In Times Like This
Sentosa, Singapore May 21: It has been more than two months since the last putt dropped at the Bandar Malaysia Open.
Trevor Simsby’s euphoric celebrations that reverberated across Kota Permai Golf and Country Club after winning his biggest professional title seemed like a distant memory now.
That was the last slice of action on the Asian Tour before the COVID-19 virus sent the world into a tailspin.
The buzz around the golf course is missing, the euphoria of the crowd cheering in unison as the ball drops into the hole is gone and professional men’s golf is now on hold.
It has been an eerie silence but like the sporting spirit which speaks of resilience, many are adjusting to their new normal.
While some are in isolation at home, others like Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Danny Chia braved the long wait to get home before serving their mandatory 14-day quarantine in hotel rooms designated by their respective local governments.
Chia was left stranded in Japan for almost two months after his plans to arrive early for the Abema TV Tour was thwarted by the invisible virus.
Although he could still enjoy his rounds of golf in the Land of the Rising Sun, it was the yearning of being back with his family and friends that was foremost on his mind as ‘nothing beats the feeling of being close to your loved ones.’
Kiradech’s time in isolation and away from the family has been a good time for reflection, seeing how life sometimes need to be looked at from a different angle.
“This is like a life lesson. It puts a lot of things in perspective and how important it is to keep not only yourself safe but also your family. When we were in Orlando, it was scary to go out to meet friends as we were afraid of passing the virus. Everyone has to be safe. It makes you appreciate life and golf more,” said the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion.
India’s Anirban Lahiri and Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung are attempting to become the next MasterChef while others like David Gleeson is filling his social media pages with display of his musical talent, mimicking Sir Nick and The Hawk. Justin Harding, Rahil Gangjee and Aman Raj are experimenting with new fashion styles and reigning Order of Merit champion Jazz Janewattanond is discovering another skill.
Practice sessions have been quickly adapted in homes, some even with home-made golf simulators to keep themselves fit and ready for whenever it is time to return to some semblance of normality.
Although Mardan Mamat can no longer share the same physical space with his fans, digital advancements have enabled him to see and talk to them, dispensing (free!) golf tips from home.
Daniel Chopra has even taken time to take everyone on a grand virtual tour of his home in Orlando.
Time has opened for different things and brought many closer together to those that they live with.
Chiragh Kumar continues to fill the hours playing with his kids, spending time at home and waiting like everyone else to see what’s next.
While many are enjoying the comforts of home during these times, some like Japan’s Yuta Ikeda is preparing to make his long-awaited trip home after spending more than two months in Malaysia after coming down with dengue fever and not being able to return to Japan earlier due to travel restrictions.
The route to normality is still hazy with signpost shifting like pin positions but golf will be back.
The days in quarantine will be over.
Friends will step out from behind their screens and meet as rivals on the golf course again.
We will travel again.
Life on the Asian Tour will go on, as it always has and as it always must.
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Sentosa, Singapore, May 19: Last year India’s Rashid Khan staged one of the best comebacks of anyone on the Asian Tour although the only thing missing to validate that was the big ‘W’.
After five straight seasons of finishing inside the top-60 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, two-time winner Khan hit a lean patch in 2018. While he had made the cut in 11 out of 19 events played, no top-10s during the season meant he made just over US$44,000 and lost his card by finishing 81st in the rankings.
Playing the 2019 season on a country exemption offered Khan no starts in the big co-sanctioned events early in the season he had gotten used to playing in, but he took advantage of a spot in his national Open by finishing tied-10th in the Hero Indian Open in late March.
He quickly followed this good result up in Bangladesh the following week, having a chance to win the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open on the back-nine in the final round. He would eventually finish in third place two strokes behind the winner.
During his full 2019 Asian Tour season, Khan played 11 events and finished in the top-10 six times, highlighted by a tied-second in the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship on home soil, and easily kept his card banking over US$140,000 in the process.
He has also started his 2020 campaign in great fashion, posting a sixth and tied-eighth at the Hong Kong Open and SMBC Singapore Open respectively, and currently sits in 10th place on the Order of Merit.
So, which asepcts of Khan’s game has brought him back to be in contention to win tournaments again after losing his card two seasons ago?
Driving
Improving his Driving Accuracy from just over 55% in 2018 to 69% last year meant Khan was able to hit his approach shots from the fairway twice more per round. Combined with an increase in distance of 7.55 yards, this would have set him up nicely to make big improvements in other categories as well.
