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Four Asian stars advance into BMW Championship

Korea’s Sungjae Im enjoyed his best finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST in a share of 16th place on Monday as he led three other Asian stars into the second FedExCup Playoffs event, the BMW Championship which begins on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Im, who was making his third appearance in the first Playoffs event, closed out the weather-hit week which forced a Monday finish with five birdies against four bogeys at Liberty National Golf Club. He rose from 30th position to 25th on the FedExCup standings following his 14th top-25 finish of the PGA TOUR 2020-21 Season.

Japan’s reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama settled for a share of 43rd following a 70 as well which included a double bogey, bogey finish over his closing two holes. He dropped two rungs to 16th place on the FedExCup standings.

Another Korean, K.H. Lee will enter the BMW Championship in 37th place following his tie for 47th finish at Liberty National while compatriot Si Woo Kim, who missed the halfway cut, will be the fourth and final Asian player advancing in the Playoffs in 33rd position.

American Tony Finau won THE NORTHERN TRUST after defeating Australian Cameron Smith in the first hole of a sudden-death playoff after both tied on 20-under 264, with World No. 1 Jon Rahm finishing third. Finau’s long awaited second PGA TOUR victory moves him up to pole position on the FedExCup standings.

This week, the top-70 players will tee up at Caves Valley Golf Club at Owings Mills, with the subsequent top-30 advancing into the Season Finale, the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Since the FedExCup was inaugurated in 2007, no more than two Asians have featured at the same time at the TOUR Championship.

Needing a top-10 finish to have any hopes of advancing, India’s Anirban Lahiri settled for a share of 56th position following a final round which included four birdies and three bogeys. He was making his return into the Playoffs for the first time in three years.
“Not the finish to the season I was looking for but happy with the effort. Big thank you to my team for riding the highs and lows. Time to rest up and recover. #currypower,” the 34-year-old Indian star tweeted on Monday.

Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan had missed the weekend cut to bow out of the Playoffs but not before shooting a hole-in-one in the par 3 fourth hole during his second round.

Image Credit: Getty images

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