Im Sung-jae makes his first debut victory at the Cognizant Classic

To Lim Sung-jae (25, CJ Korea Express), who debuted on the PGA Tour in the 2018-2019 season, the PGA National Resort Champions Course (par 71, 7,147 yards) at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida is full of fond memories. He won his first championship at the Honda Classic in his 50th competition in 2020. He became the first Asian golfer to win the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, but as he was labeled as a "half-sized player," his first win was all the more impressive.

Lim Sung-jae will compete in the Cognizant Classic (total prize money of $9 million), which opens at the PGA National Resort Champions Course on the 29th, and will challenge for her first win of the season. The tournament, which had been held as Honda Classic until last year, changed its name when Cognizant, an information technology (IT) company based in New Jersey, was the title sponsor. Cognizant is also sponsoring the Cognizant Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour in May.

Im Sung-jae's recent poor performance requires a change of mood. He got off to a good start to the season. He garnered 34 birdies at the Sentry held in January, setting a new record for birdies at a 72-hole PGA Tour event. He fell to a tie for 25th at the next American Express event, but failed to make the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, and has been tying for 66th, 66th, and 44th ever since.

Therefore, it is necessary to prepare an opportunity to escape from the slump as soon as possible, and this tournament course is worth aiming for the top-ranked performance as it is the first place to win the PGA Tour. Lim Sung-jae also said, "I have a lot of good memories and always gain confidence when I come here because it is the first stadium to win the PGA Tour," adding, "I haven't achieved the desired performance in recent weeks, but I prepared well for this tournament by resting last week."

World No. 16 Kim Joo-hyung also aims to win the title. He is the third highest ranking player at the event, following Rory McIlroy (35) of Northern Ireland and Matthew Fitzpatrick (30), of England. Chris Kirk (39), the winner of last year's event, is aiming for his second consecutive win and second win this year. Kirk won the Sentry, the opener of the event.

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