Greens-in-Regulation (GIR)
Possibly as a result of hitting two more fairways per round and a bit longer off the tee, Khan also made big improvements to his GIR percentage going from hitting 10.47 greens per round to 12.69 in 2019. An increase in just over two greens per round will certainly help anyone’s game, by giving you more opportunities to putt for birdies.
Birdies per Round
Khan made almost one birdie more per round in 2019 compared to the year before and finished tied-sixth in average birdies-per-round on the Asian Tour last season. It should also be noted that he was third in bogey-avoidance with 2.03 per round, a combination that will be very good for your scoring average.
Scoring Average
Making lots of birdies while keeping bogeys to a minimum put Khan in second place in the Scoring Average category, only Order of Merit winner Jazz Janewattananond was better during the 2019 Asian Tour season.
Even though it is very early in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic with limited rounds played so far, Khan seems on track to continue his comeback when the season resumes again.
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Sentosa, Singapore May 13: The Asian Tour season might have hit the pause button due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not stop us from gazing into the crystal ball to pick out likely members who might enjoy their breakthrough on Tour when the season resumes.
Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha)
Phachara Khongwatmai, whose name in Thai means ‘Diamond’ is raw gem,has continued to sparkle in many ways since he burst onto the scene as a wide-eyed 14-year-old, winning a professional golf tournament in 2013.
He would go on to become the youngest winner on the Asian Development Tour at the age of 15 when he won the 2015 PGM CCM Rahman Putra Championship.
At 21 now, Phachara has never been in better form in the last few couple months before the COVID-19 halted play. In his last four events of 2019, Phachara never finished lower than tied-sixth, with two tied-seconds in the Thailand Masters and Sabah Masters as his best results.
He also managed to strike a formidable partnership with Thai legend, Thongchai Jaidee when they won the GolfSixes Cascais in Portugal, a two-player team event on the European Tour in June.
The Thai started his season at the Hong Kong Open with a tied-22nd finish before following it up with a tied-65th result at the SMBC Singapore Open.
He showed he was ready to challenge for his first Asian Tour victory when he secured a tied-seventh finish at the Bandar Malaysia Open, which would be the last event on the Asian Tour before the season came to a halt.
Scott Vincent (Zim)
Scott Vincent is the first Zimbabwean to play on the Asian Tour and charting a course on the Asian Tour for his compatriots to follow.
While he may have notched his first professional win on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan last year, it will be a breakthrough on the Asian Tour that he will be eyeing.
Having made his debut on the Tour in 2016, Vincent has finished second on five occasions. His dreams of entering the winner’s circle are often dashed at the last minute. But even in defeat, the ever-gracious Zimbabwean has always accepted it may not be his day and he probably have to bid for their time a little longer.
He has often said he is ‘getting very close to winning for sure,” and we can be sure to bet on that to come true soon.
Travis Smyth (Aus)
The lanky Australian has made great progress since he earned his Asian Tour card through Qualifying School in 2018. It was also in that same rookie year that Travis Smyth came closest to winning when he finished seventh at the Shinhan Donghae Open.
Since then, Smyth has gone on to establish himself as a genuine contender, coming close again this year at the Hong Kong Open and SMBC Singapore Open where he finished tied-13th and 11th respectively.
Although he now spends his time in isolation, offering free tips to golfers over social media apart from keeping fit and staying sharp, Smyth could be dispensing winning tips next when he returns to the tee.
Gunn Charoenkul (Tha)
Even as he enjoys his well-deserved family time with his new-born daughter now, Gunn will be ready to come out with all guns blazing when the season resumes.
In all his events played in 2019 that were Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) events, Gunn posted 19 top-10 finishes across all Tours. He may not have made his breakthrough on the Asian Tour but his consistently was certainly there for all to see.
Gunn continued where he left off early this year with an outright third place at the Hong Kong Open followed by a tied-14th and tied-13th finish at the SMBC Singapore Open and Bandar Malaysia Open respectively.
Despite not ending up with a grandstand finish, Gunn still holds a very strong sense of self-belief as he ‘would rather be very consistent throughout the year than win one and then not perform at all.
He knows he needs to be stay patient and ‘when it’s time (his win), it’s going to come.” Words that might prove prophetic if he continues to play true to form.
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Tokyo, May 11: The 2020 Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup may not feature on the schedules of the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But it is still worth knowing that while the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) boasts many jewels in its tournament crown, few have shone quite so brightly as the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup, writes Spencer Robinson.
A high-profile professional championship that is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and JGTO, to say the Diamond Cup is steeped in history and tradition is an under-statement.
