Bland, McDowell and Jazz head to International Series Morocco
Newly crowned Senior PGA Championship winner Richard Bland, Ryder Cup legend Graeme McDowell and defending champion Jazz Janewattananond are among the big names set to tee up in a star-studded field at International Series Morocco.
The US$2million tournament takes place at the iconic Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Red Course in Rabat from July 4-7, and will feature a host of LIV Golf League stars and the cream of the Asian Tour.
Bland, the 51-year-old member of Cleeks GC on the LIV Golf League, shot a final-round eight-under-par 63 on Sunday to finish at 17-under for a three-stroke victory at Harbor Shores Resort in Michigan, in what is a Major championship in the senior’s game. Remarkably, it was his debut appearance on the Champions Tour.
McDowell, a Ryder Cup hero for Europe and a member of Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC team, was crowned US Open champion at Pebble Beach in 2010, becoming the first European to win the coveted Major since Tony Jacklin 40 years previously.
Graeme McDowell. Picture by Jason Butler/Getty Images.
Thai golfer Jazz, a seven-time Asian Tour winner, produced a brilliant eagle-birdie finish to claim the International Series Morocco trophy by one shot from Richard T Lee of Canada in the 2022 edition.
Other big names include South Africa’s Stinger GC star Branden Grace and Spanish youngster Eugenio Chacarra of Fireballs GC, the 2023 St Andrews Bay Championship winner.
Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent, last season’s International Series Vietnam champion and a winner at the KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-Am on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa at the weekend, is also confirmed.
The LIV Golf League newcomer earned a place on Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team through the LIV Golf Promotions event in December, and he will line up alongside team-mate Caleb Surratt and Range Goats GC player Peter Uihlein.
In-form American John Catlin, the current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader and International Series Rankings No.2 after completing remarkable back-to-back victories earlier this season, will also play in the fourth of 10 dates on The International Series that form the Asian Tour-sanctioned pathway onto the LIV Golf League.
Jazz Janewattananond pictured winning in Morocco in 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The 33-year-old carded an historic 59, a first ever for the Asian Tour, on his way to a thrilling sudden-death play-off victory over David Puig in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn in March, before roaring to a seven-shot victory in the Saudi Open presented by PIF the following month.
He will be joined by Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour, and International Series Thailand 2023 champion Wade Ormsby, with Thai stars Sarit Suwannarut and Sadom Kaewkanjana – both multiple Asian Tour champions – also confirmed.
Mustapha Zine, first Vice President of the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation, commented: “We are delighted to welcome back The International Series to Morocco. Royal Golf Dar Es Salam is a golf club steeped in tradition and heritage, the perfect location to welcome the cream of the Asian Tour, the LIV Golf League stars and also the best Moroccan talent.”
Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “Our return to Morocco is another example of the important role The International Series plays in the global golf ecosystem.
“The International Series offers players the chance to compete for a big-money purse at a wonderful destination, while also providing a pathway to the LIV Golf League that has already proved life-changing for a number of Asian Tour players.
“We also provide a golden opportunity for the region’s best talent to mix with some of the biggest names in world golf.
“In the 2022 edition, Ayoub Lguirati from Morocco finished T28, and another nine amateurs and professionals from the country gained invaluable experience playing in a field of elite-level golfers from around the world. We are confident we will see similar returns this year.”
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour, said: “Royal Golf Dar Es Salam has a rich tradition in golf. The 2022 tournament was a wonderful success, and this is another wonderful opportunity to bring elite-level golf to the country, and generate further interest in the sport across the wider region.”
International Series Morocco takes place from July 4-7 at the Royal Dar Es Salam Red Course in Rabat. It is the eighth event of the Asian Tour season.
For the second year in succession Mt Derrimut Golf and Community Club in Melbourne, Australia, will set in motion the Asian Tour Qualifying School by hosting the opening week of First Stage Qualifying.
The event will be played over four rounds, from September 17-20, and provide an outstanding opportunity for golfers ‘Down Under’ to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour by starting the process on home soil.
The top-placed finishers will secure places in the Tour’s Final Qualifying Stage – where the top-35 will earn their cards for the 2025 season.
Last year Mt Derrimut became just the second venue in Australia to host an Asian Tour Qualifying School event and the success of the tournament paved the way for its return this season.
