Chapchai rekindles old magic,14-year-old Hsieh sets world record
Four-time Asian Tour winner Chapchai Nirat proudly announced “my game is back” after firing one of his best tournament rounds for a considerable period, an eight-under-par 64, to take a two-shot lead halfway through the Yeangder TPC today, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
The former Golden Boy of Thai golf has been notable by absence for many seasons – the last of his victories on the Asian Tour came in 2014 – but glimpses of his old self were on display today when he made nine birdies before dropping his only shot on the penultimate hole.
Defending champion Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po (68), Indian Ajeetesh Sandhu (68), the winner here in 2017, Settee Prakongvech from Thailand (66), and Berry Henson from the United States (67) sit in second place.
But it was Chinese-Taipei teenage amateur Hsieh Cheng-wei who grabbed much of the attention after adding a 74 to his opening 69 to reach one under and become the youngest male player to make the cut on one of the game’s main Tours.
At 14 years and 33 days old he beat the previous record set by China’s Guan Tian-lang, set at the 2013 Masters, when he was 14 years and 169 days.
Chapchai Nirat. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond had held the Asian Tour record having made it through to the weekend at the Asian Tour International in 2010, when he was 14 years and 71 days.
Said 39-year-old Chapchai: “I have been working with my coach for the last five months. I was teaching my juniors for a while but then I came back and worked hard for five months or six months, and on my fitness too.
“Today my putting was really good, but my tee shots were a bit left and right in today’s strong wind. The greens are also better this year. Yes, my game is back!”
In his heyday Chapchai shot 32 under par over 72 holes to claim the 2009 SAIL Open in India – setting a new Asian Tour record for the best 72-hole score – and he is looking to get back on track shooting low scores regularly again.
“I’m starting to have some confidence back from the past three events, I’m starting to play a bit better,” he said.
“Now I can see shooting minus seven or minus eight in a day, so I feel a lot more confident with my new game with this coach now. For the next year I’m planning to be in top 10 again in a lot of tournaments, and I’m planning to come back and win again.”
Hsieh Cheng-wei. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
While Hsieh has some way to go before reaching that level, he made a phenomenal start to his career today by setting a new world mark in the men’s game.
A birdie on the opening hole was the perfect start to his ambitious plan to play all four rounds but he kept people guessing with bogeys on eight and then finished nervously with dropped shots on 16 and 17. Having played in the morning session he had a long wait to see if one under would be good enough, which to the delight of everyone it was as the cut was made at even par.
“My calculations weren’t accurate today,” said Hsieh, who started playing golf at the age of four and has the benefit of Linkou being his home course.
“I didn’t putt well. Didn’t hit it good off the tee especially on the back nine. It’s not that tough out there. I just didn’t play my best game. I got nervous towards the end because I wasn’t playing well. I didn’t have much expectation though. I just try to play my best.
“I started preparing for this tournament after I found out I could play when I won the Yeangder amateur event in June. I have been practising here a lot.”
His compatriot Lee won last year when the event was played just as an event on the local tour due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. A close friend of Chan Shih-chang, who shot 71 and is four off the lead, and godfather to Chan’s son, he feels he knows what it will take to win at the weekend.
He said: “I played better on the front nine because there wasn’t too much wind. But then it came on my back nine. It comes and goes. Wasn’t easy to determine the wind direction out there so distance control was the key challenge. I played decent, stuck to my game plan but didn’t hit it close, hence wasn’t able to make more birdies.
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The greens were rolling better in the morning, compared to yesterday afternoon so that helped. I know no one has successfully defended their title at the Yeangder TPC. I am hoping to be the first but know I need to put together two more solid rounds as that was how I won last year.”
Settee Prakongvech from Thailand and Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, the defending champion, fired rounds of six-under-par 66 and 68 respectively to take the clubhouse lead at the mid-way point in round two of the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC at Linkou International Golf and Country Club today.
They moved to nine under par, two ahead of Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan (69), Travis Smyth from Australia (69) and Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang (71).
Settee has been playing the golf of his life this year, claiming the Blue Canyon Open on the Asian Development Tour and winning twice on the All Thailand Golf Tour, and has carried that form through to this week.
“Good to get off to a good start,” he said, who played a pure round of six birdies and no dropped shots.
“I was disappointed with the way I finished yesterday but I’m happy I redeemed myself today. Nothing really stood out. I played well from tee to green, was good off the tee today and putted well.
