Henrik Stenson enters Sunday’s final round hoping to make his LIV Golf debut a successful one. The 4 Aces GC hope to spoil the party while continuing their domination of the team competition.

In difficult scoring conditions at LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster on Saturday, Stenson (Majesticks GC) battled back from an early double bogey to shoot a two-under 69 in the second round. That moved the 46-year-old Swedish star to nine under, giving him a three-shot lead over 4 Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson.

Another shot back are two of Johnson’s teammates, Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch, in a three-way tie for third with Carlos Ortiz (Fireballs GC).

Thailand’s impressive young golfer Phachara Khongwatmai carded a 72 and is five back.

“I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I was still focused and had a good attitude, and that’s what kept me in the ballgame,” said Stenson, seeking his 22nd career professional win. “Pleased with the way I’ve kind of kept my head down and focused on business.”

Stenson doubled the par-four third after an errant tee shot bounced off a cart path and into the bushes. After finding his ball and weighing his drop options, Stenson opted to return to the tee box and hit another drive. His double knocked him out of the lead, but he bounced back with an eagle at the par-five eighth, then shot two under after the turn.

Phachara Khongwatmai plays his shot from the first tee during day two of the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 30, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

Johnson also shot a 69 to move up the leaderboard. Despite starting Sunday three strokes back, he thinks the challenging Trump National Golf Course means no lead is safe.

“Obviously he’s definitely in reach for sure, especially around this course,” Johnson said.

With winds gusting over 20 mph, the par-71 course played to nearly two strokes higher on Saturday. Fortunately for 4 Aces GC, the player having the least amount of problems was Gooch, who shot a bogey-free 64. The only other player to shoot anything better than two under was Turk Pettit with a 67.

With Gooch and Johnson providing the counting scores, 4 Aces GC leads the team standings at 20 under, with Majesticks GC the closest competitor at 14 under. Fireballs GC is third at seven under. The top three teams receive prize money from a $5 million team purse.

Three weeks ago, 4 Aces GC won by seven strokes in Portland after a lineup adjustment to add Reed, Gooch and Pat Perez.

“His guys have been playing unbelievable,” said Ortiz, who finished solo second in Portland and provided the birdie putt on the final hole that lifted Fireballs GC onto the podium in third place. “Talor Gooch, seven-under today, I don’t know where he played. He didn’t play the same golf course as I did.”

Through two rounds, nobody has played it better than Stenson. He’s ready for one more day.

“I’m just going to focus on doing my best out there tomorrow,” he said, “and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai once again showed his confidence playing on the big stage when he shot a five-under-par 66 to sit in outright third place in the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster – the third leg of the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational series.

American Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson from Sweden finished Friday with matching 64s to share the first-round lead at the par-71 Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

Phachara, who finished fourth on last season’s Asian Tour Order of Merit after recording his maiden win on Tour at the Laguna Phuket Championship, impressed with a sizzling four under par front nine, with birdies on one, four, eight, and nine. He came back in one under, with birdies on 13 and 15, sandwiching his only bogey of the day on 14.

Meanwhile, with Reed and captain Dustin Johnson leading the way, reigning team champs 4 Aces GC, winners in Portland, grabbed a one-stroke lead over Stenson’s Majesticks GC in the team competition.

Team Iron Heads GC: Scott Vincent, captain Kevin Na, Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, Sadom Kaewkanjana and Phachara Khongwatmai pose on stage during the welcome party for the LIV Golf Invitational in New York (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images).

Phachara’s Iron Heads GC team, led by captain Kevin Na from the United States, are third. Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, who carded 70, and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, in with a 76, are also in the side.

After making his lone bogey of the day, Reed reeled off six birdies during a seven-hole stretch, then finished his round with a birdie on his last hole. It was a continuation of his play in his LIV Golf debut at Portland, where he tied for third after a brilliant final round.

“Just kind of felt like I was putting the ball in the right place,” said Reed, who led the field in fewest putts with 25. “Around a golf course like this, even though the greens are relatively large, you’ve got to put the ball in the right spots.

“I felt like I left myself below the hole most of the day, so I was able to be aggressive with the putter. With how pure these greens are, once one goes in, it kind of felt like I was able to get on that run.”

Stenson missed the cut in four of his last six worldwide starts before turning in a round that saw him hit 13 of 14 fairways, and 17 of 18 greens in regulation. He ran off a string of three consecutive birdies early in his round, and then finished it with two more.