Dating back to 1969, the Diamond Cup has endured changes, challenges and hardships over the course of the past five decades.
Its past may be clouded in complications but the fact that it continues to stand proud and strong is, first and foremost, a testament to the wherewithal and unstinting support of the Japan Golf Association (JGA), the glue that has held this remarkable tournament together.
In an ever-changing world, the JGA has been the one constant as the tournament has evolved through a plethora of guises, title-sponsorships, mergers, reincarnations and partnerships, remaining as one of the JGA’s four National Championships, alongside the Japan Open, Japan Women’s Open and Japan Senior Open.
No wonder the Diamond Cup is revered and holds such a special place in the hearts and minds of golfers and golf fans in Japan and around Asia.
Andy Yamanaka, the JGA’s Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, said: “Given its rich history, the Diamond Cup is truly unique. Over the years, it’s been the intention for the Diamond Cup to contribute to society through a series of charity activities, a commitment to preserve our natural environment as well as focusing on making a regional contribution through the development of junior and amateur golfers.
“The JGA, meanwhile, is proud to be a member of the APGC. As one of the leading golfing countries in Asia, it’s important for us to contribute and give something back to help golf develop around the region. One of those ways is through the Diamond Cup where a number of exemptions are allocated to the APGC for them to invite leading amateurs from the region to participate.”
Taimur Hassan Amin, the APGC’s Chairman, said: “We’re fortunate to have such a special bond with the Japan Golf Association and appreciate all the efforts they make for the betterment of golf, not only in Japan, but across the region. The APGC is especially grateful to them for the generous Diamond Cup gesture. I know our leading players strive to receive an invite and for those that are lucky enough to get it, playing the tournament is one of the highlights of the year.”
Inaugurated as the Dunlop Tournament, it has in the ensuing 51 years, been variously called Mitsubishi Galant Tournament, Mitsubishi Motors Tournament, Diamond Cup Tournament, Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf, Diamond Cup Golf and, since 2014, the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf.
Past champions include dozens of legendary figures including Japanese all-time greats Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki, Tsuneyuki ‘Tommy’ Nakajima and Isao Aoki and Major champions Peter Thomson and Todd Hamilton.
In 2013, a rising star of world golf named Hideki Matsuyama was added to the roll of honour. A two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), Matsuyama turned professional in April that year and won his second professional tournament, the Tsuruya Open. Five weeks later, at the start of June, Matsuyama triumphed by two strokes in the Diamond Cup.
From an APGC perspective, the success of Matsuyama was especially poignant, not only given his AAC triumphs but also because the Confederation’s links with the JGA go all the way back to the early 1960s and the formation of the Asia Golf Circuit (AGC), conducted under the auspices of the APGC.
Staged in the first quarter of 1962, the inaugural AGC schedule was made up of the national Open championships of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong with the Yomiuri Kokusai (International) Open in Japan acting as the concluding leg.
With the Japan Open traditionally held later in the year, the JGA, one of the founding members of the APGC, created the Yomiuri Kokusai Open specially to join the AGC. As part of the arrangement, it was agreed that the APGC would be allocated a number of exemptions for leading amateurs from member nations.
In 1973 the Yomiuri Kokusai Open was replaced by the Sobu Kokusai (International) Open which, in turn, was replaced on the AGC by the Dunlop International Open in 1977. That morphed into the Dunlop Open in 1990 until Kirin Beer assumed title-sponsorship in 1996 with the event being renamed as the Kirin Open, which became the Asia Pacific Open Golf Kirin Open in 2000. It was held for the final time in 2001 when Shingo Katayama made a successful title defence.
In challenging economic times, it proved impossible to find a backer until the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Panasonic Open was launched in 2008.
Meanwhile, the Diamond Cup had been founded in 1973 and travelled throughout Japan with different courses hosting the event on all four major islands. In 2004, it became the Mitsubishi Diamond Cup, returning to Diamond Cup Golf in 2010.
And so it remained until 2014 when there was a marriage between the Diamond Cup Golf and Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship. Under guidance from the JGA, the two events merged into the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf, in partnership with the Mitsubishi Corporation and Osaka-based Kansai Television Co Ltd. Adding to its prestige and kudos, the Diamond Cup was recognised by The R&A last year with the enticement of an invitation to the champion to compete in The Open.
Although the seventh edition – originally scheduled to take place from May 7-10 – has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Yamanaka is bullish for the future of the event.
He said: “The Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf has a remarkable past and we are committed to ensuring it has a glittering future. We look forward to the tournament returning to the calendar in 2021 – better and stronger than ever.”
