ATLANTA — Sungjae Im looked up from his bowl of sizzling pork pieces and grinned. “No. 1,” he said, adding a thumbs-up for emphasis.

It’s not easy being a 21-year-old professional golfer living out of a suitcase in a strange land, navigating the toughest courses against top players week after week. But Tuesday night Im felt right at home in a back booth of Honey Pig, the Korean barbecue restaurant in an Atlanta suburb that he discovered through an internet search.

Had he been a Michelin reviewer, Im would have awarded the place three stars.

“The best food,” he said.

Im is the only PGA Tour rookie — and the only South Korean — to advance to this week’s Tour Championship, where he was tied for 13th, 10 strokes behind the leader, Brooks Koepka, after shooting a one-over-par 71 in the second round on Friday.