New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort attracts big names
Asian Tour members have seized the opportunity to play in one of the game’s most treasured National Opens, with a high-calibre contingent having entered the 105th New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort.
American John Catlin [main picture], the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Filipino Miguel Tabuena, who made a fine debut on the LIV Golf League last week, and Hong Kong number one Taichi Kho have all confirmed their participation for the tournament – which will be played at Millbrook Resort, in Queenstown from 26 February – 1 March.
Wooyoung Cho, winner of the Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Golf Commission at the weekend, has also entered, along with Australian stars Wade Ormsby and Travis Smyth. Smyth is another in-form after finishing third in the Philippines.
The NZ$2million event is the second event of the season on the Asian Tour, and is co-sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.
Germany’s Dominic Foos, winner of last year’s SJM Macao Open, will also make the trip to Queenstown.
Dominic Foos.
Tournament Director Michael Glading said the depth of quality coming from the Asian Tour continues to elevate the tournament’s international reputation.
“Dominic Foos had an outstanding 2025 season, finishing in top 20 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and having his first win on the Tour, so he is clearly a player to watch out for,” Glading said. “He’s someone who has proven he can win and is one the crowds will really enjoy watching. We’re excited to see him at Millbrook this year.”
“John Catlin’s return is equally exciting. He’s a past Order of Merit winner, knows how to win, and is always likely to be in contention come Sunday. When you add in the likes of last week’s winner in the Philippines, Wooyoung Cho, Miguel Tabuena, Wade Ormsby, Taichi Kho and Travis Smyth, it speaks volumes about the strength and depth of the Asian Tour players coming to Queenstown this year.”
Foos, who will be making his debut appearance at the tournament, said: “I’m really pleased to be going to Queenstown, it’s going to be my first time in New Zealand and it’s one of the events I have really been looking forward to playing. So yeah, I’m pumped.
“I’ve heard from a bunch of guys on Tour that the course is amazing and the area is beautiful. I’m told it’s also a really well-run tournament, so yeah, I can’t wait to experience it myself.”
Catlin, meanwhile, will be making his fourth appearance at the New Zealand Open and says the pull of Queenstown keeps bringing him back.
“I absolutely love going back to the New Zealand Open,” Catlin said.
“Queenstown is my favourite place in the world – the people, the scenery, the course – everything about it is special. It’s a tournament I always look forward to, and I can’t wait to get back and compete again.”
Wooyoung Cho.
Other Asian Tour players to look out for are Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who finished runner-up in the Philippines, Malaysia’s up-and-coming star Ervin Chang and South African Ian Snyman, who both tied for fifth last week. Snyman is another of the Asian Tour members who considers the New Zealand event to be one of his favourite stops. He tied for second last year and was equal sixth the year before.
Defending champion Ryan Peake from Australia and his compatriot Jack Thompson, another runner-up last year, will also return to the tournament. Both are members of the Asian Tour.
Part of the appeal of the tournament is the fact that it’s the only National Open in the game to feature a Pro-Am component. All 156 professionals start with an amateur partner.
After the second round the top 60 professionals plus ties will continue to the final two rounds, while the top 40 Pro-Am teams will progress to round three. A third-round cut will see the top 10 teams make it to the final round.
Millbrook Resort’s Remarkables and Coronet courses will be used for the first two rounds, while a composite layout, consisting of the best holes of each, will be played on the Saturday and Sunday.
For the second year in succession, the leading player not otherwise exempt will earn the right to play at the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale this summer – as the tournament is part of the Open Qualifying Series.
There was plenty to talk about at the Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission last week. It was the season-opening event on the Asian Tour and the player comments spoke volumes about the success of the week on the East Course at Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, in Manila.
Wooyoung Cho on winning on the Asian Tour for the first time after having previously won on the Korean Tour:
“It feels very amazing. This is my first event in 2026, so I started off the season very well and I really enjoyed it.”
About his crucial par-saves after a plugged lie in the green side bunker on 11 and a short-sided chip on 12 on Sunday:
“The most important thing in my game today were the saves on 11 and 12. On hole 11 I just wanted to make bogey, just an easy bogey, but I think it was lucky to make par. On hole number 12 I think it was very important to make par as well. That’s why I won this tournament.”
On making birdie on the iconic par-three 17th hole in round two:
“I pray every time I get to 17.”
Pavit Tangkamolprasert.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert on finishing runner-up:
“I played my best today. I mean, hitting good irons, giving myself a chance. I hit it in the fairways, and I was hoping my putts would drop. But congrats to Wooyoung, he made some really, really important putts on the back nine. I was trying to get my momentum back, but yeah, I couldn’t do it.”
About getting off to a good start to his 2026 season:
“I was surprised. You know, always in the beginning of the year I haven’t played well. But yeah, one thing that I feel that this year is different, because I didn’t have much time off off season. You know, I went to LIV Promotions, I still like kept playing. Because normally, after the last tournament I would take a vacation and then get off to a little bit of a slow start. But this year is kind of like, okay, after Saudi get ready for LIV Promotions, so I practiced a lot and that’s helped.”
