Taehoon’s more than Ok!
Korean Taehoon Ok’s bid to win for the first time in the professional game gathered momentum today when he carded a third-round two-under-par 69 to take the lead in the US$1.5 million International Series Korea.
At 12 under for the Asian Tour event, he leads countrymen Wooyoung Cho, one of the country’s top amateurs, Yoseop Seo and Bio Kim by one shot.
Cho carded a stunning 61, Seo 67 and Kim 70 to set up an enthralling final day at Lotte Skyhill Country Club on Jeju Island.
Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai and Pavit Tangkamolprasert are a stroke further back, after rounds of 63 and 67 respectively.
Bio Kim. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
Ok and Kim had started the third day sharing the lead, but it was the former who had the edge for much of the day reaching 14 with two to play and the prospect of a healthy lead.
However, he made bogey on 17 and 18 to give hope to the chasing pack.
“It was a disappointing finish, but I was satisfied with the round,” said Ok.
“Tomorrow’s conditions should be the same so I will take that into account over those two holes. The win is up to the golfing gods tomorrow, but I will do my best.”
Rising star Cho, aged 20, lit up the tournament with the best round of the week made up of four birdies on the front and six on the back, including five birdies in the last six holes.
It’s also the lowest 18-hole score of the season on the Asian Tour, but as preferred lies are being played it could not count officially.
“I didn’t play well the first two days so it’s great to play well today,” said Cho.
Wooyoung Cho. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“My driver is always my best club and today I also managed to get the putter going as well. It’s my best round in a tournament but not my best-ever round, I shot 12 under once in a tournament in Thailand.”
He won the Korean Amateur Championship in 2020, was third in last year’s Asian Pacific Amateur Championship and was ranked the country’s top amateur ahead of the Asian Games, before it was postponed this year in China because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added: “Playing a pro event, is just a different level and I know that I will really have to concentrate tomorrow. Today was good but tomorrow I have to win.”
Bio’s attempt to win for the third time this year in Korea, one of those being in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on the Asian Tour, remained on course despite not breaking 70 for the first time this week.
He said: “Nothing seemed to go my way today, but I tried to stay patient and capitalise on the chances I had. I did that pretty well but unfortunately on 17 I had a half-plugged lie and got up and down for bogey; I think I managed myself pretty good there.
“I am a couple of shots back, but you never know, it’s golf, keep going to the end. We will see how it goes. Hopefully I can do a little better at everything tomorrow.”
Phachara once again putting himself in contention at the weekend – he was joint second in last week’s International Series Singapore and solo second at the International Series Thailand in March – with a phenomenal eight birdie bogey-free round.
“This year I think my game plan is great, better than last year, and I’ve tried to make my body stronger. Right now I know what I want to do, so my golf is more confident,” said Phachara.
Phachara Khongwatmai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I think the key is from when I was in Japan with Prom Meesawat, we were together one month in Japan and on the courses in Japan you must have a gameplan. He taught me which shots to play, when to be aggressive and when to play safer. I learned a lot from him, he gave me a lot and made me better.”
American Trevor Simsby, winner of the Malaysian Open in 2020 just before the pandemic shut down the Asian Tour for close two years, returned a 68 and is three off the lead.
Canadian golfer Richard T. Lee swapped the greens for the deep blue of the ocean as he enjoyed a rare Jeju Island experience: a dive with the Haenyeo, the famous sea women of Jeju, ahead of his tilt for glory in the International Series Korea.
The ladies, some older than 70, free dive to depths of up to 10 metres for minutes at a time to collect seaweed, shellfish and other seafood, in a tradition that has been part of island life since the 17th century.
Lee, who finished runner-up last week to Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong at the International Series Singapore, joined them, diving deep into the ocean depths and even coming up with his own catch of abalone, a form of marine snail and one of the island’s famed sea urchin delicacies.
