For followers of Asian golf, arguably the most intriguing opening-round pairing at the 153rd Open Championship will be provided by Game 26. Report by Spencer Robinson, Asian Tour contributor, at Royal Portrush.

At 11.15 am tomorrow local time (Thursday), Asian Tour stars Sadom Kaewkanjana [main picture at Royal Portrush] and Sampson Zheng will launch their Royal Portrush campaigns alongside Japan’s Riki Kawamoto.

Adding further Asian flavour to the grouping will be the presence of Vu Nguyen as the designated referee. General Secretary of the Vietnam Golf Association, Vu represents the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation on The R&A’s Rules of Golf Committee.

While China’s Zheng is making his Open Championship debut, for Thai Sadom this will be his second taste of the action at the eldest of the four annual men’s Majors.

With Asian Tour Commissioner & CEO Cho Minn Thant and Chief Operating Officer David Rollo among those watching from the sidelines at this stunning venue, Sadom and Zheng are intent on elevating themselves into the global golfing spotlight.

Sadom Kaewkanjana is playing in The Open by virtue of winning the Kolon Korea Open – an Open Qualifying Series event. Picture by Chung Sung-Jun/R&A/R&A via Getty Images.

They’re also aware that strong performances here would further raise the profile of their ‘home’ circuit in the eyes of the golfing world.

While Zheng, who is celebrating his 24th birthday today, is relishing his first sampling of a Major championship, 27-year-old Sadom is calling on the experience he gained at St Andrews in 2022.

On that occasion, he produced a superb closing 65 to climb into a tie for 11th, the best finish by a Thai at The Open.

“I’m proud of my performance at St Andrews and I hope to do better and have a top-10 finish this week. Portrush is a longer course (than St Andrews), the rough is thicker and the greens are tricky,” said Sadom, before heading out for his final practice round.

“I’m feeling more confident with my game than I was last year,” added Sadom, who has made light of complications caused by his luggage being waylaid en route to Northern Ireland from Bangkok.

“I had to go out shopping for new clothes, but they’ve now located my suitcase at Heathrow and it should be arriving here today,” he said.

Asian Tour Rookie of the Year in 2019, Sadom rose to a high of 75th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in 2022 after victory in the SMBC Singapore Open.

A quiet period followed, but the Thai has regained form this year, qualifying for Royal Portrush courtesy of winning May’s Kolon Korea Open, part of The Open Qualifying Series.

Third in the current Asian Tour Order of Merit standings and 262nd in the OWGR, Sadom says a good week here would be the ideal catalyst for a late-season surge. “Winning the Order of Merit is one of my targets,” added Sadom, who is looking forward to accompanying Zheng in round one.

Sadom’s victory in Korea was his third success on the Asian Tour.  Picture by Chung Sung-Jun/R&A/R&A via Getty Images.

“I’ve played with Sampson a couple of times. He’s a good player and I’m pleased to be playing with him here. I feel relaxed playing with other Asian golfers,” said Sadom, who is being supported at Portrush by his girlfriend and members of his family.

Zheng can also count on plenty of family backing as he seeks to make a big impression.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Zheng finished runner-up in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne in late 2023, narrowly missing out on the reward of starting spots in last year’s Open and Masters Tournament.

Belatedly, his Major moment has now arrived – and he’s chomping at the bit.

“Whenever I play events, it’s about giving myself the best chance to win. This week is no different, even though it’s my first Major,” said Zheng, who turned professional mid-way through 2024 and made an immediate impact on the Asian Tour, finishing joint fourth in the International Series England and tied second in the Mandiri Indonesia Open.

Never short on self-belief, Zheng secured his starting place at Royal Portrush on the first day of July, firing rounds of 68 and 69 to take the second of five available places in Final Qualifying at West Lancashire.

Now, he’s setting his sights on bigger prizes. “I don’t want to sound arrogant, and I don’t want to say I can win, but I’m doing everything I can to get myself up there on the leaderboard.”