Feature: The Asian Tour Monster (Front 9)
Imagine a golf course consisting of the most iconic and challenging holes on the Asian Tour.
A fictional hybrid-layout that features one of the region’s standout opening holes, one of the finest second holes and goes all the way through to an epic 18th.
A layout that would be the ultimate challenge – where breaking par is a monumental achievement.
Well, just such a virtual course now exists, as an Asian Tour panel of experts has selected the appropriate holes to make up what is the golf course of all golf courses in Asia.
With a par of 70 and length of 7,430 yards, we have appropriately named it The Asian Tour Monster.
To navigate us through The Asian Tour Monster, we asked players and experts to describe each hole – all of which have played key roles in many of the biggest tournaments on the Asian Tour.
Let us know what your think on our social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.
KOH SAMUI, THAILAND – JUNE 17: Adlison Da Silva of Brazil in action at Santiburi Samui Country Club on June 17, 2012 in Koh Samui, Thailand. (Photo by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images)
Hole 1 – Santiburi Samui Country Club, Koh Samui, Thailand
Par: Four
Yardage: 339 yards
Hole scoring average: 4.34
Asian Tour event hosted: Queen’s Cup
Where better to start this iconic course than the holiday island of Koh Samui in Thailand.
But, as with all the holes on The Asian Tour Monster, it is not a hole where you can take a vacation.
Contrary to the name of the hole – which is ‘The Flat Land’ – it is a steep uphill and treacherous opening par four, also widely known as the “Beast of Samui”.
Although it only requires a long-iron or a hybrid off the tee, the precarious elevated fairway is fringed with penalty areas and rocky outcrops. Provided you manage to find the fairway, a mid-iron will then be required for your approach shot. The severe two-tier green which is also elevated will require all your attention as it will most likely yield three putts or more if you are on the wrong level with your approach shot.
The hole is normally played as the 10th by the club members.
“A tall tree is planted just right of the buggy path about 180 yards off the tee which overhangs the fairway. I have seen balls hit that tree and bounce right into the jungle; drop straight down onto the buggy path and basically roll back down to the tee (because of the massive upslope); or hit the tree and disappear altogether.
The second shot – if the fairway is successfully found – will be anywhere from 160 to 180 yards to a green 15 yards higher than the fairway. The green is two tiered – with the tier itself close to four feet.
Hit the ball on the top tier when the pin is on the lower level and players will putt the ball off the green, without a doubt. Hit the ball on the lower tier when the pin is set on the top level … well then players will feel a flex in the putter shaft because of the unusually big swing they have to make.
The placement of this hole, as the opening hole, is perfect to ruin a good round of golf.”
Anthony Kang: a three-time Asian Tour winner and now part of the Asian Tour’s television commentary team.
Hole 2 – Saujana Golf & Country Club (Palm Course), Malaysia
Par: Four
Yardage: 493 yards
Hole scoring average: 4.27
Asian Tour events hosted: Maybank Championship, Malaysian Open
The second hole of the Palm Course at Saujana Golf & Country Club is a true test. Its length alone is enough to make you gasp at what awaits. A very narrow fairway flanked by several bunkers, palm trees and dense jungle on the right waits to punish any wayward drive. The second shot requires a mid to long iron to a green where the surface is not visible due to the steep elevation change. Multiple bunkers encompass the large two-tiered green – so making sure your approach shot is on the correct level is imperative.
“The second hole at Saujana is a bit of a difficult one because it is quite long. Much depends on which way the wind is blowing, if it is a little into the wind I will aim down the left with a driver with a little fade – to get past the fairway bunker on the right. But if there is no wind, and conditions are favourable, I will hit a three wood down there.
For the second it can anything from a six to a nine iron into the green – depending on where the pin and wind is. Normally I just try and get my shot to the middle tier if the pin is at the back or if the pin is at the front I always try to get it to the front edge – because if you don’t get up on the green it rolls back down. Definitely stay away from the right hand front bunker because it is just dead in there, because it is so deep. It is just one of those holes where you have to respect making a four and get out of there and you are happy with it.”
Scott Hend: a 10-time winner on the Asian Tour, the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and winner of the 2019 Maybank Championship – played on the Palm Course at Saujana.
Hole 3 – Kurmitola Golf Club, Bangladesh
Par: Four
Yardage: 448 yards
Hole scoring average: 4.5
Asian Tour event hosted: Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open
With its tree-lined fairways and intimidating water features, the third hole at Kurmitola Golf Club can challenge every aspect of your game. Off the tee you need a well-struck drive to the corner of a narrow fairway, which doglegs to the left. Bunkers await on either side to swallow any stray drive and any attempt at cutting the corner can result in disaster – as an OB looms nearby. There is also the possibility of losing your ball due to the dense treeline. Even if you manage to negotiate the tee shot, you are still left with a long-iron to a shallow undulating green which yields very few birdies.
“I grew up on this course and we always play it as a par five. For me this hole is a standard par five and as one of the shorter hitters on Tour I can handle it. But when the Asian Tour are here in Bangladesh we play it as a par four and it is a really hard hole for all of us!
