Yeh Wei-tze preparing for Senior career
Chinese-Taipei veteran Yeh Weh-tze, famous for being one of only two players from his country to win on the DP World Tour when he claimed the 2000 Malaysian Open, has confirmed he plans to play on the game’s Seniors circuits after he turns 50 early next year. Olle Nordberg, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour, spoke to him.
The 49 year old played in the Yeangder TPC last week, showing he still has what it takes to compete at the top level by playing all four rounds, and says he is excited about the next stage of his career.
“Next year I want go to Japan, I can play the Japan Senior Tour,” said Yeh.
“I could also play the European Senior Tour if I wanted since I won the Malaysian Open, but I like Japan better so I think I will only play in Japan next year”.
In 2000 he hit global headlines when he won the jointly-sanctioned Malaysian Open by a single shot over three players including three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington from Ireland.
In doing so he became only the second player from Chinese-Taipei to win on the DP World Tour, following his famous compatriot and coach Lu Liang-Huan, better known as “Mr. Lu”, who lifted the French Open trophy and finished runner-up in the Open Championship in 1971.
Yeh Wei-tze. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The last few years of COVID-19 restrictions has meant no international travel for Yeh, but he has still managed to keep busy.
He said: “I’ve only stayed in Taiwan doing some training and spending time with my family. I played the local tour and we’ve had quite a few events, but I haven’t been playing that well, only so-so”.
He turns 50 in February and it’s no surprise Japan is initially his first choice to start with the Seniors as he triumphed twice there: in the ANA Open in 2003, and the Sega Swammy Cup in 2006. Famously, he beat the legendary Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki from Japan by a shot in the first of those wins.
“I can speak Japanese and I like the food there. I played in Japan maybe eight years,” he added.
After his victory in Malaysia, he spent two years dividing his time between the Asian Tour and the DP World Tour, and found playing in Europe a challenge.
He said: “Playing in Europe the weather is a bit tough, and the greens are very difficult. But for me it was a very good challenge. I was very happy I could win the Malaysian Open and go play on the European Tour.”
Before wrapping up his time in Europe he posted a fifth-place finish at the 2002 Compass Group English Open as his best finish on European soil.
Yeh Wei-tze. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
There’s one other thing Yeh is famous for which has no doubt contributed to his success.
He says: “I have one short driver I can keep in the fairway and one for more distance.”
Nostalgia will hang heavily in the air when Asian golfing legends Chen Tze-chung and Chen Tze-ming tee-off in this week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, writes Spencer Robinson, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
The pioneering brothers, better known as TC and TM, blazed a trail for Asian golf in the 1980s with their feats on fairways around the world.
Their appearance in the US$1 million Mercuries Taiwan Masters at the historic Taiwan Golf and Country Club, which starts Thursday, will provide an opportunity for Taiwanese fans to pay tribute to the duo who have been household names in their home country for more than five decades.
For TM it will be an especially poignant week as he turns 70 on Wednesday (September 28), making him one of the eldest players to line-up in an Asian Tour event.
Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO, said: “The Chen brothers are genuine legends of the professional game in Asia. Through their exploits, they helped to put Asia on the golfing map and they are rightly revered for paving a path that others have been able to follow.
“It’s a wonderful gesture by Mercuries to honour TM and TC with invitations to take part this week, offering a rare chance for our modern-day stars to brush shoulders with two men who rank among the finest golfers Asia has ever produced.”
Between them, TM and 64-year-old TC won no fewer than 37 professional titles in glittering careers.
Most notable among them was TC’s triumph in the Los Angeles Open in 1987, defeating American Ben Crenshaw in a sudden-death play-off. It was the first win by a Taiwanese player on the PGA Tour and only the second by an Asian, following Japan’s Isao Aoki at the Hawaii Open in 1983.
In 1985, the brothers both came close to winning Major titles. TC tied for second at the US Open while TM was third at the PGA Championship.
T.C. Chen on the green during the 1987 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club (Picture by Augusta National/Getty Images).