Travis Smyth on playing Wack Wack Golf for the first time:
“I love it. It gives me, sort of Hong Kong Golf Club vibes, where you just sort of place it off the tee, a lot of four irons and hybrids off tees, and it was even a couple six irons off some of the par four tees. So, it’s quite cool, I’m enjoying it, it’s good.
About his current form and what has been the best part of his game so far:
“I feel like I have got good control of the ball at the moment. I’m shaping it both ways pretty nicely and the swing feels pretty simple, so I’m in a pretty good headspace.”
“The best part of my game, I’d say just committing to the shot that I want to play. Like everything’s pretty tidy if I do a good job of just committing to the shot that I want to play and not letting the fear sort of override the sort of whole process. I’m usually hitting pretty good shots, so I’d say my mind.”
After his one-under-par 71 on Saturday:
“It was a bit bipolar today, honestly.”
Travis Smyth.
Karandeep Kochhar after his course record setting round of 65 on Saturday to take the lead:
“I think the way this course has been playing for the past two days and today, with a little bit of rain, which was there for maybe seven, eight holes, I would say I think it was probably one of my finest performances.
“Because it’s not easy out there to score, the greens are tiny, they can get quick if you’re on the wrong side of the hole. And yeah, I think I just played really well tee to green, that’s been the mantra this week, just try to hit as many greens as possible.”
About not cutting his beard all week:
“I remember when I won in Egypt, I had a long beard and everything. I wanted to get it cut on the first day, but I said you know what? I’m going to stick it out through this week. It’s looking unkempt, it’s looking disgusting, but it’s just my superstition, so I’m only gonna do it tomorrow night.”
Ian Snyman on playing a tournament at Wack Wack for the first time:
“I like it, smart play and good ball striking gets rewarded, and that’s what excites me. I don’t like lucky golf, so if you’re in the trees it should be difficult. If you’re rough, it should be difficult, so this is my type of golf course.”
Sarut Vongchaisit talking about if an old school course like Wack Wack suits his game and how it reminds him of course in Thailand:
“Yes, because I don’t hit the furthest out here, and you definitely need to know your way around out here, so that definitely helps. The grass out here is cow grass, so we are definitely used to chipping and hitting on these fairways, so that helps.”
Jeunghun Wang on making his Asian Tour debut at the Philippine Open at Wack Wack as a 16-year-old amateur in 2011:
“I don’t actually remember the course from back then, but when I played here, I was really nervous. That’s what I remember, actually.”
Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
Two years after being part of the Korean team that famously claimed the gold medal at the Asian Games, Wooyoung Cho [main picture] has become a winner on the Asian Tour for the first time after triumphing at the Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission today.
He registered a hard-fought victory following stiff resistance from Pavit Tangkamolprasert, beating the Thai by four shots on the unforgiving East Course at Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, in Manila.
Cho, two behind overnight leader Karandeep Kochhar from India at the start of the day, fired a final round five-under-par 67, for a four-round total of 11-under – in the opening event of the season on the Asian Tour.
He and Pavit played together in the second from last group and made it a two-horse race for much of the day.
The 24-year-old Korean dropped his only shot of the day on the opening hole but took the lead with birdies on two and three. He was never caught but Pavit made him work hard until the very end.
Wooyoung Cho.
Cho made crucial par saves on 11 and 12 and led by two with two to play but both front-runners missed the green on the challenging par-three 17th. Pavit then hit a brilliant bunker shot up to six feet to give himself a fighting chance, but he missed his par putt while Cho holed his from a slightly shorter distance. Soon after, the Korean finished in style with a birdie on the par-four 18th.
“It feels very amazing,” said Cho, who turned professional immediately after winning Asian Games gold.
“This is my first event in 2026. I started off the season very well and I really enjoyed it.
“The most important thing in my game today were the saves on 11 and 12. On hole 11 I just wanted to make bogey, just an easy bogey, but I think it was lucky to make par. On hole number 12 I think it was very important to make par as well. That’s why I won this tournament.”
The par save on 17 was equally key to his victory.
He explained: “I just wanted to hit the green, but I missed it right. I didn’t care about Pavit’s ball, whether he’s on the green or not, whatever. I just wanted to save a par. That chip to the green was very, very good to make the par. So yeah, God bless.”
He earned a cheque for US$90,000 plus another US$10,000 for carding the lowest round of the day, which the club sponsored for each round.
His previous best finish on the Asian Tour was second place at the Bharath Classic toward the end of last year. He is also a two-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour, once in 2023 as an amateur and then in 2024 in his first full season as a member of the paid ranks.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert.
His team-mates in the Korean side that won the Asian Games were PGA Tour stars Siwoo Kim and Sungjae Im, plus Yubin Jang.
Pavit was trying to win an Asian Tour event for the first time since 2019.