He said: “That was amazing. I have tried snorkelling in Thailand a few times but that was a completely unique experience out there with the aunties, the Haenyeo.
“The ladies, some of them 70-years-old, can hold their breath for up to three minutes underwater and it is unbelievable that they can catch those sea urchins and octopus down there. The current is pretty strong. It was a real pleasure to be here with them, a lot of fun.”
Richard T. Lee of Canada pictured diving with local divers at sea on Tuesday August 16, 2022, ahead of the International Series Korea at the Lotte Skyhill Country Club, Jeju, Korea. The Asian Tour US$ 1.5 million event is staged August 18-21, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The International Series Korea at the Lotte Skyhill Country Club is the fourth International Series event of the year, following tournaments in Thailand, England and Singapore.
Reflecting on his experience in the Asian Tour’s marquee International Series events so far, Lee added: “It feels like the players are playing better in these events. The purses have gone up, the courses are in mint conditions and the tournaments are run very well – the players seem comfortable in this atmosphere, they are great tournaments to play in.
“To have the opportunity to play with the best in the world, and to play for the bigger money is a great experience for everyone on the Asian Tour.”
Koreans Bio Kim and Taehoon Ok shot blistering second-round scores of eight-under-par 63 and 64 respectively to take the lead at the US$1.5million International Series Korea today.
They moved to 10 under for the Asian Tour event, which is being played at Lotte Skyhill Country Club – on Jeju Island, Korea’s popular holiday destination.
Hanbyeol Kim from Korea fired a 66 and is two shots back, while his compatriot Yoseop Seo returned the same score and is one stroke further adrift.
Bio made nine birdies and dropped just one shot to put himself in the perfect position to win his second Asian Tour event at the weekend, having been triumphant in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, also in Korea, in May.
Taehoon Ok. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Said the 31 year old: “It is really great having my family here, we are having fun here. It’s a family trip which allows me to get away from golf a bit. I think I was thinking too much the past month, it shows I should do that a little more often.”
Starting on the back nine he quickly found his range with birdies on 11, 13, 15 and 16 before making a bogey on 18: that little hiccup only prompted him to pick up the pace and he made birdies on one, two, four, six and seven.
“My tee shot was a lot better and also my iron game, and obviously I made putts and at the end of the day I made nine birdies. I made a mistake on 18, my ninth today, but I played solid,” he added.
Ok is looking to win for the first time as a professional and made eight birdies and a solitary bogey.
“I struggled a bit on the second half but hung in there,” said Ok.
“I really want to win on the Asian Tour and take my game forward and help my dream of getting onto the PGA Tour. I’m not good enough yet. Plan is to make a success in Korea first and really challenge myself.”
He came close to winning the Kolon Korea Open this year and was tied for the lead after the third round but carded a disappointing 75 on the final day and finished joint sixth place.
Hanbyeol Kim. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Ok also a tied fifth in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open to suggest a win this year is not far away.
He added: “It was heart breaking what happened at the Korea Open but I gained a lot of experience.”
Korean Taeho Kim (66), India’s Veer Ahlawat (66) American Trevor Simsby (69), South Africans Justin Harding (70) and Ian Snyman (70), and first-round leader Pavit Tangkamolprasert from Thailand (73) are six under for the tournament; while India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, who won the Mandiri Indonesia Open for a record third time this month, returned a 65 and is five behind the leader, along with five other players.
Pavit stole the show on day one with a 63 and although he was 10 shots worse today he was still happy with his round.
“I actually played quite good today,” said the two-time Asian Tour winner.
“It was a little bit windy, and my putt was not that good, I mean I putted good, but they didn’t drop. I did not think about my score yesterday because I did not want to put pressure on myself.”
He was looking good for much of the round, and having started on 10 he made the turn in one under but surprisingly dropped shots on six, seven and eight.
He said: “I just missed the greens and my chipping and putting didn’t save me, couldn’t get up and down.”
