Im holds 1-shot lead at American Express with bogey-free Round 2
Sungjae Im shot a 7-under 65 in Round 2 of The American Express to take a one-shot lead over five players into the weekend.
The 22-year-old went bogey-free on the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California, to get to 11-under following a 68 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Thursday.
Im attributed the strong play so far to his putting, and so do the stats. He gained over four strokes on the greens in Round 2 to rank second in the field in putting.
"I was struggling with my putting leading up to this week, so I worked on my putting a lot, and especially for today's round I feel like my mid-range putts were really doing well," the South Korean said afterward, according to ASAP Sports.
Im is looking to secure his second PGA Tour title after he won the 2020 Honda Classic.
Here's how the top of the leaderboard stands through two days:
| Place | Player | To Par | R2 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sungjae Im | -11 | 65 |
| T2 | Nick Taylor | -10 | 66 |
| T2 | Tony Finau | -10 | 66 |
| T2 | Abraham Ancer | -10 | 65 |
| T2 | Si Woo Kim | -10 | 68 |
| T2 | Brandon Hagy | -10 | 70 |
| T7 | Emiliano Grillo | -9 | 66 |
| T7 | Francesco Molinari | -9 | 66 |
| T7 | Doug Ghim | -9 | 68 |
Rickie Fowler fired a 66 to make the cut by two shots. He rallied with seven birdies in his final 14 holes in Round 2 after sitting at 2-over for the tournament.
Brooks Koepka failed to replicate Fowler's run. The four-time major winner went 72-71 to miss the cut by three in his first start of 2021.