He said: “I played my best today. I mean, hitting good irons, giving myself a chance. I hit it in the fairways, and I was hoping my putts would drop. But congrats to Wooyoung, he made some really, really important putts on the back nine. I was trying to get my momentum back, but yeah, I couldn’t do it.”
Australian Travis Smyth returned a 73 for third, six behind Cho, while Kochhar shot a 77 for fourth, two further adrift.
The Asian Tour ventures to the Southern Hemisphere next for the 105th New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort.
The event, which has been part of the Asian Tour since 2018, will be played at Millbrook Golf Resort in Queenstown, from 26 February – 1 March.
Australian lefthander Ryan Peake will defend his title, in an event that boasts overall prizemoney of NZ$2million (approximately US$1.2million).
Travis Smyth.
Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
Karandeep Kochhar celebrated his return to the Asian Tour by breaking the course record on the famous East Course at Wack Wack Golf & Country Club to take the third-round lead in the Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission today.
The Indian, who finished in the top-10 on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit last year to regain his Asian Tour card, fired an astonishing bogey-free seven-under-par 65 for a tournament total of eight-under.
South African Ian Snyman (70), Travis Smyth (71) from Australia, Thailand’s Sarut Vongchaisit (71) and Korea’s Wooyoung Cho (71), share second place – two strokes behind.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert (68) is in sole possession of sixth, another shot back.
Smyth, Sarut and Cho started the day sharing the lead along with Korean Jeunghun Wang – who returned a 73 today and is four behind the leader.
Breaking par on the East Course – respected for being one of the most challenging courses in the region – is an outstanding achievement. Kochhar’s round, therefore, may well remain as the performance of the year – even though this week is the season-opening event on the Asian Tour.
Karandeep Kochhar after making birdie on 17.
The golfer from Chandigarh said: “I think the way this course has been playing for the past two days and today, with a little bit of rain, which was there for maybe seven, eight holes, I would say I think it was probably one of my finest performances.
“Because it’s not easy out there to score, the greens are tiny, they can get quick if you’re on the wrong side of the hole. And yeah, I think I just played really well tee to green, that’s been the mantra this week, just try to hit as many greens as possible.”
He made six birdies: four in the first six, back-to-back ones on 11 and 12 and the final one, that allowed him to break the previous course record by one, on the legendary par-three 17th.
About the penultimate hole, he explained: “I think I was adjusting between clubs today, between an eight and seven, because I think because of the weather, the way it was, it was a little bit humid, the ball wasn’t flying as far. So, my caddie and I just decided on the seven iron, like a chippy seven iron there.
“My iron play has been very good this week, and then I hit a good putt. I hit a good shot to whatever, like six, eight, feet or whatever, and then just trusted the line, trusted the pace. Which is what I did pretty much the whole day, tried not to get ahead of myself.”
He is back to the Asian Tour full time this year after finishing fifth on the ADT Merit list. He won the Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open on the ADT last year and had a runner-up result in Morocco.
He’d impressed on the Asian Tour in 2022 and 2023 but surprisingly lost his card in 2024 but looks determined to set the record straight from the get go this year.
Travis Smyth.
His round could not have come at a more appropriate tournament as the player who shoots the lowest each day wins a cheque for US$10,000, which the club are sponsoring.
The majority in the leading pack, including Kochhar, are trying to win for the first time on the Asian Tour.
Smyth is one of the exceptions, having claimed the Yeangder TPC in 2022.
“It was a bit bipolar today, honestly,” said Smyth about his day.
“My back nine I was hitting it all over the place. I don’t know how many fairways I hit. I would have only hit maybe two or three. And you know, to miss the fairway, like the fairways aren’t that hard to hit here, because you’re hitting four iron off the tee, and hybrid and five iron and stuff like that, and I was hitting it down the tree lines with those clubs.
“So, it was sort of the front nine was really solid and I somehow managed to shoot one under on the back, although I was hitting it everywhere. Anything under par is a good score, and today was one of those rounds where I’m just, I’m honestly surprised that I even managed to shoot under par. Like, it was a gritty, gritty up and down sort of round.”
Ian Snyman.
Snyman is another looking for a maiden win in the region, having come close on numerous occasions.
He said: “Very steady, basically, what the scorecard showed us today. I hit a lot of greens, hit a lot of fairways, when I was in trouble I managed to get up and down most of the time.”
He is also another who likes the course – despite the high level of difficulty.
“I like it, smart play and good ball striking gets rewarded, and that’s what excites me. I don’t like lucky golf, so if you’re in the trees it should be difficult. If you’re in the rough, it should be difficult, so this is my type of golf course,” he said.
Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
There was an element of nostalgia in Jeunghun Wang’s two-under-par 70 today at the Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission.
It moved him into a share of the lead on day two on five under at Wack Wack Golf & Country Club in Manila – reviving memories of his first ever appearance on the Asian Tour here 15 years ago.
His compatriot Wooyoung Cho (70), Thailand’s Sarut Vongchaisit (71), the first-round leader, and Australian Travis Smyth (69) are on the same total – in the season opening event on the Asian Tour.
