Korea’s Doyeob Mun says he is channelling Rory McIlroy ahead of defending his title at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open – which starts Thursday at Namseoul Country Club, south Seoul.

Koreans call the tournament their version of the Masters as the winner also dons a Green Jacket, so Mun has every reason to be thinking of the Northern Irishman who claimed his second Masters title this year.

“It’s always great to be a defending champion,” said Mun. “I want to play well again. I want to win like Rory did – he won the Masters twice, right. I want to try to win again.”

He will also attempt to become the second player to win the prestigious tournament back-to-back, although should he achieve the feat it will be something of a first.

His compatriot Taehee Lee triumphed in 2019 and 2020 but his second win happened when the event was played on the Korean PGA Tour and wasn’t joint sanctioned with the Asian Tour, due to travel restrictions imposed by the global pandemic.

Doyeob Mun after winning last year. Picture courtesy of the Korean Golf Association.

Said the 34-year-old: “It’s a Major for us in Korea. It’s very important for Korean player, it means a lot. We call it the Korean Masters. So, I just want four good rounds.”

Mun could not have asked for better preparation coming into the tournament, which is the fifth stop on this year’s Asian Tour.

He shot a six-under-par 65 in the final round of the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times on Sunday, to finish in a tie for sixth and move into 15^th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

The performance wasn’t too far removed from his victory here last year when he shot a sensational bogey-free eight-under-par 63 to win by three from Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, plus Koreans Baekjun Kim and Junghwan Lee.

Mun was six behind the leaders at the start of the day and playing nine groups ahead of the final pairing he stormed through with six birdies on the second half – including four-in-row from the 11^th.

He posted his 10-under-par tournament total two hours before the final players finished – anxiously waiting to see if he would be caught.

“Namseoul is a very tough course for all players. It’s narrow with tough greens, so I don’t feel comfortable playing it. You have to hit it short of the pins to leave yourself uphill putts every time. Don’t go past the pins!

“So, winning at Namseoul, because I played eight under in the last round, was truly special. One of my happiest moments.”

Asked if winning last year put more pressure on him to win again, he explained: “Not really, but I want to win again this year. I’m just going to focus on what I have to do, not just focus on winning, because that puts more pressure on me. I just want to focus on my process.”

He also claimed the KPGA Founders Cup the week after winning the Maekyung event for his fifth title on the local tour. The Maekyung win remains his sole success on the Asian Tour but after his result in Singapore two days ago a second might well be on the cards.