Driverless Smyth and veteran Das impress at DGC
Australian Travis Smyth and Shankar Das from India carded fine five-under-par 67s to take the lead on day one of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong and Indian Veer Ahlawat carded 68s, while India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Karandeep Kochhar returned 69s, on the famous Lodhi course at Delhi Golf Club – which was recently re-designed by South African great Gary Player.
Smyth, looking for his first win on the Asian Tour, opted not to use his driver on the notoriously tight golf course and it paid dividends as he shot an eagle, four birdies and dropped just one shot.
“I’d like to know if this is actually the tightest golf course in the world because if there is a course out there tighter than this then I don’t want to play it,” said the 27-year-old Australian.
“My strength is my iron play so not having my driver out here, I am quite happy with that. All the par fours I am hitting between a five iron or two iron off the tee, leaving myself eight irons to wedges in.”
It’s the first time he has played at Delhi Golf Club and judging by his round today he has an instant attraction to it.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Shankar Das of India pictured during round one of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday March 24, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He said: “You have to hit it so straight off these tees and with the wind swirling the anxiety levels are up around Delhi. I took the driver out of my bag for the first time in my life. I didn’t bring it to the course, there might be one hole, where I could use it, on hole number three, but I thought I would just use three wood and take driver out, and have an extra club in the bag.”
Having teed off on 10 his round quickly got going when he eagled the par-five 14th.
“I hit two iron off the tee [on 14]. I had planned to play it as a three-shot hole, but the ball ran out much further, so I thought I had better go for the green and I hit one of the best high three irons of my life up onto the top shelf, about 15 feet and holed the putt,” added Smyth.
Veteran Das produced one of the best rounds of his 20-year career to share the limelight with Smyth.
He didn’t drop a shot on the front nine and went out in four under before making two birdies and a bogey on the homeward stretch.
“I have practiced a lot with my three-wood for DGC,” said Das.
“This is a very good course. Earlier there were flat greens, but now there are more high greens. Now not only do you have to hit the tee shot well, but you have to hit the second shot really well, then only you get a chance for a birdie. Overall, I feel I am getting my game back
India’s Shiv Kapur, a four-time champion on the Asian Tour and winner of the 2017 Panasonic Open India at Delhi Golf Club, carded a 71 and is tied ninth.
“I started off quite well, was quite happy with my round, was four under for the first 10 holes. Then I hit a bit of a speed bump on the back nine. I didn’t quite have my A game today. I made a couple of sloppy bogeys coming in and that made the difference between a good and an average round,” said Kapur, who is a member of the club.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Shiv Kapur of India pictured during round one of The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday March 24, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The course is in the best condition I’ve ever seen. Overall, the changes to the course have been good. Earlier on the par fives you hit a good tee shot and that was pretty much game over. Now you’ve got to hit good shots into the greens, or you have some pretty tricky up and downs. On a course like this lined with trees and bushes, there’s no margin for error. One loose shot here is two, three shots gone and the big numbers can really hurt you around here.”
Khalin Joshi and Viraj Madappa, two of India’s most promising golfers, will tee-off in The DGC Open presented by Mastercard tomorrow at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) attempting to complete a unique double.
Joshi has the distinction of winning at the DGC the last time the Asian Tour staged an event there – at the Panasonic Open India, in October 2018.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Khalin Joshi of India warms up at the dfriving range ahead of the Pro-am event ahead of the DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Wednesday March 23, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
And Madappa triumphed almost exactly three years later at the famous venue at the TATA Steel PGTI MP Cup on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) – which was the first professional tournament played on the course following its much talked about and highly praised re-design by nine-time Major winner Gary Player from South Africa, who happens to be on site this week.
Madappa may have the upper hand as his win was much more recent, but it’s marginal as the player who finished second in that event, one shot behind, was none other than Mr Joshi.
“I have been playing here since my junior days and I love the course,” said Joshi.
“It is a great challenge and I have had some success and good moments, including the Asian Tour win. I had played so many times before it was re-done, and I always felt you needed to think and plan all the time.
“Now with shapes of the greens having been changed and a lot of run-off and collection areas, the challenge is stiffer. You can’t miss on the wrong side and if you do it is going to be tough. So, you think before each shot.”
