Source Tells SI That LIV Golf Rumors Around Sungjae Im Are Untrue

Korea’s Sungjae Im, a two-time PGA Tour winner and one of the Tour's ironmen, will not leave for the rival circuit, a source tells Sports Illustrated.

Sungjae Im is a two-time PGA Tour winner and has played in seven consecutive Tour Championships. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

On Wednesday morning, Flushingitgolf and Today’s Golfer reported that Si Woo Kim was in negotiations to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, and speculation emerged that fellow Korean Sungjae Im would be on the move as well. 

However, a source close to Im told Sports Illustrated that there’s a “0%” chance he is leaving the PGA Tour.

The 27-year-old is a two-time Tour winner and ranked No. 42 in the world. Kim, 30, is a four-time winner, including the 2017 Players Championship, and ranked 47th in the world. 

Both are two of the PGA Tour’s ironmen. Im made 28 starts in 2025 and Kim made 30. Playing on LIV would significantly reduce their schedule to about 14 events, though they could also play on the DP World Tour. 

Recently, LIV poached 33-year-old Frenchman Victor Perez from the PGA Tour, along with 36-year-old Englishman Laurie Canter, who played for LIV from 2022 to 2024 but earned a PGA Tour card for 2026 through the DP World Tour rankings. 

There are two more LIV spots up for grabs at next month’s promotions event in Florida. 

In pursuit of receiving world ranking points, LIV tournaments next year will be 72 holes, as opposed to 54, for the first time in the league’s history. 

If Kim and Im were to defect to the Saudi-backed circuit, it would be a substantial blow to the International Presidents Cup team. They have made three appearances each in the biennial event, which is operated by the PGA Tour and coming to Chicago’s Medinah Country Club next September. Since the competition's inception in 1994, the Internationals have won once in 1998.