Cool-headed Catlin coasting at Saudi Open presented by PIF
John Catlin, the Asian Tour’s newly crowned ‘Mr 59’, kept the lead in the US$1million Saudi Open presented by PIF today, adding a four-under-par 67 to his opening 65.
The American, who is chasing back-to-back titles on the Asian Tour having won the International Series Macau presented by Wynn last month, is 10-under and a shot ahead of China’s Li Haotong and Australia’s Scott Hend.
Li fired a 65 and Hend a 67 here at Riyadh Golf Club – in the fifth event of the year on the Asian Tour.
England’s Steve Lewton and Spaniard David Puig, the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader who was 11-under on his last hole but made a triple, are a stroke further back after rounds of 64 and 67 respectively.
Li Haotong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Catlin is bogey free for two rounds and has lost none of the confidence that saw him shoot an 11-under-par 59 in the third round in Macau to become the first player on the Asian Tour to card that elusive and magical number.
He birdied the drivable par-four 18th in the evening to slip ahead of Li and Hend who played in the morning flights.
“I ground it out well,” said the 32-year-old five-time winner on the Asian Tour.
“I didn’t have my best stuff, but you know, my short game was saving me, especially on the back nine there. I’m looking forward to getting some rest tonight and battling it out over the weekend and will see what happens.
“I think I got a very good chance over the next two days. I mean, there’s obviously a lot of good players up there, but I think I’m one of them, so I think I have a good shot.”
Two birdies on each nine were some way off the nine birdies and an eagle he assembled for his 59 but enough to put him in pole position once again.
It has been quite some time since Li has been in contention.
Scott Hend. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He has won seven times since turning professional in 2011, when he was just 17, including on three occasions on the DP World Tour, but the past few seasons have been significant only by his absence, particularly last year when missed nearly every cut.
However, his form has shown marked improvement this season with four rounds being completed more often and this week he looks like his former self.
Said the 28-year-old: “I played really well. Wasted some chances. The course played a lot easier compared to yesterday, because of no wind and easier pin positions. So hopefully have a hot start tomorrow.”
He dropped just one shot and made seven birdies, including four in the first five on the front nine – which was his second half as he started on 10.
“I am still struggling a little bit off the tee, but except for that everything’s pretty solid overall. I am here to try and get the job done and get the trophy!” added the Chinese star, whose most recent win was the 2022 BMW International Open in Europe.
Hend, the 50-year-old in search of an 11th title on the Asian Tour, lost the chance of the outright yesterday following a three-putt from short range for a double bogey on 15 but vowed to bounce back in easier morning conditions today. And he kept to his word shooting five birdies and one bogey.
“No wind this morning and the greens were rolling, so it was all good, much easier to manage the process,” said the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner.
“I missed a few but will save them for the next two days. I have been playing a lot of golf at my home course in Australia and really enjoying it and that’s been helping.”
In February it looked like he was closing in on that 11th Asian Tour win at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport, but he three-putted the final hole to lose by a stroke to Japan’s Takahiro Hataji.
Lewton’s 64 is the joint lowest round of the tournament so far and was made up of eight birdies and one dropped shot. Six of those birdies were on the second nine, where he made four in a row from 12.
David Puig. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I played really nicely,” said Lewton, who has Simon Griffiths – a former Asian Tour player now playing on the Legends Tour in Europe – on his bag.
“I got one good break early on one of the par fives and capitalised on it, and then just played solid the rest of the day really. I hit some shots really close to the flags and just made a few more putts than I did yesterday. Because yesterday I played solid again, just had a really bad kind of finish.”
Puig, winner of the season-opening Malaysian Open and beaten by Catlin in a play-off in Macau, lost his ball off the tee on the par-four ninth, his final hole. He reloaded, found the greenside bunker in four and failed to get up and down. It was a disappointing end to a round that began spectacularly with five birdies and an eagle in the first five holes – for one of the lowest starts to a round in the history of the Asian Tour.
The PKNS Selangor Masters, which has been one of the highlights of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) for the past two years, returns to the schedule this year and will be played at its regular home Seri Selangor Golf Club from June 19-22.
