After rounds of 63-65, Sungjae Im held the 36-hole lead at the 2021 Shriners Children’s Open. Still, the 23-year-old was not getting ahead of himself.
“I feel pretty good about my game overall and I just want to keep these feelings and try to have a good week,” he said.
After a third-round 70, Im trailed by two shots entering the final round but got off to a good start by knocking in a 30-footer at the first hole for birdie, igniting a nine-birdie, no-bogey 62 that allowed Im to cruise to a comfortable four-shot win over Matthew Wolff for his second PGA Tour title.
Im separated himself from the field when, after a front-nine 30 capped by a birdie at the ninth hole, he rattled off four more to start the incoming nine, including a 22-footer at the 10th.
His putter is a Scotty Cameron by Titleist Flowback 5 tour prototype centre-shaft mallet. His work on the greens was remarkably impressive, ranking sixth in strokes gained/putting – picking up more than six shots on the field, including three-plus strokes today, when he needed just 26 putts.
But Im was stellar tee-to-green and around the greens. Im’s driver is an 8-degree Titleist TSi2 with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7X shaft and his irons are the company’s T100 model with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. His wedges are Titleist Vokey SM7s.
He used those clubs to rank first in strokes gained/tee-to-green; eighth in strokes gained/approach-the-green and he got up and down nine times out of 10 for the week, including being five-for-five in sand saves.
That’s the kind of performance you might expect from a player who doesn’t like to get ahead of himself.
What Sungjae Im had in the bag at the Shriners Children’s Open:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist TSi2 (Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7X), 8 degrees
3-wood: Titleist TS3, 15 degrees
Hybrid: Titleist 818H2, 19.0 degrees
Irons (3): Titleist T200; (4-9): Titleist T100; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM7
Wedges: Titleist SM7 (53, 60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Flowback 5 tour prototype
PHOTO: Alex Goodlett
