Golf ready to take its first small step back with Rory, DJ, Rickie and Wolff

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sungjae Im came to the Wyndham Championship as the highest-ranking rookie in the FedExCup (25). Without winning, he nevertheless had people talking. Now he really has them talking. With a second-round 67 at soggy Sedgefield Country Club, Im was tied with Patton Kizzire (64) and Adam Svensson (61) atop the leaderboard through 36 holes. Suffice it to say this did not go unnoticed by playing partner Mike Weir (69, 4 under), who will be an assistant to Presidents Cup Captain Ernie Els at Royal Melbourne, December 12-15. “I love his game,� Weir said after the round, which was played under cloudy skies and using lift, clean and place rules for the second straight day. “It was great to get paired with him. We have an eye on him for the Presidents Cup; Ernie and I were texting last night about it for 10 minutes, back and forth. What’d you think? And all that stuff.  “He’s got all the talent in the world, hits all the shots,� Weir added. “He chips well, he putts great. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. He’s trending in the right direction, and I’m sure that’s what Ernie wants is guys that are playing well. He’s not one of the bombers, but he’s in the mid to upper range like Rickie Fowler. He still hits it plenty far. He’s got a really mature head, has a good guy on the bag. I’ve had my eye on him for quite a bit.� Im, who turned 21 and got his driver’s license earlier this year, kick-started his second round with a 4-under 31 on the front nine. He’s in great shape to knock out his seventh top-10 finish and maybe his first win, and move up from 13th in the International Presidents Cup standings. The biennial tournament has been in his sights ever since it came to his native South Korea in 2015. RELATED: Tee times | International Presidents Cup standings “The Presidents Cup in Incheon really motivated me to hopefully make the team this year,� he said through a translator after his round, which was watched by his parents, who travel with him, and his brother, among others. “And even though it’s not confirmed yet, I feel like I have a great chance to make the team, and it’s something that I’m really striving for.�  Im has long been on the radar of several golf-watchers, not just Els and Weir. He was the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year last season, and in his first PGA TOUR start finished T4 at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, missing the three-man playoff by just a shot. “The kid is for real,� Els said then. “He’s got no fear,� said Im’s caddie, the former TOUR player Brian Vranesh, who first caddied for Im in the final stage of the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.  Vranesh calls Im “the hardest worker I’ve ever seen,� and indeed the two decamped to the Sedgefield practice green after the second round. Without trying to, Im has developed a swing that recalls Hideki Matsuyama with its slow takeaway. It also produces mind-numbingly consistent golf. His shots don’t curve much, his irons scrape the bottom of the sun, and he putts well, too.  He came to the Wyndham 30th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, 56th in Strokes Gained: Putting. If there has been a blemish to his rookie season, and you have to look pretty hard to find one, it is that Im hasn’t done well in the biggest tournaments. He missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGA Championship and The Open Championship, and didn’t qualify for the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open. Otherwise, he’s been pretty much as advertised. He was one of the eight players who mathematically had a chance to move into the Wyndham Rewards Top 10, with $5.3 million in bonus money still up for grabs. He is projected to do just that, moving up to ninth. He loves to play, and has racked up an eye-popping 31 starts.   “I honestly feel I can play a lot better when I play more tournaments,� Im said. He plays so much he’s even been playing in Monday pro-ams in order to familiarize himself with the slate of TOUR courses, and he’s clearly taken a liking to Sedgefield Country Club. “I had a lot of opportunities this year for a win,� he said, “and I was in contention a lot, and I’ll definitely use those experiences to help me this week. I definitely will use those experiences to not make the same mistakes this week, and hopefully put all my focus into getting a win.�  

