Henrik Stenson has highlighted the importance of LIV Golf players competing on the Asian Tour, and the incredible impact it continues to have on the region’s professional golfers.

Speaking ahead of this week’s Saudi Open presented by PIF, the fifth leg of this year’s Asian Tour, which starts today, the Swede specifically pointed to The International Series – 10-elite level events that are integrated into the Asian Tour schedule – and the key role it plays in raising standards.

“Many of the LIV Golf players play two or three throughout the year. That elevates The International Series and the Asian Tour on those weeks,” said the 48-year-old.

“It’s important to have a measuring stick and that is what happens during The International Series when you have the LIV Golf players and big strong names coming to play. They raise the standard and that is what the other guys are striving to beat.

Henrik Stenson of Sweden pictured during the Pro-Am event on Tuesday April 16, 2024, ahead of the Saudi Open presented by PIF. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“You have seen it with David Puig who has two wins in the past nine months. He comes in, plays solid, wins tournaments and the other guys realise they have to up their game if they’re going to want to get to the next level and compete with the best players in the world. That has been a huge opportunity for the Asian Tour to have that influx and have a stronger competition.”

The Swede is more than qualified to speak on the matter as he is one such golfer who has played a part in this, not only as a LIV Golf player but also through having been a regular visitor to Asia for the past two decades.

His second-place finish in the Saudi Open presented by PIF last year, when he made a valiant late run making four consecutive birdies from the 12th and another on 17 before eventually finishing three shots behind the champion Denwit Boriboonsub from Thailand, being a fine example of his influence.

He added: “I enjoyed the week last year. I came in rather late and threw myself into action. We managed to finish second with a good finish on Sunday on the back nine in particular.

“Now, as we’re on our way down to Adelaide and Singapore for the next two LIV Golf events, it made good sense to break up the journey and get the reps in. I’m trying to get the 2024 season going because it’s been halted a bit due to some health issues in the early part of the year, so I hope I can put that behind me and stay healthy for the remainder of the season. Hopefully I will play a solid week here in Riyadh again.”

Henrik Stenson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Stenson has been paired with Puig and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho in the first two rounds here at Riyadh Golf Club –  two more of the Asian Tour most exciting young golfers.

“There are so many more players catching the eye on the Asian Tour,” he added.

“I didn’t see much of Denwit play, but if you’re good enough to go out and win a pretty big event on the Asian Tour, like he did last year, you have game. He is part of that new generation and it’s fun to see new and upcoming players go out and play freer than you do after 20 years on tour.

“We see the game growing all over Asia and one of my observations is that Thailand seems to have developed a lot of players. There are a lot of Thai players on the Asian Tour, more than I remember 10/15 years ago. Certain countries are making strides, and it seems like Thailand has produced a lot of players lately.”

Qualification for the summer Olympics in Paris this year is well and truly underway with a host of Asian Tour members in contention. In the first of a series of articles in the run up to the XXXIII Olympiad, Asian Tour contributor Joy Chakravarty spoke to 10-time Asian Tour winner Scott Hend from Australia about his memories of Rio in 2016, and the allure of the Olympics.

At the age of 50, and in the shortage of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points in events he is playing, Scott Hend realises that a second appearance in the Olympics is almost non-existent, but he takes as much pride in representing Australia and being a part of golf’s return at 2016 Rio Games, as any of his 16 international victories.

“That’s something that nobody can ever take away from you. You don’t have to be a medalist to be called an Olympian and it’s always nice to say to yourself that you are one,” said Hend, who showed he can still compete against the youngsters by finishing second last month in the 103rd New Zealand Open, presented by Sky Sport.

“I mean, it would have been great to win a gold, silver, or a bronze, but what I experienced as a competitor, as part of the team that included Marcus Fraser and Ian Baker Finch as our captain, and our caddies, it was one of my proudest career moments. Golf was returning to the Olympics, and we were part of history.”

Scott Hend. Picture by Scott Halleran/Getty Images.

Asked how much it would mean to him if he got a chance to play in another Olympics, Hend quipped: “Is there a senior Olympics?!

