Korea’ s Jeongwoo Ham enters the weekend of the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times as the surprise halfway leader at Sentosa Golf Club.

He carded a three-under-par 68 on the formidable Serapong Course to move to 10-under for a two-shot lead over Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond.

Jazz, the champion here on this course in 2019, returned a 66, while Gaganjeet Bhullar from India and Japan’s Tomohiro Ishizaka share third place, another stroke behind.

Bhullar and Ishizaka both shot 68s – in the fourth event of the season on the Asian Tour, which is also part of The International Series.

Ham started the day in a share of the lead with Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu and maintained yesterday’s momentum while Wu fell away, carding a 75.

Jazz Janewattananond.

The Korean has only ever played in seven Asian Tour events outside of Korea, with a best finish of joint 29^th in the International Series Japan two weeks ago.

The 31-year-old is on course to drastically improve upon that this week.

“It wasn’t like yesterday, today I didn’t make many mistakes,” said Ham, who has been a professional since 2018.

“Compared to yesterday a lot of the putts didn’t go in, but I played patiently. Feeling very satisfied now.”

He made four birdies today, including on the par-five 18^th, and dropped one shot, on 15.

He said: “At critical moments I made the putts and made use of the chances. My irons weren’t as good, my accuracy not great but I think I made putts at critical moments.”

Despite not having tasted victory on the Asian Tour he is a proven winner on the Korean PGA Tour, where he has won four times. The most recent of those came in the Golfzon-Toray Open in 2024.

Jazz once again showed he is back to his best and playing the kind of golf that won him this title seven years ago enroute to securing the Asian Tour Order of Merit title.

Gaganjeet Bhullar.

“It’s great coming back here,” said the seven-time winner on the Asian Tour.

“I’ve been wishing and waiting for the Singapore Open to come back here. The last time I was back here was the 2020 edition. I didn’t come here for the 2022 edition. But just been missing this place a lot, the golf course is always in great shape. I mean, it’s one of the best golf courses in Asia, and it suits my eyes, so I can’t really complain.”

When he won here he finished with a winning total of 18-under helped by a pair of 65s at the weekend.

He’ll need something similar to claim the title for a second time but is in confident spirits.

“Still not in the autopilot mode, but the tee shots kind of fit my eye here even if it’s a little different off the tee or little different wind. When I’m standing on the tee, it still looks quite nice to me. There are some courses which just do not suit me at all, but this golf course does, and I like the shape of it,” he said.

Bhullar, a 11-time champion on the Asian Tour, menacingly moved into contention, making two birdies in the last three.

“I’ve not been playing so many events. But I mean, it feels good to be on the first page of the leaderboard, definitely feels good,” he said.

Brayden Lee.

“I thought I played really well last year, but the scores were not coming at the right time. So probably this week, I’ll try to do my routine and process and try and give my 100%.”

Australian Jack Thompson fired his second 68 and is in outright fifth, four behind the leader.

Amateur star Brayden Lee and his compatriot Ryan Ang are the leading Singaporeans, in a tie for 19^th on three under.

Lee, who finished as the leading local player last year, came in with a 68 and Ang a 69.

Said Lee: “I’m lucky to be an adopted member here, a sponsored player, so I do spend most of my time around here. It’s a really tough course, because it’s very demanding off the tee and the greens are huge and undulating. So, you know, you never know what you get.”

His team-mate in the Singapore amateur team Troy Storm also survived the cut, which was one over. Storm carded a 71 to finish on the cut line.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

The golf played by Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu [main picture] and Jeongwoo Ham from Korea matched the sizzling hot weather today at the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times.

They fired sparkling seven-under-par 64s on The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club to take the lead by two on day one of the US$2million event.

Charles Porter, Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent and Aidric Chan from the Philippines were equally impressive shooting 66s to share third place.

A big group of players came in with 67s: John Catlin from the United States, the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Australians Will Florimo and Kevin Yuan, Japan’s Tomohiro Ishizaka and Ryosuke Kinoshita, Spaniard Luis Masaveu, plus India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar.

Competitors in what is the 57^th staging of Singapore’s National Open will rarely play in more hotter and humid, sauna-like conditions than today.

