A strong home challenge is expected at the International Series Japan presented by Moutai this week, some of Japan’s finest are in the field at Caledonian Golf Club – including one of the nation’s hottest properties, Taiga Semikawa.

Semikawa, named after the legendary Tiger Woods, created waves back in 2022 by becoming the first amateur in 95 years to win the Japan Open. In that same standout season, he also secured victories at the Panasonic Open and the Japan Create Challenge on his way to top spot in the world amateur rankings. Since then, as a professional, he has gone on to win the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup and the Kansai Open Golf Championship, both in 2023 – impressive returns for a player still in the early stages of his career, and is currently aged 24.

With Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa, and LIV Golf stars including compatriot Jinichiro Kozuma of Iron Heads GC, Lucas Herbert of the all-Australian team Ripper GC and Caleb Surrat of Legion XIII, playing this week, Semikawa believes it is the perfect place to benchmark his form.

He said: “This is my first time playing in The International Series. I think it will be a great opportunity to compete with the Asian Tour and LIV golf players. I feel The International series is a big because the top players from Asian Tour and LIV golf take part, and this is a wonderful opportunity to compete alongside them.”

Taiga Semikawa. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Semikawa has not tasted success since 2023 but the golfing prodigy is hoping a change in mindset could help this week in what is the first ever International Series event to be played in Japan..

Summing up his form, he said: “I feel that, compared to then, my mental game is lacking. In 2023 I had a sense that I could win but recently, I haven’t been feeling that way. I need to be confident in my ability to make short putts.”

The old adage ‘beware the wounded golfer’ is one to keep in mind this week, with Semikawa on the road to recovery following a fractured rib.

He is hopeful it won’t impact his game as he prepares for a 7:40am start on the 10th tee on Thursday.

“I had a fracture, but I made my comeback last week,” he revealed. “Although there was still some pain, I managed to push through and finish all four days, which was a big achievement.

“I believe I can make use of that experience and approach this week in better condition than last time.”

Regarding the challenge posed by Caledonian Golf Course, he said: “I have played on this course before during training camps and the Japan Student Championship. I think driving distance is going to be a important, but keeping the ball in the fairway is also very important.”

The ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A will return to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) schedule this season, after its highly successful debut last year – and it will be staged at Luisita Golf & Country Club in the Philippines.

The tournament, won last year by Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol after a close finish in Cambodia, will be staged from 16-19 October, with a minimum purse of US$100,000.

It is the eighth stop of the season on the ADT, although more tournaments are due to be unveiled, and it will mark the first time the circuit has visited the archipelago in nearly a decade.

The ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A was launched in order to help both the ADT and The R&A achieve their objectives of nurturing raw talent in the region and discovering the stars of tomorrow.

Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, Asian Development Tour: “The first edition of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A provided us with a wonderful opportunity to work with the game’s governing body and it was an unqualified success.

“Like The R&A, the Asian Development Tour works at both developmental and elite level, with the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A a model tournament that helps provide a pathway from one to the other.

“We thank them for their support and guidance plus we also extend our gratitude to Luisita Golf & Country Club and the National Golf Association of the Philippines for their commitment to making this event a success.”

Luisita Golf & Country Club.

The winner of the event will receive an invite to play in the International Series Philippines, being played the following week, at St. Elena Golf Club, 23-26 October.

The 144-player field will be made up of 80 from the ADT, up to 36 from The R&A, and 20 from the Philippine Golf Tour. There will be six amateurs and two invites from the club – which is located in Tarlac City, Central Luzon.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said: “Establishing clear development pathways for aspiring golfers to reach their full potential in the sport sits at the heart of what we do at The R&A and reflects our support of the Asian Development Tour. We are pleased to see this event being staged in the Philippines, where golf continues to grow in popularity. Thanks to the efforts of the National Golf Association of the Philippines, they are increasingly becoming an important market in the region.”

