The age of innocence
By Calvin Koh, Head of Press Operations and Media Partnerships
It’s always refreshing to talk to the next generation of talented golfers.
Unlike some of your mega superstars, often hidden behind security, agents and utter practised answers, they are often ready to offer you an uncensored account of their lives, goals and ambitions.
Australia’s Zach Murray is one of them.
The towering Aussie is part of a new generation of Tour rookies who are taking the Asian Tour by storm.
He signaled his arrival on the biggest stage by becoming the third fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour with his victory at the New Zealand Open in March.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Murray ‘just wants to keep playing well and capitalise on that win.’
It’s an honest answer that speaks volume of his career ambitions.
“Obviously that win in New Zealand has changed my life and I’m trying to take it all in now,” said the Australian.
Not to be outdone in the tale of rookies, young Thai talent Sadom Kaewkanjana surpassed Murray’s earlier feat by becoming the record fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour in his very first start at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open.
Just four months after coming through Asian Tour Qualifying School with a tied-13th result, the 20-year-old Thai claimed his maiden Tour victory in his very first start at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open.
He wears a smile all the time and his dedication to his craft makes him admirable.
He wants to ‘work even harder and get better all the time’.
The young Thai speaks with the innocence that comes with his age but competes with the confidence of a hardened Tour veteran.
It has been an unbelievable journey for Sadom, who has now made history by becoming the fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour.
“Winning in my first start on the Asian Tour, I feel very happy. I will take a lot of positives from this week and this win will give me a lot of confidence in my game. It’s been an unbelievable journey since turning professional last December,” said Sadom after his win in Dhaka.
Despite his success, Sadom believes his best is yet to come as he sets his sights on fulfilling his full potential in the big leagues.
“My initial goal was just to keep my Asian Tour card for the next season but now I have won on both the Asian Development Tour and the Asian Tour.
“I am really happy, I didn’t expect to do so well and I will have to work harder to get even better after this,” said the Thai.
So watch this space as Murray and Sadom could well strike again very soon.
Ends.
Sentosa, Singapore, June 26: Last week’s Kolon Korean Open turned out to be a big event for one of Asian Tour’s fastest rising stars, and we also had members in the fields at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and the BMW International Open on the European Tour.
The Asian Tour looks into their movement on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
The breakout star of the 2019 Asian Tour season, Jazz Janewattanond, did not disappoint his fans and followers by securing a one-stroke victory at the challenging Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Korea last week.
After three solid rounds of 70, 67 and 69, Jazz found himself in the lead by two shots on seven-under-par over Songgyu Yoo of Korea on Saturday night. However, sleeping on a lead is never easy as Jazz himself admitted after the tournament.
After getting off to a great start on Sunday by being three-under-par through the first seven holes, and at one point ahead by five shots, victory seemed all but certain going into the back-nine.
The 11th hole at Woo Jeong Hills would almost prove to be his nemesis. A converted par-five playing as a par-four, it was the most difficult hole of the week at an average of 4.46, almost half a stroke over par. After a visit to the lake located left of the green with his approach, compounded by a three-putt from long range, the resulting triple-bogey by Jazz meant his lead was now cut to a single shot over Innchoon Hwang who at that time was two-under-par for the day.
The next seven holes was now going to be a grind instead of coasting in for the win. The kind of finish that can either produce some scar-tissue in case of a blown big-lead or provide a confidence-boost by recovering from a near-fatal miscue.
Instead of the former, Jazz buckled down and made clutch putts for par down the stretch, especially on the difficult 16th and 17th, and could go into the par-five 18th with a one-shot lead although he did not know it at the time.
After a drive into the left rough and a well-positioned lay-up shot, Jazz hit a perfect short wedge up to just below the hole. With a two-putt par from five feet on the 72nd hole jazz had secured his second Asian Tour win of the season, regained his lead on the Order of Merit, and risen to yet another career high of 52nd from last week’s 62nd on the OWGR.
Jazz now has four more weeks to break into the top-50 on the OWGR for an invitation to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational July 25-28th at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. He is scheduled to play in the Dunlop SRIXON Fukushima Open on the Japan Tour (JGTO) this week, followed by the Japan PGA Championship and a week off ahead of The Open.
Justin Harding of South Africa did not play last week and slides to 49th from 47th on the latest list. He is not playing this week but has signed up for the following two weeks of Rolex Series events on the European Tour, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, leading up the The Open next month.
He will need to remain inside the top-50 following The Open to secure a spot in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat missed the cut at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and lost two places on the OWGR. He has fallen outside of the top-50 for the first time since February last year and is ranked 51st, one spot ahead of his countryman Jazz this week.
Like Harding, Kiradech is also taking this week off before the Rolex Series events and The Open, and will have a good chance to regain lost ground in the upcoming weeks.
At the BMW International, Kurt Kitayama and David Lipsky finished 21st and 26th respectively and moved to 105th and 122nd on the OWGR.
More importantly, they secured their places at The Open by being among the top five players not already exempt inside the top-20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings following the event in Munich.
June 25: Here’s what Jazz Janewattananond had in his bag when he won the Kolon Korea Open.