On the new DGC course, Madappa said: “The DGC is a great course. From tee to greens it is the same, but a lot else has changed. The bunkers have been moved a little, the greens are re-shaped and there are some fantastic slopes and a lot of collection areas one should look out for. All in all, it is a great challenge. The renovation has been great. A very good job.”
Madappa’s first professional win came at the Take Solutions Masters in Bengaluru on the Asian Tour in 2018 and since then he has been making good progress, and he chose to use the long lay-off caused by the pandemic productively.
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Viral Madappa of India pictured during a Pro-am event ahead of the DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Wednesday March 23, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“That was something out of our control,” said the 24 year old.
“I used the time in the first wave to think and work on my game. Then when we got no events on the Asian Tour, it did get frustrating, but I hung in and put more work in.
“I have now been a pro for five years. So, it is more frustrating when you know where you are, and you also know how good you could be or where you could be. That’s the gap I want to bridge.”
Could this be the week when he takes one more step to bridging it?
When Joshi won in 2018 at the DGC, he probably started thinking about going to the next level. And why not, he was playing great, and he was 24 and as he said at the time “many new doors had opened” for him.
Yet, it did not quite happen like that. There was just one top-10 in the whole of 2019 on the Asian Tour and he missed the cut 14 times.
He too used the pause caused by Covid to work on his game and the mental struggles he seemed to be having on the course and on the PGTI there has been a significant improvement in his performance.
“I used the time to work on my game and also to work out what was wrong on and off the course,” said the 29 year old, who also began working with Laurence Brotheridge, Academy Director at The Leadbetter Golf Academy in Pune, India.
Surprisingly, he missed the cut in the first three on this season’s Asian Tour, but that could all change this week.
Says Joshi: “The DGC gets me excited, and I am looking forward to the week.”
NEW DELHI – INDIA – Khalin Joshi of India warms up at the dfriving range ahead of the Pro-am event ahead of the DGC Open presented by Mastercard at the Delhi Golf Club on Wednesday March 23, 2022. The US$ 500.000 Asian Tour event is staged from March 24-27, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
By Joy Chakravarty
One of the fun things to do on any legendary golf course is to try and recreate great golf shots that have become part of the club’s folklore.
Tiger Woods’ chip-in on the 16th hole of Augusta National Golf Club during the 2005 Masters; Colin Montgomerie’s 3-wood to the 18th green in the final round of the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic; and then there’s Gaurav Ghei’s audacious chip-in for eagle on the 18th hole of Delhi Golf Club to win the 1995 Gadgil Western Masters, on the Asian Tour.
On second thoughts, strike out the last one. Ghei’s magic shot to the back-left pin will never be repeated. Of course, you can try something similar, but the shot will now require a much different trajectory and a much different line.
The reason for this is that nine-time Major champion Gary Player has redesigned the famous course and so when the cream of the Asian Tour arrive for the US$500,000 The DGC Open presented by Mastercard this week it promises to be a whole new experience for them.
The South African was given the complex and demanding task of redesigning a masterpiece; it wasn’t a simple ‘restoration’, for a golf club the Asian Tour has not visited since the Panasonic Open India in October 2018,
What used to be a golf course that placed a huge premium on hitting straight off the tee (missing fairways at “DGC”, as it’s better known, is a guaranteed bogey) is now an even more demanding test after the charismatic Player worked his magic on all 18 greens, and repositioned various bunkers.
When it was finally opened to the public towards the end of 2019, after months of refurbishment, the ‘new’ golf course won plaudits from members and seasoned professionals.
“We’ve put a grass down called Mini Verde on the greens, which is a great grass,” said 86-year-old Player.
“We have changed the contours of all the greens and added slopes and run-off areas, and we’ve made the golf course slightly longer than it was. We have repositioned many bunkers. And the big thing that we did was give proper drainage to these greens. You know how the rains can be in India, but the course will now drain much faster. I think we did a very good job.”
Gaurav Ghei of India (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images).
The last redesign of the DGC was way back in 1977, under the eyes of five-time Open champion and a good friend of Gary Player – Australian great Peter Thomson.
“There’s a great saying by Shakespeare – change is the price of survival. We’ve got to keep abreast of the technology and times. The golf course is the most important thing. I am well aware that 20-30 years from now, somebody else will come along and change everything that I have done,” said Player when asked if designers get emotional when changing a classic golf course.