But now days I am hitting it a little bit longer and I can make birdies more often here. I had a chat with myself and said I have played many par fours on Tour that are more difficult than this hole, so I am now mentally stronger playing the hole.
Before, I would play driver, then lay up 100 yards to the pin because I am very strong anywhere from 100 yards. Nowadays, I play driver and then a 22-degree hybrid.”
Siddikur Rahman: a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, two-time champion on the Asian Development Tour, and the first golfer from Bangladesh to win on the Asian Tour – at the Brunei Open in 2010.
MANILA-PHILIPPINES-The Solaire Open at The Country Club, Manila, Philippines, March 13-16, 2014. a US$ 300.000 Asian Tour event. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Hole 4 – The Country Club, Philippines
Par: Four
Yardage: 406 yards
Hole scoring average: 4.52
Asian Tour event hosted: Solaire Open
On this slight dogleg right par-four, a driver is usually required as the further you hit, the wider the landing area is going to be. The purpose-built gap in the fairway to intentionally stop players from laying up is just merciless! Your thought process is tested even more with the OB to the left and water all the way down the right. Once you have recovered from the stress of the tee shot, a small elevated green awaits – which, if you miss the green with your approach, is very difficult to get up and down from.
The Country Club hosted the Solaire Open in 2014 which saw Canada’s Richard T. Lee triumph. Lee double bogeyed the fourth hole on the final day, but recovered brilliantly to claim his first Asian Tour title. That week there were two quintuple bogeys and five quadruple bogeys on the fourth.
“It is a narrow hole with a wind blowing normally, making it a real test. As the wind always blows right to left you have to start the ball at the ravine on the right otherwise you are in danger of going OB left. The fairway is only about 25 metres wide and with the wind and distance it plays quite long, so you need a driver and a mid to long iron to get to the putting surface.”
Koh Dengshan: a former Singapore national player, now Asian Tour regular and touring professional with Sentosa Golf Club.
SINGAPORE – Serapong course at Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore, September 10-15, 2017. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Sentosa Golf Club.
Hole 5 – The Serapong, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore
Par: Four
Yardage: 486 yards
Hole scoring average: 4.23
Asian Tour event hosted: SMBC Singapore Open
The signature hole on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club boasts wonderful views of the Singapore skyline that look out onto one of the busiest ports in the world. However, do not allow these views to distract you. This demanding par four, especially when played into the wind, requires your best drive of the day to give yourself the shortest possible approach shot into this shallow and firm green. For shorter hitters this may still require a wood.
The landing area off the tee is fairly generous with large bunkers on either side of the fairway. However, club selection for your approach shot needs to be spot on. A yawning waste bunker stretches its way up the right side of the fairway ready to swallow any mishit shot, and any over-clubbed shot will likely end up in the sea!
“I really dreaded playing this hole during tournament play, simply due to its sheer length. Pars, let alone birdies, were hard to come by, especially when the pin was tucked on the right portion of the green where the water starts to come into play.
When this hole plays its full length, I would need to hit a solid drive and then try to figure out how to keep the ball on the firm green with a long iron in hand.
I think my greatest joy playing this hole came when, on one occasion, my drive hit a sprinkler head and gave me an extra 40 yards, making my approach shot that much shorter, but I still made a bogey!
Make a par on this hole and you will definitely gain at least half a shot on the field!”
Unho Park: an Asian Tour player for 20 years, now a Tour administrator.
Hole 6, par-3.
December 22, 2010. Thai Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand. Mandatory credit: Richard Castka/Sportpix International
Hole 6 – Thai Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand
Par: Three
Yardage: 227 yards
Hole scoring average: 3.17
Asian Tour events hosted: Thailand Open, Volvo Masters of Asia, Asian Honda Classic
The par-three sixth hole is the signature hole at Thai Country Club. It is a long par three over water with strong head winds more often than not. The smart play is to aim for the left side of the green in order to avoid the penalty area and bunker on the right. However, if you stray too far left, the undulations will most certainly throw your ball further away from the green, leaving a tricky up and down to make par. This is just a brute of a par-three where its sheer length just makes playing this hole strenuous.
American John Catlin – who recently won the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama on the European Tour – parred the hole in his first three rounds during the 2019 Thailand Open and made birdie on Sunday, which paved the way for him to secure his fourth Asian Tour title.
“It is a long par three. Off the back it is about 220 – 230 yards to the middle of the green. The wind mostly blows in from the right, so I would have a three iron or five wood. There is a bunker and water on the right side so anything from the middle of the green to the left side is the perfect shot. I will take a three any day there. It is not a birdie hole. You have to be conservative. I had four pars during the Thailand Open in 2018 when I won there, I didn’t lose any strokes there but didn’t make any either.”
Panuphol Pittayarat: winner of the 2018 Thailand Open at Thai Country Club – which is his home club.
SINGAPORE – Serapong course at Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore, September 10-15, 2017. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Sentosa Golf Club.