The popular event, which celebrates its 11th edition this season, will boast total prizemoney of US$175,000, and it will be the ADT’s fifth leg of the season.
It will also mark the ADT’s first visit of the season to Malaysia, and it will be jointly sanctioned with the Toyota Tour – Malaysia’s domestic circuit, and a long-standing partner.
“I think it is fair to say the PKNS Selangor Masters is back by popular demand once again this year,” said Ken Kudo, General Manager, Asian Development Tour.
2022 Selangor Masters winner Shahriffuddin Ariffin.
“Our season is already underway and so we truly welcome today’s announcement that confirms the PKNS Selangor Masters for 2024. It is one of the most lucrative events on the Asian Development Tour that has earned the respect of our membership since joining the fold in 2022.
“We thank the organisers and sponsors of the event, Seri Selangor Golf Club and our friends at the Toyota Tour for their concentrated efforts in facilitating the 11th staging of this important tournament for Malaysia and the Asian Development Tour.”
Eighty players from the ADT will be eligible to play, while there will be 40 from the Toyota Tour. The total field size will be 144, with 24 invites.
Said Dato’ Setia Haji Haris bin Kasim, Selangor State Secretary & Chairman of the organising committee: “We are expecting a strong international field once again this year for a tournament that regularly attracts leading players from the region.
“The Selangor Masters is also an important and established platform for Malaysian golfers to benefit from and take advantage of the fact that the top-10 players from the final Asian Development Tour Order of Merit earn their Asian Tour cards for the following season. This happened in 2022 when Shahriffuddin Ariffin won the tournament and secured a top-10 finish on the Merit list, and the following year when Ervin Chang tied for eighth enroute to finishing in the top-10.”
The ADT’s season got underway last month at the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam. Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig claimed the title at The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram, for his first international victory.
Chinese-Taipei’s Ho Yu-Cheng (main picture) claimed the Selangor Masters last year, succeeding Ariffin – who when he triumphed became only the second Malaysian to raise the trophy. Malaysia’s Ben Leong triumphed in 2008.
The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 on the local circuit, before being elevated the following year onto the Asian Tour until 2014. It was revived two years ago on the ADT – the Asian Tour’s thriving secondary circuit that helps cultivate the region’s stars of tomorrow.
When the event was staged in 2022, it was actually the first international golf tournament to be held in Malaysia following a near two-year disruption in play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other winners of the Selangor Masters are Australian Rick Kulacz (2009), Angelo Que (2010) of the Philippines and Joonas Granberg (2011) of Finland.
They were followed by the Thai trio of Thaworn Wiratchant (2012), Pariya Junhasavasdikul (2013) and Chapchai Nirat (2014) – who emerged victorious in a play-off to end a five-year title drought for his fourth win on Asian Tour.
It’s been five weeks since John Catlin won the last Asian Tour event in spectacular fashion, but the break appears to have been inconsequential for the American after he took the first-round lead in the US$1million Saudi Open presented by PIF today.
He shot a six-under-par 65 at Riyadh Golf Club for a one-shot advantage over Australians Scott Hend and Wade Ormsby, Japan’s Tatsunori Shogenji and Filipino Justin Quiban.
Catlin is very much the man of the moment having won the International Series Macau presented by Wynn last month after defeating Spaniard David Puig in a sudden-death play-off. His fifth win on the Asian Tour was helped by an astonishing 11-under-par 59 in the third round for the circuit’s first ever sub-60.
He said: “I rested for a bit after Macau. I gave myself about a week off and then I got right back to grinding. There were some things I wanted to improve upon. I was able to do it and I feel like I am getting there. It is a never-ending process, there are always things we can do better.”
Scott Hend. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He was bogey-free today, making three birdies on each nine – in what is the fifth event of the season on the Asian Tour.
“It was solid today,” said the 32-year-old Californian, who was out in the morning session.
“It was playing difficult out there. The wind picked up, pretty much from the get go. I really had control of my ball flight. I was able to get the ball pin high a lot. It was difficult. I holed a few nice putts.”
He is currently in second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, which is being led by Puig, having also come close to winning the season-opening Malaysian Open, where he tied for third.
