Mercuries Taiwan Masters reduced to 54 holes over the weekend
Jaco Ahlers – the serial winner at home in South Africa who has gradually been making a name for himself here in Asia – defends his Mercuries Taiwan Masters title this week hungry for another win in the region.
The US$1 million event tees-off on Thursday at Taiwan Golf & Country Club, one of the toughest courses on the Asian Tour, with Typhoon Krathon ominously approaching and threatening to affect play.
Today’s Pro-Am was cancelled and organisers are closely monitoring the storm to see if it will interfere with the first-round schedule.
Ahlers, however, has a reputation for performing well in difficult conditions, such as here last year, when he was one of only four to finish in red figures.
At the end of a bruising and chastening week he was the last man standing thanks to a gutsy final-round three-under-par 69. His four-day tally of four-under 284 gave him a one-shot win over Indian Chikkarangappa S. with Australian Travis Smyth and Scotsman David Drysdale in joint third – the only other players to better par.
Jaco Ahlers. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
It remains his sole win on the Asian Tour, while on the Sunshine Tour he has triumphed on 12 occasions, including at the Sunbet Challenge in July.
“Great thoughts on being back,” said the 41-year-old this week.
“It’s a bit weird driving up and seeing your face on the boards. I don’t have bad memories around here as last year was my first time here. Looking forward to playing if we get to play with the typhoon coming.
“It was hard last year, very hard but it is a lot softer this year. The greens are really good. I think the scoring should be a bit better. It’s very playable.”
His winning score was in fact the highest on the Asian Tour last year and he went to finish 13th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
He is currently in 55th position and with nine events remaining this season he is focused on closing the gap between his number of wins in South Africa compared with Asia.
“We definitely want to win another event. If we can do it in the next six weeks it will be event nicer, we will keep on trying,” added the South African, whose brother Hein is here caddying for him, as was the case last year.
“I just need to do the same things, try and hit the fairways and make some putts; get there on Sunday and see if we have a chance.
“I have worked a bit, with my coach, worked on my swing, so my ball striking is really good. The putting was not good last week.
“The season has been a bit up and down, not really very consistent. South Africa has been ok. This is a good stretch. I will see what we can do for the next six weeks.”
He has been paired with Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai, winner of last week’s Yeangder TPC, also in Chinese-Taipei, and Chan Shih-chang, the Mercuries Taiwan Masters champion two years ago, from Chinese-Taipei in the first two rounds.
In an innovative move which taps into the rapidly evolving media landscape, three popular golf content creators have been invited to play in the next two of 10 International Series events on the Asian Tour calendar: the Black Mountain Championship and International Series Thailand.
LIV Golf League’s Crushers GC player Paul Casey has already been confirmed for the double header in Thailand alongside The International Series Rankings leader John Catlin and nearest challenger Ben Campbell, with more stars to be announced soon.
And now three other notable names in the modern-day golf world will be set to test themselves alongside the cream of the Asian Tour while also shining the spotlight on the experience of playing an elevated Asian Tour event.
Luke Kwon, the popular Korean-born influencer with over 290,000 YouTube subscribers and 240,000 Instagram followers, will line up at the Black Mountain Championship, the fifth event on The International Series and 17th event on the Asian Tour, from 17-20 October.
Kwon, a former PGA Tour China champion who also played on PGA Tour Latinoamerica, won this season’s inaugural Creator Classic, the tournament for content creators which took place on the sidelines of the PGA Tour’s season-ending TOUR Championship.
Luke Kwon after winning the 2024 Creator Classic. Picture by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images.
New Zealander Tae-Wook Koh, better known to millions of online golf fans as Taco Golf, is also in the field at Black Mountain Golf Club. Koh, who has well over a quarter of a million followers and subscribers across his channels, previously played on the PGA Tour of Australasia and was New Zealand PGA Champion in 2021.
Canada’s Mac Boucher, a former professional turned influencer well known for his incredible ball control and trick-shot routines which include perfect left-handed tee shots with a right-handed driver upside down, received an invite for International Series Thailand at Thai Country Club in Bangkok the following week.
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour, said: “This approach highlights our innovative approach at the Asian Tour in our rapidly evolving world where content consumption is often down to the individual.