The ADT last went to the Philippines in 2016, when Filipino Jay Bayron claimed the Aboitiz Invitational.

Bones Floro, Secretary General, National Golf Association of the Philippines: “We are thrilled to welcome the Asian Development Tour back to the Philippines, offering a world-class stage for rising talent and reaffirming our country’s place on the global golfing map.”

Filipino Aldric Chan, who claimed the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam on the ADT in March: “Having an Asian Development Tour event in the Philippines is one of the best things that can happen to help grow the sport locally. And with the support of The R&A it helps us see the potential that the sport has within our community. A lot of great talent is here in the Philippines that will truly benefit from this tournament.”

Nopparat was victorious last year after a gripping end to the tournament. Playing in the second to last group, a fine round saw him finish with a seven- under-par 65 to take the clubhouse lead on 20-under at Angkor Golf Resort – an Asian Tour Destinations venue. Holding a two-shot lead over the rest of the field only Ahmad Baig was in a position to spoil the party. The Pakistani needed a par on the last to force a play-off, but a bogey dashed his hopes.

The next event on the ADT is the Singha Laguna Phuket Open at Laguna Golf Phuket, 22-25 May. Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert in the defending champion; his win last year taking his tally of titles on the ADT to eight – the most by any on the popular circuit.

The International Series makes its debut in Japan this week – at the International Series Japan presented by Moutai – and two of the Asian Tour’s serial winners, fresh from impressive performances at the weekend, are eager to capitalise on returning to a country they have enjoyed success.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond was named Japan Tour Rookie of the Year in 2019 and the seven-time Asian Tour champion is looking to recreate some of that form here this week, at Caledonian Golf Club, Chiba.

He’s certainly trending in the right direction. The 29-year-old was tied for the lead going into the final round of the 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open in Korea on Sunday and in with a great shout of making it tournament victory number eight.

On a challenging final day, Jazz had to settle for a tie for second, while home hope Doyeob Mun roared to a sensational three-shot victory with a flawless eight-under round – including six back-nine birdies – on the testing course at Namseoul Country Club.

The T2 is still a positive for the 2022 International Series Morocco champion, who feels there is still a lot more to come this season. He said: “The swing is trending, but just not there yet – it’s not automatic yet. I still have some shots where I don’t feel comfortable, but I know what to work on.

Scott Vincent. Picture courtesy of the Korean Golf Association.

“I haven’t been to Japan in so long. I used to play a full schedule there in 2019, and it is something special. Every golf course is perfectly manicured. You know you’re going to get a good level of golf, and a challenging golf course.

“So I’m looking forward to that, and catching up with some old friends I haven’t seen in a while,” added Jazz, who won the SMBC Singapore Open by two shots from Paul Casey and Yoshinori Fujimoto in 2019 when the event was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour.

Scott Vincent, the 2022 International Series Rankings champion, has also shown great form in the Land of the Rising Sun: he won the Landic Challenge 7  on the Challenge Tour there in 2019, and claimed three victories on the main tour over a 10-month period between 2021 and 2022.

The Zimbabwean finished one shot ahead of Ryo Ishikawa to win the Sansan KBC Augusta in August 2021 before securing a three-shot victory over Tomoharu Otsuki at the ANA Open the following month.

Vincent then secured a play-off win at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open in May 2022, part of a remarkable run that culminated in victory at the inaugural International Series England a week later.

That result propelled Vincent to the top of the end-of-year rankings, and a coveted place on the LIV Golf League.

Vincent pictured winning the Landic Challenge 7  on the Challenge Tour in Japan in 2019.

The 32-year-old spent two successful years competing against the world’s best, for the Iron Heads GC team, before narrowly losing his status at the end of last season.

He looked to be getting back to his best on Asian Tour duty in Korea last week, sitting fifth behind Jazz and co-leader Baekjun Kim going into the final round. But a disappointing three bogeys and double on the closing four holes derailed Vincent, and left him T12 overall.

