Korea’s Sungjae Im is looking at a big year as he begins the 2024 PGA Tour season at The Sentry on the Plantation course at Kapalua, Maui, starting on Thursday.
The 25-year-old is part of an elite 59-man field in the first of eight Signature tournaments on the famed holiday isle and will be joined by compatriots Joohyung ‘Tom’ Kim, Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama completes the Asian contingent while world number 1 Scottie Scheffler and reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland will also line up in the field for the week.
“One of my goals is to have great finishes in the majors. I wish to have better results compared to past majors,” Im said on Tuesday.
A two-month off-season was spent at home in Korea where Im, whose best major finish was a runner-up outing at the 2020 Masters Tournament, said that he focused on increasing his swing speed with the aim of gaining additional distance from off the tee. He ended his 2023 season 24th on the FedEx Cup standings following nine top-10s and 10 top-25s otherwise.
“With the change to a calendar year season, I think it is important to keep myself in good position during the first half of the year and to be comfortable later on. The biggest goal would be getting back to The Tour Championship for the sixth time. It’ll be also nice to place myself in the top-10 at the majors and I will keep myself calm and be ready to do so,” he said.
“I had a great time back home. I spent quality time with family and friends. I tried to stay in tune with my game by continuing with my training. I tried to increase the swing speed of my driver but I didn't change my swing or anything, and focused on increasing the speed during the winter.”
Another goal for Im in the New Year would be to return quickly to the winner’s enclosure. He won in 2020 and 2021 before enduring a winless stretch. A trip back to the Plantation course this week, however, has given him good vibes once more following top finishes of T5 in 2021, shared eighth in 2022 and tied 13th in 2023.
“It is always nice to come back to Maui. This tournament has given me great memories in the past and I'm always confident here. With two top 10s and finishing 13th last year, I think I can expect something better if I'm in good shape until the end,” said Im, now 27th in the world.
He also has his eyes on the Paris Olympic Games in the summer and making his third Presidents Cup in September. “If I get to join the International Team again, it will be my third time. I will try my best to help secure a win over Team USA. I'm proud of being part of the Presidents Cup.
The Sentry is offering a $20 million prize fund, with $3.6 million and 700 FedEx Cup points going to the winner on Sunday.
For the first time since 2012, the PGA Tour returns to a calendar-year schedule with the 2024 FedExCup Regular Season beginning at The Sentry. The tour’s Opening Drive at The Sentry and Sony Open in Hawaii, gives players a chance to get off to a strong start in the race for the FedEx Cup.
This elite field includes 34 Tour winners (including 12 first-timer toppers) from the previous calendar year, including the FedEx Cup Fall winners, and the 25 players who qualified by finishing inside the top 50 in the final 2022-23 FedEx Cup standings.
Title sponsor, Sentry Insurance, has reaffirmed its commitment to the Maui community through financial contributions of more than $2 million for direct relief following devastating fires in nearby Lahaina five months ago.