Hend, playing later in the day, looked the most likely to catch Catlin especially when facing an eight footer for birdie on the par-five 15th to move to seven-under. But the 50-year-old surprisingly three putted for a bogey to slip back to five under. He parred home from there.
“The greens were more difficult as the afternoon went on, so tomorrow morning we will have the best of the greens,” said the Australian, a 10-time winner on the Asian Tour.
“The game is in good shape as always, possibly could win at some point, possibly.”
Wade Ormsby. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Ormsby has spent much of the season travelling on the LIV Golf League as a reserve and admitted it was good to open with a 66 despite the lack of tournament time.
“Played nicely, been hitting it well past few days so it’s nice to take that to the tournament, especially as it has been pretty windy,” he said.
“I haven’t had a great start to the year, but the game has been okay. I just havent had the scorecard in my pocket as I have been travelling with LIV a little bit, which changes your rhythm.
“The game feels good, and I feel I have good things ahead of me. I have just got to get back into playing tournaments.”
Puig, who made a costly double on 16, Thailand’s Danthai Boonma, and Australians Maverick Antcliff and Justin Warren carded 67s.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Li Haotong from China are in a group of players who shot 68s.
Justin Quiban. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, second here last year, shot a 69, while the defending champion Denwit Boriboonsub from Thailand came in with a 70.
Spain’s Ryder Cup star Rafa Cabrera Bello carded a 72.
Henrik Stenson has highlighted the importance of LIV Golf players competing on the Asian Tour, and the incredible impact it continues to have on the region’s professional golfers.
Speaking ahead of this week’s Saudi Open presented by PIF, the fifth leg of this year’s Asian Tour, which starts today, the Swede specifically pointed to The International Series – 10-elite level events that are integrated into the Asian Tour schedule – and the key role it plays in raising standards.
“Many of the LIV Golf players play two or three throughout the year. That elevates The International Series and the Asian Tour on those weeks,” said the 48-year-old.
“It’s important to have a measuring stick and that is what happens during The International Series when you have the LIV Golf players and big strong names coming to play. They raise the standard and that is what the other guys are striving to beat.
Henrik Stenson of Sweden pictured during the Pro-Am event on Tuesday April 16, 2024, ahead of the Saudi Open presented by PIF. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“You have seen it with David Puig who has two wins in the past nine months. He comes in, plays solid, wins tournaments and the other guys realise they have to up their game if they’re going to want to get to the next level and compete with the best players in the world. That has been a huge opportunity for the Asian Tour to have that influx and have a stronger competition.”
The Swede is more than qualified to speak on the matter as he is one such golfer who has played a part in this, not only as a LIV Golf player but also through having been a regular visitor to Asia for the past two decades.
His second-place finish in the Saudi Open presented by PIF last year, when he made a valiant late run making four consecutive birdies from the 12th and another on 17 before eventually finishing three shots behind the champion Denwit Boriboonsub from Thailand, being a fine example of his influence.
He added: “I enjoyed the week last year. I came in rather late and threw myself into action. We managed to finish second with a good finish on Sunday on the back nine in particular.
“Now, as we’re on our way down to Adelaide and Singapore for the next two LIV Golf events, it made good sense to break up the journey and get the reps in. I’m trying to get the 2024 season going because it’s been halted a bit due to some health issues in the early part of the year, so I hope I can put that behind me and stay healthy for the remainder of the season. Hopefully I will play a solid week here in Riyadh again.”
Henrik Stenson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Stenson has been paired with Puig and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho in the first two rounds here at Riyadh Golf Club – two more of the Asian Tour most exciting young golfers.
“There are so many more players catching the eye on the Asian Tour,” he added.
“I didn’t see much of Denwit play, but if you’re good enough to go out and win a pretty big event on the Asian Tour, like he did last year, you have game. He is part of that new generation and it’s fun to see new and upcoming players go out and play freer than you do after 20 years on tour.
“We see the game growing all over Asia and one of my observations is that Thailand seems to have developed a lot of players. There are a lot of Thai players on the Asian Tour, more than I remember 10/15 years ago. Certain countries are making strides, and it seems like Thailand has produced a lot of players lately.”