Simsby, who has the distinction of being the last player to win on the Asian Tour, at the Malaysian Open, before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped play for nearly two years, has only made it through to the weekend twice this season in seven starts but is well on his way to make amends for that this week.
“It’s been very solid from tee to green. I’ve had a lot of birdie chances so it definitely could have been a little bit lower. I feel like I’m in a good spot, I’m starting to trust my swing and yardages, distance control has been really good. And staying out of the rough,” he said.
Pavit Tangakamolprasert. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It’s definitely a plotting golf course with a few kind of tougher tee shots. I feel like I’ve been strategizing well, and if I can just get a few more putts to drop I think we’ll be close on the weekend.”
Bhullar, whose win in Indonesia took his tally of Asian Tour titles to 10, finished off his round with a stunning eagle on the par-four nine, having started on the back nine.
“It was a nice round, four birdies and a lovely eagle on the last,” said Bhullar.
“I started off really well actually, yesterday I shot plus one, but I hit the ball really well. I knew that I’ve been hitting the ball well, it’s just a matter of time when the putts started falling.
“Today I started with a birdie and also made birdie on 13 and 18. And the way I finished the last hole, I hit a driver and had about 179 yards with slight downwind and I hit an eight iron and it went in the hole. We saw it but I was not too sure whether it was in the hole or on the other side of the slope. But yeah, that was definitely one of the best swings.”
Brazilian Adilson Da Silva produced a crack shot of his own, making an ace on the 209-yard par three eighth using a five iron. He carded a 70 and is one over.
Gaganjeet Bhullar. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert is famous for winning a record seven titles on the Asian Development Tour but today he was in seventh heaven on the Asian Tour after sensationally making seven birdies in a row from the first to help him take the lead in International Series Korea.
Pavit, also a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, shot a sublime eight-under-par 63, with the preferred lies rule in play, at Lotte Skyhill Country Club Jeju to top the leaderboard ahead of Korean Eric Chun, in with a 65.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, South Africans Justin Harding and Ian Snyman, and Australia’s Brett Rumford all came in with 66s.
The most number of consecutive birdies on the Asian Tour is nine – achieved by Bernd Wiesberger from Austria at the 2017 Maybank Championship, impressively when preferred lies were not used.
However, Pavit’s feat did match the record for most birdies at the start of a round, which three others players have done.
Eric Chun Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The 33 year old said: “I was a little but lucky on the front nine, but I hit my long irons and mid-irons quite good. The first nine is quite long for me, I had about 170 to 180 yards mostly. I hit it close and made the putts. I think it is the first time I have had seven in a row.”
His eye-catching run came to an end with a bogey on eight, his only dropped shot of the day.
“I hit a bad shot on eight, that was the only mistake I made today, I pushed it off the green to the right. I had to accept that bogey, but everything flowed on the back nine, two birdies coming back,” he added.
He made birdies on 11 and 16 but also had numerous other chances to make gains.
“I didn’t think about a lower score [after seven birdies]. I just enjoyed my round today. I know I hit my driver good, and then I have a chance to hit from the fairways. I can spin the ball on the green here so that’s okay, I just need to hit the fairway first,” said the Thai.
His round today is the continuation of good form recently which saw him record top-15 finishes in his last two events, last week at the International Series Singapore and prior to that the Mandiri Indonesian Open.
Jazz Janewattananond. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Chun produced one of the finest tournament rounds of his 10-year professional career.
Two birdies on the front nine and four on the back at put him out in front for the first time in an Asian Tour event, when he took the clubhouse lead in the morning.
“I think there were a couple of holes that really defined the round for me,” said Chun.
“On one I hit it left, chipped out and made par, and on 13 hit it right, chipped out and made par. And those are the two pars that kept the momentum going. They were probably more precious than the birdies.”
He birdied the fourth and seventh to make the turn two under, before making further ground on the homeward stretch with birdies on 11, 12, 14 and 17.