“But seriously, I haven’t played well enough to be in the team. In saying that, the way the World Ranking system is these days, it makes it very hard for someone who isn’t playing on the PGA Tour to be looked at for the Olympics.

“Forget about me, I’m not even sure who are the two guys that qualify for Australia. With my sensible boots on, I would think Cam Smith should be one of the guys because he is our best player. Of course, that may not happen because LIV Golf do not get world rankings.

“Both Jason (Day) and Min Woo Lee are playing great golf, but I would like Cam to be one of the players. He’s an amazing golfer and he is a great representative for Australia.”

Men’s Olympic golf is limited to a field of 60, with qualifications based on the OWGR. The top-15 players are automatically eligible, but the number is limited to a maximum of four golfers from a single country.

Thereafter, the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) come into play. It consists of a maximum of the top two eligible players per country.

Scott Hend. Picture by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images.

The current OGR (as of April 1) is being led by world number one Scottie Scheffler from United States. Three other Americans Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay, all ranked in the top-15 on the OWGR, are currently holding qualification places. Schauffele won the gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

Day and Lee are leading the way for Australia while there are a total of 13 Asian players from seven countries – China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Chinese Taipei – that are currently inside the qualification line.

Indians Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shubhankar Sharma, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Phachara Kongwatmai and Malaysian Gavin Green are among the top-60.

The cut-off date for qualification is June 17, with the men’s event due to be played at Le Golf National in Guyancourt from August 1-4.

Hend insists the Olympics must be a goal for every young golfer to qualify for. It’s not just what happens inside the ropes that is incredible, but the whole atmosphere is electric and motivating.

“We golfers are lucky…we get rewarded every week for all the hard work that we put in. But for some of the athletes in the Olympics, that’s the only thing they are working towards for four years,” said Hend, who finished tied 39th in Rio.

“We had a house in Rio, and we’d go to the village, and we went into Australia House. We ate in the cafeteria with all the Olympians and went to the gym to check out how these people work out. We watched a basketball game. It was an amazing experience and something that every athlete and every fan must experience. Just to see how tough and how rewarding sports can be.”

Hend named sprinters Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson and swimmer Michael Phelps as his favourites, while decathlon was the one discipline he loves to watch.

Xander Schauffele after winning the gold medal at Tokyo 2020. Picture by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images.

“One Olympic moment I will never forget was when Ben Johnson won the gold with that record run in Seoul (1988), and then got disqualified because of using performance-enhancing drugs,” said Hend, going down memory lane.

“And that is why I have the greatest respect for what Bolt, Michael Johnson and Phelps achieved. These are just ridiculous disciplines when you think how hard they have to train to become the best in the world. What I really love, probably because of the disappointment with Ben Johnson, is that with all the drug testing they have these days, those guys did all that and were clean as well.

“Having said that, my favourite disciple to watch is decathlon, because they put themselves through absolute hell. They have to be all-round athletes, and it is fun to see them go through all those 10 different disciples and also try to plan and take advantage of what they are good at, like a big guy who’s good at javelin and trying his best to compete in the 1,500 meters.”

As for his own event, Hend said once he fell behind a bit at the halfway stage, all he did was fire at every pin.

“I just went for broke on the weekend, because, unlike our regular golf tournaments, only 1-2-3 matters in Olympics. Fraser had the course record going for a while and I remember walking with him and finish the round,” recalled Hend.

“My round fell apart when I hit a footprint on the 10th hole and continued to hit a couple of other footprints and ended up making a nine or a 10. It was that type of a golf course where you got a little bit offline, and you got punished badly.

“And yet, the honest truth is, I enjoyed every moment of wearing the Aussie colour and be a part of Rio 2016.”

March, 2024: The Open here I come

In the first of Denwit Boriboonsub’s diary entries for 2024, the young Thai star – who sensationally won in three successive weeks last December – looks back at his start to the season, which included punching his ticket to The Open, and talks about his defence of the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund this month. Denwit was speaking to Asian Tour contributor and former Tour player Olle Nordberg.

