Im Sung-jae plays a shot on the first hole during the first round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado, on Thursday. (GETTY IMAGES)

Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama remained in top form with his new putter to secure second place after an opening score of 5-under-par 67 at the BMW Championship on Thursday, while Koreans Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo made fast starts to continue the good mood for Asian golfers in the FedExCup playoffs.

Four days after securing his second victory of the season and his 10th PGA Tour title by two strokes at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the 32-year-old Matsuyama was back in top form at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado, making six birdies, including a massive 75-foot birdie on the fourth hole.

Im and Kim are determined to be part of the winners’ party in this week’s penultimate playoff event, shooting 68 and 69 for T3 and T7 respectively to chase early leader Keegan Bradley. The American was the last man in 50th place to qualify for the BMW Championship last Sunday and shot a bogey-free 66. An Byeong-hun, also from Korea, opened with a 72.

Im, 26, is seeking his third PGA Tour victory and has made six birdies, including three opening wins to start his day. His short game was particularly good as he struggled to make six pars to stay on the leaderboard. Because Castle Pines is 6,000 feet above sea level, players like Im have had to adjust their distance control as balls fly farther and the thinner air makes the 8,000-yard property a challenging stroll.

“It goes downhill and then goes uphill on the back nine holes. I feel like I get physically tired on the back nine holes. I feel like I’m out of breath when I go uphill,” said Im, who finished second in Strokes Gained: Around the Greens. “It was difficult to measure and calculate the distances, and there was a bit of wind on the back nine holes. I had to calculate the distance and then subtract 10 percent. That was a bit confusing. Overall, it wasn’t very easy, but I got off to a great start and was able to finish strong.”

Im has the honour of having achieved Asia’s best result in the FedExCup, where he finished second behind Rory McIlroy in 2022. He is currently 10th in the points list and will compete in the final of the playoffs, the Tour Championship, which has the FedExCup on the line, for the sixth year in a row next week.

Fellow countryman Si Woo Kim, who needs a top score to qualify for a third Tour Championship appearance, put himself in a strong position after a round of six birdies, including a chip-in birdie on the fifth hole and a near hole-in-one on the par-3 16th, where his ball narrowly missed the edge of the hole. “I have 5 and 6 irons, so between the numbers. With that height, I try to hit hard with a 6 and when it landed, I saw immediately that it was heading right for it. It was close. Maybe too hard,” said Kim, who has won the Tour four times.

“It was a good start, but on the second nine holes it got a little tough with all the hills. I tried to keep drinking and keep breathing, but it’s definitely harder than last week. But I tried to stay focused. I hit a lot of good shots and a lot of good putts. A few misses, but hopefully I’ll get better in the next few days.”

A third win of the season could see Matsuyama jump into second place on the FedExCup points list behind leader Scottie Scheffler, which could put him two strokes back at the Tour Championship, which uses a tiered points system based on players’ finishes after the BMW Championship. No Asian golfer has won the FedExCup since it was introduced in 2007.

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG ([email protected])