Driver: PING G400 LST 8.5* Shaft: Mitsubishi-Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 60 TX
Fairway1: Callaway Epic Flash 13.5* Shaft: Project X Graphite HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 6.5
Fairway2: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero 18* Shaft: Project X Graphite HZRDUS Yellow 73 6.5
Ut1: Callaway X Forged UT 24* Shaft: Nippon Shaft NS PRO PROTOTYPE Ascending 2
Irons: Mizuno JPX 919 Tour (5-P) Shaft: TrueTemper Dynamic Gold AMT X100
Wedge1: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 52* F-Grind
Wedge2: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 56* M-Grind
Wedge3: Titleist Vokey Design PROTO 60* T-Grind
Putter: Odyssey Works V-Line Long
Ball: Titleist Pro V1 (2019)
Shoe: FootJoy
Cap: CP
Bag: Sun Mountain
Glove: Titleist
Note: No 3-4 Iron
Sentosa, Singapore June 24: Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continued his ascend in the world of golf with yet another winning performance at the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship over the weekend.
The 23-year-old displayed the maturity and composure of a seasoned professional to win his fourth and second Asian Tour title of the year to regain his position atop the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings and also elevated his status to a career-high of 52nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Jazz’s victory at the Kolon Korea Open saw him become the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance since American Rickie Fowler won their National Open in 2011.
It also allowed him to move back to the number one spot on the Order of Merit after being overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won the Maybank Championship in Malaysia in March.
It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
“I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle,” said Jazz.
At 14 years and 71 days, Jazz already began to show the world glimpse of his raw talent when he became the youngest-ever player to make the halfway cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok.
He may have faced several roadblocks in his career including finishing outside the top-60 on the Order of Merit in 2016 and missing the grade at the 2017 Asian Tour Qualifying School.
But the young Thai has shown great resilience by bouncing back each time the odds were stacked against him.
He got his career back on track with a morale-boosting win at the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open in 2017 and has gone on to win at least once every year since then.
Jazz savoured a home victory at the Queen’s Cup in 2018 before lifting the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open trophy in January this year.
“I guess those setbacks helped in my game as you need them to bring out success,” said Jazz.
Apart from raking up four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a remarkable tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month which was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
A borrowed putter from Zimbabwean Scott Vincent also proved to be his magical wand. He enjoyed back-to-back top-five finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks before tasting success again in the Land of the Morning Calm.
“I’ve been using this long putter since two weeks ago in Japan where I came in tied-third. This is not my putter. I borrowed it from Scott Vincent. I am feeling very good with it so I don’t have any plans on returning it to him now,” laughed Jazz.
Vincent, who secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 at the Kolon Korea Open, meanwhile remains in ninth place on the money list and is pleased his generosity has been one of the catalyst for allowing Jazz to orchestrate all the right moves lately.
“Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him,” said the Zimbabwean, who claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour a fortnight ago,
Jazz, along with a host of leading players from the Asian Tour, will be back in action at The 148th Open which will be held at Royal Portrush from July 18-21.
Ends.
Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings
Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)
1 Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $738,093.21
2 Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94
3 Taehee LEE (KOR) $274,023.14
4 Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $272,638.11
5 Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67
6 Zach MURRAY (AUS) $204,670.05
7 Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $174,441.87
8 Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $164,552.31
9 Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $159,882.11
10 David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79
11 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $109,799.97
12 Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00
13 Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $104,405.57
14 Berry HENSON USA) $104,342.21
15 Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11
16 Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $87,433.65
17 S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12
18 Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19
19 Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $71,906.58
20 Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Rising star Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand held his nerves to claim his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Sunday.
Jazz, who extended his overnight two-shot lead to five after sinking three birdies in his opening seven holes, overcame a wild triple-bogey on the par-four 11th hole and a bogey on 14th to become the first foreign winner of the prestigious event since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
The 23-year-old Jazz signed for a closing one-over-par 72 to win by one shot over Korea’s Innchoon Hwang with a six-under-par 278 total in the KRW 1,200 million (approximately US$1,067,000) event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA).
Despite missing out on his second Asian Tour victory, Hwang took pride in his runner-up result, which not only marked his best finish in his National Open but also earned him a coveted spot at The Open next month where he will be making his Major debut.
He will be heading to Royal Portrush with compatriot Dongkyu Jang, who closed with a 72 to finish tied-fourth in the event, which offered two spots to The Open to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) finishing in the top-eight and ties as part of The Open Qualifying Series.
American Chan Kim, who played on a sponsor’s invitation, marked his best efforts of the week with a closing 68 to settle two shots back of Jazz in third place while Korea’s Minjoon Kim matched his final round efforts to grab a share of fourth on 281.
The second qualifying spot went to Jang, thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) than Kim.
Did you know?
- Jazz Janewattananond is the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance to win the Kolon Korea Open since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
- He is also the second Thai player, following Thongchai Jaidee in 2000, to triumph in the National Open of Korea, which is celebrating its 62nd edition this week.
- Jazz claimed his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the Kolon Korea Open. He won his third title at the season-opener in Singapore earlier in January.
- At the age of 23 years 6 months and 27 days, Jazz becomes the youngest ever player to achieve four wins on Tour. India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar held the record previously after he won his fourth title in 2012 at the age of 24.
- In his four victories on Tour, three were secured in National Opens – Bangladesh (2017), Singapore (2019) and Korea (2019).
- Jazz had won his last three events using three different putting styles – claw, armlock and broomstick.