First of all, I am very happy that for my first diary of the year, I am delighted to say that the start of the season has gone quite well.

After all of the excitement following my finish last year, there was, understandably, a lot of expectation heading into the new year and I am happy with how things have gone. I have had two very good weeks, which gave me a lot of confidence, while there were a couple of weeks that weren’t so good.

My season started at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open. The first three days I played pretty well, before an amazing 61 on the last day saw me finish in a tie for third to earn a place in The Open in July. That is the lowest round of my career, and what a time to do it.

Denwit Boriboonsub after winning the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund last December. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Getting into The Open in Malaysia was my goal as I knew it would be more difficult in the other Open qualifiers, like the Kolon Korea Open. The course there at The Mines also suited my game.

After the front nine on Sunday, I looked at the scoreboard, and saw I was just four shots back. I knew that the back nine was makeable, every hole is makeable, and I started dropping putts, started holing chips, from everywhere, just holing it from everywhere!

I started the back nine by making six birdies in a row, and I knew then that I had a chance because when I looked at scoreboard again, I was just one or two back from the leader, with a bunch of players behind me. I then birdied the 17th and 18th which was great because I was three or four shots ahead of third place.

I was fortunate to get the third spot in The Open on a countback from John Catlin, who was also third, via the Official World Golf Ranking but I guess John made up for that soon after by winning in Macau with that 59. Congratulations to him on that.

It has always been an aim of mine to play in The Open. Last year I went to Open Qualifying, and I missed the cut. I know qualifying to play in The Open is not an easy thing to do, so it’s something that makes me very proud, especially aged 20. It’s like a next step for me, and it will also be my first Major.

The following week in Oman, I didn’t play so good because of my iron play. My irons were quite off, and my putts didn’t drop. I think this was actually due to the mental part of my game, more than the physical side.

I missed the cut there, as I did in New Zealand the week after. I was quite tired, to be honest, as it is a long journey but it’s definitely worth it when you get there, Queenstown is such a beautiful place.

International Series Macau presented by Wynn was my next event, for my second time in Macau, and things went much better.

Denwit with the other Open qualifiers in Malaysia, Jeunghun Wang and David Puig. Picture by Khalid Redza / Asian Tour.

First of all, I changed the ball I was using, went back to the Chrome Soft X, because in New Zealand I used the new one and it didn’t work out. So, I changed to the old one and I just saw the shots fly like I’m used to seeing them. And I know the course pretty well, Macau Golf & Country Club suits me just like The Mines, everything just suits me. I played pretty decent, finished ninth.

I also had an opportunity to play with some star players in Macau as well and it was a very valuable experience. It’s not often you have a chance to play with the likes of Patrick Reed, Jason Kokrak and Carlos Ortiz.

It was absolutely a learning experience. I learned so much from Patrick, his iron play, his short game, they are on another level. And his putting too.

I didn’t really get nervous, it just felt normal playing with them. The most nervous thing for me is playing with a sponsor, that is quite nervous for me, but playing with those players just felt normal. They were very nice, I talked to both Patrick and Jason.

My next event is the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund, where it will feel great to be the defending champion. I think I have a good chance to keep the title because I just feel like the course suits me, everything suits me at that course. It’s wide, it’s huge, and the fairways are pretty firm. The greens are soft and it’s windy. So yeah, I think that course is on my side, and I think I am pretty confident that I will play well.

To prepare for Saudi I’ll probably play on some windier courses, and probably go there earlier to practice, on Friday or Saturday.

Last year I remember I just hit so many great drives, my iron play was good, I made all the putts, and my mental game was good. I didn’t think about winning, just everything was very good, and that showed in the performance.

Hopefully, in April’s diary, I will be saying the same thing.

The Aramco Invitational Tournament, the showstopper event on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) last year, will return to the schedule this year, and be played at Rolling Hills Golf Club, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia from November 27-30.

With a total purse of US$250,000, which matches last year’s prize fund, it will be one of the most lucrative events on the ADT – playing a decisive role in determining who finishes in the top-10 on the Order of Merit, which will reward players with Asian Tour cards for the 2025 season.

