It was a flawless day. Im Sung-jae, who leads "Team CJ," vaulted into contention at his main sponsor's event, simultaneously recording his third career hole-in-one on the PGA Tour and a personal-best low score of 61.
Im carded 10-under 61 with two eagles, seven birdies and one bogey in the second round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, played Thursday at TPC Craig Ranch (par 71) in McKinney, Texas. The tournament carries a total purse of $10.3 million. The 61 marks Im's lowest single-round score on the PGA Tour, eclipsing the 62 he shot in the first round of the 2019 Wyndham Championship in August that year.
With a two-day total of 13-under 129, Im is positioned in contention to fight for the title in the remaining rounds. He is chasing his third career PGA Tour win, his first since the Shriners Children's Open in October 2021 — a gap of four years and seven months.
Along with his career-low round, Im also enjoyed his third career hole-in-one on the PGA Tour. He aced the 224-yard par-3 7th hole with his tee shot. After confirming the hole-in-one, Im threw both hands in the air in celebration. Jordan Spieth, who watched the shot from the same group, said in a post-round interview, "It was one of the most beautiful holes-in-one I've ever seen. It was nicer than any hole-in-one I've ever had."
Im played flawlessly across all holes Thursday. Starting on the 10th (par 4), he sailed through with four birdies up to the par-3 17th. He briefly stumbled with a bogey on the par-4 18th but bounced back with a birdie on the par-4 1st.
After picking up alternating birdies on the par-4 3rd and par-5 5th to build momentum, Im added the hole-in-one on the 7th and an eagle on the par-5 9th, closing out the day having shaved off 10 strokes.
After the round, Im smiled broadly and said, "It feels great to put up a result like this at a tournament hosted by my sponsor, CJ."
On the hole-in-one moment, he said, "The tee shot was struck well, but I had no idea it would go in. I was really surprised the moment it dropped, and Spieth and Chris Kirk, who were playing with me, gave me a lot of congratulations."
Sitting in contention after the second day, Im did not hide his desire to win. "It's been about five years since my last victory," he said. "I've been in the mix twice this year, so I think I've built up experience. I'm in my seventh straight week of competition, so my body is tired, but I'll stay sharp and go for the win."