One shot back are South African Ian Snyman (68) and Marcus Plunkett (70) from the United States.
In 2011, aged 16 and still an amateur, Wang [main picture] competed in the Philippine Open here and although he missed the cut it marked the start of his career on the international stage. He went on to win three times on the DP World Tour, one of those, the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open – a tournament joint sanctioned with the Asian Tour.
Said the 30-year-old: “I don’t actually remember the course from back then, but when I played here, I was really nervous. That’s what I remember, actually.”
Wooyoung Cho.
There were no such nerves today. He was bogey free, making his first birdie on the 16th – he started on 10 – before another birdie on the fifth.
The Korean has not tasted victory since the 2017 Qatar Masters although he has been on the cusp of winning many times, including at last year’s Moutai Singapore Open, where he was beaten by Japan’s Yosuke Asaji in a sudden-death play-off.
“I’m really happy that I didn’t make any bogeys today. Yeah, I’m really happy, and hopefully I can keep not making bogeys on this course,” he added.
“I hit a lot of fairways and my short irons have been pretty good this week. So always just regulation play on the greens, and just two putts. I’m not too aggressive on this course.”
He revealed he visited the course two weeks ago and practiced for about an hour and a half at the famous venue, to get a headstart.
Cho, also started on 10, and drew level with Wang after making birdie on the ninth, his final hole. He also made a birdie on the daunting par-three 17th, which rarely sees twos.
On his birdie on the last he said: “It was a very hard shot. The second shot was from the [fairway] bunker. I was in the bunker and had a very high bunker lip, so I was just trying hit it very high, yeah, that was it.”
Sarut Vongchaisit.
On the 17th, he explained: “Yeah, I pray every time I get to 17 but yesterday was a very nice shot and today also a very nice shot, so I have good confidence in my iron game.”
The Korean, a professional for two years, is looking to win for the first time on the Asian Tour.
He arrived in the Philippines having spent the off-season practicing in Thailand, getting away from the winter in Korea.
“I’ve just had a lot of practice in Thailand, so that’s why I’m hitting it very nice now. In the winter season I was in Pattaya at Siam Country Club,” said the Korean, who explained he hit a lot of two and three irons off the tees to tackle the famously tight and tough East Course.
Sarut, playing just his second season on the Asian Tour, struggled on the first half, going out in two-over, having been three over after seven due to three bogeys. Order was restored soon after when he nailed birdies on eight, 11, 12 and 14.
“Good comeback!” he said. “Happy to shoot under on this course. It’s not a long course, just tight. It suits me as I don’t hit the furthest out here, and you definitely need to know your way out here, so that definitely helps.”
An eagle on the par-five 15th saw Smyth take the lead on six under later in the day but a bogey three holes later saw him drop back into the pack.
Travis Smyth.
Smyth, enjoying the challenge of Wack Wack, said: “First time yeah, I love it. It gives me like, sort of Hong Kong Golf Club vibes. A little bit where you just sort of place it around off the tee, a lot of like four irons and hybrids off tees and it was even a couple of six irons off some of the par four tees. So, it’s quite cool, I’m enjoying it, it’s good.”
Snyman, Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Tomoyo Ikemura from Japan shared the US$10,000 prizemoney for lowest round, which the club are sponsoring each day.
The cut was made at four over – a reflection of the stiff challenge the East Course presents.
Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
Wack Wack Golf & Country Club’s East Course lived up to its tough reputation today with Sarut Vongchaisit’s four-under-par 68 good enough to take the first-round lead in the Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission.
On a hot and windy day in Manila in the season-opening event on the Asian Tour, it gave him a one-shot lead over American Charles Porter and Jeunghun Wang and Wooyoung Cho, both from Korea.
Wang Wei-hsuan and Hung Chien-yao from Chinese-Taipei, Australians Travis Smyth and Kevin Yuan, and Marcus Plunkett from the United States, returned 70s, for a tie of fifth.
Sarut rallied strongly at the end of last year, finishing 64th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit – which sees the top 65 keep their cards. He also won earlier in the year at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters on the Asian Development Tour – for his maiden professional victory.
Despite a two-week break from the game during the off season it appears he has not lost his touch. He made six birdies and two bogeys, having started on the 10th.
Charles Porter.
He was out in the morning session with the target he set proving unreachable for the afternoon flights.
“I’m feeling good. Just put it in play and my all-around play was good, pretty much, no bad shots,” said the 26-year-old, who has been a professional for two years.
“Definitely tough out there, with the wind, especially on the back nine, my front nine. I did prepare well for this course. I know it’s a tight course, so I hit a lot of rescues off the tee. So, I have been practicing, a lot of those.”
Two top 10s on the Asian Tour last year, at the SJM Macao Open and Mandiri Indonesia Open, put him on track to keep his card for this year.
“I took a break from golf for like two weeks. That was nice but I definitely missed it. It was nice to get back to it,” he added.
