PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Moments after finishing off the first win of his PGA Tour career, Sungjae Im took a moment to reflect on what it means – not for himself, but his homeland and those dealing with a virus that has the world on edge.
The 21-year-old South Korean started fast and finished stronger Sunday, winning The Honda Classic by one shot over Mackenzie Hughes and two over Tommy Fleetwood for his first victory in 50 tries on tour. But before he could be whisked back to the course to collect the trophy, Im made sure to speak out about the coronavirus and tell those in South Korea – where nearly 4,000 cases have been confirmed – that he was thinking of them.
“Over in Korea right now, I know a lot of people are dealing with the coronavirus,” Im said. “And it’s kind of a huge deal with everybody. But I’m just glad as a Korean player that I can deliver some good news to the countrymen back home to do something for the country and make everybody proud.”
Im shot a 4-under-par 66 on Sunday, finishing at 6-under 274 to match the second-highest winning score since the Honda Classic moved to PGA National in 2007. He was the tour’s rookie of the year last season, and he has played more tournaments and more rounds than anyone since the 2018-19 season began nearly a year and a half ago.
And now he’s a winner, picking up $1.26 million this week and becoming the tournament’s 10th international champion in the past 16 seasons.