A disappointing finish perhaps, but still something to work on in a country that has brought rich rewards in the past.

Vincent also secured a T9 at the Maezawa Cup in Japan last month, to go with top-10 finishes at International Series India presented by DLF and the season-opening Philippine Open on the Asian Tour.

He said: “Overall I feel like it is moving in the right direction. I’ve been obviously working on it (my game), and sometimes it works out great, sometimes not. But I like where it’s heading, and the feels that I’m creating.

“I am obviously just trying to play the best I can and do the things that I think are going to help. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Right now it feels good – I will just keep trying to work on the things that I’m working on.”

Korean Doyeob Mun, like a bolt from the blue, won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open after a sensational back nine birdie-fest saw him shoot a sizzling bogey-free eight-under-par 63.

Mun, six behind the leaders at the start of the day and playing nine groups ahead of the final pairing, stormed through with six birdies on the second half – including four-in-row from the 11^th – to win by three shots from Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, plus Koreans Baekjun Kim and Junghwan Lee.

Mun posted his 10-under par total two hours before the final players finished, anxiously waiting to see if he would be caught.

Jazz missed makeable birdie putts on 14 and 15 and later bogeyed the last while Canadian Yonggu Shin birdied 13 and 14 to move one back but then dropped a shot on the 17^th, before a catastrophic 10 on 18. He ended in a tie for 12^th.

Doyeob Mun. Picture courtesy of the Korean Golf Association.

Mun’s run for the title was fast and furious. After making those four successive birdies he was one shot behind Jazz, who had just made the turn. The Korean soon joined Jazz in the lead on nine under after another birdie on 16 before making a birdie on the last for sole possession of first. He hit a majestic second shot on the difficult par-four 18^th to six feet to set up one of only three birdies there today. And when Jazz dropped a shot on 13 Mun led by two in the clubhouse. He was hitting balls on the range in case of a play-off before events unfolded in his favour.

“I couldn’t be happier to be on top of the leaderboard in a tournament I’ve always wanted to win,” said Mun, whose home club is Namseoul

“When the birdie putt on 18 went in, I thought I could at least make it to play-off. I talked to my caddie about making sure I made that birdie, and I’m happy that I did.

“The last three holes at Namseoul Country Club are particularly tricky. I focused on playing steady and making par rather than being aggressive. I wasn’t aiming for birdies, just putting the ball in the right position.”

It is his first win on the Asian Tour and fourth on the Korean PGA Tour, as this week’s event is sanctioned with the local body. He last triumphed in Korea in 2022.

Jazz Janewattananond. Picture courtesy of the Korean Golf Association.

The 33-year-old has played regularly on the Asian Tour since 2018, having made it through qualifying school in 2018 and this year, when he placed third. Previously, his best finish on tour came at the Shinhan Donghae Open in 2018, when he was joint fourth, and he also finished in the top five at the Singapore Open in 2019 and 2022.

His 63 was two short of the course record and made a mockery of Namseoul’s reputation for being one of the toughest courses on the circuit.

Carved out of mountainous terrain, its undulating topography, and elevated greens, that are slick and sloping, make it a true test plus a physical challenge to walk. Fortunately, sunshine today replaced the grey skies and drizzle, from earlier in the week.

Despite his brilliant come-from-behind win, Malaysia’s Danny Chia still has the record for most shots gained on the last day. He came from seven behind to win the Taiwan Open in 2002 – when a typhoon played havoc with the scores.

Jazz, who shared the lead at the start of the day with Baekjun Kim, was bidding to become the first overseas player to win this event in 21 years but faded on the back nine, playing it in two over.

He said: “Oh, I mean, it was so hard out there today, it was a grind fest. I mean, I tried to grind as much as I could. I didn’t give up at all at any point. But it was just hard, you know, like I didn’t have my best stuff out there, but overall, I think I finished up well.

Scott Vincent. Picture courtesy of the Korean Golf Association.