Today’s news follows the exciting announcement last year of Aramco’s title sponsorship of the event for three years, starting in 2023, making it the biggest and most significant partnership in the history of the ADT. Headquartered in Dhahran, Aramco is one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies.

Nabil Al-Nuaim, Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Golf Association (SAGA) and Aramco’s Senior Vice President of Digital and Information Technology, said: “Aramco is proud to continue to support golf through partnerships with key national and international partners. We aim to support the Asian Development Tour and encourage young and aspiring Saudi nationals to become professional golfers.”

Rolling Hills Country Club.

The field size will be 120 players, including 70 from the ADT, 40 from Aramco, and 10 invitees.

Last year, in one of the most thrilling finishes witnessed on the ADT and Asian Tour, Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub (main picture) won the Aramco Invitational Tournament by beating England’s William Harrold in a sudden-death play-off at Rolling Hills Golf Club.

The win for Denwit was also enough to clinch victory in the season-long Order of Merit, as it was the final event of the season. Remarkably, the following week, he triumphed in the Thailand Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour, and the week after that, he won the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund, the last stop of the year on the Asian Tour.

Ken Kudo, General Manager of the Asian Development Tour, said: “We all saw the incredible impact the Aramco Invitational Tournament made on the Asian Development Tour last year, in terms of how it dramatically transformed Denwit Boriboonsub’s season and the opportunities it offered him, and also the overall level of excitement it contributed to the circuit.

“The ADT is on the rise, and it is because of partners like Aramco. We thank them for their ongoing support and commitment to the development of our Tour, its members and golf in our regions as a whole.”

Minhaj Khan, Vice Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Golf Association, said: “Aramco aims to expand, enhance and enrich the Asian Development Tour, and players will have an opportunity to compete in the event while experiencing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the fullest.”

Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij was victorious in the inaugural event in 2022, when it was also played at the Rolling Hills Golf Course.

The Aramco Invitational Tournament announcement is the sixth ADT event to be unveiled so far this season, with many more to come.

Last year, the schedule featured 12 events, offering lucrative overall prize money of US$1.38million.

Located in Dhahran, Rolling Hills is a private course for employees of Aramco.

Hua Hin-based American John Catlin is now a five-time winner on the Asian Tour after a dramatic victory at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, on Sunday.

He became the first player to break 60 on the Asian Tour after shooting a cracking 11-under-par 59 on Saturday and defeated Spanish sensation David Puig on the second hole of an exciting and entertaining sudden-death play-off.

Not surprisingly, both players dominated the week’s statistics, especially as they both finished on 23-under-par, on the par-70 Macau Golf and Country Club layout.

Preferred lies were adopted but that did not detract from the remarkably low scoring.

John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Catlin’s 59 dominated the headlines and will do so for some time. His record-breaking round included nine birdies and an eagle, on the last hole; he needed only 22 putts; hit 16 Greens in Regulation (GIR) (89%); and found 10 out of 13 Fairways in regulation (77%).

Instrumental in Catlin’s win was him excelling in the putting stats for the whole week, with 1.56 Putts per GIR he ranked second only to Puig.

In fact, putting was the standout stat category for the week with the top three players, Catlin, Puig and Lucas Herbert of Australia – who finished two shots shy of the play-off in solo third – ranking second, first and third respectively in the Putts per GIR category.

Both Catlin and Puig also managed to avoid three-putts for the entire week on the tricky Macau greens.

Catlin’s victory was built on a solid week across the other stat categories. He was joint 22^nd in GIR on 79.17%, 23^rd in Driving Distance averaging 302.90 yards, and tied ninth in Fairways in Regulation on 71.15%.

Puig, winner of the IRS Prima Malaysian Open a month ago, is known as one of the best putters and longest drivers on the Asian Tour, finishing first in the Putts per GIR category and fourth in the Driving Distance last year.

David Puig. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He again had a stellar week on the greens in Macau ranking first in both Putts per Round (25.50) and Putts per GIR (1.49), and as usual he was one of the longest drivers with a median of 314.60 yards, ranking fifth.

