It’s safe to say that Sungjae Im is feeling a little better.
It’s been five months since I played a Sunday on the PGA Tour; he’s coming into this one with a two-shot lead.
“I’m really excited about the birdie on the last hole and having a two-shot lead going into tomorrow,” Im said after a third-round 69 at Innisbrook’s. Copperhead course. His birdie on No. 18 was just his third of the day.
The South Korean star had a long and unconventional season. After finishing T27 at the Tour Championship last August, Im played three fall events in Asia in October — including Baycurrent, his most recent four-round effort on the tour — before turning his attention to military training.
Because he wants to won a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games, Im was exempted from South Korea’s two-year military service. But he was still on the hook for several weeks of basic military training and volunteer work. That meant leaving his clubs for a three-week camp, which gave him a new title — “91st Marine Battalion of the 9th Marine Brigade,” he wrote on Instagram — and emerged, he said at the time, “with no injuries.”
But Im suffered a setback as he prepared for the 2026 PGA Tour season, missing the first seven events with a wrist injury. it didn’t touch a club for more than a month and a half, he said, an unprecedented move in his 10-year professional career. And when he He did back two weeks ago, he missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then again at last week’s Players Championship.
However, Im said he found a silver lining in his long layoff.
“So after the wrist injury, I wasn’t able to practice for two months. So I think a lot of my shots that I didn’t like from last year I was able to do, once I started practicing, I was able to correct them and I was just constantly getting better. Even though there were shots that I’m not happy with, I feel comfortable now.”
I said he felt some progress in his golf swing Players Championship regardless of a missed cut.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the lead like this, and I’m sure I’ll be nervous, but the best I can do is play my game,” he said.
Im said that while he is eager to break a four-and-a-half-year winless drought, he has found great satisfaction in his consistency. The 2025 season marked his seventh consecutive tournament championship qualification.
“Within that period of time I’ve been able to play really well. I’ve had a couple of second and third places. For me, just being able to finish on top and be successful in that way is important to me and it’s been something I’ve been happy with,” he said.
Now he is on the verge of that victory. After a spectacular round with two eagles in an opening round 64 and back-to-back 69s, he leads the way at 11 under par. Brandt Snedeker and David Lipsky (nine-under) are T2, while Marco Penge and Matt Fitzpatrick (eight-under) sit T4.
