South Korean Im Sung-jae finished third at the PGA Tour season opener in Hawaii, getting his 2025 campaign off to a strong start.
Im shot a bogey-free 65 in the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua in Kapalua, Hawaii, on Sunday. He ended at 29-under 263 overall, six strokes behind the champion, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.
Im made just four bogeys at the tournament, and none after the third hole in the second round. But that was not enough against Matsuyama, who went 62-65 on the weekend and set a new PGA Tour scoring record in relation to par at 35-under. Collin Morikawa of the United States was the runner-up at 32-under.
"I am really happy to have finished third. Since I had a good start here, I hope the rest of the season goes well," Im said afterward. "I didn't have a bogey over the final two days. It was a bit windy today but I was able to save some key pars."
This tournament featured 31 tournament winners from last season and 29 players who earned their way by finishing inside the top 50 in FedEx Cup points in 2024.
Im was one of three South Korean players in the field, and all of them qualified by their FedEx Cup rankings. This was Im's fifth consecutive appearance at The Sentry and his fourth top-10 finish.
Im is still looking for his first victory since winning the Shriners Children's Open in October 2021.
Im, who plans to take next week off before returning to action, said he will not put pressure on himself to end his title drought.
"I'd love to get a win this season but it's not something that can happen just because you want it to happen," Im said. "There are so many great players on the tour. But I will do my best to get my third career win."
The two other South Koreans finished well out of contention. An Byeong-hun and Kim Si-woo tied for 32nd place at 16-under. Both players shot 67s in the final round. (Yonhap)