Jeongwoo Ham. 

Ekpharit, playing in the event for the first time, was unperturbed, making seven birdies in a bogey-free round. He started on the back nine and made the turn in five under, helped by three in a row from the 14^th.

The Thai won his first title on the Asian Tour last year at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open, in Chinese-Taipei. It was an especially significant win as his father is from there, while his wife Pam was on the bag.

She is his regular caddie and has been a big part of his success since turning professional – something he acknowledged today.

“It’s been a very rewarding partnership. She being by my side makes me more confident on the course,” said 26-year-old, who also tied for third at the Bharath Classic shortly after winning in Chinese-Taipei.

“She helps me not to get angry on the golf course. When on the course, we always hit some bad shots but it’s about not getting too emotional and she helps me a lot with that.

“When I was an amateur I used local caddies, but when I turned professional I spoke with her and she became my caddie straight away, no question.”

A professional since 2020 he is a graduate of the 2025 Asian Tour Qualifying School, having played mainly on the Asian Development Tour before that.

Charles Porter.

He is also a two-time winner on the All Thailand Golf Tour, having won back-to-back titles in 2024.

Ham mainly plays on the Korean PGA Tour and has only competed in a small number of Asian Tour events. He excelled today despite dropping a shot on his first, which was the 10^th. It was his only dropped shot of the day as he went on to make eight birdies, including three on the trot from 18.

Porter, the giant American who is 6 feet 9 inches tall, finished second on the driving distance statistics last year, in what was his rookie season on the Asian Tour. He boasted an average on 323.68 yards and unleashed a couple of big ones today.

“I hit a couple of big drives — over 350 yards on both 7 and 18 — which gave me short irons into the par fives, and I was able to make birdie on both,” he said.

“I also holed a really nice putt on nine. The driving iron wasn’t great today, but if the driver’s working, you can take that.

“I don’t really remember my bogeys, to be honest — I just remember the good shots. We had a great group out there, which always helps, and I was fuelling up with chicken burgers all day.”

Both Chan and Vincent joined him in second place thanks to making eagles on the par-five 18^th. Chan’s was the result of the putt of the day, a 70-footer.

Catlin is a six-time winner on the Asian Tour but surprisingly did not add to that hall last year.

When asked how important it is to win again he said: “It’s huge! I mean, that’s why I put in all the work I do. That’s why I practice all the hours and put myself in that position, because I want to have that last putt on Sunday to win.”

John Catlin.

He was also bogey-free today and even made par on par-five 18^th despite finding water off the tee.

“You know, I really only got in trouble once and drove it in the water on 18. I was still able to make a five,” he said.

“Just very steady Eddie. A lot of good golf shots. Yeah, was in position a lot, had a lot of birdie chances. A few times I was out of position, or I missed a green, I was in the right position and got up and down. So, it’s just, you know, a pretty steady Eddie round.”

The tournament is the fourth event of the season on the Asian Tour and the second leg of The International Series, the enhanced level of tournaments that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League.

The event is also part of the Open Qualifying Series with the top two players not otherwise exempt eligible for this summer’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Pictures: Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Travis Smyth will tee-off in the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times tomorrow high on confidence – currently leading the rankings on three of the world’s main Tours – but low on energy after a long-flight from LIV Golf Mexico.

The Australian is the man of the hour having won the Asian Tour’s most recent event, the International Series Japan, two weeks ago to lead both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Rankings.

In what possibly is a first he is also sitting atop the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and Japan Golf Tour rankings – thanks in a big way to winning the joint-sanctioned ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship last month. It was the penultimate leg of the 2025/26 season on the former circuit and helped him win their Order of Merit, while it was the season-opening event on the latter.

Smyth fulfilled his dream of returning to play on the LIV Golf League when he was invited to compete in their event in Mexico last week but had to make a mad dash to get there and then rush back here in time to play at Sentosa Golf Club.

He explained: “So, I was on a 5am flight from Mexico City, which was delayed. We landed into San Fran, everything was delayed. Got to the gate, they wouldn’t let us on, even though the plane was like, right there. That flight ended up getting canceled. I ended up waiting. We also waited, I don’t know what, 12 hours at the airport. I was sleeping on the floor of the lounge for about five hours, and then flew here and arrived this morning, 7am.”