He added: “After my putt dropped on the first I felt like I could hole everything, and I pretty much did, and my iron shots were pretty good. It’s definitely my best round recently, I haven’t been playing well recently so this is a good turn around for me.
“It is actually not an easy course, you have to hit good drives and make putts. So just going to start again tomorrow and try and shoot 65 everyday.”
Justin Harding. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
A graduate of Northwestern University in the US, the Korean also spent much of childhood growing up in Malaysia, where he was one of the top junior golfers.
Jazz, who won four out of his six Asian Tour titles, including the Korea Open, when he claimed the Tour’s Order of Merit list in 2019, started on the back nine and made birdies on two of his last three holes to start the event strongly.
“It was just a normal round, easy going,” said Jazz.
“Nothing went wrong, nothing went special – it was a boring round which is what I like! I haven’t had one of those for a while. Golf is a weird game, sometimes you find it and sometimes you don’t find it. It is good to have one of these rounds after a couple of months.
“Maybe it is because I’m back in Asia and feel a bit more like at home. I can’t really tell, I can’t quite pinpoint what it is. Hopefully it will continue tomorrow, get some good food tonight and hope the trend continues!”
Harding, always a pre-tournament favourite boasting two Asian Tour wins as well as two on the DP World Tour, made six birdies and dropped one shot.
He said: “I am pretty pleased with it to be honest. I came out of the blocks nicely. I gave myself a lot of chances and rolled in a couple of putts. It felt pretty solid and then had a wobble halfway through. Hit some poor shots but managed to keep the pars on the card.
Angelo Que. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“At the end of day I am a little grumpy and I would like to have not made bogey on the par three fifth, I would have liked to have not made bogey on seven. It’s got me in there with a shout and yeah I am looking forward to rest of the week. At the end of the day it’s not the guy who makes the most birdies, it’s the guy who makes the least bogeys.”
Filipino Angelo Que, Trevor Simsby and Andrew Ogletree from the United States, Australian Ben Campbell and Korea Yunseok Gang carded 67s – in what is the Asian Tour’s 13th event of the season, and fourth International Series tournament.
The stars of golf’s Asian Tour have touched down in Jeju ahead of this week’s International Series Korea.
And for two of the tournament’s biggest names, the first stop was a visit to sample one of the country’s tastiest dishes, Korean BBQ – guided by local hero golfer, Bio Kim!
Kim treated American Chase Koepka and Travis Smyth of Australia to the full BBQ experience at a restaurant near Lotte SkyHill Country Club, host course of the $1.5million prize-fund event, which starts tomorrow.
The trio tucked into a range of different meats, all under Kim’s expert guidance, falling in love with the kimchi-packed flavour of the South Korean foodie favourite.
JEJU ISLAND-KOREA-L-R – Chase Koepka of the USA, Bio Kim of Korea and Travis Smyth of Australia pictured enjoying a local Korean BBQ on Tuesday August 16, 2022, ahead of the International Series Korea at the Lotte Skyhill Country Club, Jeju, Korea. The Asian Tour US$ 1.5 million event is staged August 18-21, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“That was maybe the best thing I have ever eaten,” said Koepka, LIV Golf star and brother of four-time major-winner Brooks. “I could eat this every day this week.”
“Let’s hope we can come back here for a celebratory meal on Sunday,” added the 28-year-old.
The International Series Korea begins at Lotte SkyHill Country Club, Jeju, on Thursday, running through until Sunday.
Korea’s Bio Kim says he has set himself the goal of finishing top of both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and the Korean PGA Tour ranking this season – with this week’s International Series Korea playing an important part in his ambitious plans.
And his bid for the unique double will be helped by the fact this week’s event is being played on Jeju Island – Korea’s famous holiday destination, where he has enjoyed success before.
He won the SK Telecom Open on the Korean PGA Tour in June on Jeju Island and although this week’s US$1.5 million event, which tees-off tomorrow, is being played at a different venue, Lotte Skyhill Country Club, he has high hopes for the week.