“Offering these three talented golfers the chance to experience our elevated events is a way in which we can grow the game and grow our audience while gaining better brand awareness through different mediums including the influencer space. “
Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “The popularity of The International Series is no secret among professional players, with its guaranteed pathway to the LIV Golf League, elevated tournaments at world-class destinations and its quality fields, and it is exciting to be able to lift the curtain on the events for an important audience segment, through the participation of Luke Kwon, Taco Golf and Mac Boucher.”
Kwon said: “We are honoured to have the opportunity to merge content creation with professional golf. Thank you to the Asian Tour and its forward-thinking leadership for initiating this collaboration. We hope to continue growing the game of golf worldwide.”
“We’re incredibly excited to film ourselves competing in the Black Mountain Championship. I have fond memories of competing in the Asian region and I am excited to return. Thank you to everyone involved for this opportunity,” added Koh.
Boucher said: “This will be one of the coolest experiences of my golf career, teeing it up alongside some of the world’s best. I cannot thank the Asian Tour and The International Series enough for having me out to Thai Country Club to play International Series Thailand.”
The back-to-back Thai events launch a thrilling six-tournament stretch over eight weeks to decide The International Series, the set of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour that offer a pathway onto the LIV Golf League.
For more information on The International Series please visit www.internationalseries.com
Tournament Information
- Tournament: Mercuries Taiwan Masters
- Date: October 3-6, 2024
- Venue: Taiwan Golf and Country Club, Tamsui Course, Taipei
- Par/Yards: Par 72 / 6,923 Yards
- Purse: US$1million
- Asian Tour leg: 13th event of 2024 season
- Edition of tournament: 38th
- Total number of players: 125
- Format 72-hole stroke play with a cut made after two rounds to the leading 50 pros plus ties
- Social Media Hashtags: #TimeToRise
Chan Shih-chang receives the winner’s trophy from Mr George Wong, chairman of Mercuries Group, at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2022. Picture by Chen So-ko / Asian Tour.
Field Breakdown
- Order of Merit winners: Sihwan Kim (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Scott Hend (2016)
- Nationalities: 21
- Past winners of tournament in the field: Jaco Ahlers (2023), Chan Shih-chang (2022), Wang Wei-hsuan (2020), Suradit Yongcharoenchai (2019), Lu Wei-chih (2016, 2011, 2005), Scott Hend (2013), Tsai Chi-huang (2012, 2002), Lu Wen-teh (2008, 2007, 1996, 1994), Hsieh Min-nan (1992), Chen Tze-chung (1989)
- Defending champion: Jaco Ahlers (RSA)
- Top contenders: Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA), Lee Chieh-po (TPE), Miguel Tabuena (PHI), Sarit Suwannarut (THA), Wang Wei-hsuan (TPE)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: Suteepat Prateeptienchai #329
- Highest ranked player on 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit: Suteepat Prateeptienchai #8
- Number of amateurs: 5
- Number of Chinese Taipei players in the field: 53
Suteepat Prateeptienchai and his friends celebrate on 18 after winning the Yeangder TPC on Sunday. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Tournament Notes
- Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai is fresh from his win at the Yeangder TPC last week – his second consecutive Asian Tour win in Chinese Taipei after posting a victory at last year’s Taiwan Glass Taifong Open. In the 2023 edition of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters Suteepat finished T16, a solid finish in which was his first time playing on the historic Tamsui layout. Currently number eight on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, he also posted a T6 at the recent Mandiri Indonesia Open and has a win and a runner-up on the All Thailand Tour in his home country this year.
- Sarit Suwannarut, also from Thailand, is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and is entering the week with two T6 finishes in his last three events, the Yeangder TPC and the Shinhan Donghae Open. Sarit has made nine out of 10 cuts on the Asian Tour this season and ranks 22nd on the Order of Merit. He finished T3 in 2022 in his lone previous appearance in the tournament.
- Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan won the tournament in 2020 when it was played on the domestic tour during the Covid 19 pandemic. While Wang has not been a regular on the Asian Tour this season, he has posted creditable T8 and T13 finishes in his last two events, the Yeangder TPC and the Mandiri Indonesia Open. He has also collected two victories on the domestic Taiwan PGA Tour this year and sits in fourth place on their Order of Merit.
- The Asian Tour’s highest ranked Chinese Taipei player Lee Chie-po currently sits in 28th place on the Order of Merit and is coming off a very good week at the Yeangder TPC when he finished fourth. At his previous event, the Shinhan Donghae Open, Lee finished T9. He also has a win and three other top fives on the Taiwan PGA domestic tour in 2024 and currently ranks second on that Order of Merit. Although he has not yet won on the Asian Tour, nobody should be surprised if he picked up his maiden Asian Tour victory this week.
