Brookline: South Korean star Im Sung-Jae will be counting on his straight-shooting game to contend at this week's US Open as he seeks to atone for the major disappointment of missing the PGA Championship last month.
The 24-year-old is amongst a strong line-up of Asian stars teeing up at The Country Club in Massachusetts, including 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama and top-ranked amateur Keita Nakajima of Japan, and Koreans Kim Si-Woo and KH Lee.
There is heightened anticipation ahead of the year's third major for Im as he was forced to withdraw from the PGA Championship after contracting Covid-19 while at home in Korea for a domestic tournament.
"Yes, it was certainly disappointing not being able to play the PGA Championship," said Im, a two-time PGA Tour winner.
"I watched the tournament on television and I was eager to get back out there and compete. I am very much looking forward to the US Open."
His brush with Covid-19 meant being out of competitive action for a month due to quarantine requirements but concerns of rust creeping into his game was quickly dispelled after he finished tied 15th at the Charles Schwab Challenge in his first tournament back and joint 10th in the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago.
What was also reassuring was the fact that his strokes gained: tee to green stats saw him rank second and 13th respectively at both events, attributes essential to navigate a US Open which course set-up is notoriously demanding with its narrow fairways, shin-high rough and fast conditions.
"My tee-to-green game worked favourably. One thing I regret is that my putting was not up to the level I wanted to but overall, I was satisfied with the finishes," added the Korean.
With YE Yang being the only Korean male golfer to date to have won a major following his success at the 2009 PGA Championship, Im is keen to join the major club.