Seongjae Lim / UPI Yonhap News
Im Seong-jae (24) continued his hopes of winning the championship by maintaining the lead score despite the strong wind that shook his body.
In the second round of the 86th Masters Tournament held at Augusta National GC in Georgia, USA on the 8th (local time), Im Seong-jae traded 3 birdies and 5 bogeys to score a 2-over par 74. Im Seong-jae, who was the solo leader by reducing five strokes the day before, returned to the clubhouse from the joint lead in the afternoon, leaving the group behind. Schall Schwartzel (South Africa) and Danny Willett (England), who recorded 3-under to the 10th hole, share the lead with Im Seong-jae.
Although he lost at bats, it is still a gap that can continue the championship race. With the exception of a few players, many players are struggling because of strong winds. The players, including Im Seong-jae, played in strong winds that reached a maximum speed of 48 km/h. Im Seong-jae said, “It was difficult to play while paying attention to whether the wind blows or not. Overall, I played a more difficult match than yesterday.”
Seongjae Lim, who started as a bogey on the 1st hole (par 4), made up for the mistake with a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 4). He hit his tee shot right in the middle of the fairway, then swung his second shot to the green and finished off with a birdie putt.
Seongjae Lim, who pared well until the 9th hole (par 4), rode the roller coaster from the second half. He committed another bogey on the 10th hole (par 4). After he entered the Amen Corner, he lost one more shot on the 12th hole (par 3). After pouring out two birdies and two bogeys, the game was over.
Im Seong-jae said, “Rather than playing aggressively, I came up with a strategy to keep the score. This helped me a lot not to lose the score too much.” “If the wind blows a lot, you have no choice but to lose the score, and then you become emotional. Try to control your emotions. did,” he said.
In the first round of the previous day, Im Seong-jae was the first Korean player to take the lead in the tournament alone. Im Seongjae, who is the third Masters this time, also experienced holding the microphone in the press building interview room after the match. Im Seong-jae said, “I was happy to be able to stand in a place I had only seen on social media.”
Im Seong-jae, who is entering the third round as a strong candidate for the championship, emphasized, “I will try to be in the top rank rather than aiming for the championship right now.
Augusta (Georgia, USA) = Correspondent Jo Hee-chan etwoods@hankyung.com
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