Im looks to improve on last year's joint seventh-place finish; defending champion Fuess and Open Championship winner Stenson also in contention
Im Sung-jae and Henrik Stenson of Sweden headline a strong field set to compete at the Asian Tour's SJM Macau Open 2026.
The tournament, carrying a $1 million purse, runs Thursday through Sunday at the Macau Golf and Country Club. Now in its 23rd edition, the event will feature 144 players, including seven of the top 10 on the Asian Tour's season money list.
Among the Korean contingent, Im is the player to watch. Making his debut at the event last year, he finished tied for seventh at 7-under-par 269, and he returns this week for a second crack at the title.
Im, the PGA Tour's 2019 Rookie of the Year, recorded his sixth top-10 finish of the season when he tied for ninth at the PGA Tour's Barracuda Championship, which concluded Sunday. He will look to carry that momentum into Macau as he seeks a win and a boost to his world ranking.
"I'm happy to be back, having finished with a good result in the top 10 last year," Im said. "I have a better understanding of the course this time around, so I want to perform even better than I did last year."
Stenson, the 2016 Open Championship winner, will make his Macau Open debut. The 50-year-old Swede has 22 professional victories, including the 2009 Players Championship, and has been competing on PGA Tour Champions this year.
"I'm especially excited because this is my first visit to Macau," Stenson said at a press conference Tuesday. "The level of Asian players has improved significantly compared to the past, so I expect fierce competition. I'll spend the remaining time getting as familiar with the course as I can."
Defending champion Dominic Fuess of Germany will look to retain his title. Last year, Fuess finished tied with Wang Wei-hsuan of Taiwan at 17-under-par 263 before making birdie on the second playoff hole to claim victory.
Travis Smyth of Australia, second on the Asian Tour money list, is also considered a strong title contender. Smyth said he spent the past two weeks resting and preparing specifically for this event.
Other notable entrants include Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner; Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand, the 2024 champion; and Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand, the 2016 champion. China's Wu Ashun, a five-time DP World Tour winner, rounds out the contenders.
The Macau Open has a storied history of attracting major champions, with past participants including Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Fred Couples, Padraig Harrington and Vijay Singh. Zhang Lianwei of China remains the only player to have won the tournament in back-to-back years.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