Hole 7 – The Serapong, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore
Par: Five
Yardage: 587 yards
Hole scoring average: 5.01
Asian Tour event hosted: SMBC Singapore Open
You may think a par-five that averages near its par in tournament play is a simple enough hole but on the seventh hole on The Serapong, the devil is in the details. You are greeted on the tee with a magnificent turquoise ocean canal stretching the full length of the hole on the right.
With little to no rough on the right-hand side of the fairway, shots that veer right will almost certainly find the drink. The left side of the hole also intimidates you with dense tropical jungle. If you are skilled enough to thread your tee shot between the fairway bunkers, you are left with a very tricky lay-up that needs to be precisely planned and executed to the narrowest part of the fairway.
Any miscue can be calamitous as this year’s SMBC Singapore Open champion, Matt Kuchar, found out by carding an eight in the final round. After a poor tee shot, which went left into the trees, an unexpected air shot ensued while trying to extricate his ball from tree roots. A pulled approach shot, which ended up out of bounds, also did not help his cause. Remarkably, he did not drop a shot after, played the back nine in four under, and beat Justin Rose by three!
“It is a very good hole. It depends how you drive that hole. If you hit a bomb off the tee, 320 yards, you can reach the green in two. But then you still have to hit a quality shot to get on the green. I don’t hit the ball so long these days so I lay up with a three wood, then a four iron and a pitching wedge or nine. The hole is also one of the most scenic on the course.”
Mardan Mamat: a five-time Asian Tour champion and Singapore’s pioneering professional golfer.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The ICTSI Philippine Open at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club on February 9-12, 2012 in Manila, Philippines. Photo by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Hole 8 – Wack Wack Golf Club, Philippines
Par: Three
Yardage: 191 yards
Hole scoring average: 3.55
Asian Tour event hosted: Philippine Open
The original design of this eighth hole was a lot shorter, requiring only an eight or nine iron to a postage-stamp type green, which was raised even higher than it is today. With its increased length and slightly lowered green, it is still as formidable as ever and can mentally rattle anyone’s nerves when standing on the tee box.
The view of a severely elevated narrow green sloping from back to front and guarded by multiple deep bunkers gives birth to unimaginable scenarios if you fail to hit this green. Although it may sound simple to blast out of the bunkers or chip onto the green after missing it, the nature of the green makes it almost impossible to get the ball on the green when trying to recover from the left or right.
“When I won the Philippine Open in 2008, that hole was played as the 17th hole. And it is funny because having played Wack Wack so many times, amongst friends we have always talked about what you would do if you go into that hole with a one-shot lead. And funny enough, it happened to me – I had a one shot lead in the Philippine Open in 2008. If you have played it long enough, and as much as you want to hit the green, you know you must miss it to the right.
Back then it was only an eight or nine iron but after I won they lengthened it from the back tees, it’s like a six iron now. So what I did was I made sure I aimed a bit more right and tried to hit a good shot, fortunately it landed on the green and just rolled off and ended up in the right bunker. The guy I was up against, Gavin Flint, also did the same thing, and we ended up making bogies but a par was good enough for me to win on the last.”
Angelo Que: a three-time champion on the Asian Tour and a winner on the Japan Golf Tour Organization.
Delhi Golf Club, Hole #9
Hole 9 – Delhi Golf Club, India
Par: Four
Yardage: 445 yards
Hole scoring average: 4.38
Asian Tour events hosted: Hero Indian Open, Panasonic Open India
The ninth hole at the Delhi Golf Club requires precision and makes even the most confident drivers of the ball tremble, especially when a tournament is on the line. This hole has a reputation for being extremely unforgiving with a narrow fairway and thorn bushes on either side. The hole does not have any significant water hazards but the bunkers, unforgiving rough and mature tree line more than make up for that.
You can choose to use either a three wood or long iron off the tee in order to find the widest part of the fairway, or in this case, the least narrow! But the challenge with this strategy means it leaves a mid to long iron approach shot to an undulating, multi-tiered L-shaped green guarded by well positioned bunkers and thorn bushes. The braver folk will opt to use a driver, however any miscue will most certainly result in playing three from the tee.
“As a member over there, it is probably regarded as the hardest hole on the course even though it is not stroke index one – simply because it gives you a few options. It is long enough to tempt you to hit a driver off the tee but it really narrows in at about the 270 to 280 yard mark – the fairway becomes half its width. It is a perfect risk reward hole if you are willing to man up and take it on with a driver, which really makes your second shot a lot shorter into a green that is quite demanding because it is a raised green that falls off to the right. The typical Sunday pin there was back right over a bunker and if you laid back too far, if you hit a three wood or a two iron off the tee, it would leave you too long a shot to be able to access that flag in anyway.
I have seen a lot of big numbers there; I have seen a lot of people lose tournaments there in the past; and I personally have made some high numbers on that hole. When we play tournaments there, the prevailing wind is normally into the wind and coming off to the left so that makes it even more demanding. It is about 440 yards, but it plays closer to 460 or 470. You also have bushes down the sides, so visually it is a very intimidating hole. I think some of the hardest holes in golf are the ones that are straight and not actually dog-legs. About five years ago there used to be a tree in the middle of the fairway, on the left half of it – it fell down in a storm. When that tree was there it made it even more challenging because if you hit anything up the left half you didn’t have a clear shot – so it was even more demanding before.”