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Sentosa, Singapore, April 30: When Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul played his rookie season on the Asian Tour back in 2012, he easily kept his card right away by finishing 32nd on the Order of Merit with over US$130,000 in earnings.
The Thai, who recently welcomed the arrival of his baby daughter, followed it up with a solid season the next year finishing 45th, but after losing his card in 2014, he would spend much of the next five years away from the Asian Tour.
Although we did not see much of him on the Asian Tour in 2019, playing only three events, Gunn featured near the top of the leaderboards on Sunday afternoons each time he teed it up.
The Thai currently has one of the most impressive stretches of events going of any Asian Tour player, dating all the way back to Qualifying School in late 2018 where he finished runner-up after shooting a final round of 10-under-par 61.
After starting the 2019 season with a tied-seventh in the SMBC Singapore Open, he opted to play mainly on the Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour Series China before coming back to the Asian Tour for the BNI Indonesian Masters and Thailand Masters late in the year. Gunn continued his great form and finished second to Jazz Janewattananond in Jakarta and fifth in Pattaya respectively.
While Gunn did not play enough events to count on the Order of Merit last year, his nearly US$130,000 in earnings would have been good enough to finish 23rd in the rankings while playing only three official Asian Tour events.
Starting the 2020 Asian Tour season in much the same fashion as he finished last year, Gunn has already posted a solo-third place in the Hong Kong Open, a tied-14th and tied-13th in the SMBC Singapore Open and Bandar Malaysia Open respectively, and banked over US$91,000 in earnings in three events.
In the 34 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) events he has played since the start of 2019, he has posted 20 top-10s (58.82%) and seven top-fives (20.59%). Very impressive numbers that have brought him to a current OWGR ranking of 132nd.
By the numbers
While it would not be fair to compare Gunn’s stats based on only 12 rounds played last year to players that fulfilled the minimum requirement, they still show how he was able to make such a big impact playing a very limited schedule on the Asian Tour.
Scoring Average
For example, his 2019 scoring average of 67.75 (-3.58 per round) was half a stroke better than Order of Merit winner Jazz who won the scoring average title with 68.28 per round.
It should be noted that on the Japan Golf Tour where Gunn played 67 rounds and 18 tournaments last year, he finished second in this stat category with an average score of 69.57 (non-adjusted scoring average).
Greens-in-Regulation (GIR)
A large part in being able to shoot those low scores was likely Gunn’s ability to hit a lot of greens-in-regulation, averaging 84.26% in his 12 rounds played in 2019. That is over 15 greens per round where he had a chance to putt for birdie, and again this would have led the Tour if his stats would have been official.
On the Japan Golf Tour, Gunn led this statistic with 73.63% last year ahead of Money Leader Shugo Imahira in second place with 72.04%.
Birdies per Round
Speaking of having a lot of chances to putt for birdies – Gunn clearly took advantage of hitting all those greens in regulation last year, racking up just over five birdies per round. For comparison, last year’s birdie leader Jazz made exactly 5.00 birdies in the 53 rounds he played on the Asian Tour in 2019.
Scrambling
Missing just under three greens per round on average combined with good skills around the greens is a sure way to keep bogeys off the card. Of the 2.83 greens that Gunn missed per round last year, he got it up-and-down on 1.83 of them.
If Gunn can keep these numbers up and playing like he’s been after the COVID-19 situation normalizes, a first Asian Tour victory could come soon. For now though, he will have to focus on staying healthy and spending time with family including his new baby daughter.
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Sentosa, Singapore April 24: Sport needs personalities. The bigger, bolder and sometimes controversial ones make the business of sport akin to show business.
Especially in these unprecedented times where everyone is looking for that shinning light that will eventually lead all out of the COVID-19 pandemic tunnel.
We need golfing heroes who have that unique personality and play that can also transport us to a fantasy world filled with suspense, surprise, joy and hope.
In golf, none come any bigger than 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand.
He speaks from the heart and makes bold statements off and on the golf course.
Unlike some mega superstars, often hidden behind security, PR agents and utter practised answers, Kiradech is often ready to offer you an uncensored account of his lives, goals and ambitions.
He’s ready to ‘kick their ass’ each time he steps up to the tee and plays professional golf to fund his blingy lifestyle, which adds to his widespread appeal.
Kiradech, who is the first Thai golfer in history to earn a PGA TOUR card, is blessed with the golfing talent that has taken to a career high of 29th place in the world.
