Runner-up at Macau Open after 17-under-par playoff; Im Sung-jae rises one spot to 60th in world rankings
Im Sung-jae finished runner-up at the SJM Macau Open, playing a playoff with Wang Wei-shuan after going 17 under par. He lost to a birdie on the first extra hole, and his world ranking rose one spot from 61st to 60th.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- Im Sung-jae and Wang Wei-shuan finished the Macau Open regulation round tied at 17 under par and went to a playoff.
- Wang Wei-shuan won his first Asian Tour title with a birdie on the first playoff hole, and Im Sung-jae finished runner-up.
- Im Sung-jae's world ranking rose one spot from 61st to 60th, and Wang Wei-shuan climbed 123 spots.
123 spots versus one. After the Macau Open, the two players' world rankings diverged this way. Wang Wei-shuan (27, Taiwan), who won the playoff, jumped from 330th to 207th. Both shot 17 under par to tie after regulation, but Im Sung-jae (28), who lost the playoff, moved up only one spot from 61st to 60th. A single birdie decided winner and runner-up, but the gap in the ranking table was far wider.
Macau Open playoff: a chip-in eagle on the 18th hole turned the match
The match began to turn on the 18th hole (par 5) of the final regulation round. Wang Wei-shuan's chip shot from off the green went straight into the hole. A chip-in eagle, a shot that gains two strokes at once. Per the Asian Tour, the two players finished regulation tied at 17 under par overall and went straight into a playoff on the tournament's final day, the 18th.
The playoff was decided on the first extra hole. Wang Wei-shuan made birdie while Im Sung-jae settled for par. Right after winning, in an Asian Tour interview on the 18th, Wang said, "I'm so happy I could pull it off and win this time." There is a reason behind "this time." In the 2025 Macau Open, he also lost a playoff to Dominic Foos and finished second. One year later, in the same tournament, he earned his first Asian Tour win in effect.
Im Sung-jae world ranking 60th, 1.25 points behind Kim Ju-hyeong
OWGR In the weekly ranking dated October 18, Im Sung-jae earned an average of 1.9625 points to reach 60th (as of 2026.10.19 18:00). Up one spot from 61st the previous week, and Edaily also reported the same ranking on the 19th. The OWGR averages results over the past two years, so the higher a player ranks, the harder it is for a single tournament to move their position much.
OWGR comparison player rankings (2026.10.18 tally, as of 2026.10.19 18:00)
| Rank | Player | Average points | Previous rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Kim Si-woo | 4.4886 | 14 | 0 |
| 31 | Kim Ju-hyeong | 3.2132 | 33 | +2 |
| 60 | Im Sung-jae | 1.9625 | 61 | +1 |
| 108 | Richard Hoey | 1.2430 | 107 | -1 |
| 112 | Wi Chun-an | 1.2295 | 110 | -2 |
| 207 | Wang Wei-shuan | 0.7515 | 330 | +123 |
Placing Kim Si-woo, Kim Ju-hyeong, and Im Sung-jae side by side in the table shows where each stands. Kim Si-woo leads at 14th (4.4886 points), followed by Kim Ju-hyeong at 31st (3.2132 points). The point gap between Im Sung-jae and Kim Ju-hyeong is 1.2507 points, and the ranking gap is 29 spots. However, this table includes only comparison players pulled from the official ranking list, so players ranked directly above and below Im Sung-jae are not shown.
Im Sung-jae was born on March 30, 1998, and is 28 years old. He made his PGA Tour debut in the 2018-19 season, and in 2019 became the first Asian player to win the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. He won the Honda Classic in March 2020 and the Shriners Children's Open in October 2021, for two career wins. He tied for second at the 2020 Masters. His best world ranking was 16th, 44 spots higher than now.
By Asian Tour figures, this tournament's total prize fund was $1 million. The runner-up's individual prize is not listed because no official payout table could be confirmed. The winner's prize is also reported differently by outlet: Golf Monthly says $180,000, while Go & Play says $216,000. Im Sung-jae's next tournament and Masters-related plans had not been confirmed as of the 19th.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What is Im Sung-jae's world ranking?
As of the OWGR weekly ranking dated October 18, 2026, Im Sung-jae is 60th with an average of 1.9625 points (as of 2026.10.19 18:00). He rose one spot from 61st the previous week.
Q. How old is Im Sung-jae?
He was born on March 30, 1998, and is 28 years old. He made his PGA Tour debut in the 2018-19 season and has two career tour wins.
Q. What is the Macau Open prize money?
According to the Asian Tour, the total prize fund for the 2026 SJM Macau Open is $1 million. Outlets reported the winner's prize differently as $180,000 and $216,000, and the runner-up's individual prize could not be confirmed from an official payout table.
Related official sites
- Official OWGR World Rankings — full men's golf world ranking table, updated weekly
- Asian Tour SJM Macau Open official tournament page — tournament results and round-by-round records
- PGA TOUR official biography of Im Sung-jae — official career record from debut through wins
Lead image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of the current match in this article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Titleist), CC BY-SA 3.0
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