Travis Smyth after winning in Japan. 

Asked how he is feeling at today’s press conference, he said with a smirk: “Feel great.”

He finished in a tie for 49^th last week, having little time to prepare following his win Japan.

“I played terrible,” he said. “It was a good experience, you know. I got to play the first three LIV events [in 2022], and that was incredible. And I was just so happy to be a part of it again. And although I didn’t play well, it was super fun and exciting week, and I hope to be a part of it again.”

He won the Japan event in jaw dropping circumstances by making birdie on 16 and an eagle on the last, thanks to a career-defining left to right breaking 20-foot putt.

This week’s US$2million event is the second stop on The International Series this year, and it marks the first time Singapore’s National Open has been back to Sentosa Golf Club since 2022, when Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana triumphed.

Smyth has a consistent record here, finishing joint 24^th in 2019, tying for 11^th in 2020 and taking equal 16^th in 2022.

Despite the fatigue he will start as one of the favourites, helping by living off the adrenaline of his win two weeks ago – which was his second victory on the Asian Tour and first on The International Series.

“Every time I have like, a 20 footer, I just think of that putt in Japan I rolled into win. But yeah, all the feeling is still in there, and I can’t wait to be in that position again.

“I want win to win again and the Rankings too. I mean, it’s still early days. It’s only the second event of the season. But yeah, just trying to play some good golf, and we’ll see where we’re at at the end of the week.”

This week’s tournament is part of the Open Qualifying Series with the leading two players not otherwise exempt qualifying for The Open at Royal Birkdale in July.

Smyth is one of those players otherwise exempt thanks to winning the Merit list Down Under.

The 31-year-old will start at 12.13pm tomorrow on the first hole with Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren, who also competed in Mexico, and Hong Kong number one Taichi Kho.

Story: Simon Wilson/Asian Tour.

Pictures: Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

This week’s Singapore Open presented by The Business Times got off to a celebratory start when the Asian Tour Awards night took place last night at the Equarius Hotel – part of Resorts World Sentosa.

The most successful players and venues from last year were honoured during a glamorous evening attended by players, VIPS, sponsors and officials.

Japan’s Kazuki Higa took centre stage receiving both the Asian Tour Order of Merit trophy and The Kyi Hla Han Award for the Player of the Year title. Kyi Hla’s wife Marlene Lee attended the evening and presented him with the Award [main picture], which is named after her late husband and former Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour.

The other winners of the night were the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, recognised as the Tournament of the Year, and the Link Hong Kong Open – which was The International Series Tournament of the Year.

Cho Minn Thant.

Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red Course), venue for the International Series Morocco, won the Players’ Choice Course of the Year.

Said Cho Minn Thant [main picture], Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour: “The 2025 season was another year of growth and development and with it came some exceptional performances by our players – helped in such a big way by world class tournaments and venues.

“We congratulate Kazuki Higa on his success. Kyi Hla Han, our former Executive Chairman and Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, would have been delighted to see a Japanese player finish the year ranked number one – it is such a significant achievement for the region.

“And we applaud the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, the Link Hong Kong Open and Royal Golf Dar Es Salam for their important contributions and worthy acknowledgment by our players.”

Last year Higa became the first player to win both the Asian Tour’s Merit list and the Japan Tour Money List, which he claimed in 2022.

Andy Kwok from the Hong Kong Golf Club is handed the famous venue’s award by Wade Ormsby.

He recorded back-to-back wins in September at the Shinhan Donghae Open, in Korea, and the Yeangder TPC, in Chinese-Taipei, before adding a joint second place at the International Series Philippines in late October. That result in the Philippines saw him regain top spot on the Merit list from Vincent, and from there on in he could not be caught.

For the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers it marks the third time in four years it has been named Tournament of the Year, following success in 2022 and 2023.

This year’s voting also meant more accolades for the Link Hong Kong Open and its venerable venue the Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC).

In 2023 it was named The International Series Tournament of the Year, while HKGC was the Players’ Choice Course of the Year, along with Al Mouj Golf. The following season the event was again hailed as The International Series Tournament of the Year.

