Kim Si-woo eyes first win of season at Memorial Tournament after CJ Cup runner-up finish

Kim Si-woo, refreshed after a week off following his runner-up finish at the CJ Cup, will chase his first victory of the season at the Memorial Tournament, a PGA Tour signature event with a $20 million purse, beginning Thursday.

The tournament runs through Sunday at Muirfield Village Golf Club (par 72) in Dublin, Ohio. The PGA Tour's official website has listed Kim as the second-favorite to win the title.

In a preview published Monday, the site said Kim holds the highest FedEx Cup ranking — fifth — among players yet to win this season and has recorded a career-best seven top-10 finishes.

That assessment placed him ahead of a field that includes world No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, No. 3 Cameron Young of the United States, No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick of England and No. 5 Russell Henley of the United States. Only world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States ranked higher than Kim among the site's title favorites.

Kim is enjoying the best form of his career this season. In 15 starts, he has posted seven top-10 finishes, including two runner-up results and two third-place finishes. He has also finished in the top five in three of his last five events, contending for the title nearly every time he tees it up.

At the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which ended May 25, Kim led through 54 holes before Wyndham Clark of the United States fired a final-round 11-under 61 to overhaul him and claim the title. Kim then skipped the Charles Schwab Challenge to rest and reset, and arrives at Muirfield Village looking to convert his strong form into a win.

Kim has four PGA Tour victories to his name, with his most recent coming at the Sony Open in January 2023.

Im Sung-jae is also in the field. After missing roughly two months early in the season due to a wrist injury, Im has been playing a relentless schedule in an effort to climb the FedEx Cup standings.

Im is fighting to extend his streak of consecutive appearances at the Tour Championship — the PGA Tour's playoff finale — which dates to 2019.

Qualifying for the Tour Championship requires a top-30 FedEx Cup finish. Im currently sits 57th after recording three top-10 finishes in 11 starts this season.

He tied for fifth at the Truist Championship in early May but missed the cut at the PGA Championship the following week. He then tied for ninth at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson before missing the cut again at the Charles Schwab Challenge last week, an inconsistency that has complicated his push up the rankings.

Scheffler, who won this event in 2024 and 2025, is chasing a third consecutive title and his second win of the season at the same time.

A three-peat at the Memorial, which began in 1976, has been achieved only once — by Tiger Woods of the United States, who won from 1999 to 2001.

Fitzpatrick, a three-time winner this season, is seeking his fourth title of the year, while Charles Schwab Challenge winner Henley looks to win back-to-back events.