TC’s remarkable week at Oakland Hills Country Club in 1985 is still often discussed. He scored the first albatross in US Open history when he holed his three-wood second shot from 255 yards at the par-five second hole and took a two-stroke lead into the final round, only to be pipped by American Andy North.
Arguably it was one stroke of misfortune that cost Chen the chance to write his name into the record books as Asia’s first Major champion. At the fifth hole in the final round, Chen ran-up a quadruple-bogey eight which included a penalty shot incurred after a freak double hit on a chip shot, earning him the nickname ‘Two-Chip’ Chen.
During the early days of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, the Chens were the star attractions.
TC, who in 1982 became the first Taiwanese player to earn his PGA Tour card, won the third edition of the championship in 1989.
For his part, TM’s stellar curriculum vitae includes seven Asian Golf Circuit titles including the national Open championships of Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. He won the Order of Merit in 1985.
The Chen brothers also excelled for Taiwan in team championships as amateurs and professionals.
The duo represented their country in the World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in 1976, while TC propelled Taiwan to the bronze medal in 1980 when he was second individually behind American Hal Sutton.
In 1984, TC was fifth individually in the World Cup of Golf, leading Taiwan to a joint second place finish behind Spain, and then teamed up with his brother in the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews in 1985 and 1994.
Fittingly, the third member of the 1985 team was ‘Mr Lu’ Liang-huan, Asia’s first global golfing star, having finished runner-up to Lee Trevino in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 1971.
It was that performance which provided the inspiration for TC who recalled: “When I was a little kid, after school I came to the golf course every day and watched. I didn’t know anything about golf, only read about superstars like Nicklaus and Trevino, who were in the papers every day.
“Mr Lu had finished second at the British Open, so at the time he was very famous. I was thinking someday I will be just like him. That was part of the reason I started to play golf.”
Mr Lu, winner of the inaugural Hong Kong Open in 1959 and resident professional at the Hong Kong Golf Club from 1962 to 1964, passed away in March this year, aged 85.
Australian Travis Smyth finally got the monkey off his back and won his maiden title on the Asian Tour today when he recorded an impressive two-shot victory in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
The 27 year old from Sydney drew on a season of strong performances and near misses to fire his second successive six-under-par 66 for a tournament total of 19 under, with defending champion Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei finishing runner up after an equally fine 67.
Chinese-Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan (67), Nicholas Fung from Malaysia (67), American Berry Henson (68), and Bjorn Hellgren from Sweden (69) tied for third, five behind the winner.
Smyth started the day with a one-shot lead and proved uncatchable after he birdied four out of the first six to make the turn in four under before virtually wrapping things up by making three birdies in a row from the 10th. With a healthy lead the surprise double bogey he made on the 15th, which were his only dropped shots of the day, was not too damaging particularly as he responded with his final birdie of the day on the next.
Travis Smyth. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The victory made up for narrowly failing to win the International Series England in June where he was second – a result that earned him starts on the LIV Golf Invitational series.
“Feels amazing!” said an overjoyed Smyth, who picked up a cheque for US$126,000.
“I got so close, I felt like I let it go in England and to play some LIV events, feel what it’s like there, I just want to get back. I want to be the player that I believe I can be, and winning this week is one step along the journey.”
On the 15th his ball plugged in a bunker, after a big hook with his nine iron, from where he splashed out and three putted to make the closing stages slightly more interesting.
He becomes the 11th first-time winner this season, and first Australian to win the event.
He added: “The opening nine, or first five, six holes are quite easy, but it’s a tight course so you have to hit it straight. You got to be below the hole, you got to roll the putts in, and I just did exactly that. Set the pace for the day. But you know the guy I was playing with, Lee Chieh-po, he played amazing. I was always like one, two or three shots within him, and he kept playing well and applying pressure, so it wasn’t easy that’s for sure.”
Smyth earned his place on the Asian Tour by finishing joint third at Qualifying School in 2018 and after a number of good results since then, a first victory had been expected soon.
Lee Chieh-po. Pic0ure by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
For Lee it was his best finish on the Asian Tour as when he won last year the tournament was held solely as a domestic event – the result of travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic.