Up-and-coming Australian star Jack Thompson won the 2023 Asian Tour Qualifying School . Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Australian Lachlan Barker (main picture) triumphed at Mt Derrimut last year and later went on to claim his Asian Tour card at the Final Stage, finishing in 30th position. His compatriot Maverick Antcliff also made it through the Australian qualifier and earned his card, finishing 17th. Antcliff has made the most of his opportunities on the Asian Tour already this season and currently sits seventh on The International Series Rankings.
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour, said: “Staging a First Stage Qualifier at Mt Derrimut Golf and Community Club was met with a chorus of approval and made the decision to return in 2024 a mere formality.
“Mt Derrimut was an outstanding host and allowed us to once again embrace the Australian golf community – where we have such strong and long-standing ties.
“Lachlan’s and Maverick’s journey from qualification through to winning Asian Tour playing privileges is a fine example of what can be achieved and validation of our decision to start school in one of the game’s most prominent golfing nations.”
“We are thrilled to be selected again to host the Australian leg of the Asian Tour Qualifying School in September 2024,” said Ian Crews, Manager, Mt Derrimut Golf and Community Club.
“We are grateful for the recognition and pleased to be able to provide a pathway for Australian golfers to participle on the Asian Tour and further their golfing careers.”
Maverick Antcliff made it through at Mt Derrimut last year and went on to secure his Asian Tour card at Final Stage. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg took top spot at the Final Stage of this year’s Qualifying School, played at Springfield Royal Country Club and Lake View Resort and Golf Club in Thailand.
Six Australians finished in the top-35: in addition to Barker and Antcliff, Justin Warren, Sam Brazel, Jordan Zunic, and Harrison Crowe all made it through.
Many of the leading Australian players on the Asian Tour were quick to support staging a First Stage Qualifier on home ground last year.
Four-time Asian Tour winner Wade Ormsby said: “It’s fantastic! There are a lot of guys in Australia asking questions on how they can get onto Tours worldwide and Asia has made it quite accessible for guys to have that opportunity.”
Jack Thompson, who claimed top spot at Final Stage 2023, added: “I think it’s great. I think financially as well, for the Aussie guys, you’re only going to have to make one trip up if you get through. I think it will be good for them and there will be a decent turnout for that First Stage.”
Details of the other First Stage Qualifiers and the Final Stage will be announced shortly but the Final Stage will be moved from its traditional January timeslot into the third week of December. Registration for the 2025 Asian Tour Qualifying School will begin in early July.
Takahiro Hataji, who edged Scott Hend to win the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport earlier this year, has claimed his maiden title on the Japan Golf Tour – the Kansai Open Golf Championship.
The 30-year-old Japanese triumphed by three from countryman Yuta Sugiura at Meishin Yokaichi Country Club, Shiga Prefecture on Sunday.
Hataji started the final round one off the lead but came through with a three-under-par 67 to finish with a winning total of 14-under 266. He overcame a poor start, that saw him make bogeys on three and four, with a strong four-under-par back nine when he made back-to-back birdies twice.
It made amends for finishing runner-up in the same tournament last year and added to what is far and away the most successful season of his 10-year career.
K.J. Choi. Picture by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
In March he won New Zealand’s National Open to become the first player from his country to raise the trophy. He beat Australia’s Hend by a shot after making key birdies down the stretch before Hend three putted 18.
Veteran KJ Choi, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, rolled back the years on the Korean PGA Tour winning the SK Telecom Open yesterday.
He’d started the final round at Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island with a five-shot advantage, but he was caught by Korean Park Sang-hyun – whom he eventually defeated on the second hole of a play-off.
At the age of 54 he is the oldest golfer to win a tournament on the Korean PGA Tour and it broke his 12-year drought on home soil.
Remarkably, the win came on his birthday.
Thailand’s irrepressible amateur star Ratchanon Chantananuwat, the boy wonder we know as ‘TK’, is finally heading to play college golf in the United States. Ahead of his departure to Stanford University we asked him nine key questions – including when can we expect to see him again on the Asian Tour.
TK we’re probably not going see you much on the Asian Tour for quite a while now, with you going to Stanford University later this summer to join their golf team. Can you tell us a little bit about how you evaluate your season so far?
The season has been just sub-par really. I haven’t played bad, all my finishes aren’t bad, I’m making almost all the cuts but when I do, I’m just middle of the pack. So, I’m managing just fine, but it’s definitely not good. I mean, I’m definitely not playing my best with how intensive the schoolwork is getting, now that the finals are getting nearer and nearer. I’m devoting a lot of my time to school and I’m not practicing as much as I want, so I mean it’s no surprise that my golf is going to drop a little bit. But other than that, I can’t really complain. I’m just hoping that when I do come back, I have been practicing more so I can start contending often again.