Shiv Kapur: a four-time Asian Tour winner, and former Asian Games Gold medallist.
Hanbyeol Kim won a lot of admirers at the weekend by winning the Shinhan Donghae Open in such confident fashion, with animated fist pumps after holing key putts and a heartwarming family story.
The 24-year-old, who also claimed the Hedges Golf KPGA Open two weeks ago for his maiden win in Korea, revealed that his family has been providing financial support – to the extent that his father and mother, both teachers, have used their pension to assist him.
So the two wins could not have come at a better time.
“With the prize money, I want to buy a house and give it to my parents. I plan to be a good son,” said Kim on Sunday, after winning KRW260,303,687 (approximately US$220,000).
He turned professional two years ago and joined the Korean PGA Tour last year where he has had some commendable results, before two magnificent wins in the space of three weeks this year.
“I thought of my mother and father who always supported me since I was young. I didn’t shed tears like last time. The Jeonbuk Golf Association also put a lot into helping me. Thank you. And I learned a lot from Korea National Sport University [where he studied]. Thank you for everything,” he added.
In July, he also lost in a play-off to Soomin Lee at the KPGA Open, but bounced back by beating Jaekyeong Lee in extra time at the Hedges Golf KPGA Open at the end of August – where he shed those tears.
And he stormed to victory at the Shinhan Donghae Open by firing a final round four-under-par 67, for a tournament total of 14-under-par 270 – to beat Canadian Richard T. Lee, the 2017 champion, by two shots.
“I suddenly won two tournaments. Thank you to the fans and galleries who support us from afar. I’ll be a player who plays harder without being arrogant. This year’s goal was first to win. The first victory has already been achieved. Now I have a second trophy. I’m thrilled. The goal now to be KPGA Genesis season winner [the Money List title]. It’s the highest honor,” he added.
He has now firmly established himself as one of Korea’s most exciting young golfers with a bright future.
“I got an Asian Tour card, I’m so happy. It’s a tough situation with Covid-19, but if the competitions are held, I’m willing to play. I’m already excited. The tournament I want to win the most is the SMBC Singapore Open,” added Kim, who nickname is “One Star”, as Han means one and Byeol is star.
And he is already planning for next year’s Shinhan Donghae Open. He said: “Next year I want to try steamed kimchi for the Shinhan Donghae Open champion’s lunch!”
Hanbyeol Kim confirmed his status as one of Korea’s rising young stars by winning the Shinhan Donghae Open at Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club, in Incheon, today – just two weeks after winning his maiden title.
Kim, who turned 24 years old last week, beat Canadian Richard T. Lee by two shots after firing a final round four-under-par 67 for a winning total of 14-under-par 270.
Hanbyeol Kim of Korea
Lee, the 2017 Shinhan Donghae Open champion, closed with a 66. He mounted a brilliant challenge on the back nine, making birdies on six out of the first seven holes before dropping a shot on the last.
Koreans Joungwhan Park, Jeunghun Wang and Minchel Choi came in tied for third, three shots back of Kim, after posting rounds of 67, 68 and 68 respectively.
Overnight leader Kyongjun Moon battled to a 73 to settle five shots back in a tie for seventh.
Kim, who joined the play-for-pay ranks last year, lost in a play-off at the KPGA Open earlier in July before claiming his first professional title at the Hedges Golf KPGA Open two weeks ago. It is his first appearance at the storied Shinhan Donghae Open this week.
Starting the final round one shot back, Kim impressively rose to the challenge with a bogey-free round highlighted by two birdies on the front and two on the back.
By the time he reached the 18th he had a two-shot advantage over Lee – which was a lead he never looked like relinquishing.
“It is a special day. I would like to thank so many people for this, especially my parents. It is my second win and it is really incredible,” said Kim, who celebrated most birdies with a trademark fist pump and only dropped four shots all week.
“I was aiming for one win this season, so to get two is great. I have a chance to win the Money List now in Korea, which is incredible.”
Korean Seungyul Noh, looking for his first win since the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour, carded a disappointing 74 to finish joint 22nd.
His famous compatriot, Y.E. Yang – winner of the 2009 US PGA Championship – fired a 68, to tie for 26th place.
Click here for final results of the 36th Shinhan Donghae Open.
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Korean Kyongjun Moon, who has not missed a cut in two years in Korea but not won in five seasons, maintained his lead at the Shinhan Donghae Open today.
Despite a poor back nine in the third round at Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club, in Incheon, he held on for a one-shot advantage over in-form compatriot Hanbyeol Kim.
Moon started the day with a four-shot lead and after making a brilliant birdie on the long par-four 10th, he appeared to be in control – in one of Korea’s most prestigious events.
Hanbyeol Kim of Korea
Moon carded a two-over-par 73, for a tournament total of 11-under-par 202, while Kim fired a 66.
Korean Yoseop Seo is a stroke further back, after shooting 70.
Two of Korea’s most successful golfers Seungyul Noh and Jeunghun Wang are among five players tied for fourth, just three off the lead.