He said: “I think I did well today. Travis was just too good. I played well in this tough conditions. And my overall 72-hole score is better than my winning score last year so there is some improvement! I am happy with how I played this week. Happy to set a new personal best result on the Asian Tour.
“I think my card should be safe for next year. Looking forward to playing on the Asian Tour again. I am happy with my performance this week, some unfortunate misses today but overall, it was good. Travis played close to perfection today, except for that double bogey on 15 which didn’t really make a lot of difference.”
He also began well with birdies on one, seven and eight followed by two more on 10 and 12 to put some pressure on his Australian opponent but his chance of victory slipped away when he dropped shots on 13 and 15.
For Henson it was yet another good week in the Yeangder TPC, where he has recorded three top 10s in the past, including a joint fourth place finish a decade ago.
“I’m playing some great golf, I’ve played well all week,” said the American, who began with an eagle of the par-five first.
Berry Henson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Made a few mistakes that could have been prevented, but I mean, all in all a good week. I’m striking it unbelievably well, hit my driver fantastic. The putter has been a little hot and cold. But I mean, my game is the best it’s been in a couple years, just been really, really solid.
“I mean I love coming to Linkou, I’ve always feel like this is a course I can win on after I figured out how to play it. But the first year not so much. But yeah, a super positive week for me. It’s easy to kind of take some of the negatives out of it. But I’m happy with where my game is at, that I’ve put in some hard work and it seems to be paying off.”
Today was also Hellgren’s best result on the Asian Tour.
He said: “I got off to a hot start on the front nine, I think I was four under. I just tried to play the course I didn’t care what the other guys were doing. Because this is a tricky course you need to put the ball in play.
“And then I don’t know what happened, I kind of lost it a little bit there for a while I made a bogey on 10. Just kept getting bad lies, like really bad lies, and then came back strong with a birdie on 17. So, I’m quite happy.”
The Asian Tour stays in Chinese-Taipei next week for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, which will be played at Taiwan Golf and Country Club, from September 29 to October 2.
Bjorn Hellgren. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Travis Smyth’s quest to win his first Asian Tour title gathered momentum today when he took the third-round lead in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC after shooting the best round of the day, a six-under-par 66 – in testing wet and windy conditions.
The Australian, so often a presence on the leader board since the Asian Tour restarted last year, is 13 under for the tournament, with defending champion Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei (69) and Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat (71), the overnight leader, one shot back.
Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren (69) and Settee Prakongvech from Thailand (70) are a stroke further off the pace, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club.
Chinese-Taipei’s latest junior sensation Hsieh Cheng-wei – who yesterday became the youngest male player to make the cut on one of the game’s main Tours, aged 14 – slipped back with a 78 but was still the talk of the tournament after his incredible achievement.
Smyth, 27, came close to winning the International Series England in June when he finished second, and knows exactly what he wants tomorrow.
“A win. Simple as that, I want to win, I want the winners’ category,” he said.
“I feel like I’m playing some pretty solid golf and I believe I can get it done.”
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He stormed out of the blocks today and was four under after four, thanks to an eagle on the par-five opening hole and birdies on three and four; he dropped his only shot on seven, and then settled into top spot with birdies on 10, 12 and 18.
He added: “Very hot start, fighting the swirling wind all day, solid finish. The start was just unbelievable, four under through four. Yeah, you have some easy holes, but to actually do it when it’s windy and rainy and stuff, that just set the tone for the day. The wind was pretty tough all day, so I feel like if you had told me at the start of the day I would have shot three under, I would have been happy. But to shoot six that’s like a bonus.”
Lee won here last year, although the tournament was not on the Asian Tour schedule due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic.
The event’s return to the Tour seems to have affected him little as he attempts to become the first player to successfully defend the prestigious tournament – which is the first event to be held in Chinese-Taipei in three years.
He also got off to a fast start with birdies on the first three holes before three more birdies were off set by three bogeys. The inclement weather was also a constant challenge for him.
Said Lee: “It wasn’t easy out there with the rain. It was hard to gauge the wind direction out there. The wind is the strongest compared to the last two rounds, but I think it’s the best I have played so far this week.
