Back in his happy place, Korea’s Im Sungjae dusted off some recent sluggish form to emerge as the standout Asian performer on day one of the Masters Tournament following a 1-under 71 on Thursday.
Im, who finished runner-up in the 2020 Masters, traded three birdies against two bogeys at Augusta National to end the first round in a share of 11th position, six shots behind early pacesetter Justin Rose, who opened with a brilliant 65 for a three-stroke lead in the year’s first major.
Singaporean amateur Hiroshi Tai, who earned a Masters debut following his victory at the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Championship, produced a memorable 73 for tied 38th to put himself in position for the weekend rounds. 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama also signed for a 73, as did Korea’s Tom Kim.
With another tied eighth finish at Augusta National in 2022 under his belt, Im always cherishes the opportunity to tee up in the Masters. After turning in 37 following a bogey on the fifth hole, the smooth-swinging Korean star holed a 22-footer for birdie on the 10th before converting 10-footers on Hole Nos. 12 and 18, against a second bogey on the 17th hole.
“It’s a solid start. Played quite nicely all day and kept the ball in play for much of my round,” said Im.
A two-time PGA Tour winner, the 27-year-old began his 2025 season in strong fashion with top-5 finishes at The Sentry and Farmers Insurance Open early in the year but Im’s game subsequently went lukewarm with a T19 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in March being his best finish in his last seven starts.
He missed his fair share of greens in regulation on Thursday but showed some deft touches around the treacherous greens at Augusta National to keep himself within striking reach of the leader.
“You have to be patient around here and I did that and managed to come in with a few birdies on the back nine,” he said.
“It is always great to come back here and I’ve got good memories.”
The 23-year-old Tai is the first Singaporean golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament and he held his head high following a round that included two birdies where he converted putts of five feet and nine feet on the 8th and 18th holes respectively.
However, the Georgia Tech student endured a baptism of fire at Amen Corner as he bogeyed the 11th hole and suffered a double bogey on the par-5 13th hole when his approach found Rae’s Creek.
Hearing his name being called out on the first tee box is a memory that will linger with Tai for a long time.
“I took a couple of deep breaths. I was on the putting green and I saw the group in front of us go off and there was a lot of people there and I was like, this is a little different,” said Tai.
“Stepped on the tee and then they say, fore please driving, Hiroshi Tai, something like that, and luckily I hit it in the middle and hit a good one. But definitely a little different, but a really good experience.
“I played really solid today, just one bad wedge shot on 13. Wind was kind of swirling there, which I knew was going to happen. It’s happened before. So I wasn’t too surprised by that.
“I kind of caught it a little thin. But biggest adjustment tomorrow is just getting enough rest and taking a couple more take breaths tomorrow when I hit, especially on some tougher shots like that.”
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg and Corey Conners share second place following rounds of 68s while Rory McIlroy, who is chasing to complete his career grand slam, carded a 72 which included two double bogeys in his last four holes. – PGA Tour