“I would definitely love to get a win out here on the Asian Tour, yeah, and hopefully get the spot for LIV next year.”
His strong start means he already has cash in the bank this week as the club is rewarding the player who shoots the lowest round each day with US$10,000. Porter is another rookie from last year who played well in the second half of the season to keep his playing privileges. He finished 29th on the Merit list, catching the eye by finishing tied second in the Yeangder TPC in September before nearly winning the season-ending Saudi Open presented by PIF, where he was joint third.
Wang Wei-hsuan pictured with his girlfriend Cindy Zhou.
Said the 26-year-old, who is the tallest player in the field at 6 feet 9 inches: “It was playing tough, because it was windy. I just tried to hit the fairways. It’s easier when you hit it in the fairway, but I wouldn’t say it’s ever easy. I just think plodding around, as opposed to hitting lots of drivers, is important. It’s good. It’s really challenging
‘I got to play two practice rounds here with a member on Saturday and Sunday. So that was huge. It’s friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, but super welcoming. And I love the Philippines. Lots of jet lag though having come from the US.”
As well as the cash prize for the lowest round of the day, there are impressive prizes on two of the par threes for holes in one. An ace on the seventh comes with a BMW i5 eDrive40 520i Hybrid, while a one on the 17th lands a BMW i5: the BMW all electric BMW 5 Series.
Making an ace on the penultimate hole would be quite a feat. The 191-yard hole is infamous and iconic as it is one of the hardest on Tour. The treacherous hole is guarded by bunkers and has a ‘camels back’ green and saw only 14 birdies today from a starting field of 142 players.
Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
The top 10 players from the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit at the end of the year earn Asian Tour cards for the ensuing season and at this week’s season-commencing Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission all 10 are present and accounted for. Nearly all of the 35 graduates from the Asian Tour Qualifying School are also playing, so like them, this week represents a great opportunity to start the year early and lay down a marker to launch a successful season. Here we take a look at those top 10 players. Story by Olle Nordberg – Asian Tour contributor.
Tawit Polthai (Thailand)
Last year Tawit Polthai from Thailand opened the Asian Development Tour (ADT) season with a victory in the PKNS Selangor Masters and never looked back. He also posted two runner-up finishes and three other top-10s on his way to winning the ADT Order of Merit for the first time. He also recorded a win on the PGA Tour of Taiwan in 2025, in an event held in Thailand. He has played on the ADT since 2016, with this year marking his first season on the Asian Tour.
Tawit Polthai [left], with the Order of Merit trophy, and James Leow, holding the Aramco Invitational trophy. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
Carl Jano Corpus of the Philippines had a very solid 2025 on the ADT with a win at the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts in June; four top fives; and two other top 10s to rank second on the Merit table. Amazingly, his cousin Aidric Chan, also one of the ADT graduates, won the week before his victory, also in Morocco. Corpus played his college golf at San Jose State University and turned professional at the start of 2025.
Matt Killen (England)
Englishman Matt Killen will be playing his second full season on the Asian Tour this year, following a breakthrough 2025 on the ADT. He finished third on the Merit list thanks to a win at the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament, and four other top 10s, including a runner-up result in Egypt. He’d been playing on the ADT since 2014. He also played on the main tour in 2024 after claiming the 13th card at Qualifying School. He bases himself out of Springfield Royal Country Club in Hua Hin, Thailand. He is one of three players from England to finish in the top-10.
James Leow (Singapore)
James Leow from Singapore will be another playing his first full Asian Tour season after winning the ADT’s season-ending Aramco Invitational. The victory made Leow the fourth Singaporean to win on the ADT, following Mardan Mamat, Quincy Quek, and Johnson Poh. Leow turned professional in 2022 after an accomplished amateur career. His standout achievement was winning the individual gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, where he claimed Singapore’s first individual golf gold in three decades. In 2022, he beat highly ranked opponents to win the Thunderbird Collegiate and the Pacific Coast Amateur titles in the United States, while playing for Arizona State University. He was also on the Team International side who defeated the United States at the prestigious Palmer Cup.
Karandeep Kochhar (India)
India’s Karandeep Kochhar is back to the Asian Tour after a season on the ADT where he won the Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open and had a runner-up finish in Morocco. His most successful Asian Tour season was in 2023 when he came in second at the BNI Indonesian Masters and ranked 19th on the final Order of Merit. From Chandigarh, where so many of India’s finest golfers hail from, he turned professional in 2017 and has claimed four titles on the Professional Golf Tour of India.
Carl Jano Corpus [left] with his cousin Aidric Chan. Picture by Steve Bardens/Asian Tour.
Filipino Aidric Chan will be joining his cousin Carl Jano Corpus in playing his maiden full season on the Asian Tour, after a successful year on the ADT when he posted two wins: in the Lexus Challenge and Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Samanah Golf Club. He played his college golf at the University of Arizona and prior to that won the Junior World Championships at Torrey Pines North in San Diego in 2019. He turned professional at the start of 2024 and immediately made an impact by topping the Philippine Golf Tour Q-School.
