How do Im and Matsuyama compare in their pursuit of golf greatness?

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Im and Matsuyama are pursuing golf greatness through different styles, but with the same elite ambition.

Sungjae Im and Hideki Matsuyama are both among Asia’s top PGA Tour players, with world rankings of No. 23 and No. 12 respectively, and both have reached the TOUR Championship in each of the past three seasons. Im is building toward the top through steady improvement, while Matsuyama has already reached a higher peak, including a career-best No. 2 world ranking in 2017 and a Masters title in April.
Im’s path is built on steady development and technical support.
Im’s game is defined by a deliberate take-away, and his long-time coach Hyun Choi is credited with that slow backswing move. He has also added a fitness trainer, moved into a home in Atlanta with his parents after years of living out of a suitcase in the United States, and recently teamed up with veteran caddie Billy Spencer.
Matsuyama has already reached a higher peak and set a very high standard for himself.
Matsuyama rose to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2017 and entered that year’s FedExCup Playoffs as No. 1 before finishing eighth. He then ended a winless stretch with his Masters victory and followed it with a home win at the Zozo Championship, where he became the first Japanese player to win Japan’s lone PGA Tour event.
Both players have recent wins that reinforce their status.
Im won the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas with a final-round 62 for his second PGA Tour title. Matsuyama won the Zozo Championship with a closing 65 for his seventh career title, adding to a run that also included contention at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in August.
Their own words show different stages of the same chase.
Trevor Immelman said Im has “all the goods to be the best in the world,” pointing to his driving, distance, iron play and short game. Im himself said he still has a long way to go, while Matsuyama said his game was still below his own standard even after winning, noting that his idea of consistency is different from everyone else’s.

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How do Im and Matsuyama compare in their pursuit of golf greatness?

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