The proof of the pudding, as is well known, is in the eating and nobody is better qualified to critique Player’s work than the 52-year-old Ghei – a three-time winner on the Asian Tour, the first Indian to qualify for The Open (in 1997) and someone who knows the golf course better than the back of his hand.
“It’s not so much a redesign as much as it is making it a little bit more challenging using the essential character of the course. I think Gary Player has done a great job of that,” said Ghei.
“Earlier, if you hit your tee shot on the fairway at DGC, you knew you’d make a par nine times out of 10. That’s no longer the case now. We’ve got some really, really, interesting pin positions; there are slopes and run-off areas. And if they can make it as firm and fast as it was when the new greens were launched, it will become very, very interesting.
“Before 2019, all the tough pins were traditionally at the back of the green. But now, some of the toughest pins are on the front of the green as the entrance is so narrow, and if you miss it on the wrong side, you’re going to struggle big time. You need to have a wide repertoire of short game shots.”
Ghei has spent a lot of time playing with fellow professionals and club members and gives a glowing review of Player’s work.
“I think Gary’s team, given the mandate they had, totally delivered what was expected. I love the fact that the character of the golf course is still the same, and yet it has become far more challenging. With the rains and COVID, we have a little bit of issues with the grass, but the course has been shut for two weeks and I can’t wait to see how it looks for the tournament,” said Ghei.
“As a member, I’m totally 110% happy with what they’ve done with our course.”
One person Gary Player will miss immensely during his visit to New Delhi is the former Club President Siddharth Shriram, a good friend of his and the man who was instrumental in not just conceptualising The DGC Open presented by Mastercard, but also played a key role in the redesigning of the course.
“Yes…I have nothing but the highest respect for Siddharth. I will really miss him. You know, memories are the cushions of life. And he was such a lovely man,” said Player of the late Shriram, who passed away last year following COVID-related complications.
“In fact, I’ve also just lost my wife. And you know, I think the Indians have a wonderful philosophy about life and death in their belief that life is a part of death. Life has got to go on and we learn to live with wonderful memories, and that is the greatest gift bestowed upon us by the Lord. I have stories I can be grateful for.”
After an absence of more than three years the Asian Tour is finally going back to one of its most recognisable and classic venues, the Delhi Golf Club, for the US$500,000 The DGC Open presented by Mastercard and great things are expected from one relative newcomer Karandeep Kochhar.
An impressive field has entered the inaugural event, and the young man from Chandigarh in North West India – a region that has produced so many of the country’s greatest golfers, including two-time Asian Tour number one Jeev Milkha Singh – has been in fine form of late, writes Olle Nordberg – Contributing Editor, Asian Tour.
Having finished second on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Order of Merit in 2021 and posting a victory at the Gujarat Open Golf Championship in late February on the same tour, he finished 16th at the recent International Series Thailand after being tied-second going into the last round.
“I’m obviously feeling quite good after the last few weeks. I’m playing well, just making some mental errors, but other than that I have been playing well. I think that showed in the last two-three weeks,” said Kochhar.
“In Thailand it was such a huge event so overall I’m very pleased. I think I was kind of nervous out there obviously, but I think I learned a lot from it and will hopefully come back stronger in Delhi. I’m definitely looking forward to having an Asian Tour event in Delhi.”
The 22 year old should certainly feel comfortable on the famous Lodhi Course at Delhi Golf Club where he has already come close to winning: finishing tied-second behind compatriot Shiv Kapur in the Panasonic Open India in his rookie season back in 2017.
He added: “Obviously it’s familiar conditions. I’m going to be staying at home, we have a house in Delhi, so all those things I think will make a huge difference. You know, you’ve got family around you, so that familiarity and comfort is really important.
“I think Delhi Golf Club suits my game. The thing that works to my advantage is that it’s not the longest of golf courses and most of the par fives are reachable in two, even for a player like me who doesn’t hit it very far. I think that works in my favor, but at the end of the day you just have to play well.”
Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The Lodhi Course has recently undergone renovation by Gary Player Design, focusing mainly on the green complexes, and the course will be playing differently since the Asian Tour was last there in October of 2018 for the Panasonic Open India, won by India’s Khalin Joshi.
“The course just looks different now. The greens are completely different, and they have put a lot of runoff areas with tight lies around the greens. So, I think short game and chipping around the greens has definitely become tougher. The greens are a little more undulating now,” added Kochhar, who has claimed three PGTI titles.
