Asian golfers ‘dreaming of something bigger’ as Im Sung-jae targets Macau Open
South Korea’s Im will be back on Asian Tour for first time in eight years when he plays in the city in October
Im Sung-jae will return to the Asian Tour for the first time in almost a decade when he plays in next month’s SJM Macau Open, with the game in the region far different to when he left it.
The South Korean has been plying his trade in North America since 2018, winning twice on the PGA Tour and making the Tour Championship for seven straight years.
But October’s tournament will mark his debut in the city and a return to a tour he last competed on in late 2017, when he finished in a tie for seventh at the co-sanctioned Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup in Japan.
Much has changed since that appearance at the Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba, not least the profile of an organisation that now attracts some of the world’s best to tournaments held far beyond its traditional boundaries.
“I think Asian golfers are starting to challenge themselves more and more, whether it’s the PGA Tour or in Europe,” said Im, speaking through a translator. “I can see that players are dreaming of something bigger, especially the players from Korea, Japan and China.
“I can see that Asian players are getting better, even when they come to the US. Asian professionals can really compete with the European or the American professionals. And as a Korean, I’m very proud of that.”