Niklas Regner (Austria)
Niklas Regner from Austria won the Egyptian Open late in the ADT season and this win along with three other top-10s was enough for him to earn his first Asian Tour card. Last year marked the first time he had played in Asia, prior to that he had mainly been playing on the Challenge Tour in Europe. His initial sport of choice was skiing, and he was the Austrian junior champion at Alpine skiing twice before quitting in 2017 to focus on golf.
Sam Broadhurst (England)
England’s Sam Broadhurst, the son of former Ryder Cupper Paul Broadhurst, is another Asian Tour rookie after securing his Asian Tour card via the ADT last year. He did not win an event during the 2025 season but was runner-up in the ADT Players Championship after a play-off loss, had a T2 at the Lexus Challenge and a T4 at the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Samanah Golf Club. He began his golfing career by caddying for his Dad – also a six-time European Tour winner and seven-time champion on the US Champions Tour, including two Majors. In 2015 Sam left the UK and moved to America to complete his degree in Sports Management at Lincoln University. He turned pro in 2020 and played on the EuroPro Tour where he won an event the following year.
Paul Broadhurst celebrates with his son and caddie Sam after holing his final putt on 18 to win The Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club in 2016. Picture by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images.
Finlay Mason (England)
The third Englishman to finish in the top-10, Finlay Mason was also winless last season but impressively posted four top-10s – the most important one a T4 at the season-ending Aramco Invitational to lock up his first Asian Tour card. He graduated from Nova Southeastern University in 2019 where he was a student athlete. He represented the men’s golf team and was named an All-American in his freshman year. Like Sam, last year was his first time playing in Asia.
Nopparat Panichphol (Thailand)
Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol won the Indonesia Pro-Am last September, and that victory along with two other top-10s during the season was just enough to clinch the 10th and final spot that qualifies for an Asian Tour card for 2026. He has been an ADT player since 2022. His past record also includes wins at the ADT Players Championship, on the ADT, and Singha Chiang Mai Open, on the All Thailand Golf Tour, both in 2024.
Overview: Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission
For the second season in succession the Asian Tour commences its year in the Philippines – this time at this week’s Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission.
It is a brand new event, in one of the Asian Tour’s most popular nation’s – popularly known as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’. Its National Open raised the curtain on last year’s season.
The Philippine Sports Commission is the driving force behind all sports in the archipelago and one of their key pillars is sports tourism – through international events like this week’s tournament.
The tournament is organised under the auspices of the National Sports Tourism-Inter Agency Committee (NST-IAC) along with the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP). The Asian Tour is the official regional sanctioning body.
BingoPlus is also an Official Sponsor – building on its expanding golf sponsorship portfolio which saw it become presenting partner at last year’s hugely successful International Series Philippines.
Taichi Kho.
Tournament Information
- Tournament: Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission
- Date: 5-8 February, 2026
- Venue: Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, Manila
- Par/Yards: 72 / 7,188 yards
- Purse: US$500,000
- Asian Tour leg: First
- Edition of tournament: First
- 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.
Field Breakdown
- Order of Merit winners: Sihwan Kim (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Scott Hend (2016)
- Nationalities: 26
- Top contenders: Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Wang Wei-hsuan (TPE), Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA), Jinichiro Kozuma (JPN), Lee Chieh-po (TPE), Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA), Taichi Kho (Hong Kong), Sarit Suwannarut (THA)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: Suteepat Prateeptienchai #267
- No. of amateurs in the field: 9
- No. of Filipino players in the field: 42
Wack Wack Golf & Country Club.
Tournament Notes
- The 2019 Order of Merit winner Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand finished the 2025 season very strong with two consecutive top six results in Saudi Arabia and India, plus posted four top-10s in his last eight events. The seven-time Asian Tour winner collected six top-10s last season with the highlight being a T2 at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May. This good form resulted in him finishing eighth on the Order of Merit. He was also in contention to earn a spot on the LIV Golf League in the Promotions event in January until a final round 72 derailed his chances.
- Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan had a breakthrough season in 2025 and recorded three top-three finishes in a span of a month in September-October, finishing T2 at the Yeangder TPC, third at Mercuries Taiwan Masters and losing a play-off at the SJM Macao Open to finish a career best ninth on the Order of Merit. He also won three events on his local Taiwan PGA Tour last year and won that Order of Merit.
- Rattanon Wannasrichan from Thailand had his best ever season of the Asian Tour in 2025, placing fourth on the Order of Merit after a win at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, a T2 at the Yeangder TPC and a T3 in the Moutai Singapore Open. Last year’s win was his third on the Asian Tour after winning the 2024 SJM Macao Open and the 2017 Thailand Open.
- Fellow Thai Suteepat Prateeptienchai is the highest ranked player on the OWGR this week at number 267, after another fine season in 2025 where he won the Mandiri Indonesia Open and had three other top-10s to finish 14th on the Order of Merit. He is now four-time Asian Tour winner after having previously won the 2023 and 2024 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open as well as the 2024 Yeangder TPC.