“I think now how the course is playing, whoever putts well is going to win. Earlier I think Delhi Golf Club was a course where you had to hit it straight, you had to hit great shots off the tees to keep it in play, but I think with the way the course is right now, maybe it’s going to be more of a short game course. I think the player who has played well next week is going to have had a great week on the greens.”
Kochhar can also take some inspiration and confidence from Indian star Anirban Lahiri’s fantastic runner-up finish at The Players Championship last week, having beaten Lahiri in a playoff to win the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational in December 2020.
“I think obviously that does wonders for golf in India, he’s a player I admire so much. I got to learn so much from him when I played with him, so I think if I look at the whole perspective, I think it’s absolutely phenomenal for Indian golf,” he said.
“Some of the people in our country could see that, you know, guys making US$2 million in a week. That could probably enhance and grow the game in India, so it was huge. If I think back to that weekend at Jeev’s event, it probably was one of my proudest moments to beat Anirban in that playoff. He’s a player of such high calibre, so obviously that gives me confidence. You know, if he can do it at the highest level, if we believe and work hard enough, maybe we can do it as well.”
Having grown up in Chandigarh, Kochhar had no shortage of other successful players to look up to, ask for advice and to learn from.
“Jeev Milkha Singh was my idol and mentor, put it that way. Because he was the first player from our country, let alone from my city, to really make it out there. I still go to him for advice or if something is bothering me, because he’s just really helpful in all his advice,” said the Indian.
Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Shubhankar Sharma as well because he’s a person I hang out with a lot when he’s in Chandigarh. We play golf together, chill in the evenings. He’s a person from who I learned quite a lot. In fact, some of the shots which I have in my arsenal were really inspired by looking at Shubhankar’s videos.
“We also have Gaganjeet Bhullar from Chandigarh who’s like an older brother to me. So, you know, a combination of all these players, I’m really close to all of them, we are friends outside of the golf course as well. All these players really helped me to get comfortable on the Asian Tour.”
Golf in India and the Delhi Golf Club go hand in hand. The first-ever international professional event to be staged in India was at the tree-lined challenging course back in 1964, when the Indian Open was introduced onto what was then loosely called the Asian Golf Circuit.
Since then, a plethora of Indian golfers, spanning a few generations have had success there and some even more than once, writes V Krishnaswamy.
Yet, when The DGC Open presented by Mastercard is played there next week it will be an old favourite with the promise of a new experience.
The inaugural event will be the first tournament to be held on the new layout there designed by the legendary Gary Player.
It is no secret that every sponsor wants their tournament at the Delhi Golf Club, which is also called the ‘Lungs of Delhi’ because of its location in the heart of the Indian capital, New Delhi.
And now, The DGC Open presented by Mastercard will join the long list of illustrious Asian Tour events to be held at the famous venue.
Since 1964 no other club in India has hosted as many international events as the Delhi Golf Club. It is also the favourite of most Indian players despite the challenges of narrow fairways and the bushes, which gobble up stray shots, and the bunkers, which can be very penal.
(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
“The DGC”, as it is fondly called, has fetched Jyoti Randhawa, now 49 years old, four wins; Anirban Lahiri, second in last week’s The Players Championship, also has won four times; while SSP Chawrasia has triumphed there on three occasions.
Chawrasia says: “There is something very comforting about DGC. It is a big challenge and I love it. I have done it in the past (in 2008, 2014 and 2016) and would love to add more trophies from the DGC.”
After one of his many wins at the Club, Randhawa had said: “I have great memories of this course and every time I get here, I keep that in mind and it helps. I guess I have won a few times, so I know what the course is.”
Four-time Asian Tour winner Shiv Kapur says: “I have spent more time there than anywhere else except my home and at times even more than at home. In recent times after the new Gary Player layout was inaugurated, I have played time and again with my buddies, Gaurav Ghei, Chiragh Kumar and Arjun Singh, who also have great memories of what is our home course. So, naturally I am looking forward to The DGC Open presented by Mastercard.”
Kapur and Chiragh Kumar, who call the Club their home course, Rashid Khan, who was a product of the junior programme there, veteran Mukesh Kumar, who won his first and only Asian Tour title at the Club, and Khalin Joshi, who broke through with a win at the Club at the Panasonic Open India in 2018 all call it their favourite course.
