A tied fourth finish at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday has put Korea’s Sungjae Im in the right mood as he seeks major redemption at The Open Championship.
The two-time PGA Tour winner birdied his last hole at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick for a closing 1-under 69 and ended his week four back of Scotsman Robert MacIntyre, who produced a magnificent home victory in the US$9 million showpiece.
Much to his disappointment, Im has missed all three cuts in the majors this season but a sixth top-10 of the season will serve as the confidence boost that he needs as he makes the short trip from The Renaissance to Royal Troon.
“The wind was stronger than expected today, that’s why I struggled a bit out there,” said Im. “I made some mistakes which I would not have usually done so. There were some birdie chances but I couldn’t take it. Towards the end, it got a bit windy and I tried to adjust and it kind of worked out.”
He ground out three birdies against as many bogeys through 15 holes before rolling in an 11-footer at the last for a final birdie of the day. The smooth-swinging Im will no doubt be confident of his hopes at Royal Troon as this was his fifth top-10 in his last eight starts, and he rose to 10th place in the FedExCup points list.
“Towards the end of my third round, things didn’t go the way I planned and I missed a few shots. The swing wasn’t very good, but I made some adjustments on the range and it was a bit better and I felt more comfortable out there,” he said.
With The Open being the final major of the year, Im is keen to make up for his poor run in the majors where he missed the cut in the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open. “It’s good preparation. Top-five is a good accomplishment. We’re also on another links golf course next week which I’m looking forward to, especially when it is the last major of the year. I want to carry this momentum to Royal Troon.
“I didn’t play very well in the last three majors but I feel like I’m getting back into the groove of things with my game and I want to show a different side of myself for the last major,” said Im.
Home hero MacIntyre brought the roof down at The Renaissance when he rolled in a 22-foot birdie at the last hole to pip Australian Adam Scott (67) to the Genesis Scottish Open title by a single stroke for his second PGA Tour victory. He signed for a final round 67 to make up for the disappointment of finishing runner-up 12 months ago to Rory McIlroy, who finished tied fourth.
“I think I lost my voice after the scream on that hole. I thought I was short,” said MacIntyre, who became only the second Scotsman to win the national Open after Colin Montgomerie (1999).