Former Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Noh, tied for second at the start of the day, came in with a 72 while Wang shot 71.
Canada’s Richard T. Lee, winner of the Shinhan Donghae Open in 2017, is tied for ninth on seven under.
Kyongjun Moon of Korea
With 18 players within five shots of the lead, Moon will have his work cut out in the final round.
His last victory came in 2015 at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, while he was second in this event in 2014 – behind Korean Sangmoon Bae.
“Looking back on the third round, the score was not good, but I think I will play better in the final round. I think the holes where the game will be decided are on the second half, holes 16, 17 and 18,”said Moon, who complained he missed too many three to four footers.
“The pin positions were more difficult today. As a result, I was thinking too much. I was nervous, too. My shots were still good and my putts were pretty good, but I just didn’t do well today. And it rained so the green speed slowed down and I misread some putts,” added Moon.
“Hanbyeol Kim has been good since he was an amateur and won the last tournament, so he is at his best. Yoseop Seo is a big hitter and an aggressive player. I’m looking forward to it.”
The 38-year-old is a big believer in meditation – something he used to overcome a panic disorder condition early on in his career.
He was actually paired with Hanbyeol Kim in the final group of the Hedges Golf KPGA Open, but finished in a tie for ninth.
Korean Y.E. Yang, winner of the 2009 US PGA Championship – where he became the first Asian to win a Major – returned a 74 and is in a tie for 42nd on one under.
Jeunghun Wang of Korea
Click here for Round 3 leaderboard.
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Korean Kyongjun Moon opened up a four-stroke lead at the halfway point of the Shinhan Donghae Open today – helped by a sensational eagle on the par-four 15th, where he holed his approach from 85 yards.
He added a six-under-par 65 to his opening 64 for an impressive total of 13 under at Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon.
Koreans Seungyul Noh and Minkyu Kim are in second after returning rounds of 69 and 68 respectively.
First round leader, Jaehan Chun from Korea, fell back with a 75 and is nine behind the leader.
Moon has been in sublime form over the first two days, making two eagles, 10 birdies and dropping just one shot. He birdied four out of the first five holes on the front nine today for the perfect start.
Kyongjun Moon of Korea
Of his eagle on 15 he said: “I had a bad stance over that shot and the wind was coming in across from the opposite side. I hit a draw, it took a spin and eventually found the hole. It was a really great feeling.”
“The greens were in great condition, so I was able to trust my putting stroke. With an eagle and five birdies, it certainly was a satisfactory day,” added the 38-year-old.
Moon finished second in this event in 2014 – behind countryman Sangmoon Bae – and hit the headlines the following year when he won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, which remains his sole Tour victory to date.
Considered something of a late bloomer, he overcame a panic disorder condition – that threatened his career – to bravely win the Maekyung event.
Impressively, has not missed a cut in Korea since the 2018 KJ Choi Invitational – making it through to the weekend 25 consecutive times.
Noh, once the golden boy of Korean golf having won on the Asian Tour, PGA Tour and European Tour, fired five birdies and three bogeys to stay in contention.
The 2010 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion is looking for his first win since the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour.
Seungyul Noh of Korea
Jeunghun Wang, another of the country’s fine young players and three-time winner on the European Tour, carded his second 67 and is a stroke further back in a group with three other players.
Y.E. Yang, who became a national hero in Korea when he won the 2009 US PGA Championship, signed for a 66 but is nine off the lead.
Boasting prizemoney of KRW1.4b (approximately US$1.2m), the Shinhan Donghae Open is one of the most prestigious events on the Korean golf calendar.
Click here for Round 2 leaderboard.
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Ends.
Korean Jaehan Chun owns his own brand of golf apparel called 45G – which is the weight of a golf ball – and came up with the perfect way to market that today at the Shinhan Donghae Open by taking the first round lead with a scintillating eight-under-par 63.
The bogey-free round at Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon was made even more impressive by the fact it is the first time he has played in the tournament – one of the most prestigious events in Korea, boasting prizemoney of KRW1.4b (approximately US$1.2m).
Former Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Seungyul Noh from Korea came in with a 64 to sit in second place with countryman Kyongjun Moon.
“The course suits me well,” said Chun.
“My tee shots and putting were great today. The greens were very soft so it was important to find the putting surface safely in the right position.”
Although playing his rookie season in Korea he does have an impressive background.
The 30-year-old is a former amateur star and played college golf at Northwestern University in Chicago. And, in 2009 he finished second in the inaugural Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship – behind compatriot Changwon Han.
“My previous name is Eric Chun but now I am change my name to Jaehan Chun as I want more Korean fans to cheer for me,” he joked.
A much-travelled golfer, he moved to Malaysia when he was four and lived there for 10 years before moving to Australia. He played on the Japan Golf Tour and its secondary circuit the AbemaTV Tour last year, having completed National Service in Korea in 2016.
Of his line of golf clothing, he said: “I want to bring a different dimension to golf wear.”
Noh, who won the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2010, is in search of his first win since claiming the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour in 2014.