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Got lucky on 10th, I chipped it too hard but lucky it hit the flag stick and the ball stopped close at the hole. Made another birdie there. It’s much calmer out there, not much wind compared to yesterday afternoon. I’ve been feeling confident with my game. I’m hitting the ball further than I used to and my putting is better as well.
Lee won last year when the tournament was played just as an event on the local tour due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. A close friend of Chan, and godfather to Chan’s son, he feels he knows what it will take to win at the weekend.
He said: “I played better on the front nine because there wasn’t too much wind. But then it came on my back nine. It comes and goes. Wasn’t easy to determine the wind direction out there so distance control was the key challenge. I played decent, stuck to my game plan but didn’t hit it close, hence wasn’t able to make more birdies.
“The greens were rolling better in the morning, compared to yesterday afternoon so that helped. I know no one has successfully defended their title at the Yeangder TPC. I am hoping to be the first but know I need to put together two more solid rounds as that was how I won last year.”
Chinese-Taipei teenager Hsieh Cheng-wei added a 74 to his first day 69 and is one under. The 14 year old has an anxious wait to see if he makes the cut and become the youngest player ever to make it through to the weekend on the Asian Tour.
India’s Shiv Kapur grabbed the lead in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC today by carding a brilliant eight-under-par 64 on day one – in an event the marks the first time the Asian Tour has visited Chinese-Taipei in three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four-time Asian Tour winner overpowered the course with an eagle, eight birdies and just two bogeys at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
Chinese-Taipei’s irrepressible star Chan Shih-chang and Malaysian Ben Leong came in with 66s, with India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Prom Messawat from Thailand, both former winners of this event, firing 67s, along with Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, a two-time champion this season, Chinese-Taipei’s Lu Sun-yi, an amateur, Lee Chieh-po and Lin Keng-wei, and Miguel Carballo from Argentina.
“I putted really well, I have a local caddie out there, whose name is Su [Su Ching-hong, a National team player], who was arranged for me by James Chan [Chan Shih-chang] and the Tour and he is reading the greens really well, so I am just trusting him,” said Kapur, who won the Yeangder Heritage here on the Asian Tour in Chinese-Taipei in 2017.
“I have always struggled around the greens here after all these years, but I am holing putts and he was a big help today.”
His round started on 10 but his game really got going on his second nine when he eagled the first before making birdie on the next four.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He added: “Season so far has been a bit lack lustre, struggled with injuries in the middle of the season. My game has been close, but it has been very frustrating. I have been making a lot of cuts but not been playing well at the weekend. I feel like I was close, and I was looking for a low round and I could not have asked for a better start.”
The Indian star suffered a foot injury and was out of action for five weeks in the middle of the season but luckily did not miss too many events because it was in the summer.
“I tried to make compensations and so I lost my swing a little bit. I feel like it is coming back for the business end of season, two good weeks here will set me up rest of the year,” he said.
Chan is the leading player from his country on the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 21st place and has been in resplendent form since the Asian Tour restarted at the end of last year, winning the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship, which was the Tour’s first event back. He also won the Royal’s Cup this season in Thailand for his fourth Tour win.
He said: “I felt comfortable out there, my caddy Chen Ming-hsin [a local professional whose home course is Linkou] and I worked well together today. He read the greens well and that helped me a lot. I haven’t been able to get my chipping feeling right over the last few days so wasn’t able to get it close but still managed to sink a few putts.”
A first Asian Tour victory on home soil is high on his list of priorities and that goal began well today with a round made up of seven birdies and one dropped shot, where he was also helped in a big way by his experienced caddie.
Ben Leong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I was just aiming to shoot six or seven under today,” he said.
“The greens are slower in the afternoon and it was pretty windy when I started. It got calmer when I got to the last three holes. The greens are softer than before. I knew I needed to putt well here. That’s why I called Chen to help. He’s really familiar with the greens here. I took his advice on a few holes today and they worked out well.”
Two weeks ago, Leong was in contention at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Japan after a third-round 65 but disappointingly fell back on the last day with a score that was 10 shots worse.
“Had a bad final round in Japan, but it’s a new day, a new week, definitely trying to look at the positives,” said Leong, who has a proven-track record playing here as he tied for sixth in 2010 and 2018.
He recorded seven birdies and one bogey today.
