Korea’s Sungjae Im fires 64 to charge into contention at Charles Schwab Challenge

Korea’s Sungjae Im mastered the winds and wielded a hot putter as a workman-like 6-under 64 propelled him into title contention at the Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday.

Chasing a third PGA TOUR victory, the 26-year-old Im rolled in monster putts of 44 feet and 25 feet for two of his seven birdies at Colonial Country Club in Forth Worth, Texas, as he ended the second round tied for fourth place and four back of leader Davis Riley.

Riley, a one-time winner, also shot a 64, which was the day’s joint low score, to lead by two strokes on 10-under from Hayden Buckley (65) and Pierceson Coody (65). Im’s countrymen Tom Kim and S.H. Kim will enter the weekend on 3-under in tied 15th place following rounds of 68 and 71 respectively while Kevin Yu of Chinese Taipei shot a 69 for tied 25th.

Im has bounced back to form in recent weeks after a timely victory on the Korean PGA Tour last month, followed by a T4 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship which was only his second top-10 of the season. He suffered a minor blip with a missed cut at the PGA Championship last week but is back to his free-flowing best at Colonial despite some challenging conditions.

“It was a little bit windy, so it was a bit challenging," said Im. "I made some long putts that helped me to keep my focus. I think my ball-striking was good and I finished well today."

He expertly hit 16 greens in regulation and ranked first in Strokes Gained: Approach to Greens. His putter was also finding its range much to his delight. After opening his birdie account with a 5-footer on the first, the Korean star snuck in a 44-footer at the next hole before adding another lengthy birdie putt from 25 feet on the 16th.

A return to Colonial always brings back good memories as in five previous appearances, he finished T10 in 2020 and was T15 in 2022. His last PGA TOUR win came at the 2021 Shriners Children’s Open and naturally, the world No. 34 is itching to return to the winner’s circle in the U.S..

“The wind was blowing a lot on Thursday afternoon and this morning," Im added. "It was blowing similarly to yesterday. When it was downwind, it was like two or three clubs less, and I needed to take two or three clubs more when I play into the wind. I think I could manage my shots well, and that helped me a lot.

“I won in Korea and was tied fourth at the Wells Fargo. I think I've been playing pretty well of late. It was a little unfortunate it didn't work out last week in a major, but I hope to continue the good vibes I'm having this week and finish well on the weekend.”