- With this win, Jazz is expected to claim another career-high position on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Currently ranked 62nd, Jazz could reach as high as 52nd place in the world when the new standings are released on Monday.
- This victory also helped Jazz regain his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit as he takes home a winner’s prize purse of KRW 300,000,000 (approx. US$266,800). He had held the Merit lead after winning the Singapore Open in January but slipped to second after he was overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won in Malaysia in March. Hend did not make the halfway cut in Korea.
- Jazz is using a long putter which he borrowed from good friend Scott Vincent in Japan two weeks ago. He used it in the tournament that week and enjoyed a tied-third place finish.
- According to Jazz, the switch to a long putter was inspired largely by Justin Harding of South Africa, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour in 2018.
- Jazz has been enjoying a great run of form since winning in Singapore. Apart from notching four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month. It was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
- Enjoyed back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks to move to 61st place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on June 10 but unfortunately failed to qualify for the U.S. Open after missing the cut-off mark by one rung.
- By virtue of his victory in Singapore, Jazz has qualified for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush, where he will make his second straight appearance next month.
- A boost in his world ranking, thanks to his success in Korea, will also put him closer to breaking top-50 on the OWGR and qualify for the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational next month. Jazz needs to be inside the top-50 on the OWGR on either July 15th or July 22nd for an invitation to the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
- It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
- Innchoon Hwang is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. He won on home soil in 2008.
- He will make his Major debut at The Open at Royal Portrush next month, thanks to his runner-up finish.
- Hwang has also won five times on the Korean Tour and the most recent win came at the K.J. Choi Invitational in 2017.
- His previous best finish at the Kolon Korea Open is tied-12th in 2016 and 2018.
- Hwang turned professional in 2002 at the age of 27.
- Chan Kim, 29, is a former member of the Asian Tour. He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2013.
- He’s playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week. Did not play last year because he was injured.
- Came in runner-up at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour at the beginning of the month. Earned his spot at The Open next month.
- He was crowned the Order of Merit champion on the Japan Golf Tour in 2017, thanks to three wins.
- Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 to grab a share of 10th place on 285.
- He has not missed a single cut in seven starts on the Asian Tour so far this season.
- Vincent claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour last week.
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Innchoon Hwang and Dongkyu Jang have secured their places in The 148th Open after qualifying at the KOLON Korea Open.
The KOLON Korea Open was played at Woo Jeong Hill Country Club in Cheonan and was the seventh event in The Open Qualifying Series, which gives golfers around the world opportunities to book their place at Royal Portrush from 14-21 July 2019.
Two places were available to the leading players who finished in the top 8 and ties and who were not already exempt.
Jazz Janewattananond, who was already exempt from qualifying for The Open after winning the SMBC Singapore Open in January, lifted his fourth title on the Asian Tour after topping the leaderboard on a six-under-par total of 278.
Hwang will make his debut in The Open and first major championship appearance after finishing runner-up one stroke behind Janewattananond on a five-under-par total of 279. The Korean, who has five professional wins including the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on the Asian Tour, carded a one-under-par round of 70 that included three birdies to clinch the first available qualifying place.
Chan Kim finished in third place on four-under-par for the championship and had already qualified for The Open, meaning that the second qualifying spot went to Jang thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking than Minjoon Kim.
The Korean pair finished in a tie for fourth place on a three-under-par total of 281 but it will be Jang, who last qualified to play in golf’s original championship at Royal Liverpool after winning the 2014 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open, who will take his place in the starting field at Royal Portrush next month.
The next two events in The Open Qualifying Series are the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation in Spain and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the United States of America. Both events are being played from 27-30 June.
Photo Credit: The R&A/Getty Images
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDxaBQv1LFY[/embedyt]
Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 278 (-6)
I’m really honoured to win the National Open of Korea. This is a really tough course. I got away with most of it but still struggled towards the end. I got off to a good start today and I was like flying until that triple-bogey.
It has happened to me earlier at the PGA Championship. I was playing well on the front nine as well. The exact same thing happened. I made the same easy mistake to make a big number and couldn’t recover. I thought I learned well from my experience at the PGA Championship.
I told myself not to think about it and just keep moving forward. Made another bogey on 14 unfortunately but I told myself to just grind it out and try not to make anymore big numbers. The course is really hard. I got away at the end of the day but not unscathed.
There aren’t many scoreboards out there but I knew I had a one-shot lead heading into the last because someone shouted. I knew I just need to make a par there but then I was thinking he might make birdie so I hit my driver down anyway.
I hit it in the rough though but I saw he miss the putt when I stood in the rough. Then I told myself to lay up now, hit it close but didn’t make that birdie putt unfortunately. I knew from the start that Rickie Fowler was the last foreigner to win this tournament in 2011.
It’s really a huge honour to win the National Open of Korea and become the next one after Rickie. It just shows how strong the players on the Korean Tour are. I did feel the nerves out there, especially after that triple-bogey. I didn’t know what was going on for a moment.
I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle.
Innchoon Hwang (Kor) – Final round 70 (-1), Total 279 (-5)
The main goal for today was to win the tournament of course. I tried my best and the end result is a runner-up finish. I am happy with my result and I am excited to go to The Open Championship next month. I’m really looking forward to playing at Royal Portrush.
