Sungjae Im parred his way through the front nine then fired three birdies and one bogey for a 2-under 69 and a one-shot lead at the Truist Championship.

“I’m very happy that I’m leading and before this week I had a plan to birdie the par-5s and I know this course pretty well because of the Presidents Cup. So it’s working out to my plan,” said Im.

“I feel like I’m driving the ball very well. I’m keeping it in the fairways, as you see there on the data. So it makes it easier for me to hit my second shots on the green in difficult pin positions. Also, I know this course very well, so I’m taking advantage of that.

“And then the scrambling, because of the play with the Presidents Cup, I know where to miss the greens, I’m very familiar with this golf course. But I didn’t putt very well today, but I’m happy with where I’m at.”

Im finished inside the top 25 at the Truist Championship each of the last three years, including back-to-back top-10 finishes the last two times the event was hosted at Quail Hollow Club (2025/T23, 2024/T4, 2023/T8).

The Korean player holds his sixth career 36-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA Tour and his second this season (Valspar Championship/finished T4).

Im returned to competition in March after being sidelined for five months with a wrist injury.

“I haven’t been playing very well coming into this tournament because of my wrist injury. But I’m happy with how my game is progressing and the way I’m striking the ball. And I’m happy with where I’m at at the moment and I want to keep this going for two more days and hopefully I’ll have a very good finish,” he added.

In the 22 years of the Truist Championship, only two players have held the 36-hole lead/co-lead and gone on to win the event: Tiger Woods (2007) and Wyndham Clark (2023).

England’s Tommy Fleetwood carded five birdies and one bogey for a 67 and solo second place at 8-under. 134 marks his best 36-hole total in six career starts at Quail Hollow Club (previous: 136, 2023 Truist Championship).

In eight starts this season, he has had five top-25 finishes, including four top-10s (best: T4/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). The 2025 FedExCup champion seeks his second PGA Tour title in his 173rd career start.

Following rounds of 67 and 68 (one bogey), Justin Thomas recorded his best 36-hole score of the season (135) and is tied in third place at 7-under. In eight career starts at Quail Hollow Club, he owns three top-15 finishes (2023 Truist Championship/T14, 2017 PGA Championship/Won, 2015 Truist Championship/T7).

Also in T3, Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick fired four birdies and one bogey for a 68 and enters the weekend inside the top 10 on the leaderboard for the third consecutive week: T2 at Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Won) and T6 at Cadillac Championship (finished T9).

Four-time Truist Championship winner Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland recorded a career-best 14 consecutive greens hit (Nos. 4-17). He made six birdies and two bogeys for a 67 and is T8 at 5-under. Through 36 holes, he ranks second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (2.798) and fourth in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (5.040).

Overnight leader Matt McCarty of the USA made two birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey at the par-4 14th for a 74 and moved down into T8.

Through two rounds, the field is -153 on Nos. 1-15 and +101 at the Green Monster (Nos. 16-18).

Rory's approach? Relatable.

Birdie putt? … Not as relatable.

📺 Golf Channel https://t.co/Ie0ZVIYpWT pic.twitter.com/Si99vqzcR6

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 8, 2026

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