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As Taylor Lowe completed his round at Monday’s Fortinet Championship qualifier, the full-time golf professional thought ahead to some impending logistical challenges. Lowe works at Wildhorse Golf Club in the Sacramento region, and he had an estimated 15 or 20 lessons on the books across the next five days. The 30-year-old signed for an 8-under 64 in the qualifier at El Macero CC, then went about rearranging those lessons. Lowe successfully qualified into his first TOUR-sanctioned event, earning one of four available spots in the Fortinet Championship. He was joined at 8 under by Fresno State alum Alex Lee; Aaron Baddeley and Seung-yul Noh survived a 6-for-2 playoff at 7-under 65. As Lowe sat in his car after the qualifier, he reflected on the journey to this point. The beauty of a PGA TOUR Monday qualifier is that it gives players of a variety of backgrounds and circumstances a chance to compete against the world’s best. Often the roster of four qualifiers is comprised of full-time touring pros – a mix of conditional TOUR pros, Korn Ferry Tour members, developmental tour pros and the like. Sometimes Monday qualifying delivers on its everyman premise. This marked such an occasion. Lowe typically plays golf just once or twice a week – his day-to-day responsibilities include doing inventory in the golf shop at Wildhorse GC, giving lessons, working in the shop and making the schedule. The California native was an avid junior golfer but suffered injuries in his late teens, and college golf took a backseat. He graduated from Sonoma State, where he played one semester as a walk-on but did not qualify for a tournament. “If you look it up online, you won’t see my picture on the roster or anything,” Lowe said. “I was hacking it up, but I got to practice with the team. I was on the team; I could’ve qualified to play in the events, but I never played well enough to do that.” Lowe didn’t play competitive golf between the ages of 21 and 26. He spent time selling wine, then began working in the cart barn at El Macero – of all places – at age 23. He pulled out carts, picked the range, then worked his way into the shop and gave occasional lessons. Then his high school buddy Charlie Klein’s family purchased Wildhorse GC, and he “cruised over there.” How does Lowe explain his game ascending from college golf benchwarmer to TOUR event qualifier? He credits acclaimed golf instructor and social media presence George Gankas. “I just watched George Gankas on Instagram; I’m not kidding,” Lowe said. “Growing up, taking some golf lessons here and there, I was swinging a certain way. And then I watched some videos of George Gankas on Instagram like five years ago and started playing a lot better.” Easy as that. Lowe channeled his local knowledge at El Macero CC to the tune of seven birdies and an eagle, against a single bogey. This came after successfully advancing through last week’s pre-qualifier, where he carded 3-under 69 at Yolo Fliers Club to earn a tee time Monday. He carried his own bag Monday, and he’s not yet sure of his caddie plans for the week. But he’ll figure it out, just as he’ll figure out his teaching schedule. The membership of Wildhorse GC is behind him. “My phone is vibrating a bunch right now,” he said appreciatively. “They’re all congratulating me.” From there, it was off for a well-deserved celebratory IPA, and two days of preparation into his PGA TOUR debut. “If you’re playing good, you know you can do it,” Lowe said. “You definitely visualize and all that stuff … but I’m still in shock. It’s definitely surreal for sure.” Here’s a capsule look at the four qualifiers for this week’s Fortinet Championship … Taylor Lowe (64) Age: 30 Hometown: Davis, California Alma mater: Sonoma State PGA TOUR starts: 0 Notes: Full-time golf professional at nearby Wildhorse GC … Graduated from Sonoma State in 2014 with a degree in business administration and management … Spent nearly three years at El Macero CC in guest services and as an assistant golf professional before moving to Wildhorse GC in 2017 … Cites Jordan Spieth and Kevin Kisner as pros he admires … Drink of choice is a “double or triple IPA.” Alex Lee (64) Age: 25 Hometown: San Francisco, California Alma mater: Fresno State PGA TOUR starts: 0 Notes: Made nine birdies Monday against one bogey … Held conditional Korn Ferry Tour status in 2022, making two starts … Graduated from Fresno State in 2019 with a communications degree; garnered All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2018 and 2019 … Attended 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach as a fan, following Fresno State alum Nick Watney. Aaron Baddeley (65, advanced through 6-for-2 playoff) Age: 41 Hometown: Lebanon, New Hampshire (raised in Australia) Alma mater: N/A PGA TOUR starts: 476 Cuts made: 282 Best PGA TOUR finish: Win (2006 RBC Heritage; 2007 WM Phoenix Open; 2011 Genesis Invitational; 2016 Barbasol Championship) Notes: Made seven birdies Monday and kept a clean card … Holds TOUR Past Champion status after failing to improve status via Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Earned fully exempt 2023 Korn Ferry Tour status via “floor of five” category in Finals … Long renowned as one of the game’s premier putters … Recently began working with putting coach John Graham, who also works with Justin Thomas … Split time between the PGA TOUR (13 starts) and Korn Ferry Tour (11 starts) last season. Seung-yul Noh (65, advanced through 6-for-2 playoff) Age: 31 Hometown: Gangwon-do, South Korea Alma mater: Korea University PGA TOUR starts: 208 Cuts made: 123 Best PGA TOUR finish: Win (2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans) Notes: Made two eagles and five birdies Monday against two bogeys … Holds TOUR Past Champion status after failing to improve status via Korn Ferry Tour Finals … Made 13 cuts in 22 TOUR starts last season. Best finish was T30 at Butterfield Bermuda Championship … Fulfilled mandatory two-year military obligation in South Korea between 2017 and 2019.

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