Jinichiro Kozuma.
- Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma was playing in the LIV Golf League the past two seasons as part of the Iron Heads GC, now called Korean GC, and last year had a T2 in Dallas, a T7 in Korea and a T10 in Andalucia as his best results. Not picked up by a team this season, we might see more of him on the Asian Tour – especially in The International Series events. Kozuma is a three-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, the last coming at the 2024 Sansan KBC Augusta Golf Tournament.
- Lee Chieh-po from Chinese Taipei is another player who was competing on LIV last season with a T12 in Hong Kong and a T13 in Chicago as his best results on the circuit. Playing a limited Asian Tour schedule last year, the 2024 winner of the International Series Thailand posted a T11 in the Jakarta International Championship as his best effort.
- Among the local players in the field this week it is Justin De Los Santos, playing on the Japan Golf Tour mainly, who is the highest ranked player on the OWGR, while Justin Quiban was the highest ranked Filipino on the 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
- A total of 30 players out the 35 who earned their cards at Qualifying School in December are competing, including the winner Lin Yuxin from China, and the other talented player who finished second Shaurya Bhattacharya from India. Another graduate, Korean teenager Minchan Kim is also competing. He was a 16-year-old amateur when he made it through the School and also won the All Thailand Golf Tour Qualifying School the following week. Now aged 17, he’s making his debut as a professional this week.
- The top-10 players from last year’s Asian Development Tour Order of Merit – who earned full playing status on this year’s Asian Tour – have also entered, led by the Merit list champion Tawit Polthai.
- The Asian Tour last visited Wack Wack Golf & Country Club in 2014 for the Philippine Open – when Australia’s Marcus Both claimed victory on the East Course. Other players to have won the Philippine Open there since the Asian Tour was formed in 2004 are: Scott Strange (2006), Frankie Minoza (2007), Angelo Que (2008), Berry Henson (2011), and Mardan Mamat (2012). Lin Wen-tang also claimed the Solaire Open in 2013 at the famous venue. The golf club holds a special place in golfing history, having hosted the 1977 World Cup of Golf, where Spain’s Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido successfully defended their title. The golf club’s name is pronounced “Wark Wark” not “Wack Wack”. It is named after the noise the native crows make. Hence the club logo features two black crows.
- Henson is in the field this week after successfully negotiating a return to Q-School last December.
Wack Wack Golf & Country Club.
Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
A big sigh of relief was heard on Sunday, December 21, at Lakeview Resort & Golf Club in Hua Hin, Thailand – when the final round of the Asian Tour’s Qualifying School was concluded.
Thirty-five players secured their Tour cards for the 2026 season, with the deep sense of relief quickly followed by excitement about what lies ahead.
A total of 621 players, representing 51 nationalities, competed in the School – inclusive of the six First Stage Qualifiers.
Earning a card was, as ever, an extraordinary feat, with the scramble for cards on that final day producing some of the most gripping golf of the year.
Shergo Al Kurdi made a crucial 10-foot putt for par on the last to finish in a tie for 19th. He missed the ensuing play-off by one to become the first player from Saudi Arabia to make it through Final Stage.
Japan’s Tomohiro Ishizaka started the day in second but tumbled down the leaderboard spectacularly after shooting an 81 and found himself in the play-off. Eight cards were on the line in extra time between 12 players and he was one of the lucky ones to survive.
As always, an exciting crop of new faces made it through, and we have selected the ones to look out for this year. Virtually all of the graduates are playing in this week’s season-opening Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission. Story by the Asian Tour’s Simon Wilson.
Lin Yuxin (China)
Lin [main picture], a lefthander, impressively finished top of the class at the school and was one of four Chinese players to make it through, along with Zihao Jin, Bowen Xiao, and Andi Xu. Hong Kong’s Jason Hak also graduated – to help fly the flag for the mainland.
Lin arrived with impressive credentials having won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2017 and 2019 before playing college golf at the University of Florida.
After turning professional in 2023 the Florida-based golfer did not live up to his potential playing the PGA Tour Americas and some Korn Ferry Tour events. After winning Qualifying School he explained the issue was mainly putting – the result of a “mental block”. There were no such issues at the School, as he shot rounds of 68, 67, 70, 67 and 67, to win by one from India’s Shaurya Bhattacharya.
Lin, playing in the penultimate group, was tied with Bhattacharya playing the difficult par-four 18th. The Chinese golfer made par while Bhattacharya, in the last group, finished with a bogey.
Aged just 25 and brimming with the confidence after winning the School, he will attempt to become the first Chinese winner on the Asian Tour since Xiao claimed the Asian Golf Championship in 2017.
Lin Yuxin.
Shaurya Bhattacharya (India)
Shaurya nearly won the Qualifying School and was disappointed not to. He was the leader by one at the start of the day and let Lin in by dropping a shot on the 72nd hole. He was also undone by bogeys on 12 and 13.