“It’s going to be a great week on Jeju Island and hopefully, I will have a good result,” said the Korean.
“I have really good memories of being here in Jeju over the past few years. Of course, I won here recently, and this week is great because I am spending a lot of time with my family, which normally we can’t do as we are on the road.”
JEJU ISLAND-KOREA- L-R – Bio Kim of Korea, Nitihorn Thippong of Thailand, and Chase Koepka of the USA pictured on Thursday August 18, 2022, during a press conference ahead of the International Series Korea at the Lotte Skyhill Country Club, Jeju, Korea. The Asian Tour US$ 1.5 million event is staged August 18-21, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Kim is enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career having also won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May, which was his maiden win on the Asian Tour. He is currently in third place on the Asian Tour Merit list and fourth on Korea’s ranking.
He adds: “I do want to win both money lists although before that I really want to improve my GIR [Greens in Regulation] stats, on both Tours. We will see how it goes for the rest of the year. We just have a lot of tournaments ahead. I just have to keep my head down, do my own thing and hope to see some results.”
He has actually finished top of the Korean ranking once before, in 2010, a year after he turned professional. That early success prompted him to head to the PGA Tour qualifying school at the end of 2010 where he hit the headlines by making it through at the tender age of 20. He lost his playing privileges there a year later before deciding to mainly focus on playing in Korea.
The 31 year old says much of his success has been built on a constant desire to continually improve.
He said: “Honestly speaking, I do get nervous and feel the pressure but that’s because I want to play better and better every week and improve myself. I do put a lot of pressure on myself.”
Over the past month he has been working with Korean golf coach Gyutae Kim, who has also coached PGA Tour star and compatriot Sungjae Im.
“I have had some issues with my putting the last month or so. I haven’t been making the putts that I am supposed to, but I am slowly climbing up the mountain. Hoping to see some good results this week,” he said.
“I have been having little pushy misses with my short ones. The clubface is a little open which I have been trying to figure out with my coach Gyutae Kim, here in Korea. We have just been working on my shoulder patterns, it’s been too roundy. Started just after I played Scottish Open. But I am really looking forward to this week and I feel like things are getting a lot better.”
Jeunghun Wang, who grabbed international headlines several seasons ago with three fine victories on the DP World Tour, is back on Tour having just returned from 18-months of National Service and it looks like the break has not affected the progress of one of Korea’s most exciting young golfers.
Wang, 26 years old, competed in the International Series Singapore last week and finished in 22nd position – a credible performance considering it was the first event he had competed in since October 2020 – and lines up in this week’s International Series Korea, being played at Lotte Skyhill Country Club, on Jeju Island.
“It’s really exciting to be playing again, and I think I’m playing okay,” said Wang.
“I’m really enjoying playing right now and I’m looking forward to playing this week in Jeju. I know the course so I think I can play better than last week.”
He shot rounds of 70, 67, 69, and 73 to finish nine under at Tanah Merah Country Club, seven behind the winner, Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong.
“I didn’t have any chance to practice any golf during this time [during National Service]. Actually, I thought I was going to play really bad last week in Singapore, but I’m still playing ok so I feel happy about that, and hopefully I can play well this week.”
Jeunghun Wang. Picture by Tharm Sook Wai/Asian Tour.
It was in May of 2016 that he claimed the Trophee Hassan II, before he won the following week’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, an event sanctioned by Asia, Europe and South Africa; and the following year he triumphed in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. At one point he rose as high as 39th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
“Actually, until the third-round last week I was really happy about it, but I hit it really bad on Sunday, so I was a bit disappointed,” he said.
This week he has the advantage of having played at Lotte Skyhill before.
He added: “I know the course so I think I can play better in Jeju, than in Singapore, but I haven’t played any tournaments on the course, just practiced.”