“My misses where good, if you miss shots but they are still on the fairway then that helps. I was really solid to be honest and made my fair share of putts.”
Sandhu won here in 2017 and despite a solid start he felt there is still plenty to work on.
“I eagled the first but then cooled down after that. I didn’t play my best today, but I scored ok. Everything thing was average,” he said.
“Conditions were quite easy, there was no wind, and the greens have improved. It was quite scorable out there. I’ll just need to play better tomorrow.
While the Tour’s big-name players jostled for position, much of the attention also focused on Chinese-Taipei’s Hsieh Cheng-wei. The 14-year-old amateur, whose home course is this week’s venue, returned an impressive 69, which included birdies on first three holes. It beat his best score around the course by a shot.
Hsieh Cheng-wei. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
That score upstaged Asia’s most celebrated amateur Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat – who was making his first start on the Asian Tour since June and came in with a 72.
Back in April Thailand’s teenage golf sensation, who is now 15 years old, claimed the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup – becoming the youngest male player to win on one of the game’s major Tours.
The pair played a practice round together earlier in the week, a game that offered an exciting look into the future of Asian golf.
Ajeetesh Sandhu is probably more excited than most players that the Asian Tour is back in Chinese-Taipei following an absence of three years, because of the global pandemic.
That is because in 2017 he won the Yeangder TPC, which tees-off tomorrow at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, and in 2019 he finished joint second in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, an event which begins next week; so, the Indian is something of a Taipei specialist.
“I think it is just the layouts,” said Sandhu.
“It’s both of the courses, off the tee, and the small greens. It’s usually quite windy, so you kind of have to control the ball a little bit better. I also think it’s tough to putt for everyone. So, you know, it kind of places a premium on the ball striking a little bit more.”
He won the Yeangder TPC with a winning score of 12 under, by a shot from American Johannes Veerman, while he lost the Mercuries event by the same margin.
He adds: “The greens in Taiwan tend to be very tricky. Yeah, I think that’s what it is. I don’t think a lot of people are making putts, so I think it kind of places a little bit of a premium on where you’re headed, and how many greens you can hit and how consistent you can be.
Ateejesh Sandhu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It feels really good to come back. I think every time you come back to a course you have won on, like the memories just kind of keep flooding back and the shots that you hit. I played 18 yesterday, I was just kind of reminiscing the final round. So, it’s very nice.”
Sandhu is also hungry for another victory as his success in this week’s event five years ago, remains his sole victory on Tour although he has finished second on five occasions, including at The DGC Open presented by Mastercard on home soil in March, where he lost in a play-off against Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong.
He adds: “[Game] is pretty good actually, I’ve had a very consistent year. I had one chance to win at Delhi Golf Club [at The DGC Open] and I should have done that. I haven’t really kind of contended beyond that, but it’s been very consistent. I think it’s just a matter of time when the putts fall in and you know, you hit it good a certain week and the putts fall in, and that’s what it is.
“Definitely, I think a win is definitely overdue. I’ve had a lot of second place finishes since then. So, I think it’s time to get over the line.”
In that The DGC Open, the Indian looked set for a memorable victory after making birdie on 13 and 14 and was two ahead with two to go but to the shock of the strong local support he pushed his tee shot right on the par-three 17th, lost his ball, and ended up making a double bogey which allowed Nitithorn to draw level, before the Thai golfer prevailed on the first play off hole.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, one of the players of the year so far on the Asian Tour, will attempt to join an elite group of golfers who have won three Asian Tour titles in a single season this week when he competes in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
Having banked The DGC Open presented Mastercard in New Delhi in March for a much-celebrated first victory on Tour and the International Series Singapore in August the 25 year old has been a revelation and his growing fan base is excited to see what will happen next.
His breakthrough season has also seen him move into third place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and fourth on the International Series Order of Merit, and with a wealth of tournaments remaining there is no doubt that finishing 2022 number one is a real possibility.
However, any realisation of that is being tempered by a cautious approach.
Said the Thai: “I think for me, I’m thinking about catching up on the Order of Merit, it’s in my plans too, but I don’t want to think about it that much. I think it motivates me a lot, but I don’t want to think about it that much during the tournament rounds, because I think if I think about that a lot, it’s gonna ruin my game if you know what I mean?
“So, this week, I just try to focus on my game as much as I can. I never thought about it until I’m in this position right now.”