“Congrats to Doyeob. I don’t know how he shot eight under par today, but if it wasn’t for him, I would be doing a play-off with another player right now. So overall, good.”

Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, two behind at the start of the day and like Jazz looking for his first win since 2022, was in contention for much of the day but finished poorly with a double bogey and three bogeys, carding a 75 to tie for 12^th.

The Asian Tour crosses the Sea of Japan next week for the International Series Japan presented by Moutai. The inaugural US$2million event is being played at Caledonian Golf Club, 8-11 May.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond will have an outstanding opportunity to claim his first title in three years tomorrow – after he finished in share of the third-round lead at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open today.

The 29-year-old, a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour and the Order of Merit champion in 2019, carded a battling three-under-par 68 here at Namseoul Country Club.

He shares the lead with Baekjun Kim from Korea, who emerged from a tightly packed leaderboard brimming with talent, after firing a 66. Kim won the opening event of the season on the Korean PGA Tour last month.

The leading duo are eight under for tournament – which is considered to be one of Korea’ s majors and is the fifth stop of the year on the Asian Tour.

Baekjun Kim.

Canada’s Yonggu Shin (68) and Korean Hyungjoon Lee (71), the second-round leader, are one stroke back in joint third.

Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent – another Asian Tour star looking for his first victory since 2022 – is a shot further back after shooting a 68. He is in solo fifth place and one ahead of Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut, who returned a 69.

Jazz bravely holed a six footer for par on 18 to ensure he starts tomorrow in front.

Said the Thai: “Grinding, I hit it everywhere today. Got up and down from most places, missed out on a couple. But overall, I just feel like everything that I’ve done up to this point, the one thing that kind of keep me alive is scrambling, which is good, that’s what you need here.”

Should he win tomorrow it would also be his second significant victory in the Land of Morning Calming, having claimed the Korea Open in 2019 – the year he won on four occasions.

A couple of brilliant saves were the highlight of his round. He made an incredible yet unconventional four on the par-five fourth. He found trouble left off the tee and had to take a drop; played a recovery back into the fairway; then holed his next shot from 64 yards for a birdie. Later, on the 10^th he made another unexpected save. Once again he drove his ball left into trees, chipped his ball back into the fairway and scrambled a par four.

He added: “The fourth hole, oh, my god, yeah. I mean, I pulled it slightly, it wasn’t a bad shot, it just got a bit unlucky, hit the path and jumped into the bush. Had to take an unplayable and then just laid up to a good distance where I know I can get there. I walked up to the ball, did my distance and then I told my caddy this is a good distance, I should have a nice, easy par putt. But then, you know, just a bit luckier than a par putt.”

Scott Vincent.

Vincent, the 2022 International Series Ranking champion who played the LIV Golf League the past two years, could have finished closer to the leaders but three putted the 18^th. Like Jazz, his ball finished on the lower front tier of the treacherous green and he left his first putt up the steep slope short. Unlike Jazz though, he missed his par putt from 10 feet.

“Just playing the weekend is a PR for me, so that’s a win,” said Vincent, who missed the cut the one and only time he played here in 2018.

“Today was great, I’m really happy. It was a tough day. I find this golf course really challenging. And yeah, just encouraged by the way that I just stayed patient and then got a few to go towards the middle of the back nine.

“And yeah, the last hole is one of those. It’s one of those holes where you need a great club in, you need to hit it right on the number. You can’t go long, short is better than long, but then you have got to deal with the putt. So, it’s one of those, it’s just golf. I get another crack at it tomorrow and we’ll try to do better.”

Moments earlier he’d played the shot of the day by hitting it close on the long and daunting par-four 16^th. He nailed the putt for the only birdie of the day there. It was his third birdie on the trot.

Richard T. Lee was well and truly in the hunt but bogeyed the last two holes. The Canadian, who won on the Korean PGA Tour last weekend, carded a 71 and is six behind the pacesetters.

