Im Sung-jae sneaks into top 10 entering final round at Masters

Im Sung-jae squeezed himself into the top 10 entering the final round at the Masters after carding his third consecutive under-par round.

Im shot one-under 71 to reach four-under for the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on Saturday. After making two birdies, one eagle and three bogeys, Im is tied for 10th place with three other players and eight shots off the lead, held by Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.

Im was the runner-up at the 2020 Masters, the best performance by a South Korean player at the event, and tied for eighth in 2022.

Im eagled the par-5 second hole and birdied the seventh before giving away all the momentum with bogeys on the ninth, 10th and 12th holes.

He salvaged a birdie on the par-3 16th.

“I didn’t hit the ball as well as I did the first two days. I put a lot of shots in the trees, and I was busy trying to save pars,” Im told South Korean reporters afterward. “But I was able to regain my timing later on and played the shots I wanted over the final three holes. I will try to maintain this touch tomorrow.”

Im said he struggled with his tee shots in particular, but he was pleased with his play around the greens.

“I will try to put up another under-par score tomorrow,” he added. “I will try to stay inside the top 10 and climb even higher.”

An Byeong-hun, who was the top South Korean last year when he tied for 16th, shot two-under 70 in the third round and jumped 16 spots to tie for 21st place heading into Sunday.

He made six birdies against four bogeys.

“I made plenty of birdies, and it means I hit the ball really well,” An said. “I’d like to make a few more putts tomorrow. Since the greens are difficult here, it’d be great to have some luck on my side.”

Tom Kim, who made the cut right on the number at two-over, shot an even 72 in the third round with four birdies and four bogeys.

With 53 players having made the cut, Kim was the odd man out in the first group of the day. He played with a marker, a noncompeting amateur serving as a playing partner for the South Korean.

“It took six hours to play yesterday. We waited on every hole. It was so nice to just go out there and play. The rhythm was really good,” Kim said. “I just had fresh greens, a little softer wind and nice weather.” (Yonhap)