“Expecting the same weather conditions tomorrow so I will really have to focus on getting the wind direction right. That will be the key. Not thinking too much about winning or defending my title. I had more thoughts on that at the start of the week but now, I’m just thinking about how to cope with the challenges out there.”
After a birdie on the first followed by eight pars, Chapchai switched from consistency to inconsistency on the back side making three birdies, three bogies and just two pars.
Chapchai Nirat (centre). Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Luckily today it’s not raining very hard so I still can manage the rain,” said the Thai golfer.
“But the big problem is the wind, the wind here is very gusty and it’s very difficult to know which direction it’s going from the tee to the green. So, you have to try to find where the wind blows, it may be different in different areas.”
Chapchai is on the comeback trail having refocused and practiced hard for the past five months. He is bidding to win for the first time in eight years; the last of his four Asian Tour victories came in the 2014 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.
Added the 39 year old: “Going into tomorrow, I’m very happy with my game right now, and very happy with the success that I have been practicing for. I will try to just play the game I’ve been working on. Up until now I’m very happy with the outcome that’s come through. Definitely, within this year a championship will come to me, Chapchai is coming!”
Four-time Asian Tour winner Chapchai Nirat proudly announced “my game is back” after firing one of his best tournament rounds for a considerable period, an eight-under-par 64, to take a two-shot lead halfway through the Yeangder TPC today, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
The former Golden Boy of Thai golf has been notable by absence for many seasons – the last of his victories on the Asian Tour came in 2014 – but glimpses of his old self were on display today when he made nine birdies before dropping his only shot on the penultimate hole.
Defending champion Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po (68), Indian Ajeetesh Sandhu (68), the winner here in 2017, Settee Prakongvech from Thailand (66), and Berry Henson from the United States (67) sit in second place.
But it was Chinese-Taipei teenage amateur Hsieh Cheng-wei who grabbed much of the attention after adding a 74 to his opening 69 to reach one under and become the youngest male player to make the cut on one of the game’s main Tours.
At 14 years and 33 days old he beat the previous record set by China’s Guan Tian-lang, set at the 2013 Masters, when he was 14 years and 169 days.
Chapchai Nirat. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond had held the Asian Tour record having made it through to the weekend at the Asian Tour International in 2010, when he was 14 years and 71 days.
Said 39-year-old Chapchai: “I have been working with my coach for the last five months. I was teaching my juniors for a while but then I came back and worked hard for five months or six months, and on my fitness too.
“Today my putting was really good, but my tee shots were a bit left and right in today’s strong wind. The greens are also better this year. Yes, my game is back!”
In his heyday Chapchai shot 32 under par over 72 holes to claim the 2009 SAIL Open in India – setting a new Asian Tour record for the best 72-hole score – and he is looking to get back on track shooting low scores regularly again.
“I’m starting to have some confidence back from the past three events, I’m starting to play a bit better,” he said.
“Now I can see shooting minus seven or minus eight in a day, so I feel a lot more confident with my new game with this coach now. For the next year I’m planning to be in top 10 again in a lot of tournaments, and I’m planning to come back and win again.”
Hsieh Cheng-wei. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
While Hsieh has some way to go before reaching that level, he made a phenomenal start to his career today by setting a new world mark in the men’s game.
A birdie on the opening hole was the perfect start to his ambitious plan to play all four rounds but he kept people guessing with bogeys on eight and then finished nervously with dropped shots on 16 and 17. Having played in the morning session he had a long wait to see if one under would be good enough, which to the delight of everyone it was as the cut was made at even par.
“My calculations weren’t accurate today,” said Hsieh, who started playing golf at the age of four and has the benefit of Linkou being his home course.
“I didn’t putt well. Didn’t hit it good off the tee especially on the back nine. It’s not that tough out there. I just didn’t play my best game. I got nervous towards the end because I wasn’t playing well. I didn’t have much expectation though. I just try to play my best.
“I started preparing for this tournament after I found out I could play when I won the Yeangder amateur event in June. I have been practising here a lot.”