It has been 21 years since an overseas player last won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, but heading into the weekend of the famous Korean event there is a possibility that could change.

A couple of international players, who are serial winners on the Asian Tour, have moved into contention. Most notably, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond has taken a share of the clubhouse lead. He shot a second-round three-under-par 68 to sit on five under along with Doyeon Hwang (66), Wooyoung Cho (70), and first-round leader Heemin Chang (71), all from Korea. India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar is one shot back, alone in third.

Bhullar, who lost in a play-off here at Namseoul Country Club in 2018, fired a 68 – spoilt by bogeys on 16 and 17.

Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut (69) and Scott Vincent (72) from Zimbabwe are next best placed in the clubhouse on three under, along with joint-first round leader Seonghyeon An, the 15-year-old Korean amateur, who carded a 73.

Wooyoung Cho. Picture courtesy of the Korea Golf Association.

Sixty-one players were unable to complete their second round today. Korea’s Hyungjoon Lee was leading the way on the course at five under with eight to go, while Canadian Richard T. Lee, fresh from a win on the Korean PGA Tour last weekend, is four under with three remaining.

The backlog was caused by poor weather yesterday, which caused a significant delay of nearly four hours and meant 72 players had to complete their first rounds this morning.

Jazz finish joint eighth in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn in March – his most recent Asian Tour event. It was just his second top-10 in nearly two years but along with today’s performance the signs are there that the fortunes might be changing for the seven-time champion on the Asian Tour.

He said: “Trending, for sure. I definitely found my swing right after I missed the cut in New Zealand. Just talking to my coach, Dana [Dahlquist], and we worked for a long time, then it finally clicked on what we needed to do. It’s one of those things where it’s like one shot, and it just changed your whole swing thought, and it’s just the concept of it.”

He closed out his round with dogged determination, nearly holing his second on the par-four 15^th, before making a two-footer for a birdie to move to five under and a share of the lead. He then made a great sand save for par on the next, splashing out from a deep greenside bunker to three feet. On the par-three 17^th  after a wild tee shot that was short and right of the green he finessed a chip shot over a trap to five feet and drained the putt for a three.

“I mean, it was good, I am happy with my result,” said Jazz, who last won on the Asian Tour at the 2022 International Series Morocco, and is also a former Korea Open champion, in 2019.

Gaganjeet Bhullar. Picture by Graham Uden.

“I still had a lot of mistakes out there. But at Namseoul you’re always gonna have mistakes, so the one who has the least mistakes is going to win.”

His co-leader Cho, a member of the Korean side that won team gold at the 2022 Asian Games – along with Yubin Jang, who is playing at LIV Golf Korea this week, and PGA Tour stars Sungjae Im and Siwoo Kim – finished his last three holes in some style with a birdie, an eagle – holed his second from the fairway – and a birdie.

Bhullar charged up the leaderboard with three birdies in-a-row from the 12^th before slipping up over the closing stages.

“I made three birdies in a row, and then I actually misjudged two of the chips on two out of the last three holes,” said the 37-year-old.

“On the 16th I was right there, I thought it’s going to be a flat chip, 54 degrees bump and run, I just misjudged that. And on the 17th I just misread the line. But I think other than that it was a decent round of golf.”

He was beaten by Korean Sanghyun Park in extra time here seven years ago, in a play-off that also featured Koreans Hwang Jung-gon and Chang Yi-keun.

It was a rare case of one getting away for the Indian, who he is an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour – the most by any Indian.

He added: “A lot of the local Korean players have played this golf course more than I’ve played here. But yeah, I mean, one thing it definitely shows that when you’re playing well on a golf course where you have played well in the past, it definitely adds to your subconscious mind. And I think at times it does give you a benefit.”

Play resumes tomorrow at 7am local time, with round three starting after 10.30am.

American Mark Calcavecchia was the last overseas player to win the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, back in 2004, at Lakeside.