The Open was a championship I grew up watching on television and always wanted to play in so to qualify today is unbelievable. It’s a great honour to be playing in my first major championship and it is something that all golfers dream about.
Chan Kim (Kor) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 280 (-4)
It was a tough round. There are a lot of tough pins out there. To be honest, the conditions are better. The roughs aren’t that long so you can actually get it on the greens or somewhere close. The key for this week was to be able to get up and down. Whoever can do that will do well.
I made a few good par-saves today. On the 11th, after making a bogey on 10th, I chipped it to about seven-feet and made that. Hit a good shot from the rough on 12th and made a five-footer for birdie there. Made a few more putts after that which was nice.
The game’s been feeling good. It’s nice to secure another top-three finish. Hopefully I can get a win soon.
Dongkyu Jang (Kor) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 281 (-3)
I last played in The Open in 2014 when I won the Mizuno Open and back then I didn’t really know what to expect from links golf but I am sure that the experience will count in may favour at Royal Portrush and I’m really looking forward to it.
I’m also looking forward to playing in front of the Irish fans who are very passionate about golf and who hopefully will give me lots of support when I play there.
Scott Vincent (Zim) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 285 (+1)
I played well today. I did so many things well, a lot better than how I did the last three days. I hit nine fairways today and that gave me some opportunities to attack the pins, instead of playing defensive.
It was nice to hit that many fairways and make a good score from there. It’s good to finish the week with a good round. Coming off a victory in Japan, I had a few high expectations so it was great to play well.
The course is very tough this week as you can see from the scores. You knew it was going to play tough so you just had to get your mind right before you start the day.
Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcpC-Fe9Os[/embedyt]
Cheonan, Korea, June 22: Thai rising star Jazz Janewattananond put himself in prime position to secure a fourth Asian Tour title after carding a two-under-par 69 to grab a two-shot lead following the penultimate round of the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Jazz, who started the round one shot back, fired five birdies against three bogeys on a tough scoring day to move atop the leaderboard with a three-day total of seven-under-par 206 at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
Songgyu Yoo emerged as the highest-placed Korean in second place after signing for a 69. His compatriots Dongkyu Jang (69) and overnight leader Innchoon Hwang (73) shared third place on matching 209s in what is their National Open.
American Berry Henson and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat surged into a share of fifth place with local duo Kyongjun Moon (70) and Soomin Lee (71) on 210, thanks to superb finishes on the 570-yard par-five 18th hole.
Henson soared with an eagle on the last where he made a 30-footer from off the green for a 69 while Prom coolly sank a 35-foot long birdie putt for a battling even-par 71 at the KRW 1,200 million (approximately US$1,067,000) event.
Despite stumbling with an outward four-over-par 40, Korean American Kevin Na bounced back with four birdies on his way home, including three straight ones from the 10th hole. He would sign for a 71 to sit in ninth place with Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai (74) on 211.
The 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA), is part of The Open Qualifying Series for the third year in a row.
Two spots to The 148th Open at Royal Portrush will be awarded to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) finishing in the top-eight and ties.
Ends.
Did you know?
- Jazz Janewattananond is using a long putter which he borrowed from good friend Scott Vincent in Japan two weeks ago. He used it in the tournament that week and enjoyed a tied-third place finish.
- According to Jazz, the switch to a long putter was inspired largely by Justin Harding of South Africa, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour in 2018.
- Should Jazz win his fourth Asian Tour title and a second one this season at the Kolon Korea Open on Sunday, he could move to as high as 52nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on Monday.
- A top-three finish would also allow Jazz to regain his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, where he currently trails Australian Scott Hend by about US$56,230 in second place. Hend missed the halfway cut in Korea.
- Jazz led the money list after winning the season-opener in Singapore in January but Hend took over the lead after his victory in Malaysia two months later.
- Jazz has been enjoying a great run of form since winning in Singapore. Apart from notching four other top-10s to sit in a current second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Jazz also enjoyed a tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month.
- Enjoyed back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks to move to 61st place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on June 10 but unfortunately failed to qualify for the U.S. Open after missing the cut-off mark by one rung.
- Sits in 62nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) this week and is set to make his second appearance at The Open next month.
- Prom Meesawat is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He first won in Korea in 2006 before claiming his second victory in Chinese Taipei in 2014.
- Prom won his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title in Brunei in April. Prior to that, he also won the 20th Singha Thailand Masters on his domestic circuit.
- Prom got his season off to a great start when he secured a tied-fifth place finish at the season-opening Singapore Open in January. He also earned a coveted spot at The Open next month, thanks for his solid finish. It will be his second appearance at The Open.
- Berry Henson is a one-time winner on both the Asian Tour and the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2011.
- He recorded the fourth eagle on the 570-yard par-five 18th hole after making a 30-footer putt from off the green today.
The age of innocence
By -
[addtoany]
Calvin Koh finds out why it’s always refreshing to talk to the next generation of talented golfers.
By Calvin Koh, Head of Press Operations and Media Partnerships
It’s always refreshing to talk to the next generation of talented golfers.
Unlike some of your mega superstars, often hidden behind security, agents and utter practised answers, they are often ready to offer you an uncensored account of their lives, goals and ambitions.
Australia’s Zach Murray is one of them.