His compatriot Lee won last year when the event was played just as an event on the local tour due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. A close friend of Chan Shih-chang, who shot 71 and is four off the lead, and godfather to Chan’s son, he feels he knows what it will take to win at the weekend.
He said: “I played better on the front nine because there wasn’t too much wind. But then it came on my back nine. It comes and goes. Wasn’t easy to determine the wind direction out there so distance control was the key challenge. I played decent, stuck to my game plan but didn’t hit it close, hence wasn’t able to make more birdies.
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The greens were rolling better in the morning, compared to yesterday afternoon so that helped. I know no one has successfully defended their title at the Yeangder TPC. I am hoping to be the first but know I need to put together two more solid rounds as that was how I won last year.”
Settee Prakongvech from Thailand and Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, the defending champion, fired rounds of six-under-par 66 and 68 respectively to take the clubhouse lead at the mid-way point in round two of the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC at Linkou International Golf and Country Club today.
They moved to nine under par, two ahead of Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan (69), Travis Smyth from Australia (69) and Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang (71).
Settee has been playing the golf of his life this year, claiming the Blue Canyon Open on the Asian Development Tour and winning twice on the All Thailand Golf Tour, and has carried that form through to this week.
“Good to get off to a good start,” he said, who played a pure round of six birdies and no dropped shots.
“I was disappointed with the way I finished yesterday but I’m happy I redeemed myself today. Nothing really stood out. I played well from tee to green, was good off the tee today and putted well.
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Got lucky on 10th, I chipped it too hard but lucky it hit the flag stick and the ball stopped close at the hole. Made another birdie there. It’s much calmer out there, not much wind compared to yesterday afternoon. I’ve been feeling confident with my game. I’m hitting the ball further than I used to and my putting is better as well.
Lee won last year when the tournament was played just as an event on the local tour due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. A close friend of Chan, and godfather to Chan’s son, he feels he knows what it will take to win at the weekend.
He said: “I played better on the front nine because there wasn’t too much wind. But then it came on my back nine. It comes and goes. Wasn’t easy to determine the wind direction out there so distance control was the key challenge. I played decent, stuck to my game plan but didn’t hit it close, hence wasn’t able to make more birdies.
“The greens were rolling better in the morning, compared to yesterday afternoon so that helped. I know no one has successfully defended their title at the Yeangder TPC. I am hoping to be the first but know I need to put together two more solid rounds as that was how I won last year.”
Chinese-Taipei teenager Hsieh Cheng-wei added a 74 to his first day 69 and is one under. The 14 year old has an anxious wait to see if he makes the cut and become the youngest player ever to make it through to the weekend on the Asian Tour.
India’s Shiv Kapur grabbed the lead in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC today by carding a brilliant eight-under-par 64 on day one – in an event the marks the first time the Asian Tour has visited Chinese-Taipei in three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four-time Asian Tour winner overpowered the course with an eagle, eight birdies and just two bogeys at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
Chinese-Taipei’s irrepressible star Chan Shih-chang and Malaysian Ben Leong came in with 66s, with India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Prom Messawat from Thailand, both former winners of this event, firing 67s, along with Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, a two-time champion this season, Chinese-Taipei’s Lu Sun-yi, an amateur, Lee Chieh-po and Lin Keng-wei, and Miguel Carballo from Argentina.
“I putted really well, I have a local caddie out there, whose name is Su [Su Ching-hong, a National team player], who was arranged for me by James Chan [Chan Shih-chang] and the Tour and he is reading the greens really well, so I am just trusting him,” said Kapur, who won the Yeangder Heritage here on the Asian Tour in Chinese-Taipei in 2017.
“I have always struggled around the greens here after all these years, but I am holing putts and he was a big help today.”
His round started on 10 but his game really got going on his second nine when he eagled the first before making birdie on the next four.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He added: “Season so far has been a bit lack lustre, struggled with injuries in the middle of the season. My game has been close, but it has been very frustrating. I have been making a lot of cuts but not been playing well at the weekend. I feel like I was close, and I was looking for a low round and I could not have asked for a better start.”
