Im Sung-jae tied for third in weather-interrupted opening round at PGA Tour playoff event

Im Sung-jae watches his tee shot on the 14th green during his opening round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Troon golf club in Troon, Scotland, July 18. AP-Yonhap

Im Sung-jae is tied for third place after the weather-interrupted opening round of the second leg of the PGA Tour playoffs in Colorado.

Im carded a four-under 68 to begin the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club, just outside Denver, on Thursday (local time), and play was suspended after the Korean had finished his round due to lightning in the area.

Im is one of three Koreans to have qualified for the BMW Championship, by virtue of being inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup points rankings following last week’s playoff opener, the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

Those inside the top 30 after the BMW Championship will advance to the playoff finale next week, the Tour Championship in Atlanta. Im was at No. 10 entering this week.

Im is trying to make it to his sixth consecutive Tour Championship. His five straight appearances so far are a record for a Korean player in the current playoff format, which dates to 2007.

Im is tied with three other players after collecting six birdies against two bogeys. Im started his day with three consecutive birdies.

The par-72 course played at 8.074 yards, but with an average altitude of 6,200 feet above sea level allowing balls to fly farther, it played much shorter than the number.

“It was difficult to get the right yardage because of elevation, and with the wind blowing a bit, the back nine was tough to play,” Im said. “Fortunately, I got off to a great start and was able to maintain a solid score through the end.”

He is two shots behind the leader Keegan Bradley. The American veteran squeezed into this tournament at No. 50 in the FedEx Cup rankings.

Another Korean player, Kim Si-woo, shot a three-under with seven birdies and four bogeys on Thursday. He began this week ranked 44th in FedEx Cup points, and must finish alone in 17th place at least in order to have a chance to crack the top 30. Kim has played at the 2016 and 2023 Tour Championships.

An Byeong-hun, 15th in FedEx Cup points at the start of the week, shot an even 72 in the first round to tie for 22nd. He is trying to qualify for the Tour Championship for the first time.

Of the 50 players in the field, eight were not able to finish their round on Thursday. (Yonhap)