“Now I`m in bad condition as I recently sprained my ankle. But it is okay. Today was a very hard day as the wind was strong. But I’m satisfied with the score of seven under. My short game was great,” said 29-year-old Noh, two-time winner on the Asian Tour.
“My tee-time tomorrow is early morning so I think, at that time, the wind will blow less, so I can try and make many birdies.”
Korean star KT Kim, a 14-time winner in Japan, shot a 71 while fellow Korean YE Yang, the 2009 US PGA Championship winner, came in with a 72.
Click here for Round 1 leaderboard.
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The R&A has awarded the Singapore club a Golf Sustainability Fund Grant that will further boost its environmental credentials.
Sentosa Golf Club is set to install two digesters that will make it the first club in Asia with the ability to grind down food and horticultural waste to reuse as fertiliser on the golf course.
Using a Golf Sustainability Fund Grant awarded by The R&A, the Singapore-based club set on Sentosa Island will reuse 40kg of food waste generated each day along with the one tonne of horticultural waste produced every month.
The grant is part of a project that will also help bring sustainable organic waste management practices to golf courses in Asia with Sentosa Golf Club estimating cost savings of up to 30% on monthly waste disposal over a one-year period.
It also comes shortly after Sentosa Golf Club was announced as the world’s first golf club to sign the UN’s Sports for Climate Action Initiative.
Embarking on a two-stage process, the first will see Sentosa using a food waste bio-digester to process and grind down waste from its three F&B outlets on site. Once microbes are added to the waste it is ready for use as organic fertiliser on the golf courses, SMBC Singapore Open venue, The Serapong, and The New Tanjong, which hosts the HSBC Women’s World Championship and was also the chosen venue for the 10th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) and the inaugural Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in 2018.
The second stage of the project will introduce a heavy duty woodchipper and bio-digester shredder to grind an estimated one tonne of horticulture waste that is generated per month at the club. The club does not currently purchase and apply compost material on the golf course, but foresees that a suitable compost by-product can be derived from this project and used to improve the golf course, including the retention of vital moisture across the fairways, thereby reducing the need for irrigation.
Andrew Johnston, Director of Agronomy and General Manager at Sentosa Golf Club, said: “It is very humbling for Sentosa Golf Club to be chosen by The R&A to be part of its Golf Sustainability Fund. Personally, I’m very proud of what the club has achieved in recent years with its environmental efforts. The entire team at the club can be recognised for their hard work and dedication towards creating an environmentally sustainable environment – it has become a way of life at the club.
“This grant will help us go a long way towards further achieving our goals and the waste recycling project along with all the other initiatives we have implemented here at the club, will hopefully inspire other clubs around the world to play their part in becoming more sustainable.”
On the importance of such an initiative, Johnston added: “Most horticultural and golf course waste is currently disposed through the process of waste incineration or burial administered by the local authorities. This adds to air pollution and applies pressure to landfill sites, which is particularly pertinent to land-starved Singapore.”
Both The R&A and leadership team at Sentosa Golf Club envision achieving a major leap in golf course specific waste recycling and fertiliser use across the fairways of courses all over the world along with a major change in the consideration of how golf clubs approach their waste management strategies. The club’s initiative will also help with the research and development of bi-product fertilisers that can be used on primary roughs and fairways and shared with other golf clubs in Asia and around the world.
Dominic Wall, Director – Asia-Pacific at the R&A, said: “Sentosa Golf Club has introduced many environmental-friendly golf course practices over the last few years and The R&A is excited to work with them on this project, not only to allow them to further a more sustainable environment at the club, but also to provide the vital research needed for other clubs in Asia and around the world to use as best practice.”
Chris Gray, Head of Sustainability and Agronomy – Asia-Pacific at The R&A, added: “The R&A is extremely pleased to be able to work closely with Sentosa Golf Club through our sustainability fund and help them continue to raise the bar and act as a model for other golf clubs around the world to follow in terms of environmental sustainability.”
Sentosa Golf Club’s green agenda was initially brought to the attention of the golfing world with the launch of its #KeepItGreen campaign at the SMBC Singapore Open in January 2018. It saw a number of key environmental features implemented at the club, such as the creation of their own Bee colonies; using rechargeable lithium batteries in their golf carts; banning single use plastics from the golf course and replacing them with water stations; as well as installing electric vehicle charging sockets and building their own sustainable herb garden.
The club also unveiled a new global campaign, GAME ON, at the start of the year, which is designed to unite the global golf community in addressing the growing concerns of climate change. The aim is to educate and inspire the global golfing community, helping golf clubs around the world to better prepare by introducing modern sustainability practices to reduce their environmental impact.
The campaign is closely aligned with The R&A’s 2030 Golf Course Initiative that considers the impacts, both positive and negative, of the changing climate, resource constraints and regulation on course condition and playability. The R&A has also recently pledged their support of the GAME ON initiative.
For more information on Sentosa Golf Club, visit www.sentosagolf.com.
Photo credit: KPGA
The 36th edition of the Shinhan Donghae Open will feature the cream of Korean golf when it gets underway at the highly rated Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon for the fifth consecutive year starting Thursday.