The Indian star suffered a foot injury and was out of action for five weeks in the middle of the season but luckily did not miss too many events because it was in the summer.
“I tried to make compensations and so I lost my swing a little bit. I feel like it is coming back for the business end of season, two good weeks here will set me up rest of the year,” he said.
Chan is the leading player from his country on the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 21st place and has been in resplendent form since the Asian Tour restarted at the end of last year, winning the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship, which was the Tour’s first event back. He also won the Royal’s Cup this season in Thailand for his fourth Tour win.
He said: “I felt comfortable out there, my caddy Chen Ming-hsin [a local professional whose home course is Linkou] and I worked well together today. He read the greens well and that helped me a lot. I haven’t been able to get my chipping feeling right over the last few days so wasn’t able to get it close but still managed to sink a few putts.”
A first Asian Tour victory on home soil is high on his list of priorities and that goal began well today with a round made up of seven birdies and one dropped shot, where he was also helped in a big way by his experienced caddie.
Ben Leong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I was just aiming to shoot six or seven under today,” he said.
“The greens are slower in the afternoon and it was pretty windy when I started. It got calmer when I got to the last three holes. The greens are softer than before. I knew I needed to putt well here. That’s why I called Chen to help. He’s really familiar with the greens here. I took his advice on a few holes today and they worked out well.”
Two weeks ago, Leong was in contention at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Japan after a third-round 65 but disappointingly fell back on the last day with a score that was 10 shots worse.
“Had a bad final round in Japan, but it’s a new day, a new week, definitely trying to look at the positives,” said Leong, who has a proven-track record playing here as he tied for sixth in 2010 and 2018.
He recorded seven birdies and one bogey today.
“My misses where good, if you miss shots but they are still on the fairway then that helps. I was really solid to be honest and made my fair share of putts.”
Sandhu won here in 2017 and despite a solid start he felt there is still plenty to work on.
“I eagled the first but then cooled down after that. I didn’t play my best today, but I scored ok. Everything thing was average,” he said.
“Conditions were quite easy, there was no wind, and the greens have improved. It was quite scorable out there. I’ll just need to play better tomorrow.
While the Tour’s big-name players jostled for position, much of the attention also focused on Chinese-Taipei’s Hsieh Cheng-wei. The 14-year-old amateur, whose home course is this week’s venue, returned an impressive 69, which included birdies on first three holes. It beat his best score around the course by a shot.
Hsieh Cheng-wei. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
That score upstaged Asia’s most celebrated amateur Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat – who was making his first start on the Asian Tour since June and came in with a 72.
Back in April Thailand’s teenage golf sensation, who is now 15 years old, claimed the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup – becoming the youngest male player to win on one of the game’s major Tours.
The pair played a practice round together earlier in the week, a game that offered an exciting look into the future of Asian golf.
Ajeetesh Sandhu is probably more excited than most players that the Asian Tour is back in Chinese-Taipei following an absence of three years, because of the global pandemic.
That is because in 2017 he won the Yeangder TPC, which tees-off tomorrow at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, and in 2019 he finished joint second in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, an event which begins next week; so, the Indian is something of a Taipei specialist.
“I think it is just the layouts,” said Sandhu.
“It’s both of the courses, off the tee, and the small greens. It’s usually quite windy, so you kind of have to control the ball a little bit better. I also think it’s tough to putt for everyone. So, you know, it kind of places a premium on the ball striking a little bit more.”
He won the Yeangder TPC with a winning score of 12 under, by a shot from American Johannes Veerman, while he lost the Mercuries event by the same margin.
He adds: “The greens in Taiwan tend to be very tricky. Yeah, I think that’s what it is. I don’t think a lot of people are making putts, so I think it kind of places a little bit of a premium on where you’re headed, and how many greens you can hit and how consistent you can be.
Ateejesh Sandhu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It feels really good to come back. I think every time you come back to a course you have won on, like the memories just kind of keep flooding back and the shots that you hit. I played 18 yesterday, I was just kind of reminiscing the final round. So, it’s very nice.”