Calling it “the best I’ve played all year,” Stenson said he was pleased with his focus.

“Unlike Patrick, I did end up on the high side a couple of times, and even though I had really short birdie putts, had to be very cautious,” Stenson said. “The greens are running really quickly. They’re pure and quick, and then you’ve got the slope on top of that.”

Stenson is one of four players making their LIV Golf debuts this week. Another one is Charles Howell III, who shot an opening 68 to give his Crushers GC its best round.

Phachara lines up a putt on the ninth green (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

While the vibe was different than the 600-plus other tournaments he’s played as a professional, Howell said he went into competitive mode once play began.

“It was fun, the music playing. I really liked that,” Howell said. “I play a lot of professional events. Never played with that. It was actually really fun.

“It was relaxed, but the golf course is challenging and tough. … Once we started, it was a golf tournament again on a hard golf course.”

Patrick Reed plays his second shot on the tenth hole (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/LIV via Getty Images )

Singapore’s first Asian Tour event this season has attracted a striking and quality in-depth field of players for the inaugural US$1.5 million International Series Singapore – which will be played on the magnificent Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club, from August 11-14.

American Sihwan Kim, who currently leads the Tour’s Order of Merit following two victories, is one of 16 players from the top-20 on the Merit list competing – in what is the 11^th stop of the year on Tour and the third International Series event.

Korean Bio Kim and Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, both first time winners this season and second and fourth respectively on the Merit list have entered as well as Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana – fifth on the rankings having enjoying a breakthrough season, which has seen him win the Singapore Open in January and produce an inspired performance in The Open at St Andrews this month, finishing joint 11^th – which is the best performance by a player from his country in the game’s oldest Major.

Korean Bio Kim claimed the GS Caltex Maekyung Open earlier this year.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, the former Singapore Open winner and the Tour’s number one player in 2019, and the brilliant Phachara Khongwatmai, have also entered, as well as: Malaysian Gavin Green, the Merit list champion in 2017; India’s Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shubhankar Sharma; South African Justin Harding, Australians Scott Hend, a 10-time Tour winner, Wade Ormsby and Brett Rumford; plus Korean star Jeunghun Wang, the three-time DP World Tour champion, who has just completed 18-months national service in Korea.

The tournament, which will see the winner earn a cheque for US$270,000, will also welcome a host of prominent international players, including Americans Chase Koepka, the brother of four-time Major champion Brooks, and Peter Uihlein, and a number of the game’s rising stars who have recently turned professional: former US Amateur champions James Piot and Andy Ogletree from the US, American Turk Pettit, who claimed last year’s NCAA Division 1 individual title, Australian Jediah Morgan – winner of the Australian PGA Championship in January by a record 11 shots –and Jovan Rebula from South Africa, the 2018 Amateur Championship victor, and the nephew of South African great Ernie Els.

Veteran stars and former Singapore Open winners Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa from India and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, the winner of a record 18-titles on Tour, and Prayad Marksaeng; as well as pre-eminent Japan Golf Tour Organisation players Yuki Inamori, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Hideto Tanihara and Ryo Hisatsune will be bidding for honours while 11 Singaporean professionals, lead by five-time Tour winner Mardan Mamat, and four local amateurs will fly the flag for the host nation.

Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe won the International Series England. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

The Tour last visited Tanah Merah in January this year, when Korean Joohyung Kim beat Rattanon Wannasrichan from Thailand in a sudden-death play-off at The Singapore International, in the penultimate event of the 2020-22 season.

The Tour re-commences play next week after a short-summer break at the Mandiri Indonesia Open at Pondok Indah Golf Course, while the week following Singapore players head to the International Series Korea, at Lotte Skyhill Jeju Country Club.

The new raft of International Series events was unveiled earlier this year thanks to an exciting new relationship with LIV Golf.  Details of the remainder of International Series events for the season will be announced soon.

By Joy Chakravarty, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour

Abraham Ancer closed with a sensational seven-under par 65 on the final day of the 150th Open Championship. In most circumstances, he would have been delighted with his own effort, but on that particular Sunday, the Mexican world number 22 was left gushing about his playing partner.

Ancer was paired with Thailand’s uber promising Sadom Kaewkanjana –one of the fastest rising stars of Asian Tour.

Sadom also shot a matching 65, second best round of the day which was bettered only by champion Cam Smith’s sensational display on the back nine that elevated him to a breathtaking 64.

