Im Sung-jae ties for 27th in opening round of Rocket Classic

Im Sung-jae, chasing a record eighth consecutive berth in the PGA Tour's playoff finale, opened the Rocket Classic ($10 million purse) in a tie for 27th place Friday.

Im carded five birdies and two bogeys for a 3-under-par 67 at Detroit Golf Club (par 70) in Detroit, Michigan.

Peter Malnati of the United States surged to the outright lead with a 9-under-par 61 — a new personal best — putting him six strokes ahead of Im.

Im has qualified for the Tour Championship every year from 2019 through 2025, a streak of seven consecutive appearances. To extend that run, he must climb into the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings; he currently sits 58th. He missed the cut in two of his four July starts — the exceptions being The Open Championship and the John Deere Classic — and will need a strong showing to move up significantly.

Im got off to a promising start, making birdie on his opening hole, the par-4 10th, and adding birdies on the par-4 12th and par-5 14th. A wayward tee shot into deep rough on the par-4 17th, however, led to a bogey.

He recovered with birdies on the par-4 3rd and par-3 5th holes, but dropped another shot on the par-4 7th after a solid drive — only for his approach to find a greenside bunker.

Kim Si-woo, ranked seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, struggled. He made four birdies but also three bogeys, finishing at 1-under 69 to share 69th place.

Michael Kim, the Korean American who shot a remarkable 59 in the second round of last week's 3M Open, kept his momentum going with a 5-under 65 to share sixth place.