his ball 2.7 meters away to set up the conversion.

Im currently sits 40th in the FedEx Cup standings. If he finishes the tournament at his first-round position, his projected ranking would slip one spot to 41st. To qualify for the Tour Championship — the FedEx Cup finale — for an eighth consecutive year, he will need to climb to at least a share of sixth place, or outright seventh, over the remaining three rounds.

Kim Si-woo, ranked fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, exchanged four birdies and four bogeys to finish even par and open in a tie for 32nd. Kim made three consecutive bogeys on the first through third holes after errant tee shots, but recovered with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth, followed by another birdie on the 11th. He added a birdie on the par-5 17th after a 47-yard third shot to within a meter of the pin, but dropped a shot on the 18th when his tee shot found the left rough, leading to a bogey with a three-putt from off the green.

Kim Joo-hyung, 26th in the FedEx Cup standings, struggled to a 2-over-par 72 and sits in a tie for 44th. His projected ranking after the final round would fall two spots to 28th.

Kim Joo-hyung made six birdies but offset them with four bogeys and two double bogeys. He hit his tee shot into a penalty zone on the par-3 sixth for his first double bogey, then compounded his troubles on the par-4 10th — where his drive found the left rough and his second shot plugged in a greenside bunker — for his second double bogey of the day.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland fired a bogey-free 6-under-par 64 to share the lead with Americans Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun and Chris Gotterup. McIlroy, ranked 13th in the FedEx Cup standings, closed with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th to cap a flawless round of six birdies and no bogeys.

By contrast, Scottie Scheffler of the United States — the world No. 1 and FedEx Cup points leader — stumbled to a 2-over-par 72 with five birdies and three bogeys, joining Kim Joo-hyung in a tie for 44th. Scheffler made four bogeys through the seventh hole before steadying himself with three birdies down the stretch.

The field is limited to the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings, and there is no cut. The results of this second playoff event will determine the final 30 players who advance to the Tour Championship. After the opening round, Kim Si-woo is the only Korean player firmly on track to qualify for the finale. Im and Kim Joo-hyung will need to move up the leaderboard over the remaining rounds.


sports@heraldcorp.com