With the amount Sungjae Im plays on the PGA Tour, it was just a matter of time before the uber-talented South Korean won his first PGA Tour event. That time came today at the Honda Classic, where the 21-year-old shot a four-under 66 to win by one shot from Canadian Mackenzie Hughes.
“I’ve been in this spot many times,” said Im, who had already collected 10 top-10 finishes in his first 49 career starts prior to this week. “Just gaining the experience, that really helped me stay in the moment and pull out the win.”
One of those experiences came earlier this year at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where Im lost in a playoff to Sebastian Munoz. That day, Im needed three birdies in his last five holes to force a playoff. He made a similar late push at PGA National, making birdies at both par 3s in “The Bear Trap”. This time it was enough to hang on.
“I wanted to be aggressive rather than tentative on those holes,” Im said.
Im got a little help from Tommy Fleetwood, who made a long birdie putt at the 17th to pull within one of the lead, and needing a birdie at the 72nd hole to force a playoff. But after finding the fairway on the par-5 finishing hole, the Englishman blocked his second shot into the water, which led to a bogey and a four-under finish.
The leading Australian in Florida was Cameron Davis, who pitched in for eagle on the final hole to card a closing 68 to finish in a tie for eighth place.
