Sungjae Im of South Korea plays his shot from the second tee on March 24, 2023, day three of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas. (AFP/Getty Images/Tom Pennington)
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fter watching Hideki Matsuyama slip on the green jacket some two years ago, Sungjae Im can be forgiven if he finds himself daydreaming of emulating one of golf’s greatest traditions this week.
With the Masters Tournament returning to Augusta National for the year’s opening major, Im will have an added spring in his step as he prepares to launch another title assault at the prestigious event that starts on Thursday.
The Masters is not one for the fainthearted and the Korean star, a two-time PGA Tour winner, knows that his proven track record at the fabled venue will make him a worthy contender.
In 2020, when the Masters was played in November due to COVID-19, Im notched Asia’s best finish in the tournament’s history as a joint runner-up in his debut appearance. Five months later, Matsuyama stole his thunder by becoming the first Japanese to win at Augusta National after the Masters returned to its annual spring schedule.
Matsuyama’s success ultimately gave every Asian golfer the belief that donning the green jacket was no longer a pipe dream, and Im, who turned 25 last week, believes his time will come sooner rather than later.
“I have finished great with a T2 and T8 […] I have good and happy memories,” said Im.
“I’m really looking forward to it. As a kid, I have watched this tournament on TV, and getting myself into this event makes it extra special. I wish to enjoy another great finish.”
Like so many others, Im dreamed of making a putt to win the Masters. He was bitten by the golf bug after his parents gave him plastic golf clubs when he was 4 years old and proved to be a prodigy, excelling on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2018 with two wins before establishing himself on the PGA Tour.
“Winning the green jacket is one of my dreams,” said Im, currently the highest-ranked Asian golfer in the world at No. 18.
“I wish to get myself fitted into one someday. We’ve not had a Korean player win that title but if one of us does so, it will be very special for me. It will definitely be a good motivation. That win will make us realize that we also can win. I will try my best,” he said.
While he has an impressive track record at Augusta National, Im’s performance in the current season has been solid with four top-10s, including a tied sixth at the Players Championship last month. He won two of three group matches in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin two weeks ago, before taking the last week off for some final tune-ups.
“I have always come to Masters in this routine,” said Im. “The greens at Augusta is fast and the atmosphere is quite different from other tournaments. But since I have three years of experience here, I wish to make something out of it.”
Like many other competitors, Im is intrigued by the changes made to the par-5 13th hole, where the tee box has been pushed back by 35 yards, now making the hole a 545-yard challenge. For years, the first of the two par-5s on the back nine at Augusta National has tripped up many of the game’s biggest names, as Rae’s Creek meanders along the left side of the fairway and cuts across the front of a treacherous green.
“I have used 3 wood and driver on that hole previously but now, I think I need to focus on driver. I don’t think I will need to overthink that tee shot. However, we know that Amen Corner, the 11th, 12th, 13th holes are crucial. If I can keep myself on track by making pars, I think I can keep my scores,” said Im.
Other Asian players who will spearhead the region’s Masters challenge include Matsuyama, Korean first-timer Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim and K.H. Lee, and another Japanese debutant, Kazuki Higa.
Last year, Im opened the Masters with a first-round 67 to become the first Korean golfer to lead in any round at Augusta National, before he settled for eighth. Im is also fueled by his experience in 2020 when he finished runner-up, which remains his best major outing.
“I was just one back [in 2020], which made me think at that point, I could really win. Unfortunately, I finished runner-up. With that performance, I think I’m certainly competitive enough to win major tournaments in the near future,” Im said.
“I always want to come back here every year.”
A win this week for Im, with the green jacket draped on his sturdy frame, would ensure an annual return to Augusta National for the rest of his playing career.
– The writer is senior director of marketing and communications at APAC for the PGA Tour and is based in Malaysia.