The Asian Tour is delighted to announce that a team of seven referees recently completed The R&A’s new Level 4 Advanced Referees Certification.
Led by Jittisak Tamprasert, Director of Rules & Competitions, Asian Tour, they successfully made it through a six-month course for what is The R&A’s highest level of refereeing.
Set up last year, the Level 4 certification process focuses on seven key areas of competency: refereeing, course marking, course set-up, pace of play management, course notes for referees, local rules and managing suspension/resumption of play.
Jittisak, who has worked for the Tour for the past 22 years, said: “I wish to express my gratitude to The R&A for our on-going close working relationship and the opportunity for our referees to go through this process and be recognised as Level 4 Advanced Referees. I am very proud of our team in attaining this highest recognition.”
A close up view of The R&A Level 4 Advanced Referee Qualification certificate awarded to first group of Asian Tour referees, pictured on Tuesday April 16, 2024, ahead of the Saudi Open presented by PIF. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Jittisak is pictured today with four other officials who earned the certificate: Idtiphat Silasuwan (Todd), Phutthisarn Sricharuviphat (Kong), Adnan Othman and Jayson Cheok. Their colleagues, Krirkchai Boonprasert and Henry Arabelo, not in attendance, also received the certificate.
The COO of the Asian Tour, David Rollo congratulated the team, adding: “This accomplishment by our top referees in reaching the highest R&A qualification is a source of pride to the Asian Tour. We look forward to working closely with The R&A to provide additional referees this opportunity in the future and support our ambitions to deliver the highest standards in competition management”.
They are the first group of Asian Tour referees to earn this accolade, which rewards individuals who have set the bar at the highest level in officiating at Tour level.
Ahead of the defence of his Saudi Open presented by PIF title this week, Denwit Boriboonsub has revealed the secret to his success last year, and it’s very much a case of winner, winner chicken dinner!
The Thai star famously claimed three tournaments in a row last December with two of those events coming here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – first at the Aramco Invitational and later the Saudi Open presented by PIF – where KFC was on the menu every single night.
“Yeah, we ate KFC everyday last year, starting at Aramco. Went back to Thailand for a week after that and came back to Riyadh for the Saudi Open and ate KFC everyday again and won again!”
In that week back on home soil he also triumphed in the Thailand Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour. It was a remarkable three weeks especially as the Aramco Invitational was the final event of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Saudi Open presented by PIF brought the year to a conclusion on the Asian Tour. No player has achieved that feat.
Denwit Boriboonsub pictured with the winner’s trophy at last year’s Saudi Open presented by the Public Investment Fund. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He said: “It’s the Super Dinner KFC Meal I ate: four pieces of chicken, large Pepsi, large fries. It’s funny because at this year’s New Zealand Open we ate Botswana steaks, the best steak I have had in my life, for six days in a row but missed the cut.”
Last December, age 19, he fired a final round seven-under-par 64 to win the Saudi Open presented by PIF by three strokes from LIV Golf League star Henrik Stenson from Sweden at Riyadh Golf Club, where the US$1million event is again being played this week.
“We will try KFC every day this week, the same meal, and hopefully it will have the same effect,” he said.
“I am playing quite well. It was really windy in today’s practice round, so hopefully it calms down. I don’t think about winning. I just concentrate on my game and hopefully the result comes.
“The only issue now is my short game. I am struggling with my wedge. I can’t play it at the moment, from all distances. I am still trying to figure it out.”
To say Christmas came early for Denwit last year is an understatement.
Denwit Boriboonsub, Jeunghun Wang and David Puig pictured with The Open trophy at the Malaysian Open, where all three qualified for the game’s oldest major. Picture by Khalid Redza/Asian Tour.
Sitting in 133rd position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) at the start of December and 30th on the ADT rankings, his playing status for 2024 was looking bleak.
However, in the space of three weeks his world was transformed.
Victory at the Aramco event, in a sudden-death play-off against England’s William Harrold, catapulted him to the top of the ADT OOM – which secured his Asian Tour card for the following season, before victory on the Saudi Open presented by PIF allowed him to finish in 21st place on the final Asian Tour OOM.