Only seven players have won three titles in a single season since the Asian Tour was launched in 2004, and many of them are household names: Miguel Angel Jimenez (2004), Tetsuji Hiratsuka (2010), Lee Westwood (2011), Thaworn Wiratchant (2012), Scott Hend (2013), Shiv Kapur (2017), and John Catlin (2018).
Nitithorn Thippong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
And just two players have triumphed four times: Thailand’s Thaworn (2005) and his countryman Jazz Janewattananond (2019).
American Sihwan Kim is the only other player to have enjoyed victory twice this year, having won the International Series Thailand, and Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge, also in Thailand.
This week is a landmark moment for the Asian Tour as it is returning to Chinese-Taipei for the first time in three years following the global pandemic.
Competitors from overseas had to quarantine for three days upon arrival, while this week’s event will adhere to bubble protocols with players required to stay within the limits of the hotel and golf club.
“Three days Quarantine is okay,” said Nitithorn.
“Did nothing, just watching Netflix and play games and practice a little bit. But I don’t know, right now it’s still like a quarantine because we cannot go out anywhere right, just golf course and hotel. I saw the 7-Eleven in front of the hotel, it’s like you can go, but you cannot go you know what I mean? It’s boring a little bit but it’s okay. Just come out, play golf and then go back.”
Nitithorn, nicknamed ‘Fever’, first rose to prominence in 2018, when he claimed the PGM Penang Championship on the Asian Development Tour – where he has mainly played since turning professional in 2015, until a never to be forgotten 2022.
His compatriot Tirawat Kaewsiribandit is also competing this week. He narrowly missed out on a surprise victory in the Shinhan Donghae Open in Japan two weeks ago: he led at the halfway mark and after round three but despite recording an Albatross on the third hole during the final round he eventually finished in a tie for second place.
“I think the week in Japan is passed already, now I’m focused on this tournament to improve my ranking this year,” said Tirawat.
“Now my ranking is better and I’m more relaxed and more confident because I played well in Japan.
“Before coming here, I just relaxed and go to physio, because from Japan to Thailand it’s a long fight. I practised with my coach a little bit to check up on my swing again.”
Tirawat Kaewsiribandit. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Both Nitithorn and Tirawat will attempt to emulate Prom Meesawat and Thaworn by joining them as the only players from The Kingdom to win the Yeangder TPC.
Prom, who is also competing this week, lifted the trophy in 2014, while Thaworn was victorious in 2010 and 2013 – the two wins contributing to his record haul of 18 Asian Tour titles.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang says he has some significant goals to achieve at the Yeangder TPC – which starts Thursday at Linkou International Golf and Country Club – and next week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, but there is also one thing on his mind more than anything else and that is the fact the Asian Tour is finally back in his country after almost exactly three years!
The global pandemic put paid to any chance of the Tour visiting the country since its last stop here for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in October of 2019 – when Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai secured his maiden Tour title.
“We have waited a long time for this due to the pandemic,” said Chan.
“I’m glad it’s finally happening. I’m very excited to play this week. I hope I’m ready to bring my best game. As you know, traveling isn’t as convenient as before so I’m really cherishing the opportunities to play on home soil. The game’s feeling good. I won a charity event last week so feeling confident and positive coming into this week.”
Indeed, the 36 year old’s game has been feeling good since the Tour’s restart after a 20-month COVID-19 enforced break at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship in November last year. He won that event, for his first success on Tour in six years, by a shot from two of the region’s fast rising stars Joohyung Kim from Korea and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He clearly enjoyed that taste of victory in the Land of Smiles so much that he won again there in February at the Royal’s Cup, played in Kanchanaburi, where Sadom again finished second, along with American Sihwan Kim.
Chan is currently the leading player from his country on the Tour’s Order of Merit list in 21st position and the International Series Order of Merit, where he is placed 31st.
One of his goals over the next two weeks is to take advantage of playing on home soil and make up ground on both those lists, while another is to add one very important item that is missing from his portfolio and that is a victory on the Asian Tour in Chinese-Taipei.
Three of his four victories have come in Thailand, as he also triumphed in the King’s Cup there in 2016; while two months after that he won the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup Golf in Japan.
Said Chan: “I hope to make the most from these two weeks and boost my ranking on the Order of Merit. That’s been my main goal this season, especially after winning the Royal’s Cup and finishing top-five in Singapore last month. It will be great if I can win at home. It’s always been my goal as well. If I can do that, it will be meaningful for me.”