- Filipino Miguel Tabuena is starting to pick up the pace in his 2024 campaign and is coming off a third at the Yeangder TPC and a T9 at the Shinhan Donghae Open in his last two events. Add a fifth at the Kolon Korea Open and a T8 and the International Series Morocco and it adds up to a good season so far after slow start. The top-talented Miguena is due for another win after his last triumph that came in the DGC Open in early 2023.
- This week’s host, the iconic Taiwan Golf and Country Club, nicknamed “The Old Tamsui Course” layout, is the oldest club in the country and was established in 1919. The notoriously difficult course, while not long by modern standards, features treelined holes on both sides and what can be very tricky greens for first timers.
- The 66-year-old Chen Tze-chung, also known as “TC”, who is also playing in his home country this week is perhaps mostly known internationally for his T2 finish at the 1985 US Open at Oakland Hills G&CC, where he double hit a chip shot in the final round after leading by two going into Sunday. It should be remembered that Chen was a formidable player in his prime, winning the 1987 Los Angeles Open on the PGA Tour against two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw in a play-off. Chen won 16 professional events during his career.
- “TC”s older brother Chen Tze-Ming, known as “TM”, is also in the field this week at the age of 72, and he holds a fantastic professional record of his own. While he’s best known for his T3 finish in the 1985 PGA Championship, three shots behind eventual winner Hubert Green after shooting a final round of 65, “TM” owns 21 global titles as a professional. Nine of the wins came in Japan and seven on the old Asian Circuit. It should also be noted that the Chen family dominated the final round of the 1985 PGA Championship, as the second lowest score on Sunday belonged to his brother “TC” who shot a 66 and finished tied for 23rd.
- The only player to have won the tournament four times is Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wen-teh, first winning the title 30 years ago in 1994 before adding wins in 1996, 2007 and 2008.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai put the finishing touches to a classy wire-to-wire win at the Yeangder TPC in Chinese-Taipei today after signing off with a three-under-par 69 for a two-shot victory.
After a brilliant week of front running the 31-year-old Thai finished the US$1million event on 21-under, holding off Asian Tour number one John Catlin, who claimed second place after a typically strong closing 65. The American had an explosive start, making birdie on his first five holes.
Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines was outright third, one shot back, following a 70, while Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei was fourth, another stroke behind, after a 67 – at Linkou International Golf & Country Club, in Taipei.
“I love Taiwan!” said Suteepat, whose other win on the Asian Tour also came in Chinese-Taipei, at last year’s Taiwan Glass Taifong Open – where he won by four.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It was tough today, because of the wind and good players followed me. I saw Catlin’s score and then got nervous.”
He had a two-shot cushion at the start of the day and despite Catlin’s brilliant start he was in complete control until a wobble towards the end when he bogeyed 15 and 16.
With Catlin, playing two groups ahead, making a birdie on the par-five 18th, it meant Suteepat arrived at the last with a one-shot lead. However, any thoughts of the event going into extra holes where quickly dispelled when he found the front of the green in two and nearly holed his chip for an eagle before tapping in for a birdie and the victory.
“Got into trouble on 15 where I went over the green and then found a greenside bunker on 16. But I kept thinking I am still the leader, and I must hold on. This means a lot; an exemption for two years [on the Asian Tour] is amazing!”
It is only the second wire-to-wire win of the year, with Catlin having recorded the other at the Saudi Open presented by PIF.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The victory comfortably surpassed Suteepat’s best performance this year which was joint sixth in the Mandiri Indonesia Open in August, and he moves from 47th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit to eighth.
It also means Suteepat has impressively tasted victory again in just his second season on the Asian Tour. Last year was his first full season, after having earned his card by winning the 2022 Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, helped by three magnificent wins in Indonesia.
Catlin, also winner of the International Series Macau presented by Wynn this year and leader of The International Series Rankings, put the pressure on further by making birdie on the seventh and went out in six-under-par 30.
It’s no wonder Suteepat took notice, especially when Catlin made birdie on 10, but fortunately for the Thai leader the birdies dried up for the in-form American, who dropped his only shot of the day on 16 before one last throw of the dice with a birdie on the last.
“It was windy, it was difficult, it was rainy – I think we saw pretty much saw every possible weather out there,” said Catlin, winner of this event in 2016.
Miguel Tabuena. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I handled it pretty well; I guess all my years in Europe paid off today.
