Im Sung-jae puts on a show: a hole-in-one and an eagle to finish, followed by a 61 (10-under-par) on Friday. He now shares the early lead with a formidable Jordan Spieth at the PGA Tour CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The two, South Korea's Im and three-time major champion Spieth, put on a real fireworks display this morning at TPC Craig Ranch. Spieth especially turned it on, with nine birdies, including six in a row on his back nine. 'I really racked my brain trying to figure out what our best-ball score was,' Spieth said, adding with a laugh, 'I think it was 57 strokes – that's pretty good.'
Early Statement
Im Sung-jae had taken the clubhouse lead at 13-under-par (129 strokes), and shortly after, Japan's Kensei Hirata joined him with a stellar round of 65. Spieth was at 12-under-par (130 strokes) after 36 holes, tied with fellow countryman Tyler Duncan. Overnight leader Taylor Moore finished the day with a 69 and found himself at 11-under-par. In the afternoon, top contenders such as world number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka were also on the course – Koepka was just one shot off the lead after the first round. That sets up a dramatic weekend!
Im's Magic and Spieth's Surge
Im and Spieth started on the 10th tee. Im collected four birdies before suffering his only bogey of the day on the 18th. This was followed by more birdies on holes 1, 3, and 4. But the absolute madness unfolded on the par-3 7th: his 5-iron from the tee landed on the green, bounced once – and rolled straight into the hole. Hole-in-one! 'I was surprised, but I hit a really good shot,' said Im, describing the moment as 'somewhat unexpected but, of course, very exciting.' Im, whose 2026 season was delayed after a wrist injury in January, capped it off with a 14-foot eagle on the par-5 9th. This puts him squarely in contention for the title heading into the weekend.
Spieth, the former world number one, who had not finished in the top 10 at a PGA Tour event since last year's Memorial, emphasized that his putting was crucial: 'I hit the ball terribly – really awful. But the putting was excellent.' Spieth managed two birdies in his first nine holes, but on the back nine, he kicked into high gear. It started with a 12-foot birdie on the 1st, a 20-foot putt on the 2nd, followed by another 12-foot birdie on the 3rd, a six-foot putt on the 4th, a four-foot putt on the par-5 5th (despite missing the green), and a nine-foot putt on the 6th. What a run! 'It was really fun,' Spieth said. 'You feed off each other, don't you? There was some really good golf happening.'
Rookie Kensei Hirata also showed what he's capable of. He played a flawless round with six birdies, positioning himself excellently for the tournament.