The towering Aussie is part of a new generation of Tour rookies who are taking the Asian Tour by storm.
He signaled his arrival on the biggest stage by becoming the third fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour with his victory at the New Zealand Open in March.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Murray ‘just wants to keep playing well and capitalise on that win.’
It’s an honest answer that speaks volume of his career ambitions.
“Obviously that win in New Zealand has changed my life and I’m trying to take it all in now,” said the Australian.
Not to be outdone in the tale of rookies, young Thai talent Sadom Kaewkanjana surpassed Murray’s earlier feat by becoming the record fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour in his very first start at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open.
Just four months after coming through Asian Tour Qualifying School with a tied-13th result, the 20-year-old Thai claimed his maiden Tour victory in his very first start at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open.
He wears a smile all the time and his dedication to his craft makes him admirable.
He wants to ‘work even harder and get better all the time’.
The young Thai speaks with the innocence that comes with his age but competes with the confidence of a hardened Tour veteran.
It has been an unbelievable journey for Sadom, who has now made history by becoming the fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour.
“Winning in my first start on the Asian Tour, I feel very happy. I will take a lot of positives from this week and this win will give me a lot of confidence in my game. It’s been an unbelievable journey since turning professional last December,” said Sadom after his win in Dhaka.
Despite his success, Sadom believes his best is yet to come as he sets his sights on fulfilling his full potential in the big leagues.
“My initial goal was just to keep my Asian Tour card for the next season but now I have won on both the Asian Development Tour and the Asian Tour.
“I am really happy, I didn’t expect to do so well and I will have to work harder to get even better after this,” said the Thai.
So watch this space as Murray and Sadom could well strike again very soon.
Ends.
A look at movements on the OWGR following the Kolon Korea Open
Sentosa, Singapore, June 26: Last week’s Kolon Korean Open turned out to be a big event for one of Asian Tour’s fastest rising stars, and we also had members in the fields at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and the BMW International Open on the European Tour.
The Asian Tour looks into their movement on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
The breakout star of the 2019 Asian Tour season, Jazz Janewattanond, did not disappoint his fans and followers by securing a one-stroke victory at the challenging Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Korea last week.
After three solid rounds of 70, 67 and 69, Jazz found himself in the lead by two shots on seven-under-par over Songgyu Yoo of Korea on Saturday night. However, sleeping on a lead is never easy as Jazz himself admitted after the tournament.
After getting off to a great start on Sunday by being three-under-par through the first seven holes, and at one point ahead by five shots, victory seemed all but certain going into the back-nine.
The 11th hole at Woo Jeong Hills would almost prove to be his nemesis. A converted par-five playing as a par-four, it was the most difficult hole of the week at an average of 4.46, almost half a stroke over par. After a visit to the lake located left of the green with his approach, compounded by a three-putt from long range, the resulting triple-bogey by Jazz meant his lead was now cut to a single shot over Innchoon Hwang who at that time was two-under-par for the day.
The next seven holes was now going to be a grind instead of coasting in for the win. The kind of finish that can either produce some scar-tissue in case of a blown big-lead or provide a confidence-boost by recovering from a near-fatal miscue.
Instead of the former, Jazz buckled down and made clutch putts for par down the stretch, especially on the difficult 16th and 17th, and could go into the par-five 18th with a one-shot lead although he did not know it at the time.
After a drive into the left rough and a well-positioned lay-up shot, Jazz hit a perfect short wedge up to just below the hole. With a two-putt par from five feet on the 72nd hole jazz had secured his second Asian Tour win of the season, regained his lead on the Order of Merit, and risen to yet another career high of 52nd from last week’s 62nd on the OWGR.
Jazz now has four more weeks to break into the top-50 on the OWGR for an invitation to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational July 25-28th at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. He is scheduled to play in the Dunlop SRIXON Fukushima Open on the Japan Tour (JGTO) this week, followed by the Japan PGA Championship and a week off ahead of The Open.
Justin Harding of South Africa did not play last week and slides to 49th from 47th on the latest list. He is not playing this week but has signed up for the following two weeks of Rolex Series events on the European Tour, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, leading up the The Open next month.
He will need to remain inside the top-50 following The Open to secure a spot in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat missed the cut at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and lost two places on the OWGR. He has fallen outside of the top-50 for the first time since February last year and is ranked 51st, one spot ahead of his countryman Jazz this week.
Like Harding, Kiradech is also taking this week off before the Rolex Series events and The Open, and will have a good chance to regain lost ground in the upcoming weeks.
At the BMW International, Kurt Kitayama and David Lipsky finished 21st and 26th respectively and moved to 105th and 122nd on the OWGR.
More importantly, they secured their places at The Open by being among the top five players not already exempt inside the top-20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings following the event in Munich.
Here’s what Jazz Janewattananond had in his bag when he won the Kolon Korea Open.
June 25: Here’s what Jazz Janewattananond had in his bag when he won the Kolon Korea Open.
