2 S. Koreans finish top 5 in 1st PGA Tour playoff event, move up in key standings

SEOUL, Aug. 17 - Two South Korean golfers have made a strong start to the PGA Tour playoffs by securing top five finishes, thereby improving their standings in a critical competition. Kim Si-woo, the world's top-ranked golfer, narrowly missed a victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Tennessee, finishing nine strokes behind the tournament's No. 1 player, Scottie Scheffler. Kim carded a flawless two-under 68 in the final round, ending his round at nine-under 271.

Kim's fellow South Korean, Im Sung-jae, tied for fifth place, just two shots behind Scheffler, after posting a 74 in the final round. Im had previously been tied for second place for three rounds, trailing Scheffler by just two strokes, but faltered in the final round with only one birdie despite five bogeys.

However, Im's performance has significantly boosted his ranking. He has jumped 13 places, now sitting at No. 40 in the FedEx Cup standings, qualifying him for the next playoff event - the BMW Championship in St. Louis, commencing on Thursday. To qualify for the subsequent event, players must be among the top 50 after Memphis, and for the final event, the Tour Championship in Atlanta, players must be in the top 30.

Im's participation in the BMW Championship represents his seventh appearance in a Tour Championship, the longest consecutive streak among South Korean players. To maintain this streak, he will need to deliver another outstanding performance at the upcoming event.

Kim Si-woo has moved up three spots in the FedEx Cup rankings, the highest ranking by a player without a win this season. Throughout his 22 starts, Kim has secured 11 top-10 finishes, the second-most on the tour, and has been the runner-up three times. Tom Kim, the third Korean golfer in Memphis, tied for twelfth place with a score of five-under 275, remaining in the top 50 and thus guaranteed a spot in the BMW Championship. This keeps him on track for his second Tour Championship appearance.