Kim Si-woo finishes runner-up at FedEx St. Jude Championship, climbs to 4th in FedEx Cup standings

Kim Si-woo finished runner-up at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which carried a $20 million purse.

Kim carded a bogey-free 2-under-par 68 in the final round Monday at TPC Southwind (par 70, 7,243 yards) in Memphis, Tennessee. His total of 9-under-par 271 earned him second place and moved him up three spots in the FedEx Cup standings, from seventh to fourth.

Kim had surged into a tie for sixth with a 5-under-par third round Sunday. He opened his scoring with a birdie at the par-5 third hole, reaching the green in two and two-putting, then added a second birdie at the par-3 11th, draining a long putt after his tee shot landed 12 meters from the pin. After the round, Kim said he badly wanted the win but that playing partner Scottie Scheffler simply played too well.

World No. 1 and FedEx Cup points leader Scottie Scheffler of the United States closed with a 4-under-par 66 for a winning total of 17-under-par 263, an eight-stroke victory. Scheffler made a bogey at the par-5 third hole when his bunker shot struck a sprinkler head and bounced into a penalty area across the fairway, but he responded with five birdies over the remaining holes.

The win was Scheffler's second of the season, coming 203 days after his American Express victory in January. During that stretch he recorded five runner-up finishes, tying the most over any 40-year span on tour. Scheffler entered the final round as the 54-hole leader and claimed his 11th consecutive victory when leading after three rounds. The win was his 21st on tour, and he collected a winner's check of $3.6 million.

Im Sung-jae, who had entered the final round tied for second, struggled to a 4-over-par 74 and finished in a tie for fifth at 7-under-par 273. He managed only one birdie against five bogeys.

The top-five finish lifted Im's FedEx Cup ranking from 53rd to 40th, comfortably securing his place in the BMW Championship. However, he will need to climb inside the top 30 at that event to qualify for the Tour Championship for an eighth consecutive year.

Kim Joo-hyung, who had fired a 7-under-par third round Sunday, dropped one stroke Monday with two birdies and three bogeys, finishing in a tie for 12th at 5-under-par 275. He held his FedEx Cup ranking at 26th and advanced to the BMW Championship.

Min Woo Lee of Australia and Michael Kim of the United States both finished in a tie for 55th at 4-over-par 284. Lee, ranked 18th in the FedEx Cup standings, advanced to the BMW Championship with room to spare, while Kim, at 61st, fell short of qualifying and ended his season.