AUGUSTA — Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, the "one-two punch" of the PGA Tour's Korean contingent, are leading the charge to become the first Korean to don the green jacket at the 90th Masters Tournament.
Kim, 31, secured his spot by entering the top 50 in the world rankings at the end of last year, while Im, 28, qualified through his top-12 finish (tied for fifth) at last year's tournament.
"If my putting comes together, I have reason to be optimistic," Kim said at a press conference with Korean media on Monday. Im set his own benchmark: "My goal is to shoot even-par or better every round."
On the PGA Tour, Kim has four wins and Im has two. Kim has made the cut at the Masters seven consecutive years from 2018 to 2024, with a tied-12th finish in 2021 as his best result. Im finished runner-up at the 2020 tournament. Both players carry confidence at Augusta National.
"My irons have been working well this season, so I'm playing with more confidence than last year," Kim said. "My strength is in the 170-190 yard range, and I believe I'm among the best on tour in that distance. If my putting cooperates, there's reason for optimism."
Kim also revealed a special weapon in his bag. "I used a 3-wood early in the season, but I brought a mini driver this week," he said. "On holes 10 (par-4) and 13 (par-5), you need to hit a draw to keep the fairway. Since I don't normally play a draw, I'll use the mini driver off the tee to shape that shot."
Im outlined his strategy: "My goal each round is even-par or better. I'll focus on distance control, calculating exactly where I need to land the ball." He added, "It's crucial not to drop shots on holes 10 through 12, which I consider the trickiest stretch."
This marks Im's seventh consecutive Masters appearance. "Green is my favorite color. Whenever I buy something, I pick green," he said with a smile. "Just imagining myself in the green jacket feels wonderful."
Im tees off in the first round at 11:03 a.m. local time on Wednesday (12:03 a.m. Thursday KST), while Kim starts at 1:56 p.m. (2:56 a.m. Thursday KST).