Driver: PING G400 LST 8.5* Shaft: Mitsubishi-Chemical Tensei CK Pro Orange 60 TX
Fairway1: Callaway Epic Flash 13.5* Shaft: Project X Graphite HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 6.5
Fairway2: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero 18* Shaft: Project X Graphite HZRDUS Yellow 73 6.5
Ut1: Callaway X Forged UT 24* Shaft: Nippon Shaft NS PRO PROTOTYPE Ascending 2
Irons: Mizuno JPX 919 Tour (5-P) Shaft: TrueTemper Dynamic Gold AMT X100
Wedge1: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 52* F-Grind
Wedge2: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 56* M-Grind
Wedge3: Titleist Vokey Design PROTO 60* T-Grind
Putter: Odyssey Works V-Line Long
Ball: Titleist Pro V1 (2019)
Shoe: FootJoy
Cap: CP
Bag: Sun Mountain
Glove: Titleist
Note: No 3-4 Iron
Sentosa, Singapore June 24: Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continued his ascend in the world of golf with yet another winning performance at the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship over the weekend.
Sentosa, Singapore June 24: Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continued his ascend in the world of golf with yet another winning performance at the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship over the weekend.
The 23-year-old displayed the maturity and composure of a seasoned professional to win his fourth and second Asian Tour title of the year to regain his position atop the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings and also elevated his status to a career-high of 52nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Jazz’s victory at the Kolon Korea Open saw him become the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance since American Rickie Fowler won their National Open in 2011.
It also allowed him to move back to the number one spot on the Order of Merit after being overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won the Maybank Championship in Malaysia in March.
It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
“I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle,” said Jazz.
At 14 years and 71 days, Jazz already began to show the world glimpse of his raw talent when he became the youngest-ever player to make the halfway cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok.
He may have faced several roadblocks in his career including finishing outside the top-60 on the Order of Merit in 2016 and missing the grade at the 2017 Asian Tour Qualifying School.
But the young Thai has shown great resilience by bouncing back each time the odds were stacked against him.
He got his career back on track with a morale-boosting win at the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open in 2017 and has gone on to win at least once every year since then.
Jazz savoured a home victory at the Queen’s Cup in 2018 before lifting the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open trophy in January this year.
“I guess those setbacks helped in my game as you need them to bring out success,” said Jazz.
Apart from raking up four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a remarkable tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month which was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
A borrowed putter from Zimbabwean Scott Vincent also proved to be his magical wand. He enjoyed back-to-back top-five finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks before tasting success again in the Land of the Morning Calm.
“I’ve been using this long putter since two weeks ago in Japan where I came in tied-third. This is not my putter. I borrowed it from Scott Vincent. I am feeling very good with it so I don’t have any plans on returning it to him now,” laughed Jazz.
Vincent, who secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 at the Kolon Korea Open, meanwhile remains in ninth place on the money list and is pleased his generosity has been one of the catalyst for allowing Jazz to orchestrate all the right moves lately.
“Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him,” said the Zimbabwean, who claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour a fortnight ago,
Jazz, along with a host of leading players from the Asian Tour, will be back in action at The 148th Open which will be held at Royal Portrush from July 18-21.
Ends.
Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings
Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)
1 Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $738,093.21
2 Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94
3 Taehee LEE (KOR) $274,023.14
4 Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $272,638.11
5 Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67
6 Zach MURRAY (AUS) $204,670.05
7 Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $174,441.87
8 Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $164,552.31
9 Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $159,882.11
10 David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79
11 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $109,799.97
12 Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00
13 Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $104,405.57
14 Berry HENSON USA) $104,342.21
15 Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11
16 Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $87,433.65
17 S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12
18 Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19
19 Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $71,906.58
20 Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84
Rising star Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand held his nerves to claim his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Sunday.
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Rising star Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand held his nerves to claim his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Sunday.
Jazz, who extended his overnight two-shot lead to five after sinking three birdies in his opening seven holes, overcame a wild triple-bogey on the par-four 11th hole and a bogey on 14th to become the first foreign winner of the prestigious event since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
The 23-year-old Jazz signed for a closing one-over-par 72 to win by one shot over Korea’s Innchoon Hwang with a six-under-par 278 total in the KRW 1,200 million (approximately US$1,067,000) event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA).
Despite missing out on his second Asian Tour victory, Hwang took pride in his runner-up result, which not only marked his best finish in his National Open but also earned him a coveted spot at The Open next month where he will be making his Major debut.
He will be heading to Royal Portrush with compatriot Dongkyu Jang, who closed with a 72 to finish tied-fourth in the event, which offered two spots to The Open to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) finishing in the top-eight and ties as part of The Open Qualifying Series.
American Chan Kim, who played on a sponsor’s invitation, marked his best efforts of the week with a closing 68 to settle two shots back of Jazz in third place while Korea’s Minjoon Kim matched his final round efforts to grab a share of fourth on 281.
The second qualifying spot went to Jang, thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) than Kim.
Did you know?
- Jazz Janewattananond is the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance to win the Kolon Korea Open since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
- He is also the second Thai player, following Thongchai Jaidee in 2000, to triumph in the National Open of Korea, which is celebrating its 62nd edition this week.
- Jazz claimed his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the Kolon Korea Open. He won his third title at the season-opener in Singapore earlier in January.
- At the age of 23 years 6 months and 27 days, Jazz becomes the youngest ever player to achieve four wins on Tour. India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar held the record previously after he won his fourth title in 2012 at the age of 24.
- In his four victories on Tour, three were secured in National Opens – Bangladesh (2017), Singapore (2019) and Korea (2019).
