Sungjae Im was this year’s PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. On Sunday, he was inches from winning his first PGA TOUR title.
Im made three consecutive back-nine birdies to put pressure on Sebastian Munoz at the Sanderson Farms Championship. The last one, at the difficult par-four 16th, tied him for the lead. Im was in the clubhouse and still holding a one-shot lead when Munoz came to the final hole.
Munoz made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to force a playoff, then won with a par on the first extra hole. Im made bogey after his approach shot rolled through the green. He chipped seven feet past and missed the putt.
With the win, Colombia’s Munoz also inserted himself as a potential captain’s pick if he can continue the strong play this fall. He has finished in the top 10 in the first two events of this new season. He leads the FedExCup standings with 585 points.
He’s also the second consecutive player from Latin America to win on the PGA TOUR. Joaquin Niemann won last week’s A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, giving International Team Captain Ernie Els plenty of options for the four picks he will announce in November.
Im moved to third in the FedExCup with his runner-up finish, the best of his PGA TOUR career. Im, the ironman who led the TOUR in starts (35) last season, finished T19 at the season-opening A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. Before the Sanderson, Im’s best career finish was third at this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
Im didn’t win in his first season on the PGA TOUR, but he was the only rookie to advance to the TOUR Championship. He finished 19th in the FedExCup after posting seven top 10s. Im, 21, is just the second player to win Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons (Stewart Cink, 1996-97).
Im is likely a lock for one of Ernie Els’ four captain’s picks for the Presidents Cup, but Sunday’s showing should only bolster his case. Im finished 11th in the final International Team standings; the top eight earned automatic spots on the team. Im shot 66 on Sunday.
A potential Presidents Cup teammate was behind him on the leaderboard. Byeong Hun An finished third in the Sanderson Farms Championship after making birdie on the final hole. It was An’s second third-place finish in his last five starts. He finished 15th in the final International Team points standings.
An held the 54-hole lead at the Wyndham Championship before shooting a final-round 67 to finish two shots behind winner JT Poston, who fired a final-round 62.
An held the 36-hole lead this week after starting with consecutive 66s. He started the final round two shots back after a third-round 70. He was tied for the lead on the back nine before back-to-back bogeys on 13 and 14. He rebounded with birdies on the 15th and 18th holes.
An, the 2009 US Amateur champion, is seeking his first PGA TOUR win to go with three worldwide wins. He has three runners-up in his PGA TOUR career.
‘It’s still a decent week. There’s a lot of positives to take,’ An said. ‘I know I can compete out here. I know I can win.’
