Atlanta: After squeezing into the exclusive-field Tour Championship for the seventh straight season, PGA Tour veteran Im Sung-jae said he is proud of having kept his streak alive. Im will be the only South Korean among the 30 players who have qualified for the Tour Championship, the final event of the annual FedEx Cup playoffs, which will start Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup through two playoff events will get to tee off in the capital of Georgia, and Im ranked 28th.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Im expressed satisfaction with his consistent performance since his rookie season. "I want to pat myself on the back for playing in my seventh consecutive Tour Championship," Im said in an interview with the PGA Tour conducted Wednesday in Atlanta. "There have been times when things didn't go my way but I've been able to overcome those hurdles quickly. I am satisfied with how well I've played for these past seven years."
Im set a goal at the start of the season to qualify for the Tour Championship and to secure his third career victory. Although he has not achieved all his objectives, Im remains content with his progress. "I haven't accomplished all of my goals but I am still happy that I've made it to the Tour Championship," he added.
The 2018-2019 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Im has recorded three top-10 finishes this season, marking the fewest in his career. All three top-10 placements occurred within the first four months of the season, with his last top-10 showing being a fifth-place finish at the Masters in April. "I finished third in my first tournament of the season (at The Sentry in January) and I also had a good start in the majors by finishing fifth at the Masters. But I didn't quite play at the level I wanted in the second half," Im remarked.
Im acknowledged feeling stressed due to a lack of FedEx Cup points but praised his ability to persevere through playoff events to reach the Tour Championship. Despite a challenging year, Im is recognized for his consistency on the tour. He attributes this to maintaining steady routines. "I have not changed my routine and my lifestyle much over the past seven years," he explained. "I've been able to avoid injuries because I've been taking care of my body. I've also been putting in consistent hours on the range."