Im Sung-jae put disappointment behind him and heads to Japan

Im Sung-jae overcomes disappointment and plans to attend the JoJo Championships in Japan.

South Korean men’s golf “young gun” Im Sung-jae is headed to Japan after a disappointing runner-up finish last week.

Lim Sung-jae came within a shot of winning the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour Genesis Championship on Friday, but had to settle for runner-up in a playoff.

He had a chance to end the tournament on the 18th hole of the fourth round, but his birdie putt fell short, leaving him with a tie for the lead. However, Lim will continue his quest for redemption this week in nearby Japan.

The PGA Tour will host the JoJo Championship at Narashino Country Club (Par 70) in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, from Sept. 19-22.

It is the fourth event in the so-called “Fall Series,” which takes place after the regular season ends, with a total purse of $8.5 million (about $1.14 billion) and a first-place prize of $1.53 million (about $2.07 billion).

The Fall Series is for players who didn’t qualify for the 2024 Games, but the JoJo Championship is a little different. The field is limited to 78 players and features some of the best players in the world.

Lim Sung-jae first competed in the 2019 JoJo Championship and finished tied for third. The winner was Tiger Woods (USA), the Emperor of Golf. Tied for third was Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland).

Lim didn’t do too badly in last year’s tournament, tying for 29th place.

This year’s field includes world No. 6 Xander Schauffele (USA), two-time major champion Colin Morikawa (USA), 먹튀검증 Japanese powerhouse Hideki Matsuyama, and Australian expatriate Lee Minwoo.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf concluded its regular tournament last week and will host the team championship at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Florida, U.S.A., for three days from the 20th (local time).

Featuring star players such as Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Brian DeChambeau (USA), the tournament will offer a total prize pool of $50 million (approx. KRW 67.6 billion) and a mix of match play and stroke play to determine the winner.

This year, 48 players will form 12 teams.

On the first day of competition, the eight lower-seeded teams (ranked 5-12) will play first to determine the four teams that will compete against the higher-seeded teams (ranked 1-4).

On the second day, the best four teams from the eight semifinal rounds will compete in the final round on the final day.

On the final day, all 48 players will also play single stroke play, with their scores counting towards each team’s score.