This will impress you about Sungjae Im

There is a perception that professional golfers are pampered individuals.

Sungjae Im may have something to say about that. South Koreans are required to serve a period of what amounts to National Service. 

Routinely, that involves having to give up their normal lives for two years. However, because he had won a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games, Im was exempt from serving the full two years. He was still required to attend several weeks of basic military training and volunteer work at the end of last season. 

That meant one of the hardest-working pros on the PGA Tour had to lock his clubs away while he went to boot camp with the 9th Marine Brigade 91st Marine Battalion. For a man who routinely plays 25-27 tournaments a year, this must have been torture.

He came through it unscathed but then suffered a wrist injury which meant he missed the first seven events of the season. He was forced to leave his clubs alone for more than six weeks. And when he returned at the Arnold Palmer Invitational he promptly missed the cut - and repeated the feat at the Players Championship. It meant that before the Valspar Championship he had not made it to the weekend on the PGA Tour for five months. 

He went into the final round of the Valspar with a two-shot lead but it all caught up with him and he quickly tumbled down the leaderboard.

Don’t worry about Im though - he will be back. 

And speaking of which, Matt Fitzpatrick recovered from his Players Championship disappointment in spectacular fashion. It would have been all too easy for the Englishman to have walked away from TPC Sawgrass feeling sorry for himself.

But Fitzpatrick has done a lot of growing up over the past couple of years. He survived the Snake Pit at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, draining a 14-foot birdie putt at the last to shoot 68 and win the Valspar Championship.

Fitzpatrick, who last won on the tour in 2023, said: "To come away with a win this week is really special, considering last week's performance as well. I'll be honest, it wasn't an ideal putt on 18. I wouldn't say I was overly keen on it considering my putting performance but to get it done was special."

Fitzpatrick, who won the DP World Tour Championship in November, will now take a two-week break before preparing for next month's Masters.

He said: "I'm obviously very confident in my game right now but what it takes to win a major is very different to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour. Particularly the Masters, there's extra pressure on the Masters, no matter who you are. It just has that standing above all the other events, as well as the majors.

"I'm coming away from this week delighted with where my game's at but there's stuff I want to improve."

He finished one ahead of American David Lipsky and two in front of fellow Englishman Jordan Smith, who was enjoying his best PGA Tour finish to date.

England’s Marco Penge, Im and American Xander Schauffele were all tied for fourth on eight under.