Sandhu is also hungry for another victory as his success in this week’s event five years ago, remains his sole victory on Tour although he has finished second on five occasions, including at The DGC Open presented by Mastercard on home soil in March, where he lost in a play-off against Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong.
He adds: “[Game] is pretty good actually, I’ve had a very consistent year. I had one chance to win at Delhi Golf Club [at The DGC Open] and I should have done that. I haven’t really kind of contended beyond that, but it’s been very consistent. I think it’s just a matter of time when the putts fall in and you know, you hit it good a certain week and the putts fall in, and that’s what it is.
“Definitely, I think a win is definitely overdue. I’ve had a lot of second place finishes since then. So, I think it’s time to get over the line.”
In that The DGC Open, the Indian looked set for a memorable victory after making birdie on 13 and 14 and was two ahead with two to go but to the shock of the strong local support he pushed his tee shot right on the par-three 17th, lost his ball, and ended up making a double bogey which allowed Nitithorn to draw level, before the Thai golfer prevailed on the first play off hole.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, one of the players of the year so far on the Asian Tour, will attempt to join an elite group of golfers who have won three Asian Tour titles in a single season this week when he competes in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
Having banked The DGC Open presented Mastercard in New Delhi in March for a much-celebrated first victory on Tour and the International Series Singapore in August the 25 year old has been a revelation and his growing fan base is excited to see what will happen next.
His breakthrough season has also seen him move into third place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and fourth on the International Series Order of Merit, and with a wealth of tournaments remaining there is no doubt that finishing 2022 number one is a real possibility.
However, any realisation of that is being tempered by a cautious approach.
Said the Thai: “I think for me, I’m thinking about catching up on the Order of Merit, it’s in my plans too, but I don’t want to think about it that much. I think it motivates me a lot, but I don’t want to think about it that much during the tournament rounds, because I think if I think about that a lot, it’s gonna ruin my game if you know what I mean?
“So, this week, I just try to focus on my game as much as I can. I never thought about it until I’m in this position right now.”
Only seven players have won three titles in a single season since the Asian Tour was launched in 2004, and many of them are household names: Miguel Angel Jimenez (2004), Tetsuji Hiratsuka (2010), Lee Westwood (2011), Thaworn Wiratchant (2012), Scott Hend (2013), Shiv Kapur (2017), and John Catlin (2018).
Nitithorn Thippong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
And just two players have triumphed four times: Thailand’s Thaworn (2005) and his countryman Jazz Janewattananond (2019).
American Sihwan Kim is the only other player to have enjoyed victory twice this year, having won the International Series Thailand, and Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge, also in Thailand.
This week is a landmark moment for the Asian Tour as it is returning to Chinese-Taipei for the first time in three years following the global pandemic.
Competitors from overseas had to quarantine for three days upon arrival, while this week’s event will adhere to bubble protocols with players required to stay within the limits of the hotel and golf club.
“Three days Quarantine is okay,” said Nitithorn.
“Did nothing, just watching Netflix and play games and practice a little bit. But I don’t know, right now it’s still like a quarantine because we cannot go out anywhere right, just golf course and hotel. I saw the 7-Eleven in front of the hotel, it’s like you can go, but you cannot go you know what I mean? It’s boring a little bit but it’s okay. Just come out, play golf and then go back.”
Nitithorn, nicknamed ‘Fever’, first rose to prominence in 2018, when he claimed the PGM Penang Championship on the Asian Development Tour – where he has mainly played since turning professional in 2015, until a never to be forgotten 2022.
His compatriot Tirawat Kaewsiribandit is also competing this week. He narrowly missed out on a surprise victory in the Shinhan Donghae Open in Japan two weeks ago: he led at the halfway mark and after round three but despite recording an Albatross on the third hole during the final round he eventually finished in a tie for second place.
“I think the week in Japan is passed already, now I’m focused on this tournament to improve my ranking this year,” said Tirawat.
“Now my ranking is better and I’m more relaxed and more confident because I played well in Japan.
“Before coming here, I just relaxed and go to physio, because from Japan to Thailand it’s a long fight. I practised with my coach a little bit to check up on my swing again.”