He has come close to winning at home before, including in the Yeangder TPC in 2019 when he was third; while his record on the Asian Development Tour, where three of his six wins have been in Chinese-Taipei, suggests a win at home is long overdue.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I have been consistent this year which is good,” added Chan.
“I hope I can continue to stay consistent till the end of the year. But, of course, I will try my best to win these two weeks. I have had some good finishes here at Linkou International. My focus will be on the greens this week, it will come down to putting, that will be the key to success. I will also put more focus on wind direction as well, just try and double check out that as it will play a part as well.”
He has also engaged the services of a friend to caddie for him this week, which spells trouble for the rest of the field as the friend is also a professional, while his home course is Linkou International.
“He knows this course well, especially the greens. Hopefully, we will spark some fireworks this week,” said Chan.
The Yeangder TPC was last played on the Asian Tour in September 2019, when Yikeun Chang, also playing this week, became the first Korean to claim the title.
Chang is one of four former Yeangder TPC winners in the starting line-up at the event which is boasting a 40 per cent rise in purse to US$700,000.
It wasn’t staged in 2020, while last year it was played solely as a domestic event.
Last year’s winner Lee Chieh-po, from Chinese-Taipei, is another delighted to see the event back on the Asian Tour schedule.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It’s been a long time since we last played an Asian Tour event at home,” he said.
“I am really looking forward to it. I’m not thinking much about defending my title though, I just want to play my best and see what happens. It surely feels good to come back and play on a course where you’ve won before. I have had great memories from last year.
“I remembered playing solid for all four rounds to win and I had a good season on the local Tour overall last year as well. The course is in a better condition now compared to last year so I believe it will play tougher. It’s going to be a good competition this week.”
Cameron Smith, solid from the tee and spectacular around the greens, won the LIV Golf Invitational Chicago on Sunday, remarkably in only his second start with the LIV Golf Series. Report by Joy Chakravarty, in Chicago.
At Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove near Chicago, the 29-year-old Australian fired a three-under-par 69 with birdies on his last two holes to finish on 13-under par 203 in the 54-hole tournament. He eventually won by three shots over the American duo of Peter Uihlein (69) and Boston champion Dustin Johnson (70), who were tied second at 10-under par.
On Chile’s Independence Day, Joaquin Niemann continued his remarkable form, a 68 elevating him to tied fourth place alongside Spain’s Sergio Garcia (67).
In the Team Championship, it was the familiar sight of the Johnson-led 4Aces claiming their fourth successive title, edging Brooks Koepka’s Smash side. 4Aces finished on 24 under par, while Brooks’ younger brother Chase (67) was the star as he helped his side get to 23 under.
Phil Mickelson’s putter finally became hot, and he made six birdies in his last eight holes to propel his Team Hy Flyers to a joint third place alongside Smith’s all-Aussie Punch. Both teams finished on 17-under par total.
Cameron Smith (picture by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images).
Among the Asian Tour players, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent (70) was best-placed in tied 12th place at five under par. India’s Anirban Lahiri recovered from a stinging double-bogey start to card a 71 and finish on tied 21st place.
Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai shot his third successive round of 72 to tie for the 31st place at even-par, while his compatriot Sadom Kaewkanjana (74) and Aussie Wade Ormsby (72) were in tied 37th place. American Sihwan Kim (74) was tied 43rd at six over.
Smith started the day two ahead of Johnson, and even though the 150th Open champion struggled for the first few holes, he managed to stay ahead of his playing partners Johnson and Uihlein, who also were having trouble getting birdies.
The Brisbane golfer – who ranked number three in the world was the highest ranked player in the field – got things going with a fantastic birdie putt from 20 feet on the seventh, which was required after Johnson poured in his birdie putt from the fringe 15 feet away.
However, the expected battle between the two superstars fizzled out with back-to-back bogeys for Johnson on the eighth and ninth holes. And even though he made three birdies on the back nine, it was never going to be enough to catch Smith, who made seven birdies on the day.
Scott Vincent (picture by Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf via Getty Images).
“It was quite frustrating at the start of the day. My warmup wasn’t fantastic. I didn’t feel like I was striking the ball as well as I had the first couple of days,” said Smith.
“I just kind of stuck in there. There was a couple of really poor shots off the tee that led to a couple of really soft bogeys on quite easy holes, especially in the beginning when you want to get off to a pretty hot start.
