Im Sung-jae stumbled on the third day of the BMW Championship, the second event of the PGA Tour playoffs, with a total purse of $20 million. His path to the playoff finale now hangs in the balance.
Im shot an even-par 70 on the 23rd, Korea time, in the third round at the par-70 Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, carding two birdies and two bogeys. At 9 under par with a total of 201, he dropped from a share of fourth the previous day to sole seventh.
To reach the Tour Championship next week — the season-ending event limited to just 30 players — Im must finish inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings. He currently sits 40th. If the tournament ended at his current position, Im would advance to the finale in exactly 30th place. But slipping even one spot would knock him out.
After trading a birdie and a bogey on the front nine, Im picked up a stroke at the par-3 16th hole on the back nine. But he closed with a bogey at the final par-4 18th, where his ball bounced between a fairway bunker and the rough.
Kim Si-woo, fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, also shot an even-par 70 with two birdies and two bogeys. At 1 under par, he is tied for 35th. Kim has already secured his spot in the playoff finale. Kim Joo-hyung, 26th in the FedEx Cup standings, is also tied for 35th.
Wyndham Clark of the United States, who won the U.S. Open and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this season, leads alone at 17 under par. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Patrick Cantlay of the United States are tied for second at 12 under par.