You had a pretty good tournament at the Porsche Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour, you were only three shots out of the lead going into the final round?
Yeah, I was actually fifth through three rounds and Sunday was just a bad day. It was unfortunate because Sunday, like the results that week, didn’t really reflect how well I played. Just one bad day ruined the whole week. And I was contending, I was up there, I was three behind, I felt like I belonged, you know. I didn’t feel alienated, pressured or anything, it was just a bad round. So that’s some good takeaway there.
TK hugs his father/caddie at last year’s Saudi Open presented by the Public Investment Fund, where he finished tied fifth. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
What will your golf schedule look like now for the next few months, will we see you at the Korean Open or International Series Morocco coming up?
No, so my timeline right now, as it stands, I have tests that I need to take, eight to be specific. They’re all between May 7th and June 7th. Then I will go to play in The Amateur Championship in Ireland from June 15 to 22, and then Stanford summer school starts two days after so I’m gonna go to Stanford to get settled in. I’ll play the U.S. Junior Championship and the U.S. Amateur Championship and whatever else I can. I’m thinking maybe The Open qualifier, the final qualifier, if I’m exempt. I really can’t say how much I’m gonna get to play, because I have no idea how much school I can miss.
When will you actually start school this summer?
Summer school starts on June 24th and will last until about the end of August, but then I just start the real term straightaway at the start of September. I mean, the one event I would really hope I get to play would be the Saudi International, the big one. I’m sure coach would want me to play that as well, given how big the event is.
How does it feel now to be going over to Stanford, one of the most prestigious universities in the world and Tiger Woods alma mater, to start your college career?
Super excited, but honestly, I don’t feel much. I just have so much going on in the in the present that I can’t even look at the future. I mean, right now, the most important thing and the only thing I can think about, are the tests that I’m about to do. But yeah, I’m super excited. I think about it, every day is an understatement, like every other shot, if not twice every shot, it’s just the only thing on my mind.
The tests or going to university?
Going to school, of course. I don’t think about the tests, I dread the tests. They find their way into my mind, but school I’m actually thinking about. I mean there’s just so many things to look forward to, but most importantly, I just can’t wait to better myself, you know. Like, I’ve seen the facilities, I trust coach Conrad Ray. I’m sure that I’m gonna get maybe not more practice, but maybe more efficient practice in college. Because I waste a lot of time in Bangkok driving around, getting from one place to another, getting from my house to the golf course or whatever. There are not many good golf courses that I have ready access to, whereas in Stanford, I’ll be living essentially on a golf course. Because for those that don’t know, we have 18 holes and pretty much three driving ranges on campus at Stanford.
TK pictured at the ‘Beat the Pro’ challenge in the Golf Village at the Wynn Palace ahead of International Series Macau presented by Wynn in March. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
Will you be living in a dorm, and how will it feel to be moving away from your mom and dad soon?
Yes, that is the whole point of going to college. I mean, I think this is just a very cliche answer, but exciting and also scary. If anything, I’m more scared than other kids usually are, because I’ve been with my parents my whole life. They’re there every second of my day, every event that I have traveled to, both of them are there all the time. But they will be there at least for the foreseeable future, the first few months. At least until the term starts after I finish the U.S. Amateur, just to make sure I settle in ok, and once they know that I can take care of myself they’ll come back to Thailand. So, it doesn’t feel like I’m leaving them yet.
You will have a lot of new team-mates on the golf team, are there any of them that you already know, or will they all be new to you?
The three people I’ve met are all seniors, so they are all leaving. But we do have a group chat. There’s the current freshmen Kush Arora and Ethan Gao, and then me and the other two freshmen. So, it’s like I’m already really good friends with the other four, and one of the incoming freshmen, Jay Leng Jr. I’ve been playing golf with him in the U.S. since I was like, five, six years old, so we know each other pretty well. Well, we’ve known each other a long time. And the majority of the team are Asians, but like American born.
So, when can we possibly expect to see you back on the Asian Tour again?
It will depend on finals at summer school and whatever tests I have to take. It also depends on the travel as well. I’m really hoping the Saudi International, but I need to check. I have the schedule now, but I need to check the dates of my exams. But honestly, if they give me the green light, I’m 100% playing that one, like it’s just an event you can’t miss. I mean it’s like at least 15-20 Major winners who are going to be there.