At the time he said: “I play a tournament to win, that’s my goal. Even if it’s Q-School, I want to win.”
Like Lin he looks like a class act in terms of personality and performance, clearly with the right attitude. He was 23 when he made it through School, which followed a fine year on the Professional Golf Tour of India that saw him win twice and finish third on the Merit list. He only turned professional the year before.
A former Indian amateur number one he represented his country at the 2023 Eisenhower Trophy and the Nomura Cup the year before.
He was one of four Indian players to earn cards. The others were Rashid Khan, Ajeetesh Sandhu, and Shubham Jaglan.
Shaurya Bhattacharya.
Will Florimo (Australia)
Will came mighty close to earning his Asian Tour card at the 2025 Qualifying School, also played at Lake View, finishing one shot behind the player who ended 35th, Filipino Sean Ramos.
The 27-year-old from Brisbane redeemed himself 12 months later by clinching the fifth card. He led after the first round and played steady golf throughout to seal the deal.
He’d arrived at the School playing some of the best golf of his career, in fourth place on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
He lost in a play-off at the New South Wales Open a month before the School and enjoyed three other top three finishes.
Another lefthander, he started the season Down Under finishing T2 at the PNG Open, and is clearly trending as he approaches his first season on the Asian Tour.
His fine form in Australia earned him an exemption into Final Stage. He eventually finished the season sixth on their Merit list.
Will Florimo.
Minchan Kim (Korea)
One of the surprise packages of the week Korean Minchan ‘Eddy’ Kim claimed card number 14 – aged just 16 and still an amateur.
Remarkably, the week after the School he won the Final Stage of the All Thailand Golf Tour Qualifying School by five shots.
With so many playing opportunities now available Kim recently made the decision to turn professional and will make his debut on the Asian Tour this week in the Philippines.
He lived in Canada until the age of seven before moving to Korea and was a member of the Korea Golf Association amateur squad. He did not represent Korea or win any of their amateur events but has clearly saved his best for Qualifying Schools and, hopefully, the pro game.
He is fluent in English and likes to play aggressive golf so all eyes will be on him this week.
Minchan Kim.
Khavish Varadan (Malaysia)
Khavish first caught the eye when he shared the lead at the halfway mark of the Malaysian Open in 2024. In what was his first event as a professional he tied for 13th, and at the Qualifying School last year his talent was once again on display.
The 25-year-old secured the 22nd card, following a season that saw him claim two top fives on the Asian Development Tour, in Pakistan and at the season-ending Aramco Invitational.
Prior to his debut appearance in the Malaysian Open he’d recently returned to Malaysia having lived in the United States for nearly nine years. He opted not to complete the final year of his degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to try and make a name for himself in Asia – something that looks like is going according to plan.
He also bears a resemblance to Indian Arjun Atwal, an eight-time winner on the Asian Tour. Khavish will no doubt like to mirror that career.
Khavish Varadan.
Carson Herron (United States)
Carson is the son of Tim Herron, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, and last year followed in his Dad’s footsteps, by finishing a college golf career at the University of New Mexico. In 2024 he claimed the Minnesota State Open.
Herron junior claimed the 29th card at the School having turned professional mid-way through last year.
He made two starts on the PGA Tour soon after joining the play for pay game and debuted on the PGA TOUR Americas at the CRMC Championship presented by Northern Pacific Center, impressively tying for 11th.
Another youngster he was just 23 at Qualifying School.
Carson Herron.
Zihao Jin (China)
Zihao turned professional in 2022 and two years later took the China Tour by storm winning five times on his way to claiming their Order of Merit.
The following year, after trying his hand on Europe’s Challenge Tour, he turned his attention to the Asian Tour and made the cut in the three tournaments he entered before securing the 32nd card at Qualifying School, at the age of 26.
Zihao is from Lanzhou in China but moved to the United States in 2011 and later played college golf at San Diego State University.
Zihao Jin.
Shubham Jaglan (India)
Shubham had only been a professional golfer for less than half a year before entering Qualifying School but despite his lack of experience he led after the second-round.
An unexpected 76 on the final day made the week an even steeper learning curve than expected as he fell back into the play-off. The 21-year-old was one of the last two players to fight it out for the final card. It went to five extra holes with Shubham the last to get in at the expense of Kelvin Si from Macau.
Shubham had turned professional in July after graduating from the University of South Florida. He made his professional debut that month surviving the cut at the Bromont Open on the PGA TOUR Americas in Canada. He continued to build on that and finished second at the Trident Open, after losing in a play-off, on the Professional Golf Tour of India, the month before Qualifying School.
He has enjoyed a remarkable rise from humble origins.
Shubham would practice in his backyard which his father, a milkman by profession, converted into a mini three-hole golf course. A self-taught golfer, thanks to YouTube, he was later spotted and won a scholarship with The Golf Foundation while he was also made a member of the distinguished Delhi Golf Club. In 2015 he won the Junior World Championships.
Shubham Jaglan (right).
Pictures by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
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