Maui, Hawaii, United States: Double Asian Games medallist Im Sung-jae is gunning for a big year ahead, starting with the 2024 PGA Tour’s season-opening The Sentry in Kapalua.
The 25-year-old Im is among an elite 59-man field at the Plantation Course in the first of eight Signature tournaments of the year.
Joining Im in the starting line-up are compatriots Tom Kim, Kim Si-woo and An Byeong-hun along with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, world number one Scottie Scheffler and reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland.
“One of my goals is to have great finishes in the Majors. I wish to have better results compared to past Majors,” said Im, who collected the individual silver medal at September’s Asiad in China.
Im’s performance at Hangzhou’s Westlake International Golf Course helped the Korean team that also included Kim Si-woo, Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young to the men’s team gold.
Following a two-month off-season in his home country, Im, whose best Major finish is a runner-up outing at the 2020 Masters Tournament, revealed that he focused on increasing his swing speed with the aim of gaining additional distance from the tee.
He ended the 2023 season in 24th position on the FedEx Cup standings following nine top-10s and 10 other top-25s.
“With the change to a calendar year season, it’s important to keep myself in good position during the first half of the year and to be comfortable later on. The biggest goal would be getting back to The Tour Championship for a sixth straight year. It’ll be nice also to place myself in the top-10 at the Majors. I will keep myself calm and be ready to do so,” he said.
“I had a great time back home. I spent quality time with family and friends. I tried to stay in tune with my game by continuing with my training. I tried to increase the swing speed of my driver, but I didn’t change my swing.”
Another goal for Im in the New Year is to return to the PGA Tour winner’s enclosure. He won in 2020 and 2021 before enduring a winless stretch.
A return trip to the Plantation Course this week, however, has given him good vibes once more following finishes of tied fifth in 2021, tied eighth in 2022 and tied 13th last year.
“It is always nice to come back to Maui. This tournament has given me great memories and I’m always confident here. With two top 10s and finishing 13th last year, I think I can expect something better,” said Im, 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Other targets for Im in 2024 include August’s Paris Olympic Games and securing a place in the International Team at the Presidents Cup in September.
“If I get to join the International Team again, it will be my third Presidents Cup. I will try my best to help secure a win over Team USA. I’m proud of being part of the Presidents Cup,” he added.
The Sentry is offering a US$20 million prize fund, with US$3.6 million and 700 FedEx Cup points going to the winner on Sunday.
For the first time since 2012, the PGA Tour is returning to a calendar-year schedule with the 2024 FedEx Cup Regular Season beginning this week.