Before them, veteran and experienced stars like Ali Sher, Gaurav Ghei, Vijay Kumar, Arjun Atwal, Digvijay Singh and others, too, have had international wins at the Club.
The erstwhile course is a huge favourite for all, but not everyone has had success.
While Randhawa and Chawrasia would like more, two other superstars, Jeev Milkha Singh, India’s best-known golfer, and Gaganjeet Bhullar, the most successful Indian on the Asian Tour with nine wins, are still in search of their first-ever wins there.
“Maybe the new layout will bring me success,” said Bhullar, who played the new design when it was opened in mid-2020. “I did get a taste of the new course at a charity event. But now it is match time.”
Shiv Kapur fondly remembers the time he came off the Delhi Golf Club course one day, gloating about his score: a 116.
No, please don’t blink your eyes. You read that right. That is 44-over par 116!
And then there was also the time when he felt rather disappointed with a Sunday round of 10-under-par 62 – his best effort in a competition on the fabled golf course. That 62 still wasn’t enough to secure a win at the 2007 AIS Golf Open on the PGT of India Tour, writes Joy Chakravarty.
And in between the 62 and 116, there have been thousands of rounds – some wildly exhilarating, some downright depressing – but Kapur’s love story with Delhi Golf Club has remained rock-steady through all the tribulations and triumphs.
So, it’s no wonder that the Indian ace – a three-time winner on the Asian Tour (four, if you count the 2017 Royal Cup, which is now deemed as a ‘special event’) – is looking forward to the US$500,000 The DGC Open, an Asian Tour sanctioned event scheduled next week.
The 39-year-old Shiv Kapur, a Purdue graduate and the 2002 Asian Games gold medalist, played a key role in conceptualising the tournament along with the late Siddharth Shriram, the former President of the club, who passed away last year.
“This tournament was really the dream of Mr Shriram. And I think this is absolutely the perfect thing to do in his memory. It was always his dream that Delhi Golf Club has its own standalone event. He was also instrumental in bringing Gary Player to come and redesign the course. And we all know what a magnanimous supporter he has been for Indian golf,” said Kapur.
“He always wanted to have a tournament that belongs to the club – a regular, annual stop on the Tour. Just like the Hong Kong Golf Club has the Hong Kong Open, or the Augusta National Golf Club has the Masters. He loved going to the Masters every year, and probably, that’s why he wanted to call it the DGC Masters.
“I spent a lot of time with him discussing how the event should be. We talked about the field make up and what kind of traditions we could introduce. Things have moved on since and committees come and go in golf clubs, but we are lucky to have the tournament. I think it’s public knowledge now that MasterCard is supporting it, which is fantastic. To have a brand like MasterCard support the event adds to the stature of the event.”
Shiv Kapur, obviously, loves Delhi Golf Club. This was the place where he’d follow his father every day as a child, and his perseverance was rewarded when one day, he was handed a cut-down 2-iron and given the go-ahead to start hitting balls. As the Indian ace remembers, it was love at first sight.
“We had a car sticker back then that said: ‘Delhi Golf Club is my second home’. And I’d always think that was so wrong. I spent more time in the golf club than at home,” he said.
“That round of 116…I think it was the most fun I ever had on the golf course. It was about 8-9 months after I started playing and came in the first round of an Asia-Pacific Juniors event. I honestly did not care about my score. I went strutting around the clubhouse, proudly telling members that I shot a 116.
“It is a very special place for me. I think I know every caddie and every serving staff by their first names, and I would definitely not be here talking to you if not for the DGC.”
Even though the golf course went under Gary Player’s scalpel a couple of years ago and got a serious facelift, it has not made the slightest difference to Kapur’s appreciation for the golf course. In fact, he loves the new challenge even more.
“For most Asian Tour players, this would be the first look at the ‘new’ DGC,” said Shiv Kapur. “This is going to be the first major test on this golf course after the redesign. It’s a completely different beast, with the way the green complexes are now.
“Back in the day, Delhi Golf Club was about hitting the fairway and the job was half done. Finding fairways is still paramount, but at the same time, the new green design makes it that much harder.
