Im Sung-Jae was delighted to be alone atop the leaderboard after round one of his second appearance at The Masters.
The South Korean had an incredible debut at Augusta National, finishing tied with Cameron Smith for second place in 2020.
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Im finished Thursday's round five under after birdieing his first three holes of the day, also collecting a birdie on the seventh to card a four under front-nine.
After consecutive bogeys to start the back nine, he recovered in style, nabbing an eagle on the par-five 13th, and another birdie on 15.
Eagle on No. 13 and the co-lead for Sungjae Im. #themasters pic.twitter.com/v2aj0TihFz
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 7, 2022
Speaking to the media after his first round, the former runner-up highlighted how much confidence his previous success has given him.
"It was great to have a great finish at my Masters debut, and because of that experience I feel comfortable when I come to Augusta," he said. "I feel like I can play well here every time.
"My preparation stays the same for each tournament, but I felt like my driving game was not as up to par as what it used to be, so I worked on my driving, and today the key to a successful round was having good tee shots.
"The key to the good round today was just getting off to a hot start. I birdied the first three holes, and that's what got me on to a good rhythm."