“I think after that putt went in on the seventh and then on eighth, I started to feel a little bit better about myself and kind of got the round going again.”
Smith, who played a full season as an Asian Tour member in his formative years in the professional game, said he was looking forward to traveling to Bangkok in a couple of weeks.
“I think it’s fantastic. That’s one of the reasons why I came over here…to play golf around the world,” he added.
“I think my time when I was a young professional over in Asia are some of the best times of my life. Traveling with good friends and playing really good tournaments was something I’ll never forget.”
Anirban Lahiri (picture by Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf via Getty Images).
Vincent’s finish was his best on LIV Golf, bettering his tied 20th effort in the inaugural event in London.
“I am really proud of the way I played this week. I managed to keep the mistakes to a minimum, and I was quite solid on a very difficult golf course,” said the 30-year-old from Harare.
“It was such a fun week. I played with two legends of the game, and there was so much to learn from them. I have always admired Sergio (Garcia) growing up, and Henrik (Stenson) has been one of my recent favourites. To get a chance to play with those two was amazing.
“Hopefully, I can take my form to Bangkok, which is one of my favourite places in the world. The Asian Tour boys are going to have a bit of an advantage there with the condition and weather.”
Lahiri had a terrible start to the day when he three putted from four feet for a double bogey on the par-three fifth hole – his first.
“You really don’t want to have a start like that. I was playing catch-up after that. This whole week I haven’t really hit my irons well, so I am looking forward to seeing my coach (Vijay Divecha) in Bangkok and work on it,” said Lahiri, who is shifting his residence to Dubai in the next couple of months as he plans to play more events on the Asian Tour.
The LIV Golf Invitational Series will now move to Asia for the next two legs. The sixth leg will be held in Bangkok from October 7-9, before players compete in Jeddah from Oct 14-16.
On a day when the conditions were so tough that former world number one and overnight leader Dustin Johnson from the United States failed to break par for the first time in 14 rounds in his LIV Golf career, Australia’s Cameron Smith took advantage, banked on his trusted short game and opened a two-shot lead on top of the leaderboard at the LIV Golf Invitational Series Chicago, reports Joy Chakravarty, from Chicago.
At the end of the second round at Rich Harvest Farms, the reigning Open champion added a four-under -par 68 to his first-round 66 and moved to 10-under par 134. Johnson could only manage a 73 after his brilliant 63 on Friday, and slipped to second place at 136.
American Peter Uihlein shot the best round of the day – a 66 – and jumped up to solo third place. LIV Golf Invitational London champion Charl Schwartzel from South Africa (69) and England’s Laurie Canter (68) moved to tied fourth place at six-under par 138.
In the Team Championship, the top three are separated by just one shot, although the all-American 4Aces side continued to lead at 15-under par as they look for a fourth straight title on Sunday. The round also marked the first time that Johnson’s score did not count toward the team scores.
Smith’s all-Australian Punch team, which includes three-time Asian Tour winner Wade Ormsby, were second at 14-under, while Uihlein and compatriot Jason Kokrak (68) combined for a 10 under par contribution for the Smash team that took them to third place at 13-under par.
Dustin Johnson (picture by Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf via Getty Images).
Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent (71) was the best placed among the Asian Tour players, tied for 13th position at three-under par, while India’s Anirban Lahiri (71) – the Asian Tour’s top ranked player in 2015 who tied second in his LIV Golf debut in Boston – was joint 21st at one-under par.
Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai added a second straight 72 in the tournament and was tied 28th, while a double bogey on his closing hole (the 17th) saw his compatriot Sadon Kaewkanjana (76) slip to joint 36th place at two-over. American Sihwan Kim (76) was tied 43rd.
The day belonged to the highest-ranked player in the field, world number three Smith. He started the day three shots behind Johnson, and with the wind picking up, he had to fall back on his short game from the very beginning.
He kept battling with the turning point coming towards the end of the round, starting from back-to-back brilliant par saves on the 15th hole, where he made a 20-footer for par, and the tricky par-three 16th hole, where Johnson made a bogey to lose solo possession of the lead for the first time. With the wind dying down towards the end of the round, Smith closed with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th, and Johnson could only manage pars.
Smith insisted that nothing had changed in his approach to golf.