ENDS

Korean Heemin Chang [main picture] snatched a share of the first-round lead in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open this morning with a birdie on his final hole for a five-under-par 66.

Poor weather yesterday here at Namseoul Country Club meant he was one of the 72 players unable to finish his round.

However, he shook that off this morning and bounced back to join his young compatriot Seonghyeon An out in front, in what is the 44^th edition of the prestigious event.

Korean Wooyoung Cho, Thailand’s David Boriboonsub and Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe also completed their first rounds early today and joined Korea’s Jaewoong Eom in a tie for third after returning 67s.

An, a 15-year-old amateur, was the surprise leader yesterday – when a four-hour delay caused by lightning led to the backlog.

The second round will commence at 9.30am local time, with sunny skies replacing yesterday’s damp and grey conditions.

Fifteen-year-old amateur star Seonghyeon An [main picture] is the surprise early leader at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, here at Namseoul Country Club in Seoul, Korea.

The Korean national team player fired a first-round five-under-par 66 for the clubhouse lead on a weather effected day, when lightning and rain caused significant delays. Seventy two players were unable to complete their rounds and will return early tomorrow morning.

Jaewoong Eom from Korea is in outright second place after a 67.

His compatriots Baekjun Kim, Donghwan Lee, Jaeho Kim, and Yeonggyu Park are next best placed after 68s – in what is the Asian Tour’s first visit of the year to Korea.

An was in the second group out, at 6.41am, on tee 10 and was in the lead on four under after 11 holes before a nearly four-hour delay caused by lightning brought the event to a standstill. Played was stopped at 9.36am and resumed at 1.30pm.

Seonghyeon An.

The delay did little to stop An’s momentum. He had five birdies and dropped one shot before the break before he finished off his round with a birdie and six pars. Showing maturity beyond his years he got up and down for pars on seven and eight before narrowly missing a four-foot birdie putt on his last after another excellent chip.

He said: “It’s my third appearance this year and I’m always nervous every time I come out and today was no different, but I just wanted to play my best and I think I did a good job. I want to play harder in the second round to get through qualifying and do my best in the main draw.”

An has been making waves over the past few years.

In 2022 he became the youngest player to make the cut on the Korean PGA Tour, when he was 13 years old and four months at the Bizplay-Electronic times Open.

And last year he made history by becoming the first Korean to win The R&A Junior Open – a title won by American Patrick Reed in 2006. He was also fifth in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last season.

He admitted to drawing inspiration from this year’s Master champion.

“I’ve been watching Rory McIlroy’s grand slam recently,” he added. “I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to be like him. It’s good to see that even when you fail, you keep trying and succeed.”

When asked if he felt his game recently had not been his best he responded: “My shots have been a little shaky lately. I’ve been struggling to get a grip. My tee shots and iron shots have not been going the way I wanted and I was missing a lot. I’ve been working a lot on my iron shots, and it is starting to work.”

Jaewoong Eom.

There is a long way to go before a winner is crowned on Sunday but the young maestro will attempt to become only the third amateur to win what is one of Korea’s most prestigious titles. Korean amateur Kim Joo-heun triumphed in 1982, the inaugural year of the event, while Eddie Lee, an amateur from New Zealand, was victorious in 2002 – the year it was also played at Namseoul.

Eom was one of only two players to go bogey free today.

“Tough day, with the weather,” said the Korean, who missed the cut here last year and later in the season made the cut in his final six events to keep his Asian Tour card, in 55^th place on the Order of Merit.

“Physically very tough and a difficult golf course so I am very happy to shoot 67. It’s a good score today.”

Richard T. Lee from Canada, a winner last week on the Korean PGA, is in  a group of players who fired a 69.

Koreans Wooyoung Cho and Chanmin Jung, the winner here two years ago, are the best placed still on the course at five and four under respectively. Cho has three holes remaining and Jung four.

