Im Sung-jae tees off on the fourth hole during the third round of the BMW Championship, the second PGA Tour playoff event, on Sunday. [Yimajin Image]
Im Sung-jae tees off on the fourth hole during the third round of the BMW Championship, the second PGA Tour playoff event, on Sunday. [Yimajin Image]

Im Sung-jae slowed in the third round of the BMW Championship, the second event of the PGA Tour playoffs, which carries a $20 million purse.

Playing Sunday at Bellerive Country Club (par 70) in St. Louis, Missouri, Im traded two birdies for two bogeys to card an even-par 70. His 54-hole total of 9-under-par 201 dropped him from a share of fourth on Saturday to sole seventh.

To qualify for the Tour Championship — the playoff finale — Im must climb from his current FedEx Cup ranking of 40th into the top 30. That will require finishing solo seventh or better at this event to accumulate enough FedEx Cup points.

Im made a shaky start with a bogey on the par-4 first hole, but recovered immediately by draining a birdie putt from more than 12 meters on the par-4 second. He then strung together 13 consecutive pars before sinking a 6-meter birdie putt on the par-3 18th to move under par.

He closed with a bogey on the par-4 18th, however, after his ball moved between a fairway bunker and the rough, leaving him with added pressure to climb the leaderboard in the final round.

Kim Si-woo, ranked fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, also carded an even-par 70 with two birdies and two bogeys, sitting at 1-under-par 209 in a tie for 35th. Kim has in effect already secured his spot in the Tour Championship regardless of his finish this week.

Kim Joo-hyung posted a 2-under 68 — three birdies against one bogey — to join Kim Si-woo in a tie for 35th at 1-under 209. Kim Joo-hyung, ranked 26th in the FedEx Cup standings, will learn whether he advances to the finale based on his final-round result.

Wyndham Clark of the United States, who won two titles this season — the US Open major and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson — surged to the outright lead at 17-under 193.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Patrick Cantlay of the United States share second place at 12-under 198, five strokes behind Clark.


yjc@heraldcorp.com