He said: “My iron play was key to that success. It just clicked and of course I was holing everything.”
His end of season form carried over into 2024, most noticeably at the season-opening Malaysian Open, where a 10-under-par 61 on the final day saw him tie for third and secure one of the three places up for grabs in this year’s Open Championship.
He also recorded a top-10 at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and is currently in 10th place on the Asian Tour OOM.
The rising star from Pattaya explains: “I did have a couple of KFCs in Macau, and one in Malaysia – but that was on the last day after my 61.”
The Saudi Open presented by PIF will make a triumphant return to Riyadh Golf Club next week, from April 17-20, with LIV Golf captain Henrik Stenson headlining the field, along with five fellow LIV Golf members, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, and the stars of the Asian Tour.
The eighth edition of the event last December was the first time it had been fully sanctioned by the Asian Tour and saw Thailand’s 19-year-old star Denwit Boriboonsub finish on 18-under-par, three shots ahead of 2016 Open Championship winner Stenson. The Thai has confirmed he will return to try and successfully defend his title when the Asian Tour tees-off after a five-week break in the Saudi Arabian capital.
Building on last year’s successful hosting, the 2024 Saudi Open presented by PIF will once again see a strong LIV Golf contingent battle for the trophy as Andy Ogletree, Peter Uihlein, Eugenio Chacarra and David Puig join Majestics joint-team captain Stenson and his former European Ryder Cup teammate Cabrero-Bello in Riyadh.
Henrik Stenson pictured at last year’s Saudi Open presented by PIF. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Puig, who won the season-opening Malaysian Open, currently tops the Asian Tour Order of Merit ahead of second placed John Catlin from the United States – winner of the recent International Series Macau presented by Wynn, where he shot the Tour’s first ever 59.
Golf Saudi will again show their commitment to ensuring opportunities for everyone with a number of spots reserved for invites for local Saudi and Arabic golfers to compete in the tournament, while the No. 1 ranked disability golfer in the world, and Golf Saudi ambassador, Kipp Poppert, will tee it up among the professionals once more.
Stenson catapulted himself into second place with a 65 in the final round last year and is determined to go one better and lift the trophy this time round, even though he knows it will be tough with the strong field assembled.
Stenson said: “I am thrilled to be returning to Riyadh to play in the Saudi Open presented by PIF. I loved the atmosphere on my first visit to what is an incredible golf course, and I am very excited to experience that again.
Denwit Boriboonsub celebrates his victory last December. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The facilities are highly impressive and highlight the strides that golf in Saudi Arabia continues to make. I am expecting another very strong and testing tournament against a field full of quality players, but I am eager to go one better than last year and lift the trophy.”
Asian Tour Commissioner & CEO Cho Minn Thant added: “We are delighted to be going back to Riyadh for the Saudi Open presented by PIF.
“The event proved to be an excellent addition to the Asian Tour having been elevated from the Asian Development Tour, and Riyadh Golf Club provided us with a perfect setting to end 2023. In Golf Saudi, we have a trusted partner who we are confident will deliver another fantastic tournament.”
The Saudi Open presented by PIF is the fifth stop of the season on the Asian Tour.
Qualification for the summer Olympics in Paris this year is well and truly underway with a host of Asian Tour members in contention. In the first of a series of articles in the run up to the XXXIII Olympiad, Asian Tour contributor Joy Chakravarty spoke to 10-time Asian Tour winner Scott Hend from Australia about his memories of Rio in 2016, and the allure of the Olympics.
At the age of 50, and in the shortage of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points in events he is playing, Scott Hend realises that a second appearance in the Olympics is almost non-existent, but he takes as much pride in representing Australia and being a part of golf’s return at 2016 Rio Games, as any of his 16 international victories.
“That’s something that nobody can ever take away from you. You don’t have to be a medalist to be called an Olympian and it’s always nice to say to yourself that you are one,” said Hend, who showed he can still compete against the youngsters by finishing second last month in the 103rd New Zealand Open, presented by Sky Sport.