Hongtaek Kim defends his GS Caltex Maekyung Open title this week in Korea; high on confidence but still in search of a first win since last year’s brilliant victory.

He beat Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam at the first extra hole 12 months ago, slotting a knee-trembling four-footer for par in driving rain – on the 18th here at Namseoul Country Club.

It was his first victory on the Asian Tour, plus second on the Korean PGA Tour, and marked a significant crossover triumph. Nicknamed ‘King of the Screen’, in a glittering career on the indoor golfing scene, Kim boasted no fewer than 12 wins.

In so doing, he’d become a poster boy for the GTour – a professional screen golf league in Korea that has been credited with setting the standard for competitive virtual golf.  In a country that leads the world in indoor golf with more than 70 million rounds reported to be played annually on simulators, Kim is a shining star.

Hongtaek Kim celebrates after winning the 43rd GS Caltex Maekyung Open. Picture courtesy of Korean Golf Association.

His fame – and golfing credibility – further sky-rocketed at the start of May last year when he defied the sceptics by winning the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.

Not only did his victory conclusively prove that those who are predominantly indoor golfers can also perform with distinction outdoors, but also that they’re far from being fair-weather golfers.

One year on and it’s not surprising that he has picked up two more GTour titles, including a mixed event, taking his tally to 14. However, despite four top-10 finishes on the Korean PGA Tour last year, he has not built on his 2024 Maekyung win. It’s not through a lack of belief though.

“Since the victory, I often felt that my performances have improved significantly,” said the Korean this week.

“I was able to approach each game with a more composed mindset, and my confidence has grown greatly. Although I have not secured another win since last year, I do not feel anxious or disappointed. My play has continued to improve with each tournament, and my trust in my shots has grown stronger.”

Playing the GTour while competing in regular tour events has also not been a distraction. He enjoys the continuity, and no doubt, the additional revenue.

Kim at an emotional winner’s press conference last year. Photo courtesy of Korean Golf Association.

He adds: “Playing continuously without breaks can be physically demanding. However, it also helps in maintaining a consistent level of performance throughout the season.”

When he won the Maekyung event last year he handled the pressure superbly, navigating his way around the venerable Namseoul layout in two-under-par 69 to force a play-off with Chonlatit.

He couldn’t resist a jibe at those who scoffed at his prospects. “There was a misunderstanding that I was only good at simulator golf. I solved the misunderstanding today,” he said the time.

“I think simulator golf has actually been very helpful. Competing in championships in simulator golf has helped relieve tension.”

Three shots behind pace-setting compatriot Junghwan Lee heading into the final round, Kim stormed through on the back nine with three birdies in a row from 13 and another on 17 to set the clubhouse target at 10-under 274.

Chonlatit, playing in the last group, held a one-shot lead with three holes to play but made an expensive bogey on the par-five 16th. He courageously holed par-saving putts on 17 and 18, both from about eight feet, signing for a 71 to match Kim’s total and extend the 43rd staging of the event into overtime.

Richard T. Lee finished alone in third place, two shots shy of the play-off. Having won the Woori Bank Finance Championship on the Korean PGA Tour last weekend the in-form Canadian enters the week as one of the favourites and a real threat to Kim’s hopes of simulating last year’s success.

Main picture: Hongtaek Kim, centre right, pictured with some of the stars competing this week. Picture courtesy of Korean Golf Association.

Tournament Information

• Tournament: The 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship
• Date: May 1^st – 4^th, 2025
• Venue: Namseoul Country Club, Seoul Korea
• Par/Yards: 71 / 7,083 yards
• Purse: KRW 1,300,000,000 (approximately US$909,120)
• Defending Champion: Hongtaek Kim (KOR)
• Asian Tour leg: Fifth
• Edition of tournament: 44th
• Total number of players: 144
• Format: Stroke play tournament over 4 rounds of 18 holes with a cut after 36 holes to leading 65 players (including amateurs) plus ties.
• Social media hashtags: #TimeToRise #MaekyungOpen

Ryan Peake pictured winning the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport earlier this year. Picture by Photosport.