“I am just keeping everything the same, to be honest. Still doing the work at home and trying to come out here and win golf tournaments. My mentality hasn’t changed one bit. I think that’s why I’ve played so well the last couple weeks,” said Smith, who has made just one bogey in the 36 holes so far.
“We kind of had a bit of a gusty, windy start and then it laid off a little bit and got up a little bit towards the end. It was quite tricky through the middle at guessing clubs, and that’s where I made my bogey.”
Vincent, who is leading the Asian Tour’s International Series Order of Merit, has been playing consistent golf, but in his previous four LIV Golf starts, has not managed to translate it into a top-20 finish. It could all change on Sunday.
After a solid round that saw him battle the conditions and make two birdies and a bogey, Vincent said: “It was a very solid round given the conditions. It was very windy early in the round and the course was playing very tough today. Club selection was difficult and I just tried to stay in the present and not get too far ahead of myself. I thought I did a pretty good job of that.
“I don’t get too bothered by the results, so we will see what happens tomorrow. I am going to go out and pretty much do the same things again. If that gives me a top-five or a top-10 finish, then that is great. Otherwise, we will try again.”
Lahiri said he felt much better on the golf course, compared to the first round where he suffered from the after-effects of the flu.
Scott Vincent (picture by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images).
“The energy was much better and I played much better. But I am a little frustrated right now because I still made a number of silly mistakes. I could have saved at least three or four shots today, which, on a day like this, could have been crucial,” said Lahiri, who made four birdies.
“As things stand, I am too far behind Cam and he is playing excellent golf. But if I can get off to a good start, I can definitely aim for a top-five finish.”
The tournament offers US$20 million for the individual competition and the top-three teams share US$5 million in the team championship.
Dustin Johnson was unstoppable in the LIV Golf Invitational Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms as he opened with a bogey-free nine-under-par 63 to pull himself far away from the field, reports Joy Chakravarty, from Chicago.
It took the full might and the short-game genius of the reigning Open champion Cameron Smith to ensure Johnson’s lead was only three shots. The Australian was also bogey-free and made three birdies on either nines to finish with a 66.
American Matthew Wolff, who started from the second tee, eagled the par-five 18th, his penultimate hole, to move into third place with a 67, one ahead of Bedminster champion Henrik Stenson, Matt Jones, Lee Westwood and Charles Howell III.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana and Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent were the best-placed among the Asian Tour players, tied 11th after returning 70s.
India’s Anirban Lahiri fought off the lingering after-effects of a bout of flu and made three birdies in his last four holes to put him in a good mood for the second round after carding 72. He was tied for the 28th place alongside Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmei, Australian Wade Ormsby and American Sihwan Kim.
Dustin Johnson (picture by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images ).
In the Team Championship, Johnson’s round gave the advantage to his team 4Aces as they once again claimed the lead at 11 under. That lead was trimmed by the fact that American Talor Gooch made closing bogeys in his round of 70. The all-Australian Team Punch, led by Smith’s 66 and bolstered by Jones’ 68, were at 10 under.
As his playing partner Lahiri said after the round, American Johnson “made it look like he was playing the course in a video game”. The only hole the 2020 Masters champion looked in any discomfort was the par-five 18th, where he had to fight for a birdie before settling for a par. Otherwise, in almost every other hole during the round, he was staring at birdie putts.
Having made a difficult course look easy, Johnson said: “I played really nicely, hit the ball really well. Hit it close to the hole a lot of times, all day long, so obviously put together a nice score.”
Johnson has finished in the top-10 in each of his previous four LIV events and when asked if this was one of the best stretches of golf he has played in some time, the two-time Major champion said: “Yeah, the game is in really good form. It’s been solid day-in and day-out, so seeing a lot of the same shots and being very consistent. That’s always what I’m looking for, just consistency in the flights and in what I’m trying to do. Obviously, right now, it’s going pretty well.”
Sadom, who missed a chance to possibly finish inside the top-five in Boston after an unfortunate double bogey against the run of play, made another bright start and was solid in his round of four birdies and two bogeys.
“I have been playing well, so I was looking forward to this tournament after Boston. As I said there, the key was going to be a good opening round, and I am glad I have managed to be in the red numbers,” said Sadom, winner of the SMBC Singapore Open this year.
“This is a difficult golf course. So, I have to make sure that I keep my focus throughout the next 36 holes and give myself and my team a better chance.”
