Sungjae Im breaks Jon Rahm's PGA Tour record with spectacular birdie blitz at The Sentry 2024
The Sentry is often home to impressive performances and Sungjae Im put on a show over the weekend. The entire tournament had many strong performances with every single player shooting at least six under par or better. Most of that pales in comparison to the winner, but Im set a new record in a losing effort.
Sungjae Im kickstarted his season by nailing quite a few impressive shots. He ended up finishing tied for fifth but he was the only golfer to set a record in Hawaii. He did so by hitting 34 birdies over the four rounds and had an astonishing 11 birdies on the final day.
Im broke the record previously held by Jon Rahm, who set that record in 2023 when he won The Sentry and hit 32 birdies. He was, however, unable to give his title a proper defense.
Rahm defected to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour, leaving The Sentry wide open. Im couldn't take advantage and earn a win, but he did scratch his name into the record books just above Rahm's, which is a pretty impressive feat.
Sungjae Im looking to take the next step
Sungjae Im has long been one of the PGA Tour's most consistent golfers. He doesn't fall prey to the highs and lows, although his performance at The Sentry in 2024 did.
Ultimately, his performance showcased that he can be great and could add that to his impressive consistency.
Im said after the final round (via the PGA Tour website):
"I was fortunate that I was able to perform well in my first tournament. I think that's because I spent a lot of time in Korea over the winter working on my body, and it showed in my first competition of the new year, which gave me a good start."
Unfortunately, that record was only one side of the story. It's mind boggling that he didn't win after hitting 34 birdies, but he also struggled at times. Im hit seven bogeys and a double bogey at The Sentry, which contributed to his fifth place finish.
Nevertheless, he earned a lot of money for his efforts. Here's where he landed on the leaderboard and the payout scale that had a massive $20 million prize purse:
- Win: Chris Kirk $3.6 million
- 2. Sahith Theegala $2.16 million
- 3. Jordan Spieth $1.36 million
- 4. Ben An $975,000
- T5. Sungjae Im $690,500
- Brian Harman $690,500
- J.T. Poston $690,500
- Collin Morikawa $690,500
- Scottie Scheffler $690,500
It was altogether a very solid performance. It takes skill to tie with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and he ultimately came four shots shy of Chris Kirk's winning number (who also added 30 birdies of his own).
The birdies were falling with impressive frequency over the weekend, but no one in the history of the Tour has had more in a 72-hole event than Im. That's a remarkable record to hold and it usurped a pretty exceptional golfer's total from last year, too.