“This is especially true for the par fives. Like the first and the 18th holes, once you hit the fairway, you pretty much knew you had a good birdie opportunity. But now they’ve built these humps and hollows and crowns, like all modern golf courses. And it’s made it that much harder. You have a lot more options for pin positions, and you can tuck a lot of them and make it quite tricky. Also, because they’re relatively new greens, they’re much firmer. So, I think it’s going to be a tougher test of golf.”
A tougher test of golf it may well be but surely not as tough as the day he shot 116!
With the hosting of last week’s inaugural International Series Thailand, a proud new chapter in the history of Black Mountain Golf Club has been written.
Sculpted by Pacific Coast Design’s Phil Ryan and opened for play in 2007, the Hua Hin property has underlined its status as one of Asia’s most prolific tournament venues.
“To get the honour to host the Asian Tour’s first International Series event was fantastic,” said Harald Elisson, General Manager at Black Mountain, the first club in Thailand to become part of the Asian Tours Destinations network.
“We had our first Asian Tour event, the Black Mountain Masters, in 2009. Since then we’ve frequently hosted professional tournaments,” added Elisson, whose tenure has also coincided with the staging of the Thailand Classic, King’s Cup and Royal Trophy.
He said: “We’ve been working with the Asian Tour for 12 or 13 years now and we have a great relationship.
“We hadn’t hosted a big tournament for a while, so we were very excited about the International Series Thailand – and for us to be the first host venue.
“It was exciting for us to show Black Mountain from its absolute best side – both on and off the course. Then there was everything else that goes on around a tournament. We tried to make it a bit special.”
A bit special it certainly was with Sihwan Kim scorching to a winning aggregate of 26-under-par 262, including an opening 62 and a closing 63. Elisson said: “The golf course was in perfect condition. Without the strong winds we often have, it was ideal for low scoring. We were expecting some low scores, but nine-under and 10-under … that’s amazing!”
Since the club’s inauguration, Black Mountain has never stood still, always looking ahead to the next addition or challenge. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, more progress is on the way.
Elisson said: “I love the aspect that we keep growing all the time. We keep changing. We keep evolving, both on the course and off the course.
“We always try to make the course better. We always try to get more facilities around the area. We have a school on site now and a lot of other facilities. We also keep growing because more and more people are choosing to stay here, either as a second home or permanently.
“Black Mountain has become a fantastic golfing community with a great mix of people from all around the world – Europeans, Scandinavians, Australians, as well as Thais and other Asians. We have a great mix of nationalities and people.”
Golf’s history books will record that the International Series Thailand was a landmark week for the Asian Tour.
The first event in the eagerly-awaited new initiative proved a resounding success on numerous fronts – outstanding venue and outstanding scoring being the most glaringly obvious.
With a prize purse of US$1.5 million and the promise of nine more events of similarly elevated status on the calendar for 2022, no wonder there were smiles on the faces of participants at the Black Mountain Golf Club.
Among those watching over proceedings and admiring the birdie-fest was Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour.
After the roller-coaster ride he’s been through the past two years plotting the Asian Tour’s path out of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cho would have been entitled to reflect with quiet satisfaction on the achievements of the past four months.
“Coming out of Covid, we definitely did not expect to be in this position. It’s very fortunate for us to come out of the pandemic in such a strong position,” said Cho, referring to the 21-month hiatus the Asian Tour endured.
HUA HIN-THAILAND- Sihwan Kim of the USA pictured with the winner’s trophy on Thursday March 6, 2022 after the final round of the International Series Thailand at Black Mountain Golf Club, Prachaubkhirikhan, Thailand. The US$ 1.5 million Asian Tour event is staged between March 3 – 6, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
For Cho and the Asian Tour management team, the 84-week absence of tournaments did not mean they were able to take a break. Far from it.
Cho said: “It was a time for us to go back to the drawing board, explore options, talk to different sponsors, and look at ways to come back bigger and stronger. So we’re happy that we’re able to do that.
“The proof is in the pudding … and everyone’s happy. Everyone’s playing competitive golf for decent prize money. Finally, hopefully, the level of competition goes up and up and up.”
One of the main sources of Cho’s contentment is the backing of LIV Golf Investments, which is enabling the Asian Tour to provide more playing opportunities for its members, along with significantly greater prize money.
Over a 10-year period, LIV Golf has committed to investing US$300 million via the International Series, consisting of 10 events each year with prize funds of US$1.5 million to US$2 million.