In-form Spaniard David Puig is hoping to reproduce his red-hot form on the Asian Tour and The International Series this season when he tees up tomorrow at the second Major of the season, the PGA Championship.
Puig is one of four representatives from the Asian Tour and The International Series, the set of 10 elevated events that form a pathway to the LIV Golf League, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
Last year’s International Series Rankings winner Andy Ogletree will also start alongside in-form Chilean Joaquin Niemann and Japan’s Takumi Kanaya, the 2023 International Series Oman champion.
Spaniard Puig, just 22, is No.106 on the Official World Golf Ranking, but he earned his invite with a superb run of form that has brought top-10 finishes in four OWGR events, including a win in the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open.
David Puig pictured with the winner’s trophy at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open. Picture by Khalid Redza/Asian Tour.
Puig, who also plays for the Fireballs GC team on the LIV Golf League, said: “I am performing pretty well on the Asian Tour. It is a tour right now that when I tee off, I feel pretty comfortable about my game and I feel capable of playing good golf.
“Obviously winning the first event of the year in Malaysia helped me a lot to climb those rankings. If I’m very honest, at the beginning of the year I didn’t think the PGA was an option because of my schedule.”
Following his win in Malaysia, which also secured a berth in The Open at Royal Troon from 18-21 July, Puig returned an impressive T10 at International Series Oman.
Last season’s International Series Singapore champion followed that up with an outright second at International Series Macau presented by Wynn, losing out in a thrilling play-off to John Catlin after carding a final-round 60.
At one stage earlier this season, Puig was on a run of seven straight weeks of golf, including Asian Tour and LIV Golf League commitments, but the youngster believes the hard work is paying dividends.
He said: “I’m super excited that all this travel has paid off with good results here on The International Series and Asian Tour. Seeing that the USPGA saw all my travel and my dedication is really cool, and I look forward to this week.
“I knew that playing on the Asian Tour and The International Series would help my game,” Puig added. “When I started, I never played any professional events besides one when I was an amateur, so I had to play as much as I can so I can start gaining that experience.
Puig after winning last year’s International Series Singapore. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The travel has been a little intense this last couple of years, but travelling to these new places and competing in these great events is something that I have really enjoyed doing.”
Puig is taking a philosophical approach to his second Major appearance, after managing a T39 at the US Open in Los Angeles last year. He said: “I didn’t think much about it yet. I don’t want to rush things and at the end of the day, I see it as another tournament. It’s a bigger one, the name says so and it’s a Major for sure.
“But at the same time, the routine is going to be pretty much the same. You know, try to have two, three good practice days and try to learn as much as I can on the course and after that, just try to plan the best strategy and from there, just try to play as best as I can and hopefully have a good week.”
Tom Kim, the 2021 Asian Tour No.1 who now plays on the PGA Tour, is also in the field for the tournament along with YE Yang, the Korean who became the first Asian to win a Major when lifting the Wanamaker Trophy in 2009 at Hazeltine.
Michael Hendry has recorded a win for the ages by claiming the For The Players by The Players on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation on Sunday – remarkably a year after being diagnosed with leukemia.
The Kiwi won by a point from Japan’s Hideto Kobukuro in an event using Stableford points scoring, played at The Club Golf Village.
Last May, not long after finishing second in the World City Championship in Hong Kong on the Asian Tour, he shocked the golfing world by announcing news of his cancer before facing a battle for survival.
“A year ago, I received the diagnosis of leukemia, and it was a devastating blow,” said the 44-year-old.
“Throughout my hospitalisation, I remained confined to the hospital bed and lost 17kg. The hospitalisation was about three to four months; I couldn’t play golf for five months. I was discharged in September, and it was not until October before I started playing again.
Michael Hendry (far right) picture at the World City Championship, where he was second and earned a place in The Open. Not long after he was diagnosed with cancer. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I’m truly grateful for this second opportunity in my golfing journey and the chance to return to professional competition. My current goal is to enjoy golf and cherish time with my family.”
He has won once before in Japan, at the Token Homemate Cup in 2015, while he is also a four-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the most recent being the VIC Open last year, months before his diagnosis.
His fine performance in the World City Championship, one of his best on the Asian Tour, earned him a place in The Open, which he agonisingly had to let go.
However, Hendry’s determination to make a full recovery became loud and clear when he won on the Charles Tour in New Zealand in October of last year.
