Im leading tight field after a 65
Although Sungjae Im hasn’t been on the PGA Tour for very long, the 22-year-old South Korean already feels awfully comfortable on the generous desert courses at the American Express.
So do plenty of other pros, and that’s why the leaderboard is so crowded heading to the weekend.
Im shot a seven-under-par 65 on Friday to take a onestroke lead over first-round leader Brandon Hagy and four others at La Quinta.
Im, the tour’s rookie of the year in 2019, had seven birdies in a bogey-free round on the Stadium Course at PGA West, highlighted by three in four holes around the turn. After struggling with his putter in recent weeks, he banged in a 22-footer and an 18-footer for consecutive birdies late in his round.
“Visually from the tee box, it’s a course that I really like and enjoy to play, so I felt really comfortable throughout the round,” Im said. “The two courses that we’re playing this week, I like those courses, and that’s what led me to a good score.”
Hagy was in position to join Im at 11 under, but he bogeyed his final hole with a tee shot into the fairway bunker to finish his 70.
Canada’s Nick Taylor (66), South Korea’s Si Woo Kim (68), Tony Finau (66) and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer (65) also were 10 under. Emiliano Grillo (66), Francesco Molinari (66) and Doug Ghim (68) were two shots off the lead, and eight more were at eight under.
Tournament host Phil Mickelson missed the cut but made 18 pars Friday for the first time in his 2,201 rounds of PGA Tour play.
The leaderboard was stacked with low scores as usual at the tournament long hosted by Bob Hope. Im, Taylor and Ancer were among 12 players who didn’t make a bogey Friday.
After splitting the first two rounds over two courses, the players will all play the oncefeared Stadium Course for the final two rounds. Heavy cloud cover never developed into rain Friday, but there’s a possibility of afternoon showers Saturday.
Hagy made 10 birdies in his opening round but got off to a rough start Friday on the Stadium Course with two early bogeys. He rallied with birdies on his 16th and 17th holes but his errant drive on his final hole kept him one shot off the pace.
“I feel comfortable here,” Hagy said. “I’m a California kid, been to Palm Springs a ton of times, so I know the courses well. The first two rounds of this tournament are showing me that the stuff I’m working on, especially this offseason, is definitely getting better.”
Kang leads by two
Danielle Kang continued to sail along at the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., shooting a sixunder 65 to stretch her lead to two shots.
A five-time LPGA Tour winner ranked fifth in the world, Kang had a 13-under 129 total at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando.
Nelly Korda, at No. 4 the top-ranked player in the 25woman, winners-only field, was second after a 66.
In Gee Chun and defending champion Gaby Lopez were four strokes back at nine under. Chun, a two-time major champion, matched Kang for the best score of the day with a 65. Lopez shot 68. The Mexican player won last year in a seven-hole playoff.