Andy Kwok, Captain, HKGC, said: “For the Link Hong Kong Open to be voted The International Series Tournament of the Year for the third successive time is an incredibly special honour and something everyone at the Club is very proud of. Our tremendous thanks to the players of the Asian Tour for this wonderful recognition and to all tournament officials and sponsors for making this historic event what it has become today.”

Overview

The 57^th edition of Singapore’s National Open will be staged this week on The Serapong for the 15^th occasion while it welcomes The Business Times on board as presenting partner for the first time.

The Business Times is part of Singapore Press Holding (SPH) Media, an iconic institution in Singapore. The partnership marks the first time that a flagship news publication has sealed such a deal with the National Open. They have aligned their sponsorship with their 50^th anniversary celebrations.

The tournament was last played at Sentosa Golf Club in 2022, when Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana beat Tom Kim from Korea and Japan’s Yuto Katsuragawa from Japan by two strokes.

The Singapore Open is part of The International Series – the upper-tier level of events that provide you with a pathway to the LIV Golf League.

This year’s Singapore Open will also pave the way for qualification to the 154^th Open as part of the Open Qualifying Series.

The leading two players, not otherwise exempt, will be rewarded with places in the game’s oldest Major, which will be played at Royal Birkdale from 16-19 July.

Kazuki Higa.

Sentosa Golf Club

Sentosa Golf Club is the award-winning golf club that first hosted the Singapore Open in 2005.

The Club has set the benchmark for course conditioning across our entire region for many years.

The Club is regularly ranked in the top-100 golf courses in the world.  The Serapong has hosted LIV Golf Singapore for the past three years while The Tanjong is the home of the HSBC Women’s World Championship and also hosted the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and Women’s Amateur Asia- Pacific Championship.

The club was first opened in 1974 by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Tournament Information

• Tournament: Singapore Open presented by The Business Times
• Date: 23rd – 26th April 2026
• Venue: Sentosa Golf Club, The Serapong, Singapore
• Par/Yards: 71 / 7,411 yards
• Purse: US$2million. The winner receives US$360,000.
• Asian Tour leg: Fourth
• The International Series leg: Second
• Edition of tournament: 57^th
• Previous winner: Yosuke Asaji (JPN)
• Total number of players: 144
• Format: Stroke play tournament over four rounds of 18 holes with a cut after 36 holes to leading 65 pros plus ties.
• Open Qualifying Series (OQS): The leading two players, not already exempt, who make the cut at the Singapore Open will earn places in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale from 16 – 19 July 2026

Andy Ogletree.

Field Breakdown

• Order of Merit winners: Kazuki Higa (2025), John Catlin (2024), Andy Ogletree (2023), Sihwan Kim (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Jeev Milkha Singh (2006, 2008)
• Nationalities: 29
• Top contenders: Travis Smyth (AUS), Lucas Herbert (AUS), Peter Uihlein (USA), Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA), Josele Ballester (ESP), Austen Truslow (USA)
• Highest ranked player on OWGR: Travis Smyth #136
• Highest ranked player on the Order of Merit: Travis Smyth (AUS) #1
• Highest ranked player on The International Series Rankings: Travis Smyth (AUS) #1
• No. of amateurs in the field: 2
• No. of Singaporean players in the field: 12