Together, Sadom and Ancer shot 14-under par and they would have been a phenomenal 12-under par if they were playing best ball.

Both players climbed 24 places on the final day at the legendary Old Course at St Andrews and narrowly missed a top-10 by finishing tied 11th at 11-under par. In doing so Sadom recorded the highest-placed finish by a Thai golfer in the event, surpassing the joint 13^th finish by his illustrious compatriot and idol Thongchai Jaidee in 2009. 

ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND – JULY 16: Abraham Ancer of Mexico tees off on the 2nd hole during Day Three of The 150th Open at St Andrews Old Course on July 16, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Sadom returns to action this week at the LIV Golf Invitational in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he will once again be part of the Ironheads team. Led by American Kevin Na, the team also features his compatriot Phachara Khongwatmai and another Asian Tour regular, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent.

Ancer was effusive in his praise for the world number 95, who turned professional after a brilliant amateur career towards the end of 2018 and won his first professional title on the Asian Development Tour in his third start of 2019 (the Thongchai Jaidee Invitational) and secured his first win on the Asian Tour (the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open) in April that year.

“It always helps when you are playing in the same group with someone who is playing good golf. It somehow makes you play better. Today, Sadom played exceptionally well,” said Ancer.

“I was very impressed with what I saw. I have never played with him before, but from what I saw today… he’s definitely an extremely talented player. He’s very good at this game and I think we are going to see a lot of him in the future.”

When asked what stood out about Sadom’s game, Ancer explained: “I think putting. That is definitely what stood out today. He just rolled the ball beautifully. The putts that didn’t go in, they all had a really good chance to go in.

“It was also that he was not overawed by the occasion. I think it must have been the most important round of his career so far, in a Major on a Sunday, and he was very calm and composed.”

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND – JUNE 10: Sadom Kaewkanjana of Iron Heads GC tees off on the fifth hole during day two of the LIV Golf Invitational – London at The Centurion Club on June 10, 2022 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/LIV Golf/Getty Images)

Ancer said he was confident that the LIV Golf Invitational will continue to showcase talents like Sadom on the big stage and in front of worldwide audience.

“I feel like when we bring in talent from all over the world and showcase it in big events, I think it’s great for golf,” said the Mexican, who has become a household name in his country with his success that includes winning the World Golf Championship FedEx St Jude Championship in 2021.

The Mandiri Indonesia Open, which will mark the start of the highly-anticipated second half of the season on the Asian Tour, has attracted a high-quality field next month, including the current leader of the Order of Merit, Sihwan Kim from the United States, Korean Bio Kim, who is ranked fourth on the Merit list, and his countryman Minkyu Kim – the exciting young golfer who claimed the Kolon Korea Open at the end of the June.

Indian Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of this event in 2013 and 2016, Argentina’s Miguel Ángel Carballo, the victor in 2019 when the event was last played, and Thailand’s 2017 champion Panuphol Pittayarat, better known as “Coconut”, have also entered the US$500,000 event which will be played at Pondok Indah Golf Course, from August 4-7.

In addition, Thailand’s veteran golfer Thaworn Wiratchant, another two-time winner of the tournament, in 2005 and 2011, and the holder of a record 18-titles on Tour, will compete along with India’s Shiv Kapur – a four-time champion on Tour.

All of Indonesia’s leading golfers have entered the prestigious event, which has only been won once before by an Indonesian, Kasiadi in 1989.

Gaganjeet Bhullar of India with the trophy after winning the Indonesia Open at Pantai Indah Kapuk on December 1, 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Khalid Redza/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images)

The country’s top two players Rory Hie, joint second in 2011, and Danny Masrin will lead the local challenge and attempt to match Kasiadi’s memorable achievement, as will Naraajie E. Ramadhanputra – the promising young Indonesian who clinched victory at the OBGolf Invitational on the Asian Development Tour in June to win his debut event as a professional golfer.

Pondok Indah has hosted the Indonesia Open since 2016 while this year marks the first time the event has been staged following a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The tournament, which is the 11^th stop on the 2022 Tour schedule, marks the start of an exciting run of events in August, as it will be followed by the International Series Singapore and then the International Series Korea.

Dating back to 1974, the Indonesia Open has a proud and rich heritage. Its roll of honour includes late, great American Payne Stewart (1981) and fellow Major champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland (2014).