Field Breakdown

• Order of Merit winners: Sihwan Kim (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Scott Hend (2016)
• Nationalities: 19
• Top contenders: Richard T. Lee (CAN), Travis Smyth (AUS), Junghwan Lee (KOR), Ian Snyman (RSA), Julien Sale (FRA), Ryan Peake (AUS)
• Highest ranked player on OWGR: Richard T. Lee (CAN) #175
• Highest ranked player on 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit: Ryan Peake (AUS) #3
• Number of amateurs: 8
• Number of Korean players in the field: 90

Richard T. Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Tournament Notes

• Richard T. Lee of Canada could be considered the favourite this week after winning the Woori Bank Finance Championship on the Korean PGA Tour this past weekend in a three-way playoff, and reaching a career high of 175^th on the OWGR after that win. The 34-year-old Canadian of Korean descent finished solo third in this tournament last year, after narrowly missing his birdie attempt on the 72^nd hole which would have gotten him into a play-off with eventual winner Hongtaek Kim from Korea and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam of Thailand. Lee had a great season on the Asian Tour last year, finishing third on the Order of Merit thanks to a win at the BNI Indonesian Masters, a runner up at the International Series Thailand and four other top 10s. He is off to a good start this season with top-10s in both Asian Tour events he has played, finishing fifth in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and T10 in the International Series India presented by DLF. Lee has also continued his impressive current cut streak on the Asian Tour and has now made 19 consecutive cuts, the last time he missed being around on the weekend was at the International Series Singapore in October of 2023.
• Australian Travis Smyth has been in good form this season posting T10s in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the International Series India presented by DLF, a T15 in the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport and a T16 in the Smart Infinity Philippine Open. He also finished T3 in the Webex Players Series Sydney hosted by Peter O’Malley on the PGA Tour of Australasia. In four previous appearances at Namseoul he is yet to make the cut and will be looking to make amends this week.
• Junghwan Lee of Korea has finished T4 and T2 in the last two editions of the tournament. Playing sparingly on the Asian Tour in 2024 he finished 45^th on the Order of Merit and his best result this season has been a T13 at the Smart Infinity Philippine Open.
• South Africa’s Ian Snyman has had a mixed bag of results this season finishing T2 in the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport and in the T5 Smart Infinity Philippine Open, while missing the cuts in Macau and India.
• Rookie Frenchman Julien Sale won the season opening Smart Infinity Philippine Open in his first start on the Asian Tour, becoming the first ever player to win in his Asian Tour debut a month after earning his card at Q-School in Thailand a month earlier. He also finished T16 in the International Series India Presented by DLF and sits in fifth place on the Order of Merit.
• Australian Ryan Peake will be making his debut at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open after winning the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport in early March, also earning a ticket to the Open Championship in the process. It will also mark Peake’s first start as an Asian Tour member having played in New Zealand through his status on the Australian Tour. At number three on the Order of Merit he is the highest ranked player in the field.
• Defending champion Hongtaek Kim of Korea will be hoping that his good memories from Namseoul Country Club last year will see him return to form, as his two previous Asian Tour starts in 2025 has resulted in missed cuts.
• There are three two-time winners of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in the field this week: Bio Kim (2012, 2022), Taehee Lee (2019, 2020) and Sanghyun Park (2016, 2018).
• In addition to Bio Kim’s two wins at Namseoul he also holds a very impressive overall record at Namseoul, with a tied sixth in 2023 and five other top-five finishes in the previous 16 times he’s played in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.
• The last non-Korean to win the GS Caltex Maekyung Open was American Mark Calcaveccia in 2004 when the event was played at Lakeside, while the last foreign winner at Namseoul Country Club was Eddie Lee from New Zealand who won the event as an amateur in 2002.