From a Correspondent
Augusta, Georgia: Sungjae Im is nicknamed ‘Ironman Im and the Korean star showed plenty of steel to fight back from a disastrous start at the Masters Tournament on Saturday.
Im battled to a gutsy 1-under 71 in the third round for solo third place and five back of leader Scottie Scheffler of the United States.
World no. 1 Scheffler, who has won three of his last five PGA Tour events, carded a 71 and will take a three-shot lead into the final round over Players Championship winner, Cameron Smith.
The genial Australian forced his way into the final pairing following a second 68 of the week at Augusta National.
Scheffler (69-67-71) and Smith (68-74-68) are the two players in the field and good recent form into what could be a titanic showdown on Sunday.
With defending champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan falling out of contention following a 77 on yet another brutal day, Im will now shoulder Asian hopes of second successive Asian winner at the year’s first major.
Matsuyama had who started the day in tied second place alongside Im, but is now as good as out of the race on a brutal course that is punishing even the slightest of errors.
In the mix
“I still have a chance,” declared Im, who was one of only nine golfers who broke par Saturday.
It could have gone horribly wrong for the 24-year-old after he double bogeyed the first hole and three-putted the fifth and sixth holes to be 4-over early on.
He knuckled down brilliantly to sink five birdies in his last 11 holes, holing some massive putts from 16 feet on 12, 33 feet from off the green on 15 and another 15-footer on 17.
It was, however, a 26-foot par save on the seventh which proved pivotal for Im.
“I made a long par putt on the seventh and got some good momentum. It helped me finish with a decent score.
“At the first, I thought I had hit a good second shot but it sailed over the green with the wind, and I made double.
Positive thinking
“The front nine was long. At that point, I was just thinking if I could get back to even par, I would still be in the top-10 for the final round,” said Im, who was runner-up on Masters debut in November 2020.
His courageous round has kept him in the frame to become only the third Asian male golfer after countryman Y.E. Yang (2009 PGA Championship) and Matsuyama to lift a major trophy.
Im feels at home at Augusta National and duly delivered some big roars from the patrons following his lengthy putt on 15, which saw him celebrate with a raised clenched fist.
“I just wanted to putt it close to the pin (for par). I had a good line and the perfect speed, and it went in,” he smiled.
Im knows he must produce the round of his life on Sunday if he is to put on the Green Jacket.
He will play alongside former Open Championship winner Shane Lowry (73-68-73, 214, -2)of Ireland in the penultimate pairing on Sunday.
“I want to keep to my own play and focus on every single shot. That will be my strategy.
“If I need to be aggressive, I will go for it and if I need to go safe, I will go safe. I will choose my strategy depending on the situation. If it works out, I could have a good result.
“Winning the Masters would be great, but the pressure and an aggressive mindset could ruin my game.
“I will try to stay calm and focus. I’ll try to not look at other scores and keep to my own game until the 18th hole,” said Im.
Tiger’s highest
For his part, 82-time PGA Tour winner and five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods recorded a third-round 78, his highest score in 93 career rounds at the Masters.
Sunday’s final group of Scheffler and Smith pairs two players in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking and top five in the FedExCup.
Both have won multiple times on Tour this season, Scheffler has three wins in his last five starts on the Tour and Smith has won twice.
Smith in fact stands to emulate Tiger Woods who so far is the only player to win the Players and the Masters in the same year. (courtesy pgatour.com)
Also read: Korea’s Im in the van as Tiger mania descends on Augusta National
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