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Quick Learners

Sungjae Im will be fluent in football by the end of his week playing with Keith Mitchell

April 20, 2023

There are some great—and obvious—teams at this year's Zurich Classic, from defending champs (and besties) Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay to Cal Golden Bears Collin Morikawa and Max Homa to Team Kim (Si Woo and Tom). But the odd-couples seem even more fun, most notably John Daly and David Duval (true story). We'll include Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell in that latter category, although they really seem to be bonding after one round.

Im has a great chance to pick up a third career PGA Tour title at this week's Zurich Classic. At the very least, though, he'll pick up a lot of pigskin knowledge.

The South Korean may very well be fluent in football by Sunday evening after playing with Keith Mitchell. Because it sounds like the teammates spent all of Thursday making birdies and discussing Mitchell's beloved Bulldogs.

Im and Mitchell opened with a 10-under-par 62 at the team event to grab an early share of the lead. And after, they had a fun Q&A with reporters, that included Mitchell revealing he'd learned a Korean word and quizzing Im on some football terms. Have a look and listen:

OK, so Im isn't exactly ready to break down a zone blitz just yet. But, hey, you've got to start somewhere.