National Service is mandatory for Korean men, and while it might take some time to get his A game back, he is still positive about the experience:
“It was a good experience, but it was too long. No freedom, so yeah, that’s the hard thing. Just shooting guns every day, training every day,” he said.
After this week’s event Wang is looking forward to playing in a few Korean events, but a return to the DP World Tour will have to wait until next season.
“No, I can’t play Europe this year, not until next year. I will probably play two more events in Korea and then I’m just gonna practice some more, I just need to practice now,” added Wang.
Jeungjun Wang (right). Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Wang made his first appearance on the Asian Tour at the 2011 ICTSI Philippine Open as a 15-year-old amateur and secured his Tour card at the 2013 Q-School.
Remarkably, he was a sponsor invite to the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco, which he won in a sudden-death playoff against Nacho Elvira of Spain.
Nitithorn Thippong triumphed in the inaugural International Series Singapore today after one of the most dramatic finishes seen on the Asian Tour.
After holing a brilliant pressure-packed 15-foot par saving putt on the par-five 18th to take the clubhouse lead on 16 under Nitithorn, playing in the penultimate group, then had to wait and see if anyone in the last group – consisting of Malaysian Gavin Green, Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand – could catch him.
It proved to be a much longer wait then expected as the last group were forced off the 18th hole for 40 minutes because of lightning, with Chan on 16 under and Green one back.
SINGAPORE- Gavin Green of Malaysia reacts on the 18th green on Sunday August 14, 2022 during round four of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Si3gapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
When the action resumed Chan, who just before the weather delay had found water with his tee shot, made a double bogey while Green narrowly missed a 15-foot birdie putt.
“This is fantastic, just fantastic!” said 25-year-old Nitithorn, who earned a lucrative cheque for US$270,000.
“I cannot describe my feelings right now. I have practiced so hard for this. I hit lot of greens this week and had a lot of birdie putts. I think my mentality was great. I did not think about the score, just the process.”
He closed with a bogey-free three-under-par 69 to beat Green, Phachara and Richard T. Lee from Canada by one shot. Green and Phachara both fired 71s, while Lee returned a 67.
Nitithorn won for the first time on the Asian Tour in March at The DGC Open presented by Mastercard and is the second player this season to win twice on Tour along with American Sihwan Kim.
SINGAPORE-Richard T Lee of Canada pictured on Sunday August 14, 2022 during round four of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Si3gapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He added: “It has just been a dream season so far, and to win an International Series event is unbelievable.”
Nitithorn had started the day one shot behind overnight leaders Green, the 2017 Asian Tour number one, and Phachara. However, Green got off to the worst possible start and was four over after four, while Phachara also failed to find his A game.
“I got off to a horrendous start, and kind of just clicked the reset button and just kept going,” said Green.
“Because, with this course, a lot of things can happen. And especially on the last hole, as you saw, there was so much drama down the last. It was anybody’s game, and anybody could have done something. A lot of things were going on, but I just kind of stayed in the moment really. I just tried, I tried very, very hard just to keep moving along and just stay as patient as possible.”
Lee’s 67 came after he dropped a shot on the fourth but then rallied with six birdies.
He said: “I have been struggling with my putting but I changed my putter and grip this week. I have gone to a reverse grip, and it worked out pretty well. I think I have averaged about 29 putts this week. I am always a good ball striker, bottom line is you have got to hole the putts.”
American star Patrick Reed closed with his best round of the week, a 67, which was helped by a hole in one on the par-three 14th. He finished on eight under in a tie for 31st.
“A lot of ups, and a lot of downs today,” said Reed.
“It was weird, it was one of those days when I did not hit the ball well. I decided to leave the pin out of the hole on the third, because I don’t like to have the pin in when I putt, and I go ahead and hole the putt and I think okay. Had as shorty on 13 which I missed, then I go ahead and make a hole in one on 14. So, it was just one of those days.
