S. Korean rookie paired with top dogs at PGA tournament at home

All News 15:38 October 16, 2018

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOGWIPO, South Korea, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean rookie Im Sung-jae has been paired with two of the biggest names in the field at a PGA Tour event on his native soil.

The 20-year-old will play with Brooks Koepka, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, and defending champion Justin Thomas in the first two rounds of the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges at the Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island. Im is from Jeju.

Im earned his full-time privileges for the 2018-2019 PGA Tour season after leading the Web.com Tour in money last season. He also picked up two victories on the second-tier tour.

Im made a splash in his PGA debut two weeks ago by finishing one stroke out of a playoff and ending in a tie for fourth place at the Safeway Open.

In this photo provided by JNA Golf, Im Sung-jae of South Korea tees off at the 16th hole during the practice round before the PGA Tour's CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges at the Club at Nine Bridges in Seogwipo on Jeju Island, South Korea, on Oct. 16, 2018. (Yonhap)

The marquee pairing will tee off at the 10th hole at 8:15 a.m. Thursday.

Among others, Marc Leishman, who lost to Thomas in a playoff at last year's CJ Cup, has drawn Hall of Famer Ernie Els and budding South Korean star Kim Si-woo for a 9:15 a.m. start on Thursday. Leishman is coming off his first win of the season at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia last weekend.

A pair of former world No. 1s from Australia, Jason Day and Adam Scott, will play with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan. They will start Thursday at 9:25 a.m.

The US$9.5 million CJ Cup is the only PGA Tour event to take place in South Korea and is part of the tour's Asia Swing.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)

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#golf #PGA Tour #CJ Cup

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