Sungjae Im Gets First PGA Tour Win at Honda Classic

Fleetwood, who is still seeking his first PGA Tour win, started Sunday one shot clear of the field and started with back-to-back birdies to get to seven under at that point — matching what was the low score in relation to par of the week.

Then PGA National did what it usually does, that being not let anyone run away from the pack.

Fleetwood made bogey on the par-4 sixth, and couldn’t get up and down from a greenside bunker on the par-4 eighth, giving back what was left of his lead at that point and sharing the top spot at five under with Im and Brendan Steele.

Moments after Im finished, Fleetwood made a 25-footer for birdie on the par-3 17th to get to five under. But Fleetwood’s second on the par-5 finishing hole leaked right and splashed into the water, and once his attempt at a miracle hole-out after a drop from 120 yards didn’t fall, Im could finally exhale as the winner.

Im hugged his caddie in the locker room, where he watched the last 20 minutes or so on a monitor.

“I’ve been in this spot many times,” Im said through a translator, adding, ”I just felt like the experience really helped.”

Some of Im’s best moments have come when no one has been looking.

He was third at the Zozo Championship in Japan in October, a finish overshadowed by Tiger Woods tying the PGA Tour record of 82 career victories. And in November, Im went 3-1-1 to tie for the best showing by a player on the International team at the Presidents Cup, but the U.S. team captained by Woods rallied in singles on the final day to win the trophy.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/sports/golf/sungjae-im-mackenzie-hughes-honda.html