Lahiri, the 2015 Asian Tour number one who turned heads with his gutsy debut in Boston where he finished tied second, caught flu on his way to Chicago and said he was still feeling the effects of anti-histamines he took on Wednesday.
“I just wasn’t mentally sharp, and hence I could not think clearly on the golf course. I was dull and I did not even have a good warm-up at the range. On the third, I hit it about 30 yards right of the target with a six iron and I was wondering what was going on. It was a struggle throughout the day,” said the 35-year-old, who was two over after the first four holes.
“I did manage to pull it back to even-par, and hit a couple of really good wedge shots coming in. But it did not help that while I was struggling, one of the best players in the world was literally playing ridiculous, lights-out golf next to me and making it all look so easy. He shot nine under, and it could have easily been 12-13-under par round.
Cameron Smith (picture by Alex Goodlett/LIV Golf via Getty Images).
“So, hope this congestion is behind me by tomorrow and I can do my normal stuff like find a few fairways and make a few birdies and close the gap a bit.”
With all Asian Tour players inside the top-30 on the opening day, it was the best round collectively for the Tour, in the four LIV Golf tournaments held so far.
Yikeun Chang is hoping a return to the scene of his sole Asian Tour triumph will provide the spark to reignite his career, writes Spencer Robinson, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
It was in 2019 that Chang wrote his name into the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) record books when he became the first Korean to lift the title.
As well as propelling him into the top-200 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), that success helped Chang to finish ninth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit standings.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Since then, it’s proved to be tough going for Chang, who has struggled to recapture the form that secured him that victory at Linkou International Golf and Country Club.
Entering the 2022 edition of the Yeangder TPC, which starts next Thursday, Chang has plummeted to 892nd in the OWGR. On the Asian Tour Merit list he’s currently languishing in 92nd spot having made the cut in just five of the 10 events in which he’s competed this campaign, with a best of 20th at the Trust Asian Mixed Stableford.
Particularly frustrating for Chang is that among the inconsistency there were bright spots last year with top-20 finishes in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and a joint sixth in the Tenerife Open, all on the DP World Tour.
Chang is one of four former Yeangder TPC winners in the starting line-up at the event which is boasting a 40 per cent rise in purse to US$700,000.
Prom Meesawat. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Like the 28-year-old Korean, Lu Wei-chih (2011), Thai Prom Meesawat (2014) and Indian Ajeetesh Sandhu (2017) will all be seeking to draw on past happy memories at the venue.
Lu remains the only local player to have savoured success in the event in which he’s also posted two other top-five finishes. As is the case with Chang, the 43-year-old home hope will need to arrest a slide in fortunes that has seen him make just one cut in 10 outings this season.
Chinese Taipei fans will also be cheering for Chan Shih-chang and former Asian Tour stalwart Yeh Wei-tze.
A six-time winner on the Asian Development Tour, Chan triumphed in the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship in late 2021, the first event on the Asian Tour following a 20-month Covid-enforced hiatus.
As well as being the leading Chinese Taipei player on the Asian Tour Merit standings in 21st place, Chan has a decent track record at the Linkou layout, having finished fourth in 2013 and third in 2019.
There is sure to be a warm welcome, too, for Yeh, who turns 50 next year.
With his victory in the Malaysian Open in 2000, he became only the second player from his country to win on what was then the European Tour, following the great ‘Mr Lu’ Liang-huan.
Other players in the starting line-up who will also be under the spotlight include Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines and Thais Nitithorn Thippong and Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat.
Tabuena is a two-time runner-up in the Yeangder TPC, having been edged out by Prom in a play-off in 2014 before ending two strokes behind South African Shaun Norris in 2015.
For Nitithorn, the tournament offers a golden opportunity for him to close the gap on the two players ahead of him in the Order of Merit.
In the absence of Korean Bio Kim and American Sihwan Kim, Nitithorn will be setting his sights on a third Asian Tour triumph this season to go alongside wins in The DGC Open presented by Mastercard in India in March and the International Series Singapore in August.
Ajeetesh Sandhu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old amateur sensation ‘TK’ is raring to return to Asian Tour action after a three-month break.
Winner of the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in April, a strong performance for TK at Linkou International would be a timely confidence-booster ahead of his appearance in next month’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, where the winner will receive starting spots in next year’s Masters Tournament and Open Championship.
“I have definitely missed the Asian Tour and I’m very excited to go to Chinese-Taipei next week,” said TK.
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