Major champion Y.E. Yang, K.T. Kim, Sanghyun Park, Jeunghun Wang, Hosung Choi and former Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Seungyul Noh will spearhead the 138-man field in the event, which is offering an increased prize purse of KRW1.4b (approximately US$1.2m) this week.
The Shinhan Donghae Open, which has been held annually in the Land of Morning Calm since 1981, will have to be played behind closed doors for the first time in history this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Sanghyun Park of Korea
“I will miss the cheers of the gallery,” said Park, who won the event two years ago.
“But it’s great we are playing and it will be a very competitive week, as there are so many young Korean stars now.”
“We will just have to adapt to having no galleries,” added Taehee Lee, who successfully defended his Maekyung Open on home soil last month.
The Korean PGA Tour has staged six events since July – when strict lockdown measures, due to the coronavirus pandemic, were lifted.
“This week is mainly for Koreans because of Covid-19 so we will most likely see a domestic winner and it is a good opportunity for me to produce a good performance,” said Noh.
There is not a lot Kim, a 14-time winner in Japan, has not achieved in the game, but he has yet to win the Shinhan Donghae Open.
K.T. Kim of Korea
He said: “Although we are missing a lot of talented foreign players, I think it will be a very competitive competition. I haven’t done well here so far but I’ll try to break the jinx.”
South African Jbe Kruger triumphed last year to add his name to the illustrious list of names inscribed on the trophy, which includes: K.J. Choi (2007 and 2008), Charlie Wi (2001), Jeev Milkha Singh (1994) and Paul Casey (2011).
The Shinhan Donghae Open was jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the KPGA in 2016 before becoming the first event in Korea to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, KPGA and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) in 2019.
Like previous years, the storied event will be broadcasted to the Asian Tour’s international audience via the Asian Tour Media platform.
Click here for Live scoring and Tee times.
American John Catlin claimed his maiden European Tour title at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters after overcoming two-time Major Champion Martin Kaymer in a thrilling battle for a one-stroke victory at the famous Real Club Valderrama.
Catlin, a four-time Asian Tour winner, showed nerves of steel as he fended off the challenge of his playing partner, the former World Number One from Germany, down the stretch and a four-over-75 was enough for a two-over-286 winning total.
SOTOGRANDE, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 06: John Catlin of The United States reacts after putting on the 18th green during day four of the Estrella Damm N. A. Andalucia Masters golf tournament at Real Club Valderrama on September 06, 2020 in Sotogrande, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Catlin had started the day two shots clear at the top but bogeys at the fifth, 10th, 12th and 14th meant Kaymer – who birdied at the second, fourth and 12th – pulled level to set up a dramatic finale at the Sotogrande venue.
Kaymer missed a golden opportunity to take the lead at the 17th, missing a six-foot birdie putt, and Catlin kept his composure with a delightful lag putt at the final hole to two feet. Kaymer had to hole his chip from the edge of the green to keep his chances alive and he almost did just that, but his bogey meant Catlin would seal the wire-to-wire victory with a tap-in par.
“I think it’s still setting in, the nerves were going nuts the whole of the final round. It’s a very difficult golf course, the greens are firm and fast and the wind was no easier than it has been the previous three days.
“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in but that was my goal at the start of 2019, is to win on the European Tour so to have actually accomplished that is pretty hard to put into words right now,” said the 29-year-old Catlin.
SOTOGRANDE, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 06: John Catlin of The United States tees off on the 8th hole during day four of the Estrella Damm N. A. Andalucia Masters golf tournament at Real Club Valderrama on September 06, 2020 in Sotogrande, Spain. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
“It’s very difficult, the hardest part was hitting the fairways. The wind is cross-breeze on most of them, down right to left or down from left to right, into left to right so if you get any kind of wrong spin going you can end up in the rough and the greens are just getting firmer and firmer.
“So fairways are a must, and I managed to make the fairway on 18 and that might have been the difference,” he added.
Catlin also said that his past experience on the Asian Tour stood him in good stead in the closing stages.
After coming through the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2015, he claimed an Asian Development Tour title each in 2016 and 2017 and went on to win three times on the Asian Tour in 2018. His fourth Asian Tour victory came at the Thailand Open last November.
“My past experience was very helpful in that regard, I knew I had done it before.
“Even when things were not quite going my way in the early part of that back nine, I knew if I just stayed patient and kept going, I would give myself a chance.”
South African Justin Harding battled to a second straight 71 to settle two shots back in a share of third place while Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura finished in tied-eighth place on 291. American Johannes Veerman came in a further shot back and ensured a top-10 finish after closing with a 74.
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If you need a prominent figure in Asian golf – and a multiple Tour winner with an exemplary record in the amateur game – to testify about the mercurial nature of the game of golf, then look no further than Shiv Kapur.
The popular Indian star produced three brilliant victories in 2017 but only after his most traumatic season since turning professional in 2004.
Kapur’s tale is one of a 360-degree turn-around in fortunes.
Fortunately, and one of the reasons why he is such a fitting spokesperson and case study on the matter of golf’s unevenness, Kapur is able to discuss it eloquently and with insight.
