Two of the biggest players in the Genesis Championship are the Korean Sungjae Im and the Australian Adam Scott. This is evident from their track records. Of course, the trophies they have accumulated over the years help measure their stature in golf, but there are other aspects that influence the calculation of their greatness. One of them is what they are doing in the Korea tournament of the DP World Tour which faces its second round this Friday.
Sungjae Im (-6) has made his bid for victory after carding a 67 this Friday. And that’s despite finishing with a bogey. He has captured the tournament lead pending the afternoon session, tied with Minhyuk Kim, Alex Fitzpatrick, and Tom Vaillant. It’s what is known as competitive spirit.
Sungjae is playing the first regular tournament of his career on the DP World Tour. It’s a big deal. The closest he had come was the 2020 Dubai Final, where he finished 14th. Yes, it’s a European Tour event, but it’s hardly regular. Beyond this event, his appearances on the DP World Tour had been only in majors and world championships. It’s unusual for a golfer who has always played so much.
Perhaps his presence in South Korea, beyond the fact that he is at home (there have been other tournaments in Korea, like last year’s, and he hadn’t played them) is due to his intention to play more tournaments again. Im had traditionally been one of the most prolific golfers in the world, if not the most. He hardly ever missed a week. Each year he easily played over 30 tournaments, except for a few exceptions where he played 29. However, in the last three years, he hadn’t reached 30. It’s not that they were bad years, but they weren’t the best of his career either. Probably for this reason, this year, with a top 5 in the Masters, he has decided to exceed 30 tournaments again. This week he is playing his 31st of 2025.
In any case, Sungjae’s competitive spirit is that he hasn’t come home for a stroll in his first-ever regular tournament on the DP World Tour. It’s not just about fulfilling the requirement and looking good in his country; his ultimate goal is to win. That’s where greatness lies.
A very similar case is that of Adam Scott (-1). The Australian, much more strict than the Korean in crafting his schedule, has decided to play in South Korea to retain his European Tour playing rights. He arrived this week in 115th place in the Race to Dubai, just the last among those retaining their card. After the first round, he was in a very delicate situation, with a total of +3. Well, today he signed a card of 67, four under, and secured the cut, as well as continuing to fight to retain his card. As a Masters champion, World Number One, and with 11 victories on the DP World Tour, as well as being Australian and not playing the Ryder Cup, at 45 years old, he really has nothing to prove to retain his card. Scott would have no problem being invited wherever he wants to play. But he has competitive spirit. Stand up and applaud.
Precisely, in the battle for the card, it must be said that Yannick Paul, who arrived in 116th place, has lost it after missing the cut, as well as Fabrizio Zanotti, Robin Williams, or Dale Whitnell.
And speaking of competitive spirit, the enormous fight of Jorge Campillo (+1) to try to make the cut after his 75 on Thursday. The Extremaduran was completely out with four holes to go, but he finished with three birdies on holes 6, 8, and 9, the last with a magnificent putt of almost nine metres, and gave himself a chance to be there for the weekend. Right now, the +1 is in and improving, so it seems it will be enough. Pablo Larrazábal (+3) wasn’t far from the feat. He came from further back after his 77 yesterday, but today he bounced back with a great 68, which could have been even better. A bogey on 16 and two birdie chances that slipped away on 17 and 18 prevented him from completing the feat. The season ends here for the Barcelona golfer, as he does not qualify for Abu Dhabi.