Statistics are always going to be an interesting point of discussion at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open simply because its host venue, the notorious Namseoul Country Club, is home to one of the most difficult courses on the Asian Tour, and Korean PGA Tour. Conditions were also made more challenging by rain all day on the last day.
Built on the side of a hill, its fairways are narrow and often at a stiff gradient, so you rarely get a flat lie, and the greens are treacherous, particularly when above the hole.
Korean Hongteak Kim, who triumphed after beating Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam on the first extra-hole to cap a gripping Sunday afternoon, had the perfect answer to Namseoul’s defences.
He putted brilliantly, topping both Putts per Round and Putts per Green in Regulation, with 1.4 and 1.5 respectively, and he was also ranked among the longest drivers on the measuring holes with 306.40 yards for fourth place in that category.
Hongtaek Kim.
The interesting caveat on the latter category, again as a result of Namseoul’s toughness, is that not all players hit driver, so the longest drivers ranking is a tad misleading.
However, that does not detract from Kim’s dominance, which also saw him make five more birdies than anyone else with 24.
Chonlatit, bidding to become the first overseas winner of the event in 20 years, produced some unbelievable golf, particularly on day two when he holed from the fairway twice on par fours to make eagles. He had the joint most eagles with two thanks to those miracle shots and also registered the fewest bogeys, with five.
His second-round nine-under-par 62, one short of the course record, saw him take the lead, while the following day he holed out from off the green for birdies on two occasions.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam.
Like Kim, he also had a very good week on the fast and difficult greens and ranked second in Putts per Round, helped by holing out from off the green regularly, with 1.42, and fourth in Putts per Greens in Regulation with 1.68.
Canada’s Richard T. Lee, who finished third, looked very solid in the difficult Sunday conditions and tied for the most Greens in Regulations (GIR) hit that day with 14, placing fourth overall for the week with 75%.
The third-round leader Junghwan Lee from Korea, known in Korea as the “Ironman” because of his accurate iron play, proved his nickname right by topping the Greens in Regulation stats with 85.19% through the first three rounds, as he did not submit his final round stats. He tied for fourth, and also topped the Scrambling ranking.
Richard T. Lee.
Statistics category leaders at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open (of players making the cut):
Putts per Round: Hongtaek Kim (KOR) – 1.40
Putts per GIR: Hongtaek Kim (KOR) – 1.50
GIR: Junghwan Lee (KOR) – 85.19%*
Fairways Hit: Taehoon Ok (KOR) – 80.36%
Driving Distance: Mingyu Cho (KOR) – 317.50
Most Eagles: Chonatit Chuenboonngam (THA), Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA), Michael Maguire (USA), Seungtaek Lee (KOR) – 2
Most Birdies: Hongtaek Kim (KOR) – 24
Fewest Bogeys: Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA) – 5
Scrambling: Junghwan Lee (KOR) – 85.70%
* Through 54 holes
Korean Hongtaek Kim showed he is just as good on the golf course as he is playing simulator golf today when he beat Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam in a sudden-death play-off to win the GS Caltex Maekyung Open at Namseoul Country Club – on an overcast day with persistent rain that left everyone drenched.
Kim, a star on the golf simulator circuit on Korea’s GTour – his nickname is King of the Screen thanks to 12 wins – drained a knee-knocking four-foot par putt on the first extra hole to claim one of Korea’s most coveted titles.
The pair finished tied in regulation play on 10-under after Kim, who started the day three behind overnight leader Junghwan Lee from Korea, had stormed through on the back nine with three birdies in a row from 13 and another on 17.
His two-under-par 69 gave him the clubhouse lead before Chonlatit, playing in the last group and bidding to become the first foreigner to win the event since American Mark Calcavecchia in 2004, courageously holed par save putts on 17 and 18, both from about eight feet, to force the 43rd staging of the event into overtime.
Hongtaek Kim.
In the play-off, held on the demanding par-four 18th and with the rain constant, Kim found the fairway off the tee, but his Thai opponent landed in the large bunker on the left of the fairway. Chonlatit’s second shot clipped the lip of the trap and left him with a 50-yard approach shot while Kim’s second finished just off the back of the green.
The result was more or less decided when Chonlatit’s third landed 25 feet short. His par putt also struggled to reach the hole and after he holed his four footer for a bogey Kim had virtually the same putt for par to secure the win.
Joked 30-year-old Kim: “There was a misunderstanding that I was only good at simulator golf. I solved the misunderstanding today.
“I think simulator golf has actually been very helpful. Competing in championships in simulator golf has helped relieve tension.”