Other international golfers who have savoured success in the championship include New Zealander Frank Nobilo, Australian Craig Parry and South African Justin Harding.

Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand poses with the trophy after winning the Indonesia Open at Pondok Indah Golf Course on October 29, 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Nasrul Haq/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images)

Among the other famous Asian players to have had their names inscribed on the trophy are Frankie Minoza of the Philippines, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, and Chinese Taipei’s Lu Hsi-chuen and Lu Chien-soon.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr and opened in 1976, Pondok Indah has been rated as one of the Indonesia’s leading golfing establishments for more than 40 years, hosting numerous professional events, including the World Cup of Golf in 1983.

Having struggled with a shoulder injury for months and months Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat, aka “Coconut”, is finally back on Tour, playing week in, week out. It has been a sight to behold and a timely return to action as next month he will compete in the Mandiri Indonesian Open at Pondok Indah Golf Course – the scene of his first victory on the Asian Tour in 2017.

June

I have to say, June was a very enjoyable month. I played in the International Series England at Slalely Hall, near Newcastle, and it was great, the golf course was interesting. I did have a chance to do well; I played okay my first nine holes but then I kind of lost my putting on the back nine on the first day and I lost it until Friday. I struggled on the greens and missed the cut there but it was only my second event back after injury, so I was figuring out my timing and my tournament swing.

It has been getting better, I’ve been learning and improving week after week. England was much better than when I played in Japan in May, and when I played in the Kolon Korea Open later in June that was much better than England. Hopefully by the time of the Mandiri Indonesia Open in August I will have my A-game, because it’s a course I play well.

I didn’t really have any problems with the cooler weather in England, I was running around with just one shirt on. I didn’t have any sweater on except for a bit in the mornings. The practice round was a bit wet, but I think it was the only cold day we had in Newcastle.

After England I came back to Thailand and sorted out my putting and my swing and then went to Korea.

PHUKET-THAILAND- Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand pictured on Sunday, December 5, 2021, during the final round of the Asian Tour’s Laguna Phuket Championship 2021 at Laguna Golf Phuket, with a prize fund of US$ 1 Million. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

At the Korea Open I missed the cut by two – I think I was nine over at some point. I didn’t start my tournament well, I went out bogey, double bogey and that kind of took me off the pace for a bit. And you know, Woo Jeong Hills is tough, it’s not easy to get any strokes back. There are not a lot of easy birdie holes out there, and the greens and pins were just really difficult.

It could be one of the toughest courses we play, especially if they keep those pins like the first two days. Most of them were three yards left or right from the edge of the green, and behind the hole the slope went away from the green. So yeah, you could say it’s one of the toughest courses we play.

I found out a lot of stuff in Korea and got some confidence there as well. You know, it doesn’t matter that I missed the cut, but at least I found something. Working out what you have got to do, in tournament mode, it’s just so much different.

This week I’m gonna play the Singha Pattaya Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour, and have a week off before Indonesia. I won the Indonesia Open on the same course in 2017 and I actually finished second there, the first time I played it, in 2016. So, I have a good record there.

Other than that, I haven’t really done a lot. Just a lot of figuring golf out, figuring my body out and a lot of recovering and strength conditioning. I also got a lot of motivation from seeing Thongchai Jaidee win at the age of 50-plus on the PGA Tour Champions, and by seeing Matt Fitzpatrick, who is not the longest hitter in the world, win the US Open, so that says something. So yeah, I have a lot of motivation to go play, I’m pumped!

He may be only a couple of years shy of becoming eligible for golf’s Senior circuits. But Brad Kennedy isn’t quite ready to settle for the easy option.

That’s just not the way of the 48-year-old Australian who believes in pushing himself to the limits.

Which goes some way to explaining why Kennedy was less than impressed with his closing even-par 72 in the 150th Open Championship.

In the immediate aftermath of his round he reflected: “I’ve got to find a bit more. I’m 48 now, so I haven’t got much time left. I just really wanted to see what I could do this week. It just doesn’t get any better than St Andrews, 150th.

“I just wanted to prove to people that, if you fight and you work hard and put yourself out there, give yourself some opportunities, practise the right way, that at any stage anything’s possible. I felt like I let myself down on the weekend.”

A harsh assessment given that he finished ahead of many accomplished players and ended the week in a share of 53rd place on four-under 284.

