Due to the lack of players in the corona
Dramatic joining while increasing target audience
Overtime match with Neiman at 25 under
Grab a birdie in the 1st game and win 3 in total
Seongjae Lim, tied for 5th at 21 Under Par
Top 10… Raising anticipation for the new year
Photo = AP
Harris English (32, US, photo) is the US professional golf (PGA) tour ‘5th confirmed person’. Ahead of the Rocket Mortgage Classic held in early July of last year, a positive test for the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) was tested. It was a time when each competition was precious due to the reduced competition schedule. English packed his luggage without stepping on the grass. He wasn’t welcomed at the Memorial Tournament, which he played two weeks after he was discharged. This is because the organizer requested’one-player play’ as there is a possibility of contagion.
English was the first winner of the new year, and all the sorrows were blown away. Unfortunately, it was in a competition that got a chance to participate due to Corona 19. English hit a total of 25 under par 267 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (total prize money of $6.7 million) at the PGA Tour New Year’s First Tournament held at the Kapalua Plantation Course (par 73, 7596 yards) in Maui, Hawaii, USA on the 11th (Korean time). Then, he caught a birdie in the first hole of the extension and won by defeating Joaquin Neiman (23, Chile) who stopped at par.
Thanks to Corona 19, we competed to win
The English championship, which lasted for about eight years, was a triumphant victory that ended a drought. He added his first win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June 2013 and added a win at the Mayakoba Classic, five months later, but it took a long time to win three.
English did not originally qualify. This is because the Sentry Tournament of Champions is a’king of the king’ in which only the champions of the previous year’s PGA Tour participated. However, due to Corona 19, last year’s schedule was shortened, so there was a shortage of players. The organizers of the event handed out tickets (16) to those who entered the 2019-2020 season tour championships, including English. Thanks to this, he headed home with a winning prize of $13.4 million (about 1.47 billion won).
English started with Ryan Palmer (45, USA) as a joint leader at 21 under par. Neiman, who reduced 9 strokes on this day alone, ended the game with 25 under par first. English left the last 18th hole (par 5) and was 1 stroke behind Neiman at 24 under par. The second shot was placed about 3m next to the hole to get a chance to eagle, but couldn’t put it and finished with a birdie and entered overtime.
In the first hole of the extension at the 18th hole, English sent a second shot around the green and finished with a double putt to catch a birdie. On the other hand, Neiman’s third shot in the rough didn’t hit the green. The fourth shot hit with a putter also turned away from the hole, and English’s victory was decided.
Top 10 prospects for PGA tour including Lim Seong-jae
Lim Seong-jae is teeing off with an iron at the second hole (par 3) of the final round of the US Pro Golf (PGA) Tour Sentry Tournament of Champions held on the 11th (Korean time). Lim Sung-jae, who finished the competition in a tie for fifth place, achieved his second’Top 10′ in the 2020-2021 season. /AFP Yonhap News
Lim Seong-jae (23) finished the competition in a tie for fifth place. This is the first successful start of the new year. On this day, he tied 6 birdies and 2 bogies, hitting 4 under par 69, and recorded a final total of 21 under par. A tie for fifth place with Zander Chopley (28, USA). As a result, Lim Seong-jae finished second in the Masters Tournament in November of last year and achieved his second top 10 performance in the 2020-2021 season. In particular, both Masters and top-notch players competed in this tournament, which is a’wang-jung-wang’ competition, raising expectations by showing good results.
Neiman, who is said to be an expectant leader to lead the PGA tour with Lim Seong-jae, even though he missed the championship, he made a mark on the fans. Another’next-generation star’ Colin Morikawa (24, US) tied for 7th in the 20-under par. Justin Thomas (28, USA), who aroused controversy during the previous day’s game with derogatory remarks for homosexuals, finished the tournament with a final total of 24 under par 3rd. Dustin Johnson (37, USA), ranked first in the world rankings, was a tie for 11th in the 18-under par.
Reporter Jo Hee-chan [email protected]
Ⓒ Hankyung.com prohibits unauthorized reproduction and redistribution