“I mean, it would have been great to win a gold, silver, or a bronze, but what I experienced as a competitor, as part of the team that included Marcus Fraser and Ian Baker Finch as our captain, and our caddies, it was one of my proudest career moments. Golf was returning to the Olympics, and we were part of history.”
Scott Hend. Picture by Scott Halleran/Getty Images.
Asked how much it would mean to him if he got a chance to play in another Olympics, Hend quipped: “Is there a senior Olympics?!
“But seriously, I haven’t played well enough to be in the team. In saying that, the way the World Ranking system is these days, it makes it very hard for someone who isn’t playing on the PGA Tour to be looked at for the Olympics.
“Forget about me, I’m not even sure who are the two guys that qualify for Australia. With my sensible boots on, I would think Cam Smith should be one of the guys because he is our best player. Of course, that may not happen because LIV Golf do not get world rankings.
“Both Jason (Day) and Min Woo Lee are playing great golf, but I would like Cam to be one of the players. He’s an amazing golfer and he is a great representative for Australia.”
Men’s Olympic golf is limited to a field of 60, with qualifications based on the OWGR. The top-15 players are automatically eligible, but the number is limited to a maximum of four golfers from a single country.
Thereafter, the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) come into play. It consists of a maximum of the top two eligible players per country.
Scott Hend. Picture by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images.
The current OGR (as of April 1) is being led by world number one Scottie Scheffler from United States. Three other Americans Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay, all ranked in the top-15 on the OWGR, are currently holding qualification places. Schauffele won the gold medal at Tokyo 2020.
Day and Lee are leading the way for Australia while there are a total of 13 Asian players from seven countries – China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Chinese Taipei – that are currently inside the qualification line.
Indians Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shubhankar Sharma, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Phachara Kongwatmai and Malaysian Gavin Green are among the top-60.
The cut-off date for qualification is June 17, with the men’s event due to be played at Le Golf National in Guyancourt from August 1-4.
Hend insists the Olympics must be a goal for every young golfer to qualify for. It’s not just what happens inside the ropes that is incredible, but the whole atmosphere is electric and motivating.
“We golfers are lucky…we get rewarded every week for all the hard work that we put in. But for some of the athletes in the Olympics, that’s the only thing they are working towards for four years,” said Hend, who finished tied 39th in Rio.
“We had a house in Rio, and we’d go to the village, and we went into Australia House. We ate in the cafeteria with all the Olympians and went to the gym to check out how these people work out. We watched a basketball game. It was an amazing experience and something that every athlete and every fan must experience. Just to see how tough and how rewarding sports can be.”
Hend named sprinters Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson and swimmer Michael Phelps as his favourites, while decathlon was the one discipline he loves to watch.
Xander Schauffele after winning the gold medal at Tokyo 2020. Picture by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images.
“One Olympic moment I will never forget was when Ben Johnson won the gold with that record run in Seoul (1988), and then got disqualified because of using performance-enhancing drugs,” said Hend, going down memory lane.
“And that is why I have the greatest respect for what Bolt, Michael Johnson and Phelps achieved. These are just ridiculous disciplines when you think how hard they have to train to become the best in the world. What I really love, probably because of the disappointment with Ben Johnson, is that with all the drug testing they have these days, those guys did all that and were clean as well.
“Having said that, my favourite disciple to watch is decathlon, because they put themselves through absolute hell. They have to be all-round athletes, and it is fun to see them go through all those 10 different disciples and also try to plan and take advantage of what they are good at, like a big guy who’s good at javelin and trying his best to compete in the 1,500 meters.”
As for his own event, Hend said once he fell behind a bit at the halfway stage, all he did was fire at every pin.
“I just went for broke on the weekend, because, unlike our regular golf tournaments, only 1-2-3 matters in Olympics. Fraser had the course record going for a while and I remember walking with him and finish the round,” recalled Hend.
“My round fell apart when I hit a footprint on the 10th hole and continued to hit a couple of other footprints and ended up making a nine or a 10. It was that type of a golf course where you got a little bit offline, and you got punished badly.
“And yet, the honest truth is, I enjoyed every moment of wearing the Aussie colour and be a part of Rio 2016.”