Brad Kennedy of Australia

“I just wanted to put in a good effort. I wanted to see what I could do out there this week and put myself in a position that was new and challenging,” said the one-time Asian Tour winner who now spends most of his time playing in Japan.

“I did that on Friday and just haven’t hit enough good golf shots the last few days. Just kept giving myself too many long putts. Eventually you pay the price around a links course like St Andrews.

“I guess making the cut’s good, but finishing back end of the field on the weekend, shooting two 72s pretty much doesn’t really matter.”

Despite those words, Kennedy can take satisfaction from the fact that he was one of five Asian Tour members – from a 16-strong contingent that set out on Thursday – to play all four rounds at the home of golf.

The distinction of finishing as the leading Asian Tour player went to Sadom Kaewkanjana. The 24-year-old Thai fired a stunning closing 65 for a four-round tally of 11-under 277 and a share of 11th place.

That bettered the previous best finish by a Thai in The Open, equal 13th by Thongchai Jaidee at Turnberry in 2009. It was fitting that Thongchai, a mentor and idol to Sadom, should be at St Andrews to witness his protégé’s feat.

Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand

There was also an impressive effort from Yuto Katsuragawa. The 23-year-old Japanese signed for a 69 on Sunday to end on five-under 283, joint 47th. He was the leading Japanese, ahead of last year’s Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.

Among those alongside Katsuragawa was Joohyung Kim, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion. The 20-year-old Korean, already in the top-40 in the Official World Golf Ranking, closed with a 71 and will be determined to improve on that effort in the years to come.

Completing the Asian Tour quintet was England’s Laurie Canter, joint 79th on 290.

Like Kennedy, he was refreshingly honest. “I’m disappointed with how I played for sure. But the event as a whole, it felt like a really special week. I think the organisers did an amazing job and it’s been awesome to be a part of it. The competitor in me would want to play better, but I’ve loved being a part of it,” said Canter, who can now turn his full attention to another important forthcoming event.

“My wife’s due to give birth next week. We’re really excited about it. Hopefully all goes well and we’ll have a little one by the end of July,” he said.

Ends.

Inspired by the presence of Thongchai Jaidee behind the ropes, Sadom Kaewkanjana produced the round of his life to set the seal on a memorable week at the 150th Open Championship.

With his idol looking on approvingly, 24-year-old Sadom posted a closing seven-under-par 65 around the fabled Old Course.

Striding to the scoring hut as Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland prepared to tee-off, Sadom glanced up at the giant leaderboard alongside the 18th fairway. He almost had to pinch himself when he saw he was tied for fourth on 11-under.

Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand

“I played very well today. Everything was perfect,” said Sadom, whose victory in January’s SMBC Singapore Open propelled him to second place on last season’s Asian Tour Order of Merit – and secured him his starting spot at the home of golf this week.

He grasped the opportunity with both hands, announcing his arrival on the world stage with rounds of 71 and 67. The disappointment of a third-day 74 served only to motivate him to finish strongly.

He was also spurred on by words of encouragement from Asian Tour legend Thongchai, who is in Scotland to compete in next week’s Senior Open Championship at Gleneagles.

“Thongchai has always been my idol. He gave me some great advice before the round and followed me around which inspired me,” said Sadom, who, nonetheless, was hoping his performance would be good enough to surpass Thongchai’s tied 13th finish at Turnberry in 2009, the best previous Open effort by a Thai.

Thongchai certainly would not begrudge his young compatriot that honour after watching him roll home six birdie putts and a 32-footer for an eagle-three at the long fifth.

The only blemish on Sadom’s card was a bogey-five at 17 where he left himself an awkward third shot from behind the famous Road Hole bunker and narrowly failed to get up-and-down.

“I like the course and I just felt very relaxed. All parts of my game were good, especially my putting, unlike yesterday when the pin locations made it very difficult.

“I’m happy if I can make Thai people proud,” added Sadom, whose only previous Major appearance came in May’s US PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma, where he missed the cut.

As well as having Thongchai cheering him on, Sadom was delighted to be accompanied by his father. “My dad introduced me to golf when I was three years old. It’s special that he’s been here at St Andrews with me.”

Based on his strong showing here, Sadom is likely to break into the top-100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

Before returning to Asian Tour action, Sadom will be heading Stateside for LIV Golf’s third event at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.

“I’m looking forward to it. Playing well in Scotland has given me more confidence,” he said.

Ends.