In 2016, the Indian was in big trouble.
“When I lost my card on the European Tour in 2016, it was one thing after the other,” he says.
“I was injured, I had a liver surgery that year, which took me a few months to recover from, and I lost my status in Europe. Right after that I had the birth of my daughter, followed that up a few weeks later with dengue fever – so I had a lot of good things off the course but from my health perspective I went through this really turbulent period of eight to nine months, almost a year, where my body just wasn’t where it needed to be – going through surgery and then dengue fever. When I came back I lost a lot of speed in my swing, I lost a lot of distance off the tee – it was a rebuilding process.”
The liver surgery was the result of a liver abscess which went undiagnosed for a while before it flared up and started to affect other organs. He was in a hotel in Bulgaria went it first surfaced and he woke up with a fever of 105 degrees F. The doctors there could not figure out what it was so he got on a plane, flew home, and went straight into hospital. He had to have surgery and was in hospital for almost two weeks, followed by bed rest for a month after that.
“It was not fun at all,” he says.
And it was not long after that that he got a bout of dengue fever, because his body was so weak.
So while thrilled by the birth of his first child, Veda, he was in the middle of the most difficult period of his career.
And although he made a full recovery from the illnesses, the ensuing season did not start well and there were question marks about his future.
He says: “For the first three months of 2017 I was almost at the stage where I felt I wasn’t ready to compete. I felt like I didn’t know what to do. I just needed to take time off to get everything in shape.”
So what transpired next, and indeed why it happened, is both truly magnificent and mystical.
In April he claimed the Yeangder Heritage tournament in Chinese Taipei; the following month he finished second in the Thailand Open; in November he triumphed in the Panasonic Open India – at Delhi Golf Club, his home club; and in December his was victorious in Thailand at the Royal Cup.
“It is funny how this game works, when you least expect things and you drop your expectations,” says Kapur.
“Finally that win came in Chinese Taipei. It had been four years since my last victory and to finally get that win gave me the belief back and reignited a fire in me. In spite of all that I had been through I was in a very good place off the course, married, had a little daughter and I guess having a daughter was that added inspiration as you are playing for something more than yourself. And it worked.
“Form is an amazing thing, I don’t think I did anything differently. I was putting a lot of effort in with my coach at the time because when I came back, I felt like I had taken a huge step back physically. And the confidence of that win carried over into the rest of the season.”
And from being out in the golfing wilderness, he suddenly felt that every time he put himself in contention he was really comfortable and all the nerves that were there in the past, and meant he couldn’t close out, went away.
“I wouldn’t say there was a perfect formula as such but it is just one of those seasons when things clicked. If you look back at pictures of me then and now, I was much heavier as I was suffering through all of these things in my body. I was able to overcome that.”
While he was unable to match that season in 2018 and 2019 he has been a regular contender and been close to victory several times – including losing in a sudden-death play-off at last year’s Thailand Open.
“Post 2017, I got into that thing where you have won three times so expectations go up and you try and replicate a season which realistically, a three win season, is not the bar, it is something that comes along every now and then, it is an exceptional season,” says Kapur.
Importantly, the new found form and success in Asia brought Kapur a very clear direction on where he wants to play.
He says: “I didn’t get a medical exemption from the European Tour which proved a blessing as it made me play in Asia and made me realize how much I love playing on the Asian Tour.”
Now based in Dubai, Kapur is one of the players on the Asian Tour’s Board of Directors.
Earlier this year, he flew to New Delhi to compete in the Hero Indian Open in March only to see the event cancelled because of COVID-19.
“I never thought I would spend the last half five months in India. India had one of the harshest and strictest lockdowns when you weren’t even allowed to step outside your house,” he says.
“Initially I had gone up to the hills, on a little vacation with the family. And to me the first couple of months were amazing because it was something I had always craved for. I have a young daughter so to be able to spend that time with her and play dad and do the things that you miss most on Tour, that was a novelty for me. I never really got that time to spend with her growing up. This was fantastic but I have to be honest after a couple of months into it you start to get a bit edgy,” adds Kapur.
“In our lives you are not used to being in one place for so long. If felt like an off season, kind of a blessing in disguise, hitting the reset button, time to reassess some goals, see where you stand, looking at what the path forward is.”
Two weeks ago he was finally able to play in a tournament and competed in the ISPS Handa Wales Open. He failed to make it through to the weekend but cherished the opportunity to compete.
“My first week out after six months was in 70km an hour winds, we had two or three wind delays, five degree weather, playing in rain and wind, it was a baptism of fire,” he says
He is hoping to play in the European Tour event in Portugal in two weeks and as he says: “We have spoken internally at the Asian Tour and we are hoping to start in the not too distant future.”
At the age of 38 he feels he has about another five years of playing on Tour left in him and is aiming to qualify for next year’s Olympics so that he can add an Olympic medal to the gold medal he won in the Asian Games in Korea in 2002.
He wants to play in more Majors and would dearly love to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, having come close several times.
“To be Asian number one is a goal I want to accomplish before I hang up my boots,” he says.
It is all highly possible considering what happened during a miraculous 2017.
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