Tournament Notes

• Australian Travis Smyth returned to the winner’s circle in dramatic fashion at the International Series Japan three weeks ago to post his second Asian Tour victory, making an eagle on the 72^nd hole to win by one shot over Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Ryosuke Kinoshita from Japan. He also recorded a third-place finish at the Philippine Golf Championship and a solo-fifth at the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort to currently lead the Order of Merit. On the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia he recently claimed a win at the ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship to wrap up the 2025/26 Order of Merit crown on that tour after a victory and two other recent top-fives. The Order of Merit title secures Smyth a place in The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July, as well as a card on the DP World Tour in 2027.
• Fellow Australian Lucas Herbert, who plays for Ripper GC on the LIV Golf League, started his 2026 season with three straight top-10’s on the LIV Golf League as well as a runner-up in the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort. He is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour after taking the title at last year’s International Series Japan. He has also won three times on the DP World Tour and once on the PGA Tour.
• Peter Uihlein from the U.S. is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, having won the International Series England and International Series Qatar, both in 2024. He plays on the LIV Golf League for the Range Goats GC and started this year well, finishing third and T3 in the first two events in Riyadh and Adelaide.
• Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert, currently in second place on the Order of Merit, has started his 2026 campaign in fine form after a T2 in the International Series Japan after a final round 62, and a runner-up at the season opening Philippine Golf Championship. He also has an early season T2 on the All Thailand Tour after a playoff loss to compatriot Danthai Boonma.
• Former amateur standout Josele Ballester from Spain won his maiden Asian Tour and professional title at the PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers late last year in Riyadh. Playing for the Fireballs GC on the LIV Golf League he posted a T6 at the recent LIV Singapore, also played at Sentosa’s Serapong course, last month. His good form continued last week at LIV Mexico City where he finished third, behind only the winner Jon Rahm and his team mate and countryman David Puig of Fireballs GC. He is the second highest ranked player on the OWGR at number 146. During his successful amateur career he won the 2020 Spanish Amateur, 2023 European Amateur and 2024 U.S. Amateur. He was also a team-mate of Singaporean James Leow at the University of Arizona. Leow is also playing this week.
• American Austen Truslow has been in good form since the beginning of the season, recording a T4 in the International Series Japan and a T9 at the Philippine Golf Championship. He also claimed the The Quinovic New Zealand PGA Championship on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in February.
• Sadom Kaewkanjana from Thailand is the last player to have won the Singapore Open on Sentosa’s Serapong course. His three-shot victory on 13-under-par (271) earned him a start at the Open Championship at St. Andrews via the OQS, where he finished T11 for the best result by a Thai in this Major.
• Previous winners of the Singapore Open in the field this week: Sadom Kaewkanjana (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Jeev Milkha Singh (2008).
• Major winners who have won the Singapore Open at Sentosa: Sergio Garcia (2018), Adam Scott (2010, 2006, 2005), Angel Cabrera (2007).
• This will be the 15^th time Sentosa Golf Club has hosted the Singapore Open, previously it was the site of 14 consecutive editions of the tournament between 2005 and 2022.
• 12 Singaporeans are competing this week, led by Nicklaus Chiam and James Leow – both winners recently on the Asian Development Tour.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert will start as one of the favourites at this week’s Singapore Open presented by The Business Times after an impressive start to the season.

It is a pleasing position to be in for the Thai star and quite the contrast from when he debuted in the tournament in 2007, here on The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club.

Back then he impressed by making the cut despite his accommodation being far from satisfactory.

It was his first season in the professional game and because he was managing his budget carefully he opted to stay in an $18-a-night hostel in Geylang.

“Wow… I didn’t think anyone would remember that!” said the 38-year-old this week.

“It’s been a long time. I’d just turned pro. Back then, I didn’t have any sponsors, and I had some friends sharing a room, so we decided to room together – probably seven, eight people in one room.”

Pavit Tangkamolprasert on his way to second place in the Philippines at the start of the year.

Despite that he shot rounds of 73, 74, 78 and 74 to finish in a tie for 59^th. The pay cheque of US$13,600 would have felt like a windfall.

Fast forward nearly two decades and Pavit will fancy his chances of finishing 58^th places better this week and securing his third title on the Asian Tour.

He last won in 2019 at the Sabah Masters and has been one of the in-form players this year. He finished second in the season-opening Philippine Golf Championship and tied for second in the International Series Japan two weeks ago. He is currently in second place on both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings.

He said: “Actually, my training hasn’t changed much. I’ve just adjusted the training strategy a little, focusing more on what needs to be improved compared to last year.”

“I feel comfortable and confident with my current form. I think if I can maintain this standard, anything is possible.”

His maiden victory on the Asian Tour was at the Macau Open in 2016, while he is also an eight-time winner on the Asian Development Tour. It’s the most by any player, with his most recent coming in 2024 at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open.

Pavit also tied for second in Japan.

Asked if he thinks another win on the main Tour is on the cards, he said: “I’ll keep trying. I can’t say for sure, but it’s been my fourth time that I finished second place since December. I think I’m very close now.”