- Jazz had won his last three events using three different putting styles – claw, armlock and broomstick.
- With this win, Jazz is expected to claim another career-high position on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Currently ranked 62nd, Jazz could reach as high as 52nd place in the world when the new standings are released on Monday.
- This victory also helped Jazz regain his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit as he takes home a winner’s prize purse of KRW 300,000,000 (approx. US$266,800). He had held the Merit lead after winning the Singapore Open in January but slipped to second after he was overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won in Malaysia in March. Hend did not make the halfway cut in Korea.
- Jazz is using a long putter which he borrowed from good friend Scott Vincent in Japan two weeks ago. He used it in the tournament that week and enjoyed a tied-third place finish.
- According to Jazz, the switch to a long putter was inspired largely by Justin Harding of South Africa, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour in 2018.
- Jazz has been enjoying a great run of form since winning in Singapore. Apart from notching four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month. It was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
- Enjoyed back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks to move to 61st place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on June 10 but unfortunately failed to qualify for the U.S. Open after missing the cut-off mark by one rung.
- By virtue of his victory in Singapore, Jazz has qualified for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush, where he will make his second straight appearance next month.
- A boost in his world ranking, thanks to his success in Korea, will also put him closer to breaking top-50 on the OWGR and qualify for the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational next month. Jazz needs to be inside the top-50 on the OWGR on either July 15th or July 22nd for an invitation to the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
- It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
- Innchoon Hwang is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. He won on home soil in 2008.
- He will make his Major debut at The Open at Royal Portrush next month, thanks to his runner-up finish.
- Hwang has also won five times on the Korean Tour and the most recent win came at the K.J. Choi Invitational in 2017.
- His previous best finish at the Kolon Korea Open is tied-12th in 2016 and 2018.
- Hwang turned professional in 2002 at the age of 27.
- Chan Kim, 29, is a former member of the Asian Tour. He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2013.
- He’s playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week. Did not play last year because he was injured.
- Came in runner-up at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour at the beginning of the month. Earned his spot at The Open next month.
- He was crowned the Order of Merit champion on the Japan Golf Tour in 2017, thanks to three wins.
- Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 to grab a share of 10th place on 285.
- He has not missed a single cut in seven starts on the Asian Tour so far this season.
- Vincent claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour last week.
Innchoon Hwang and Dongkyu Jang have secured their places in The 148th Open
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Innchoon Hwang and Dongkyu Jang have secured their places in The 148th Open after qualifying at the KOLON Korea Open.
The KOLON Korea Open was played at Woo Jeong Hill Country Club in Cheonan and was the seventh event in The Open Qualifying Series, which gives golfers around the world opportunities to book their place at Royal Portrush from 14-21 July 2019.
Two places were available to the leading players who finished in the top 8 and ties and who were not already exempt.
Jazz Janewattananond, who was already exempt from qualifying for The Open after winning the SMBC Singapore Open in January, lifted his fourth title on the Asian Tour after topping the leaderboard on a six-under-par total of 278.
Hwang will make his debut in The Open and first major championship appearance after finishing runner-up one stroke behind Janewattananond on a five-under-par total of 279. The Korean, who has five professional wins including the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on the Asian Tour, carded a one-under-par round of 70 that included three birdies to clinch the first available qualifying place.
Chan Kim finished in third place on four-under-par for the championship and had already qualified for The Open, meaning that the second qualifying spot went to Jang thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking than Minjoon Kim.
The Korean pair finished in a tie for fourth place on a three-under-par total of 281 but it will be Jang, who last qualified to play in golf’s original championship at Royal Liverpool after winning the 2014 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open, who will take his place in the starting field at Royal Portrush next month.
The next two events in The Open Qualifying Series are the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation in Spain and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the United States of America. Both events are being played from 27-30 June.
Photo Credit: The R&A/Getty Images
Catch up on highlights from round 4 of the Kolon Korea Open
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDxaBQv1LFY[/embedyt]
Read what players have to say following the final round of the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship.
Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 278 (-6)
I’m really honoured to win the National Open of Korea. This is a really tough course. I got away with most of it but still struggled towards the end. I got off to a good start today and I was like flying until that triple-bogey.
It has happened to me earlier at the PGA Championship. I was playing well on the front nine as well. The exact same thing happened. I made the same easy mistake to make a big number and couldn’t recover. I thought I learned well from my experience at the PGA Championship.
I told myself not to think about it and just keep moving forward. Made another bogey on 14 unfortunately but I told myself to just grind it out and try not to make anymore big numbers. The course is really hard. I got away at the end of the day but not unscathed.
There aren’t many scoreboards out there but I knew I had a one-shot lead heading into the last because someone shouted. I knew I just need to make a par there but then I was thinking he might make birdie so I hit my driver down anyway.
I hit it in the rough though but I saw he miss the putt when I stood in the rough. Then I told myself to lay up now, hit it close but didn’t make that birdie putt unfortunately. I knew from the start that Rickie Fowler was the last foreigner to win this tournament in 2011.
It’s really a huge honour to win the National Open of Korea and become the next one after Rickie. It just shows how strong the players on the Korean Tour are. I did feel the nerves out there, especially after that triple-bogey. I didn’t know what was going on for a moment.
I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle.
