Asian stars Kim, Im, An and Matsuyama amongst top-6 qualifiers for International Team at Presidents Cup

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Korean trio, Tom Kim, Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun, were amongst the top-6 automatic qualifiers for the International Team which will face the U.S. Team in the 2024 Presidents Cup following the BMW Championship on Sunday

This file photo shows Tom Kim and Im Sung-jae react to a putt on the 18th green during day two of the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sept. 23, 2022. [GETTY IMAGES]

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Korean trio, Tom Kim, Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun, were amongst the top-6 automatic qualifiers for the International Team which will face the U.S. Team in the 2024 Presidents Cup following the conclusion of the BMW Championship on Sunday.

The other two automatic qualifiers for the International Team are Australia’s Adam Scott and Jason Day.

The U.S. Team’s top-6 qualifiers were also finalized, with World No. 1 and FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala earning their places for the showdown at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29.

International Team Captain Mike Weir and U.S. Team Captain Jim Furyk will announce their six captains’ picks live on Golf Channel on Tuesday, September 3 to round out their 12-man teams.

Amongst the Asian quartet, Matsuyama, Kim and Im were part of the International Team which lost 12.5 to 17.5 to the U.S. Team in Quail Hollow two years ago. An will return to the team following his lone appearance at Royal Melbourne in 2019.

Matsuyama, who won the Genesis Invitational and FedEx St. Jude Championship this season, finished as the top-ranked International qualifier. He will be making his sixth straight appearance in the Presidents Cup, tying for fourth most in International Team history alongside Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby. The 32-year-old enters the FedExCup Playoffs finale, the Tour Championship, ranked third and was also the bronze medal winner at the Paris Olympics earlier this month. He holds a career 7-10-5 (W-L-T) record in the Presidents Cup.

Im, a two-time PGA Tour winner, is excited to make his third straight appearance where he owns an undefeated record in Sunday Singles play in the Presidents Cup after defeating Gary Woodland and Cameron Young in 2019 and 2022 respectively. He has recorded seven top-10 finishes this season, and has qualified for the Tour Championship for the sixth straight season.

“The Presidents Cup is a tournament that every player in the international category wants to play in. It's a team competition, so we're going to go in with the mentality of playing as the International Team, and we're going to do our best together and try to beat the U.S. Team,” said 26-year-old Im, who holds a 5-3-2 record.

Following a highly memorable debut at Quail Hollow, Tom Kim is pumped to earn his second straight appearance for the International Team where he hopes to improve on his 2-3-0 record. The 22-year-old, who holds three PGA Tour wins, delivered one of the moments of the week in 2022 while partnering with Kim Si-woo in Saturday afternoon’s Four-ball matches. On the 18th hole, tied with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, he hit a magnificent 2 iron approach and then converted a 10-foot birdie putt to win the match, 1-up, before breaking into a wild celebration with his team.

Kim said: “I'm really excited. It's (Presidents Cup) definitely up there, it's very unique. It is the one week where we get to play on a team environment. After the last one, I just wanted to be on the team again. There's so much joy and it's just one week. I'm very passionate, so I think energy is a big thing, especially as a young guy. My first Presidents Cup was so passionate and I wanted to do so much for our team. I think going to our home ground, the crowds are going to be great. They're going to be very feisty. And, you know, I can't wait to get those Canadian crowds going.

This file photo shows Adam Scott and An Byeong-hun react on the 17th green during day three of the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Course in Melbourne on Dec. 14, 2019. [GETTY IMAGES]

After a highly successful season which will see An competing in the Tour Championship for the first time, the 32-year-old is looking to play a role in helping the International Team secure a second victory in the biennial team competition. An has recorded five top-10s this season, including a playoff loss at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He played in all five matches at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia, partnering twice with Adam Scott in the Four-ball competition

“It's not easy to get on the team, but I'm glad to be back. And now hopefully, I will never miss it again. I’m hoping to play some nice golf and deliver a lot of points. It was one of my priority goals for this year to make it to the Presidents Cup. It's very unique you play for the team and as a team, and there are some great team members,” he said.

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]