The 22-year-old also made the most birdies with 28.

Statistics categories leaders at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn (of players making the cut):

Putts per Round: David Puig (25.50)

Putts per GIR: David Puig (1.49)

GIR: Jbe Kruger (88.89%)

Fairways hit: Takumi Kanaya (86.54%)

Driving Distance: Li Haotong (324.10 yards)

Total Eagles: Charng-Tai Sudsom and Kieran Vincent (3)

Total Birdies: David Puig (28)

Fewest Bogies: Martin Trainer (1)

Teen sensation Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat has revealed that maverick LIV Golf star Bryson Dechambeau is his inspiration while he puts his game on pause this summer to focus on his studies as he prepares to attend the prestigious Stanford University in the United States this year.

The Thai amateur star, who turned 17 earlier this month, will play the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund in April, before taking a break to concentrate fully on his studies from the summer onwards.

‘TK’, as he popularly known, has already sounded out American DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion, over his study plan. The captain of the Crushers GC is notorious for his meticulous approach to all aspects of golf, from club fit through to his diet, as he seeks to make marginal gains on all aspects of his game.

‘TK’ is hoping to take a similar approach and said: “In the US the way it works is you don’t pick your major until your third year. So basically you study the mandatory stuff and things you are interested in.

Ratchanon Chantanuwat, amateur of Thailand pictured during Round Three on Saturday March 16, 2024, at the International Series Macau, presented by Wynn, at the Macau Golf and Country Club. The US$2 million Asian Tour event is staged from March 14-17, 2024. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“I talked to Bryson recently and he said that if I wanted to study things that will help in golf, I should study Newtonian mechanics, particle physics and maybe dabble in engineering and anatomy and economics. My areas of interest are physics and economics and so I’ll study something along those lines.

“Or I could study something easy,” he laughed. “At the end of the day I want to be a professional golfer and that’s my priority, that is not going to change. I have liked science ever since I was around six years old – it explains everything that works and how everything works.

“As an athlete the best thing you can do for yourself is to learn everything about your sport. For Bryson, that approach has worked out.”

The Thai impressed once again throughout the International Series Macau presented by Wynn last week, with a 14-under total for four days. On day four he carded a three-under round of 67 to finish T14 in a field packed with LIV Golf League stars, major champions and the best players from the Asian Tour

He got off to a flying start on his final round, with a birdie on his first hole. A dropped shot on five threatened to derail his round but back-to-back birdies on eight and nine got him back on track, before an eagle three on the testing par-five 12^th.

He picked up a careless double bogey on 16 but hit back hard with a birdie on 18 and walked off the Macau Golf and Country Club course at Grand Coloane in positive fashion shortly before American star John Catlin beat Spaniard David Puig on the second play-off hole for a fifth Asian Tour victory.

Ratchanon Chantananuwat helped conduct a clinic earlier in week. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

‘TK’, who won the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup on the Asian Tour aged 15 in 2022, said: “Fourteen under as a score is not bad, I was similar in Malaysia and the Saudi Open last year, and averaging three to four under each day on the Asian Tour is ok. I had pretty decent shot control, I was manipulating a draw and fade when I needed to, and so I am pretty happy overall.

“I hit one bad shot all day and this weekend has shown what I have to improve upon and that’s my mindset. I overthink things and stress too much and I have to remind myself I’m still amateur, I’m not playing for a lot of money just yet.”

A particular highlight for ‘TK’ this weekend was his second shot on 12, when he hit driver off the deck and managed to make an eagle.  He might be eager to learn all aspects of his sport while at college, but he’s not about to change the basics that have served him so well so far.

He said: “In the most humble way, I’ve played a good score here and that’s with a few stupid mistakes in there, I hit one bad shot today and got double bogey.

“I four putted once and three putted twice on the first day. If I can minimise that then I’d be scoring better, I’m still eight off the lead for a bang on average week, and that’s without even considering my putting. My putting is not bad but it is far from good. They just don’t go in. If I putted like the LIV guys I played with, I could be in contention every week.”