With the 5-star Hotel Ora, part of Resorts World Sentosa, the official hotel this week he will certainly not have any accommodation concerns.

Story: Simon Wilson/Asian Tour.

Pictures: Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

The Asian Tour’s evolving partnership with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) will take an important step forward this year when two tournaments are held in consecutive weeks at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, El Jadida, Morocco.

The Am Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026 will initiate what will be an exciting stretch of tournaments in the North African nation and will be played from 28-31 May. It will be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the IGPL.

The following week the US$500,000 Bharath Classic will tee-off from 4-7 June and will be sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the IGPL. Last year during the maiden season of the exciting new Indian franchise the event was played in Ahmedabad, but the event now moves to a new home in Casablanca to optimise player movements.

The International Series Morocco will then conclude an exciting three-week swing at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red Course) from 11-14 June.

Carl Jano Corpus pictured after winning one of the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech events last year.

“This is an exciting development for both the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer our members three successive weeks of playing opportunities in Morocco, where golf continues to make such great progress through the leadership of the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation and Hassan II Golf Trophy Association.

“It is the result of our emerging relationship with the IGPL, whom we know are working hard to help grow the game in India and beyond through new initiatives. We thank IGPL for adding a new event for the ADT as well as the flexibly in rescheduling and relocating the Bharath Classic for us on the Asian Tour.”

The top two players not otherwise exempt who finish in the top 10 at the Am Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026 will earn invites to the Bharath Classic – which was won last year by Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai [main picture].

Said IGPL CEO Uttam Singh Mundy: “The IGPL is proud to confirm the Am Green Bharath Classic and Am Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars tournament will be held this year as part of an exciting swing of events in the North African country. We are very grateful to His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid and Association du Tropheé Hassan ll for helping us achieve our goals to create more opportunities for our golfers and grow the sport in the region.”

The ADT tournament will offer prizemoney of the US$160,000 and builds on the Tour’s maiden visit to Morocco last year for two Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech tournaments, won by Aidric Chan and Carl Jano Corpus from the Philippines.

Today’s announcement follows soon after The International Series and the IGPL unveiled a new collaboration that will see India’s top-ranked players from the League gain access to the Series and the LIV Golf Promotions event.

If you were asked to pick a player who you feel is best equipped to tackle The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club, then you would need look no further than Sadom Kaewkanjana [main picture].

Cool, calm, and composed, he is the keeper of a structurally perfect golf swing – all the essentials needed to take on one of the region’s most-revered courses.

He showed that in 2022 when he coasted to a three-shot victory at the famous venue in the Singapore Open. It was an imperious performance that cemented his place as one of the Asia’s hottest young players.

Next week he returns to scene of that impressive triumph for the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times. It’s the first time the tournament has been back to Sentosa Golf Club since then, and Sadom will start as one of the favourites in a field laden with firepower.

“It’s difficult to get close to the pins – that’s one of the most difficult things about the course,” said the 27-year-old this week as he prepares for the US$2million event, which will be part of The International Series for the second successive season.

“You need to put your ball into position off the tee, but the fairways are narrow, so your game really needs to be on!”

Sadom Kaewkanjana is congratulated by Tom Kim at the Singapore Open in 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/SPORTFIVE.

Fortunately, his game is nearly always on and finding fairways is his forte.

He said: “My form right now is okay. I made some changes on my backswing. I feel a little better but still need some time to get fully used to it. If I can execute this on the course, I think I’d have a pretty good chance, but I don’t want to focus too much on the outcome.”

Since that victory four years ago, Sadom has added one more Asian Tour trophy to his cabinet: last year’s Kolon Korea Open, played on another challenging venue: the Dunes Course at La Vie Est Belle, outside the capital Seoul.

“I think winning in Korea was even harder than Singapore as the course set up was very difficult. I had to remind myself that week to be patient and fully concentrate throughout all the rounds.” he said.

The Thai star has a penchant for National Opens as all three of his Asian Tour wins have been in them. His first came at the Bangladesh Open in 2019, which at the time made him the fastest qualifying school graduate to win on the Tour.

As an amateur star he also claimed the Indian, Malaysian and Philippine Amateur Opens, remarkably all in 2017. It’s no wonder he turned professional the following year.