Innchoon Hwang (Kor) – Final round 70 (-1), Total 279 (-5)
The main goal for today was to win the tournament of course. I tried my best and the end result is a runner-up finish. I am happy with my result and I am excited to go to The Open Championship next month. I’m really looking forward to playing at Royal Portrush.
The Open was a championship I grew up watching on television and always wanted to play in so to qualify today is unbelievable. It’s a great honour to be playing in my first major championship and it is something that all golfers dream about.
Chan Kim (Kor) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 280 (-4)
It was a tough round. There are a lot of tough pins out there. To be honest, the conditions are better. The roughs aren’t that long so you can actually get it on the greens or somewhere close. The key for this week was to be able to get up and down. Whoever can do that will do well.
I made a few good par-saves today. On the 11th, after making a bogey on 10th, I chipped it to about seven-feet and made that. Hit a good shot from the rough on 12th and made a five-footer for birdie there. Made a few more putts after that which was nice.
The game’s been feeling good. It’s nice to secure another top-three finish. Hopefully I can get a win soon.
Dongkyu Jang (Kor) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 281 (-3)
I last played in The Open in 2014 when I won the Mizuno Open and back then I didn’t really know what to expect from links golf but I am sure that the experience will count in may favour at Royal Portrush and I’m really looking forward to it.
I’m also looking forward to playing in front of the Irish fans who are very passionate about golf and who hopefully will give me lots of support when I play there.
Scott Vincent (Zim) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 285 (+1)
I played well today. I did so many things well, a lot better than how I did the last three days. I hit nine fairways today and that gave me some opportunities to attack the pins, instead of playing defensive.
It was nice to hit that many fairways and make a good score from there. It’s good to finish the week with a good round. Coming off a victory in Japan, I had a few high expectations so it was great to play well.
The course is very tough this week as you can see from the scores. You knew it was going to play tough so you just had to get your mind right before you start the day.
Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him.
Catch up on highlights from round 3 of the Kolon Korea Open
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcpC-Fe9Os[/embedyt]
Thai rising star Jazz Janewattananond put himself in prime position to secure a fourth Asian Tour title after carding a two-under-par 69 to grab a two-shot lead following the penultimate round of the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Saturday.
Cheonan, Korea, June 22: Thai rising star Jazz Janewattananond put himself in prime position to secure a fourth Asian Tour title after carding a two-under-par 69 to grab a two-shot lead following the penultimate round of the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Jazz, who started the round one shot back, fired five birdies against three bogeys on a tough scoring day to move atop the leaderboard with a three-day total of seven-under-par 206 at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
Songgyu Yoo emerged as the highest-placed Korean in second place after signing for a 69. His compatriots Dongkyu Jang (69) and overnight leader Innchoon Hwang (73) shared third place on matching 209s in what is their National Open.
American Berry Henson and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat surged into a share of fifth place with local duo Kyongjun Moon (70) and Soomin Lee (71) on 210, thanks to superb finishes on the 570-yard par-five 18th hole.
Henson soared with an eagle on the last where he made a 30-footer from off the green for a 69 while Prom coolly sank a 35-foot long birdie putt for a battling even-par 71 at the KRW 1,200 million (approximately US$1,067,000) event.
Despite stumbling with an outward four-over-par 40, Korean American Kevin Na bounced back with four birdies on his way home, including three straight ones from the 10th hole. He would sign for a 71 to sit in ninth place with Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai (74) on 211.
The 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA), is part of The Open Qualifying Series for the third year in a row.
Two spots to The 148th Open at Royal Portrush will be awarded to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) finishing in the top-eight and ties.
Ends.
Did you know?
- Jazz Janewattananond is using a long putter which he borrowed from good friend Scott Vincent in Japan two weeks ago. He used it in the tournament that week and enjoyed a tied-third place finish.
- According to Jazz, the switch to a long putter was inspired largely by Justin Harding of South Africa, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour in 2018.
- Should Jazz win his fourth Asian Tour title and a second one this season at the Kolon Korea Open on Sunday, he could move to as high as 52nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on Monday.
- A top-three finish would also allow Jazz to regain his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, where he currently trails Australian Scott Hend by about US$56,230 in second place. Hend missed the halfway cut in Korea.
- Jazz led the money list after winning the season-opener in Singapore in January but Hend took over the lead after his victory in Malaysia two months later.
- Jazz has been enjoying a great run of form since winning in Singapore. Apart from notching four other top-10s to sit in a current second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Jazz also enjoyed a tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month.
- Enjoyed back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks to move to 61st place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on June 10 but unfortunately failed to qualify for the U.S. Open after missing the cut-off mark by one rung.
- Sits in 62nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) this week and is set to make his second appearance at The Open next month.
- Prom Meesawat is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He first won in Korea in 2006 before claiming his second victory in Chinese Taipei in 2014.
- Prom won his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title in Brunei in April. Prior to that, he also won the 20th Singha Thailand Masters on his domestic circuit.
- Prom got his season off to a great start when he secured a tied-fifth place finish at the season-opening Singapore Open in January. He also earned a coveted spot at The Open next month, thanks for his solid finish. It will be his second appearance at The Open.
- Berry Henson is a one-time winner on both the Asian Tour and the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2011.
- He recorded the fourth eagle on the 570-yard par-five 18th hole after making a 30-footer putt from off the green today.
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