March, 2024: The Open here I come
In the first of Denwit Boriboonsub’s diary entries for 2024, the young Thai star – who sensationally won in three successive weeks last December – looks back at his start to the season, which included punching his ticket to The Open, and talks about his defence of the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund this month. Denwit was speaking to Asian Tour contributor and former Tour player Olle Nordberg.
First of all, I am very happy that for my first diary of the year, I am delighted to say that the start of the season has gone quite well.
After all of the excitement following my finish last year, there was, understandably, a lot of expectation heading into the new year and I am happy with how things have gone. I have had two very good weeks, which gave me a lot of confidence, while there were a couple of weeks that weren’t so good.
My season started at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open. The first three days I played pretty well, before an amazing 61 on the last day saw me finish in a tie for third to earn a place in The Open in July. That is the lowest round of my career, and what a time to do it.
Denwit Boriboonsub after winning the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund last December. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Getting into The Open in Malaysia was my goal as I knew it would be more difficult in the other Open qualifiers, like the Kolon Korea Open. The course there at The Mines also suited my game.
After the front nine on Sunday, I looked at the scoreboard, and saw I was just four shots back. I knew that the back nine was makeable, every hole is makeable, and I started dropping putts, started holing chips, from everywhere, just holing it from everywhere!
I started the back nine by making six birdies in a row, and I knew then that I had a chance because when I looked at scoreboard again, I was just one or two back from the leader, with a bunch of players behind me. I then birdied the 17th and 18th which was great because I was three or four shots ahead of third place.
I was fortunate to get the third spot in The Open on a countback from John Catlin, who was also third, via the Official World Golf Ranking but I guess John made up for that soon after by winning in Macau with that 59. Congratulations to him on that.
It has always been an aim of mine to play in The Open. Last year I went to Open Qualifying, and I missed the cut. I know qualifying to play in The Open is not an easy thing to do, so it’s something that makes me very proud, especially aged 20. It’s like a next step for me, and it will also be my first Major.
The following week in Oman, I didn’t play so good because of my iron play. My irons were quite off, and my putts didn’t drop. I think this was actually due to the mental part of my game, more than the physical side.
I missed the cut there, as I did in New Zealand the week after. I was quite tired, to be honest, as it is a long journey but it’s definitely worth it when you get there, Queenstown is such a beautiful place.
International Series Macau presented by Wynn was my next event, for my second time in Macau, and things went much better.
Denwit with the other Open qualifiers in Malaysia, Jeunghun Wang and David Puig. Picture by Khalid Redza / Asian Tour.
First of all, I changed the ball I was using, went back to the Chrome Soft X, because in New Zealand I used the new one and it didn’t work out. So, I changed to the old one and I just saw the shots fly like I’m used to seeing them. And I know the course pretty well, Macau Golf & Country Club suits me just like The Mines, everything just suits me. I played pretty decent, finished ninth.
I also had an opportunity to play with some star players in Macau as well and it was a very valuable experience. It’s not often you have a chance to play with the likes of Patrick Reed, Jason Kokrak and Carlos Ortiz.
It was absolutely a learning experience. I learned so much from Patrick, his iron play, his short game, they are on another level. And his putting too.
I didn’t really get nervous, it just felt normal playing with them. The most nervous thing for me is playing with a sponsor, that is quite nervous for me, but playing with those players just felt normal. They were very nice, I talked to both Patrick and Jason.
My next event is the Saudi Open presented by Public Investment Fund, where it will feel great to be the defending champion. I think I have a good chance to keep the title because I just feel like the course suits me, everything suits me at that course. It’s wide, it’s huge, and the fairways are pretty firm. The greens are soft and it’s windy. So yeah, I think that course is on my side, and I think I am pretty confident that I will play well.
To prepare for Saudi I’ll probably play on some windier courses, and probably go there earlier to practice, on Friday or Saturday.
Last year I remember I just hit so many great drives, my iron play was good, I made all the putts, and my mental game was good. I didn’t think about winning, just everything was very good, and that showed in the performance.
Hopefully, in April’s diary, I will be saying the same thing.
Recent Comments