Daniel

Im

The well-traveled American opened the tournament with a level-par round of 72 and started Friday going in reverse when making bogey-6 at the first. But four birdies in four holes from the fourth turned his round, and week, around. He followed that burst with another blue number at 8, but three back nine par breakers confirmed a move of 43 places up the board to T4 when he took lunch. He lies 105th on the Race to Dubai rankings, the consequence of three top tens early in the season. The last of those was late March in Delhi since when he is 4-for-11 with a best of T20 in the King’s Cup. He missed just 2 of 14 fairways Friday and took just 26 swipes of the putter.

The American, who came through Q School last year, is 100th on the Race to Dubai but this score didn’t come out of the blue. Im has been ticking over nicely and banked T20 in last week’s Italian Open. Today, he carved out three birdies (3, 5 and 8) against a lone bogey (7) on his front nine to turn in 2-under before missing out on another gain at the 514-yard par-5 10th. But he then hit the gas with four birdies in the space of five holes to take the outright lead on his own before dropping a shot at the last. This is his second lowest first round of the season, only eclipsed by a 65 at March’s Hero Indian Open where he posted T6, one of three top 10s this season. He split 7 (of 13) fairways at the Beckenbauer course today, hit 12 greens in regulation and 4-for-6 in scrambling.

The American, who has pegged it up 62 times at this level, carded 69-68-65-70 in the 2016 edition to finish three shots back from eventual winner Haydn Porteous. With nine to play he was tied for the lead. Im had missed the cut the previous year and only posted T69 in 2014 so that big performance could be viewed as coming out of the blue. However, he arrived there on the back of T8 in the previous week’s South African Open so was in fine form at the time. This year he returns after cashing twice in three starts on the Desert Swing. Im was T49 in Abu Dhabi, T28 in Qatar but missed the cut in the Dubai Desert Classic. He’s had the last two weeks off.

After three early top 10s this season (two in South Africa and one in India), the American has hit a bump in the round with three straight missed cuts. The latest two came in China although he did close the Volvo China Open last week with a 68 so has the chance to build some momentum from that. Im, who slots in at 81st on the Race to Dubai, has played in this event just once but managed T25 at Golf du Palais Royal in 2014. This is his first look at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam but he shouldn’t be at too big a disadvantage as this venue hasn’t been used on the European Tour since 2010.

The American has experienced a rollercoaster 2016 season on the European Tour. In his last 9 starts he had three top ten finishes, was in contention at halfway in a fourth, and missed the cuts in the other five (including his last 3). His halfway total in Rabat will be good enough to again contend and he was T2 when he reached the clubhouse playing in the morning wave. He ticked four birdies at 4, 7, 11 and 15, with one blemish at No. 6. He struggled from tee to green, hitting just 6 of 14 fairways and 12 of the greens in regulation, but 5 of his 6 scrambles were successful and he required just 27 putts.

The American has made the cut on both his previous starts and whilst they look a little average (T28 in 2014, T34 in 2016) there were good signs in both. At Kennemer three years ago he ranked fourth for Total Putting and his first round 67 had him T6 on Thursday evening. Last year on this course he shot 67 on Friday and Saturday to be T11 after 54 holes before a final round 75 marred the week. His T4 in the Irish Open means he resides at 65th on the Race to Dubai in complete safety for retaining his card after squeaking it at 109th last year. He opened and closed last week’s adventure in the mountains with 66s to finish T16.

After sharing top spot with Benjamin Hebert for the first two days after the pair opened 64-67, Im now has Jon Rahm for company on 17-under 199. The American started fast and had moved into a two-shot at the turn after scoring four birdies (1, 5, 6 and 8) against a single but frustrating bogey-6 at the 4th. But he slowed on the back nine with eight pars and a birdie-4 at 14, allowing Rahm to pull level after the Spaniard reeled off four straight circles from the 11th. The threats don’t end there, as Hebert is just one back, Hideto Tanihara two in arrears and Julien Quesne within three. There’s also a trio of players at 14-under, four behind, which includes Justin Rose. Im will be attempting to win his first European Tour title Sunday.

Playing in the first group out today, Im had to battle much chillier conditions at Portstewart GC but maintained his title bid in impressive style with another six birdies. After an opening red number at 10, he signed for six straight pars before picking up another shot at 17. Im traded a birdie with a bogey at 2 and 3 and then made a sprint to the finish with circles at 6, 7 and 9, the American rounding his day off by curling in a 12-footer with just his 22nd putt of the day. Right now, he’s two shots clear of John Rahm.

The American entered the week at 114th in the Race to Dubai but has set himself up to transform that ranking with a magnificent display of approach play and putting which vaulted him ahead of the Essex pacesetters Matthew Southgate and Oli Fisher. His front nine was electric, seeing him post four birdies on the trot at 2, 3, 4 and 5, then two more in succession at 7 and 8. His habit of going on little runs continued when he made back-to-back red numbers at 13 and 14. On the final hole he found the middle of the fairway yet for the first time his approach play let him down, leaving him in a nasty spot in a pot bunker. He splashed out to 20’0" whereupon his putter helped him out; the par putt disappeared to keep bogey off the card. The round is his lowest through his European Tour career and has him one ahead of the two Englishmen and Jon Rahm (who has one hole to play).

The American played this week’s host venue, the Beckenbauer course, twice in his Challenge Tour days and again in last year’s European Open. He finished T39 in the latter after opening with a 66 and T19 in 2015’s second-tier Aegean Airlines Challenge. Im is 63rd on this season’s Race to Dubai, his highlight of the season coming in the Irish Open last month when taking fourth place. He had a piece of the lead through the opening three rounds at Portstewart before slipping with a closing 72. Im plays in the very first of the 32 first-round matches Thursday, getting the tournament underway with a last 64 showdown against Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard.