Kim Si-woo finishes runner-up at FedEx St. Jude Championship

Kim Si-woo battled through scorching 37-degree heat to claim his third runner-up finish of the season at the first event of the PGA Tour playoffs.

Kim carded two birdies against no bogeys in the final round Monday at TPC Southwind (par 70) in Memphis, Tennessee, at the FedEx St. Jude Championship — the first playoff event of the season, with a $20 million purse.

His total of 9-under-par 271 earned him his third runner-up finish of the season, following a tie for second at the Farmers Insurance Open in February and a solo second at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May.

The title went to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States, who dominated the field and finished 8 strokes clear at 17-under-par 263.

Kim moved up the FedEx Cup standings from seventh to fourth, securing his place in the BMW Championship — the second playoff event, open to the top 50 players.

Kim birdied the third hole (par 5) and then made seven consecutive pars. He added another birdie at the 11th hole (par 3), but could not extend his run, and finished the tournament visibly disappointed as the gap to leader Scheffler continued to widen.

"I really wanted to win, but Scottie played too well," Kim said in his post-round interview. "I gave it everything I had, and this runner-up finish will be a big boost heading into the final two events."

Im Sung-jae, who began the final round tied for second — two strokes behind Scheffler — struggled with just one birdie and five bogeys, sliding to a tie for fifth at 7-under-par 273. Despite the poor final round, Im climbed from 53rd to 40th in the FedEx Cup standings and comfortably secured his spot in the BMW Championship.

If Im advances through the BMW Championship, he will qualify for the Tour Championship — the season finale — for eight consecutive years dating back to 2019.

Kim Ju-hyung dropped one stroke in the final round with two birdies and three bogeys, finishing in a tie for 12th at 5-under-par 275. He retained his 26th-place position in the FedEx Cup standings and also advanced to the BMW Championship.

Scheffler claimed his 21st PGA Tour title and second of the season, returning to the winner's circle seven months after his victory at The American Express in January.

Scheffler, who had finished runner-up five times this season without a win, collected $3.6 million in prize money and held firm atop the FedEx Cup standings.

He did suffer a moment of bad luck on the third hole (par 5), when his third shot from a greenside bunker struck a sprinkler head and rolled into a water hazard, resulting in a bogey. Scheffler recovered to make five birdies with no further bogeys, pulling further clear of the field.

"Before this tournament, I played a few rounds with Si-woo to sharpen my game," Scheffler said in his winner's interview. "I won a little money off him," he added with a laugh.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland had a difficult week, finishing 66th at 8-over-par 288. His FedEx Cup ranking slipped one spot to 13th.