He earned a cheque for US$221,231 for what is his first victory on the Asian Tour and third on the Korean PGA Tour, plus he joins an elite list of Korean golfers who won this title, including Bio Kim, Sanghyun Park, Sangho Cho, and Jongduck Kim.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam.
Chonlatit, who led at the halfway mark following a stunning 62 – the lowest round of the week – was also trying to become the first Thai to have his name inscribed on the trophy.
He had a one-shot lead with three to play but made an expensive bogey on the par-five 16th.
“It was very hard today,” said the 25-year-old, who was attempting to win for the first time on the Asian Tour.
“Everything was hard, I was constantly trying to keep my grips dry, but I’m still very happy with the tournament. I had some good luck in the other rounds holing out shots and chips.”
He also lost in a sudden-death play-off against Australian Wade Ormsby at the International Series Thailand at the beginning of 2023. To the surprise of many it has taken him this long to once again be in contention.
He said: “I just changed my swing a little bit, and I have worked very hard on it. I feel like my game is back now.”
Canadian Richard T. Lee closed with a 71 to finish in third place, two short of the play-off.
“Yeah, I mean I had a lot of good looks but the putts just didn’t seem to drop in today,” said the two-time winner on the Asian Tour, who frustratingly made bogeys on 16 and 18.
Junghwan Lee.
“I hit the putts that I wanted to, but they just didn’t fall in. I guess next time I’ll make sure I get a little bit more luck. And yeah, it was tough today with the rain and the conditions, so I’m actually pleased.”
Since the Asian Tour returned from the COVID-19 pandemic he has finished second twice and third on three occasions.
Junghwan Lee shot a 75 and finished in a tie for fourth with countrymen Yang Jubin and Taehoon Ok, who both carded 68s.
The Asian Tour takes a short break next before returning to Korea next month for the Kolon Korea Open. The tournament will take place at Woo Jeung Hills Country Club from June 20-23. American Steve Seungsu Han is the defending champion.
Junghwan Lee birdied three of the last five holes to take the third-round lead in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open today to give himself a chance of improving upon his joint second place finish here last year.
The Korean, whose nickname is ‘Ironman’ because of his strong iron play, carded a five-under-par 66 to lead on 11-under at Namseoul Country Club by a shot from Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, the leader at the start of the day, who returned a 70.
Canadian Richard T. Lee (69) and Hongtaek Kim (71) from Korea are another two strokes back – in the sixth event of the Asian Tour’s season.
This year’s Asian Tour Qualifying School winner Kristoffer Broberg (71) from Sweden and Korean Kyungnam Kang (73) are an additional two shots behind.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam.
Lee, aged 32, started the day three behind the leader Chonlatit and trailed the Thai for much of the day.
However, Chonlatit, who had a two-shot lead after nine, made a costly double bogey on the par-four 16th – where left a chip short and failed to get up and down – while Lee was able to take to the front thanks to birdies on 14, 15 and 17.
Said Lee: “I was second going into the final round last year but this time I am going in to the final round in the lead, which I think is an advantage. I think it is good to solve problems step by step.
“I want to win. I want to do it so much. I have my coaches here this year and we are working really hard. My swing is getting better little by little, it’s not perfect, but it’s improving.”
Lee is in pursuit of his third win since turning professional in 2009, having won on the Korean PGA Tour in 2017 and 2018.
Chonlatit will be disappointed to have let the lead slip from his grasp over the closing stages, but he has given himself a chance to become the first foreign winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in 20 years.
Hongtaek Kim.
The 25-year-old, who would also become the first Thai to win the tournament, which is one of Korea’s most prestigious events, sensationally made two eagles on par fours yesterday and he was equally inspired today holing a bunker shot for a birdie on the par-three 11th and chipping in for birdie on number 13.
He’d started the day with a one-shot lead following a scintillating day two 62 – which was one shy of Chinese-Taipei’s Chung Chun-Hsing course record, set in 2001.
“I was so lucky today, just lucky,” said Chonlatit.
“Today wasn’t that good, but I had some luck saving me on a few of the holes.
“Today the greens were very fast, if you were past the pin I don’t think you would be able to stop the ball short of the hole.”
“I will just focus on my game and just play tomorrow. I want to hit my tee shots in the fairway first, and then same plan as before, keep it short of the pin and make some putts.”
The Thai lost in a sudden-death play against Australian Wade Ormsby at the International Series Thailand last year, and has won once before on the Asian Development Tour in 2022.
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