That relationship with Opens also extends to the biggest of them all. His win in Singapore in 2022 rewarded him with a place in The Open, as the tournament was part of the Open Qualifying Series (OQS) – which will also be the case next week. He seized the opportunity by finishing joint 11^th at St Andrews, for comfortably the best finish by a Thai golfer in the game’s oldest Major.

Sadom made his second appearance in The Open last year. Picture by Getty Images.

Last year’s Korea Open was also part of OQS so he competed in the event for a second time, but despite featuring on the leaderboard early on he failed to progress to the weekend.

When he won at Sentosa in 2022, incredibly, Sadom was bogey free over the weekend. He was the joint third-round leader with American Sihwan Kim and fired a two-under-par 69 on Sunday to finish on 13 under and beat Japan’s Yuto Katsuragawa and Tom Kim from Korea by three strokes.

On a extremely hot day, possibly the conditions that will greet him next week, Sihwan Kim made bogey on the first to give Sadom the outright lead, and from there the Thai star did not look back. Birdies on six and seven saw him move three ahead and he calmly parred his way home and enjoyed the comfort of a three-shot lead playing 18.

He said: “My best memory from 2022 was the last hole on the final day. I remembered being very excited hitting the tee shot.  And of course, the last putt on 18 was definitely the most special memory of that week.”

The victory continued a remarkable run of form as in the final three months of the previous year, he won five times in Thailand on the domestic circuits – including the Thailand Open.

It also allowed him to secure second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit in what was the final event of the 2020-22 season, when the global pandemic had played havoc with the schedule. Tom Kim took top spot to become the youngest winner of the Merit title at the age of 19, while it remains Sadom’s best ever finish on the rankings.

Australian Adam Scott is the only player to have claimed more than one Singapore Open title on the Serapong Course, as he has triumphed there three times – in 2005, 2006 and 2010. He holds the record for the most wins in the tournament.

Sadom will attempt to join him next week and become part of a select group of five players to have raised the prestigious trophy on more than one occasion. The others are Chinese-Taipei’s Lu Chien-soon and Hsieh Yung-yo,  Filipino Ben Arda, and Australian Frank Philips – winner of the inaugural event in 1961 before achieving the double four years later.

Back in 2023 he entered monkhood for a short period to gain merit for his parents and foster calmness. Many young Thai men do this including some of his peers, like Jazz Janewattananond, Prom Meesawat and Poom Saksansin.

He lived in a forest temple, shaved his head, and meditated for a few weeks. That was post winning his first Singapore Open and part of his attempt to become an even better person and player. Singapore will soon find out how far one of their National Open winners has come since then and whether The Serapong will once again prove no obstacle for one of the region’s finest golfers.

Story by Simon Wilson/Asian Tour.

Travis Smyth’s red-hot form has earned him a swift return to the LIV Golf stage, with the Australian teeing it up as a Wild Card at this week’s event in Mexico City, just two weeks after his breakthrough victory at the International Series Japan.

The 31-year-old Australian will make his return at Club de Golf Chapultepec today, stepping into the field following Scott Vincent’s move into the HyFlyers GC starting lineup. Vincent, who also earned his place through The International Series Rankings, replaces Phil Mickelson this week, further highlighting the strength of players emerging through the pathway.

For Smyth, the opportunity is a direct reflection of both form and momentum.

“Winning the first event of The International Series season has definitely put me in a strong position, and I think that’s a big reason why I’m here this week,” he said. “So yes, the pathway is working in my favour. I’ve been playing well and it’s great to see that translate into opportunities like this. I’m really excited to keep that momentum going on such a big stage.”

It’ll be Smyth’s first LIV Golf start since the last weekend in July of 2022 when he finished solo 22nd at LIV Golf Bedminster.

Travis Smyth after winning the International Series Japan. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Asked how his game has changed in the ensuing four years, Smyth replied Wednesday: “Totally different. I used to do some funky stuff with my swing; I was working with a pretty out-there golf coach at the time. My body was really average, and I had some lower back issues at the time. I was pretty much a mess back then.

“I’m a much better player now. Super-pumped to see how I stack up against these guys now since I’m in some good form.”