Cho said: “I feel like the International Series is where the Asian Tour belongs. For decades, it’s what we’ve been waiting for … and it’s the new standard for the Asian Tour.
“In the past, the Asian Tour was a collection of small prize money events with the odd $1 million or $2 million events scattered in there. But now the standard for the Asian Tour is going to be $1 million-plus, high level events, great destinations and locations, and it’s going to be a lot more competitive.”
Across the International Series, there will be considerable focus on player experience.
Cho said: “For the golfers, we want to make them feel special. We want to make them feel like the International Series are major events.
“So, you’ll see a barber shop; you’ll see a smoothie bar; you’ll see foot massage; you’ll see more physiotherapy; you’ll see a club fitting area for guys to adjust loft and change the grips on their clubs; you’ll see a fully kitted out gym; you’ll see a players’ lounge. We want to increase the whole professionalism of the Tour. And this is where it starts.”
By offering increased purses and a better player experience, Cho is convinced events will attract stronger fields and competition levels will improve. It will also encourage more of the young up-and-coming players to remain in the region rather than touring the globe in search of tournaments in which to play.
In particular, that applies to those who hold dual membership of the Asian Tour and either DP World Tour or Japan Tour Golf Organisation.
Cho said: “One of the major differences that the fans are going to see with the International Series is that the bigger names, who are traditionally dual members, will come back and play these tournaments.
“Usually they’d have to go to Europe or to Japan for bigger prize money and to play a fullish schedule. But now that we’ve got a guaranteed 10-event series with good prize money, it’s going to be very competitive and bring those guys back home to Asia.
HUA HIN-THAILAND- Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand pictured in action on Thursday March 3, 2022, during day one of The International Series Thailand at Black Mountain Golf Club, Prachaubkhirikhan, Thailand. The USD$ 1.5 million Asian Tour event is staged between March 3 – 6, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Now there’s a ways for them to stay in Asia, compete at the highest level, and not have to travel abroad to make a good pay cheque. Hopefully, they stay over here, they groom their games, go and play Majors, World Golf Championships and move up the ranks.
“The way we improve players in Asia is giving them better competition or tougher competition … and a full schedule of 25 to 30 events.”
With domestic Tours expanding in countries such as Thailand, India, Taiwan and Indonesia and the Asian Development Tour and Asian Tour in sound shape, Cho says there’s now a ladder system and proper career pathway. There’s more competition and more depth.
“There’s a hunger among players to play better. That’s all we can ask for,” said Cho.
Thailand’s golfing phenom TK Ratchanon, as he’s popularly known, has been getting plenty of attention since he played in his first Asian Tour event late last year.
And at the weekend he again performed with distinction claiming 11th place at the International Series Thailand at Black Mountain Golf Club, which was the first of the ground-breaking new 10-event International Series.
It is easy to forget Ratchanon Chantananuwat is still an amateur and so the question is how much would he have earned if he had been competing as a member of the play for pay ranks.
After two solid events in Phuket in late November and early December 2021, he nearly won The Singapore International in January having held the lead early on the back nine on Sunday. He would eventually finish solo-third for his best Asian Tour event to date.
Last week the teen titan was sitting in tied-eight position after a nine-under-par 63 in the third round before narrowly missing out on recording his second Asian Tour top-10 by one shot.
HUA HIN-THAILAND- Ratchanon Chantananuwat pictured on Friday March 4, 2022, during round two of the International Series Thailand at Black Mountain Golf Club, Prachaubkhirikhan, Thailand. The US$ 1.5 million Asian Tour event is staged between March 3 – 6, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
So, based on the six events TK Ratchanon has competed in his earnings would have been:
Blue Canyon Phuket Championship: tied 15th , US$12,670
Laguna Phuket Championship: tied 30th, US$7,925
The Singapore International: third, US$63,000
SMBC Singapore Open: tied 34th, US$8,625
PIF Saudi International Powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers: 71st , US$10,500
International Series Thailand: tied 11th,US$23,145
The hypothetical total earnings of US$125,865 in four months would be impressive by anyone’s standards, but quite incredible for a player that just turned 15 three days ago.
We are sure to see a lot more of “TK” in the coming months and years, but one thing is for sure it is not his winnings that will count for his growing legion of fans but rather the joy his genius is bringing to the game and the Asian Tour.
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