[PHOTO: Michael Reaves]
The habitually defenceless Plantation course at Kapalua on Maui took a record-breaking drubbing this week, when Korea’s Sungjae Im set a PGA Tour record for birdies in a 72-hole event with 34, including 11 made on the final day of the Sentry.
Kim birdied the par-5 15th in the final round, his 33rd of the tournament, to break the record previously held by Mark Calcavecchia (2001 Phoenix Open), Australia’s Paul Gow (2001 B.C. Open) and Jon Rahm (2022 the Sentry). For good measure, he birdied the 18th hole to extend the record to 34.
The obvious question, of course, is how a man who birdied 47.2 percent of the 72 holes, including a final-round of 10-under 63, finished tied for fifth. Well, he made seven bogeys and a double-bogey over the course of four rounds. Bogeys on the par-73 Plantation course are akin to double-bogeys anywhere else.
It was a remarkably impressive performance, nonetheless. Im made nine birdies in the first round, followed by eight, six and 11 in the ensuing three rounds, and posted scores of 65, 66, 73 and 63, a total of 25-under 267.