That form has been undeniable. Smyth arrives in Mexico off the back of two wins in his last three starts, including International Series Japan and the Japan–Australasia Championship.

He currently leads both The International Series Rankings and the Asian Tour Order of Merit, having also secured the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit earlier this season.

Now ranked a career-high 135th in the world, Smyth has already locked in starts at both the PGA Championship and The Open later this year, further evidence of a player hitting his stride.

“I’ve felt like I’ve hit it better or played better through stretches before this,” Smyth said. “But my ability to score and put myself in contention – mentally I feel like I’ve come up to another level, and it’s allowed me to play a bit better. I’m scoring well and hitting the shots when I need to to stay in contention and also win.”

Smyth will travel to Singapore next week for the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times, part of The International Series, as he seeks to maintain his spot atop the rankings. The International Series champion at the end of the season will earn a spot in the 2027 LIV Golf League, one of the reasons he’s prioritizing his schedule around those tournaments.

It was a scramble, however, to get to Mexico City. After receiving notification Sunday morning in Australia that he had a spot in this week’s field, he had to apply for a visa while dealing with some passport issues after his appearance in Japan. He’s also in the middle of moving to a new house in Australia. He arrived Tuesday ready to check out the high-elevation course.

“Everything’s felt a bit of a rush,” he said, “but I had a good night’s sleep and today feels nice. Really excited to be part of this again.”

LIV Golf star Lucas Herbert will have the opportunity to revisit the scene of one of his early successes after confirming he will participate in next week’s Singapore Open presented by The Business Times.

The Australian will be one of the headline acts that includes fellow LIV Golf players Josele Ballester and Luis Masaveu from Spain, Americans Peter Uihlein, Caleb Surratt, and Michael La Sasso, plus New Zealand’s Danny Lee.

Filipino Miguel Tabuena and Bjorn Hellgren from Sweden, Asian Tour regulars both playing on the League as ‘Wild Cards’, will also compete in the US$2million event which will be played on The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club, 23-26 April.

Herbert, who plays for the all-Australian Ripper GC team on the League, has played in Singapore’s National Open once before, back in 2018 when he tied for eighth.

Josele Ballester. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.

It was a strong performance early in his career that came with the added bonus of qualifying for his first Open Championship – as like this year the Singapore Open was part of the Open Qualifying Series. He went on to make the cut at Carnoustie Golf Links, in what was only his second appearance in a Major.

The 30-year-old has already qualified for this year’s Open by virtue of finishing second in the New Zealand Open in February but will no doubt be focused on following up his victory at last year’s International Series Japan in Singapore. His win in Japan was his first success on the Asian Tour, and The International Series.

He will face one of the strongest fields of the year on the Asian Tour next week. His compatriot Travis Smyth, who claimed the International Series Japan at the start of the month to take the lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) and The International Series Rankings, is back in action as well as reigning Merit champion Kazuki Higa from Japan.

Former OOM winners John Catlin, Andy Ogletree, and Sihwan Kim from the United States have also entered as well as Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond. Jazz won the 2019 Singapore Open enroute to finishing the year as the number one ranked player

Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana who triumphed at the Singapore Open in 2022 when it was last played at Sentosa Golf Club will also tee-off next week.

Travis Smyth. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Nine other winners from last year on the Asian Tour will add further depth to what will be the 57th staging of the tournament: Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai, Rattanon Wannasrichan, Poosit Supupramai and Ekpharit Wu, Dominic Foos from Germany, Australian Wade Ormsby, Korea’s Doyeob Mun, American Ollie Schniederjans, and Julien Sale from France.

Hong Kong number one Taichi Kho and Korean Jeunghun Wang, who lost in a play-off last year, will also compete along with twelve Singaporeans led by Nicklaus Chiam and James Leow – both winners on the Asian Development Tour recently – reinforcing The International Series’ commitment to provide opportunities for local talent to compete at the highest level.

The leading two players not otherwise exempt will secure places in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale in July.

The Singapore Open presented by The Business Times is the fourth leg on this year’s Asian Tour and the second stop on The International Series – the upper-tier level of events on the Tour the provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League via The International Series Rankings.