SINGAPORE- Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei pictured on Sunday August 14, 2022 during round four of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Si3gapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I was actually between eight and nine on 14, we had 171, we were trying to figure out what way the wind was doing, so I hit a soft eight, and it never left the flag stick. That’s my third in tournaments, and the biggest one being right here as it kind of got the momentum going because it was really rough early on, needed something to spark the round.”
Amateur James Leow, Singapore’s rising young star, fired a 68 to also finish on eight under. He ended as the leading local player ahead of Hiroshi Tai, also an amateur, who shot 73.
The Asian Tour heads to the International Series Korea next week Lotte Skyhill Country Club Jeju.
Malaysian Gavin Green maintained his lead in the US$1.5 million International Series Singapore today at Tanah Merah Country Club but was joined by Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand.
Green, the Asian Tour number one in 2017 and the leader after the first two days following a pair of stunning seven-under-par 65s, returned 72 to stay at 14 under, while Phachara shot 69 – in the third International Series event this season.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong are a shot behind following rounds of 66 and 68 respectively; while England’s Steve Lewton came in with a 69 to sit a stroke further back.
Play was stopped at 11.10am and resumed at 1.30pm because of inclement weather.
“It was a grinding day, it was such a grind, I couldn’t get anything going,” said Green, whose birdie on eight was offset by a dropped shot on 13 – a stark contrast to his 14 birdies and no bogeys on Thursday and Friday.
Gavin Green. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Nevertheless, I just hung in there as hard as I could, making pars from everywhere, sometimes you just got to do that.
“Golf is not a game you can be perfect all the time, my caddie kept saying, ‘stay in it, stay patient, keep trying and hit good shots,’ and you know what we made a lot of saves today, it was kind of a saving day. We are still in it, 18 more holes, I think it’s going to be fun.”
Both Green and Phachara are chasing their second wins on the Asian Tour, with Green having won the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2017, and the latter the 2021 Laguna Phuket Championship.
Said Phachara: “Today everything wasn’t bad, only one thing was my putting. Because I hit it pretty well, same as in the first and second rounds, but missed a lot of putts. I hope tomorrow the putting is going to work.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The greens were a little bit slower today I think, all my distance was gone. My reads were great, but only the distance wasn’t good.”
Chan looked set to finish the day sharing the lead but dropped a shot on 18.
“I knew I was tied for lead after the birdie on 17,” said Chan.
“I was just telling myself not to hit it left on 18. I was trying to make birdie there but didn’t hit a good shot from the bunker. Disappointed with the bogey on last but it’s ok, I’m still happy with my overall performance today. I am glad to give myself a good chance tomorrow. It’s great to be in contention, especially in a big event like the International Series.”
Chan will no doubt be a threat tomorrow having won four times on Tour, including the Blue Canyon Championship last November and the Royal’s Cup in four months later.
Nitithorn achieved the rare feat of making two eagles on par fours on the front, on three and nine.
“I know it’s unbelievable,” said the Thai, winner of The DGC Open in India in March.
“I didn’t expect that it’s going to be in the hole on the third, it’s a blind shot you know. I didn’t see anything, but I just knew that I hit a good shot from 168 yards. And I walked to the green and it’s in. So yeah, happy with that result. On hole nine I had 63 yards, it’s in that gap you know, I don’t really hit that distance well, but I hit it and it went in.”
He made the turn in five-under-par 31 but could not maintain the momentum and toured the second nine in one over.
Nitihorn Thippong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
American Peter Uihlein, a former US amateur champion, fired a 67 and is three off the lead along with Jaco Ahlers from South Africa, who carded a 69.
Patrick Reed, the American who claimed the 2018 Masters, was unable to mount a challenge on moving day and shot a 72 and is three under for the tournament.
In the battle to finish as the leading Singaporean, amateur Hiroshi Tai signed for an impressive 69 and is six under, two ahead of another local amateur James Leow, who returned a 71.
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