Lim Sung-jae defends KPGA Tour title, rises from No. 28 to No. 1

After playing on the U.S. Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, Lim Sung-jae, 26, is back in Korea to defend his title.

Lim Sung-jae carded six birdies and one bogey for a five-stroke lead in the second round of the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour's Woori Financial Championship ($1.5 billion purse) at Ferrum Club (par-72, 7232 yards) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday. The South Korean, who was tied for 28th (2-under) after the first round, moved up the leaderboard with a 7-under-par 137 total to share the lead with Jang Dong-kyu (36), Jeong Se-yoon (29) and Lim Ye-taek (26). He holds a one-stroke lead over fifth-place Lee Jung-hwan (33-6-under).

Defending champion Lim Sung-jae said, "I started on the 10th hole and made an unfortunate three-putt bogey on the last hole, the par-5 ninth. Other than that, I'm satisfied overall." "I slept well, woke up at 5 a.m. and am gradually recovering my condition," said Lim, who arrived in South Korea on the afternoon of the 23rd and has been working hard to adjust to the time difference. "It's definitely fun to play in front of so many Korean fans and it's always a big boost."

Lim has two career wins on the KPGA Tour, at the 2019 Genesis Championship and last year's event. He also has two career wins on the PGA Tour (2020-2021). He finished runner-up at last year's Genesis Championship, narrowly missing out on the title. He draws huge crowds whenever he competes in domestic tournaments.

"Even on the PGA Tour, they call my name, but they don't have this many fans coming to see me," Lim said, adding that it's something that can only be felt in Korea. "I don't have a problem with the large number of galleries," he said, "I've played in front of many galleries on the PGA Tour, so I can handle the noise because I've gained know-how."