Often referred to as Asia’s ‘John Daly’, Kiradech is however his own man who has the swagger and is clearly a big kid living out every adolescent boy’s childhood dream.
His garage is littered with Porsches and Lamborghinis, while his wardrobe can hardly hold those limited edition Kayne West’s Yeezy sneakers. He even rents an apartment just to store his shoes!
Kiradech makes no bones about his obsessions and says he needs to ‘play golf all around the world so that he can buy all of those stuff’.
HONG KONG- The Hong Kong Open at the Fanling Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong, the Asian Tour USD$ 1 million season opener event, January 9-12, 2020. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Tour.
Lighting up the Asian Tour is also the “Human Highlighter,” a moniker that Philippines’ Angelo Que has aptly earned for his bright and colourful golfing attire.
Que is popular not only for his game but also his antics.
But they are all done in the name of good fun.
He’s after all, ‘just a very simple guy and not looking for attention.’
Que says, “I’m always joking around and I just want to enjoy myself especially on the golf course.”
While having fun, Que has shown that he can also mix that with the pressure that comes with the job.
He has won not once, twice but thrice on the Asian Tour already.
Australia’s Travis Smyth maybe searching for his Asian Tour breakthrough but has shown that he can be close to making another statement of intent on the golf course with his own arresting style that even the fashion police would not classify as a faux pas.
GEELONG, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 09: Travis Smyth of Australia practices on the driving range ahead of his final round during Day Four of the ISPS Handa Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Club on February 09, 2020 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)
Self-proclaimed ‘Mr Sunday’, American Berry Henson has also shown his knack for invigorating the scene on the Asian Tour.
Apart from his slick dance moves, Henson is equally smooth as the host of his ‘Coffee with the Hensonator’ talk show on social media.
Just like how ‘Mr. Sunday’, who is a winner on both the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour (ADT), likes to save his best swing for the final day of the tournament, Henson always strives to hit his best pose, whether it’s on or off the golf course.
In his search for excellence on the fairways, Finland’s Janne Kaske can strum the guitar with the same gusto as he does with his clubs on the fairways.
When he finished runner-up at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last year, the Bangkok-based vintage rock lover spoilt himself with a vintage 1964 Gibson ES-345 guitar from his winnings.
The Finn has left an indelible mark on the ADT where he has won twice, showing his talent does not begin and end on the golf course.
And like the magic putter he welds on the greens, Australia’s David Gleeson can also orchestrate epic scores with his array of musical talents on any given instruments.
Piano, check. Cello check. Guitar check.
Gleeson’s soulful singing completes his persona of an accomplished golfer and musician, who first learned to play the piano when he was seven and the basics of guitar from Cat Stevens’ greatest hits.
To the Australian who has already won three times on the Asian Tour, he feels that ‘golf and music are so similar in their performance characteristics.’
But while conceding ‘playing too much music around the time of a golf tournament would not help in anyway’, he says, ‘listening and relaxing to your favourite tunes, I’m sure is a different story.’
Most golfers are best known for what they accomplish on the course, but some have shown they can also whip up a wicked personality outside the ropes.
With a nickname like Coconut or Coco, one can be sure Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat can be a funny guy to hang out with on Tour.
Known as a very solid ball-striker, ‘Coconut’ can equally charm with sound bites like how the best thing about playing professional golf is to ‘see the numbers in his bank account go up every week’ and how he can have a mean record-breaking feat of finishing 100 pieces of sushi at a buffet.
Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang has also endeared with his honestly and sometimes, dry humour.
Best known for pipping Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari in a play-off to win the Hong Kong Open in 2008, the ‘Taiwan Big Brother’ often does not have the same strategy anymore when he returns to the Hong Kong Golf Club as ‘the trees have always grown taller’.
231108-HONG KONG-LIN WEN TANG-Lin Wen Tang of Chinese Taipei, winner of the UBS Hong Kong Open, 2008 on 23 November, 2008 at the Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/UBS.
Then we have the short and stocky poster boy from Colombo who ‘hates playing golf but is just doing it to earn a living’.
For someone who loathes the sport, Perera has almost single-handedly put golf in Sri Lanka onto the world map.
He might not be someone who hits the golf ball long but is blessed with accuracy and deft short game.
An avid stamp collector where he has collected roughly 50,000 stamps from all over the world, Perera has stamped his mark on world golf with his multiple wins on the domestic circuit in India and three runner-up finishes on the Asian Tour so far.
In these strange times of isolation, golf needs these personalities.
For these ‘golfing heroes’ will brighten the gloom and bring back those much sought after spark in our lives.
Ends.
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