Tirawat Kaewsiribandit. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Both Nitithorn and Tirawat will attempt to emulate Prom Meesawat and Thaworn by joining them as the only players from The Kingdom to win the Yeangder TPC.
Prom, who is also competing this week, lifted the trophy in 2014, while Thaworn was victorious in 2010 and 2013 – the two wins contributing to his record haul of 18 Asian Tour titles.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang says he has some significant goals to achieve at the Yeangder TPC – which starts Thursday at Linkou International Golf and Country Club – and next week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, but there is also one thing on his mind more than anything else and that is the fact the Asian Tour is finally back in his country after almost exactly three years!
The global pandemic put paid to any chance of the Tour visiting the country since its last stop here for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in October of 2019 – when Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai secured his maiden Tour title.
“We have waited a long time for this due to the pandemic,” said Chan.
“I’m glad it’s finally happening. I’m very excited to play this week. I hope I’m ready to bring my best game. As you know, traveling isn’t as convenient as before so I’m really cherishing the opportunities to play on home soil. The game’s feeling good. I won a charity event last week so feeling confident and positive coming into this week.”
Indeed, the 36 year old’s game has been feeling good since the Tour’s restart after a 20-month COVID-19 enforced break at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship in November last year. He won that event, for his first success on Tour in six years, by a shot from two of the region’s fast rising stars Joohyung Kim from Korea and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He clearly enjoyed that taste of victory in the Land of Smiles so much that he won again there in February at the Royal’s Cup, played in Kanchanaburi, where Sadom again finished second, along with American Sihwan Kim.
Chan is currently the leading player from his country on the Tour’s Order of Merit list in 21st position and the International Series Order of Merit, where he is placed 31st.
One of his goals over the next two weeks is to take advantage of playing on home soil and make up ground on both those lists, while another is to add one very important item that is missing from his portfolio and that is a victory on the Asian Tour in Chinese-Taipei.
Three of his four victories have come in Thailand, as he also triumphed in the King’s Cup there in 2016; while two months after that he won the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup Golf in Japan.
Said Chan: “I hope to make the most from these two weeks and boost my ranking on the Order of Merit. That’s been my main goal this season, especially after winning the Royal’s Cup and finishing top-five in Singapore last month. It will be great if I can win at home. It’s always been my goal as well. If I can do that, it will be meaningful for me.”
He has come close to winning at home before, including in the Yeangder TPC in 2019 when he was third; while his record on the Asian Development Tour, where three of his six wins have been in Chinese-Taipei, suggests a win at home is long overdue.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I have been consistent this year which is good,” added Chan.
“I hope I can continue to stay consistent till the end of the year. But, of course, I will try my best to win these two weeks. I have had some good finishes here at Linkou International. My focus will be on the greens this week, it will come down to putting, that will be the key to success. I will also put more focus on wind direction as well, just try and double check out that as it will play a part as well.”
He has also engaged the services of a friend to caddie for him this week, which spells trouble for the rest of the field as the friend is also a professional, while his home course is Linkou International.
“He knows this course well, especially the greens. Hopefully, we will spark some fireworks this week,” said Chan.
The Yeangder TPC was last played on the Asian Tour in September 2019, when Yikeun Chang, also playing this week, became the first Korean to claim the title.
Chang is one of four former Yeangder TPC winners in the starting line-up at the event which is boasting a 40 per cent rise in purse to US$700,000.
It wasn’t staged in 2020, while last year it was played solely as a domestic event.
Last year’s winner Lee Chieh-po, from Chinese-Taipei, is another delighted to see the event back on the Asian Tour schedule.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It’s been a long time since we last played an Asian Tour event at home,” he said.
“I am really looking forward to it. I’m not thinking much about defending my title though, I just want to play my best and see what happens. It surely feels good to come back and play on a course where you’ve won before. I have had great memories from last year.
“I remembered playing solid for all four rounds to win and I had a good season on the local Tour overall last year as well. The course is in a better condition now compared to last year so I believe it will play tougher. It’s going to be a good competition this week.”
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