“I hit the ball much better today than I did yesterday and that gave me a lot more chances and I was able to convert a couple of them. I had a couple stone dead so that always helps. I just kept having fun and enjoying playing golf.”
He now has a huge 1,146.83 points lead on the Merit list over second placed David Puig from Spain. With nine events remaining it will taking something exceptional for someone to catch him.
Suteepat will have another chance to make the most out of his affinity for Chinese-Taipei next week as the Asian Tour stays in country for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters at Taiwan Golf & Country Club.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai continued his impressive march to a second title on the Asian Tour when he kept the lead for the third successive day in the US$1 million Yeangder TPC – one of Chinese-Taipei’s most prized tournaments.
He carded a four-under-par 68 today for a fine tournament total of 18-under and a two-shot advantage over Filipino Miguel Tabuena, here at Linkou International Golf & Country Club, in Taipei.
Tabuena, so often in the running this season, made a brilliant eagle on the par-five 18th, where he holed a 20-footer, to card a 66.
Japan’s Kazuki Higa and Charlie Lindh from Sweden both shot 64s to move in to a tie for third with Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who carded a 67. They are five behind the leader.
American John Catlin, the leading player on the Asian Tour and International Series rankings, returned a 68 and is in a group of players one shot further back.
Miguel Tabuena. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Suteepat, who began the day four in front, has made no secret about his affinity for Chinese-Tapiei, where he won his first Asian Tour event – last year’s Taiwan Glass Taifong Open – and where he has been playing on the local tour this year as well.
And the 31-year-old Thai is clearly feeding off that this week, playing with calmness and confidence. He made five birdies and a bogey today in more difficult conditions.
“It was so windy today, it was tough,” said the Thai, who finished first on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit in 2022, helped by three victories in Indonesia.
“It was okay for the first three or four holes, but then it got tough. I was just trying to play it safe and when I had a chance, make birdie, to keep my lead. I am still leading by two, that’s great.
“I just hope there is no wind tomorrow. It is an easy course if there is no wind.”
He will face stiff opposition tomorrow from in-form Tabuena, who will be trying to win for the fourth time on the Asian Tour, and first since The DGC Open in March of last year.
Kazuki Higa. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Said the 29-year-old, who has three top 10s in his last five starts: “It was good but I am fighting a bit of pain on my left thumb again. It started on Wednesday, so I am just trying to take care of that. Golf is a funny sport and if you don’t focus on your actual game sometimes you can do great things. I am happy with the way I am playing.
“Best part of the week for me is my driving, and if I keep it that way I think I have a chance tomorrow. The guy with the most patience tomorrow will win.”
The diminutive figure of Higa coming through on moving day will have also turned heads. He claimed the Japan Tour money list two years ago, winning four times, including the Shinhan Donghae Open – an event jointly-sanctioned with the Asian Tour.
“I was able to hit the ball where I wanted to today,” he said.
“Everything was good. It was windier out there compared to the last two days but glad I was able to play well in these conditions. It’s my first time playing the Yeangder TPC. It’s a big event and I really want to win this tomorrow.
“I last played Linkou when I was still an amateur. But I think I will need some luck again. I will take a more aggressive approach tomorrow considering how far ahead the current leader is. That will be my strategy tomorrow.”
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Yubin Jang, Korea’ latest star-in-the-making, aced the par-three eighth with an eight iron, from 185 yards. He carded a 70 and is seven back from top spot but a player more than capable of making up ground by shooting a low number.
Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai looks like he might take some stopping at the Yeangder TPC this weekend, after adding a second-round six-under-par 66 today to his opening 64.
He leads on 14-under by four strokes at Linkou International Golf & Country Club, from fellow Thais Settee Prakongvech and Sadom Kaewkanjana plus Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines.
Settee fired a 65, while both Sadom and Tabuena carded 67s.
Korea’s Yubin Jang (65), Italian Stefano Mazzoli (66), Chinese-Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih (69), Hung Chien-yao (67) and Wang Wei-Hsuan (70), plus Karandeep Kochhar (68) from India, are all a shot further back.
“It’s all Thais right now; will feel comfortable at the weekend as I will play with friends,” said Suteepat, who made it onto the Asian Tour after winning the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit in 2022.
Sadom Kaewkanjana. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The 31-year-old’s one win to date on the Asian Tour came here in Chinese-Taipei last year, when he claimed the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open, and he has made Chinese-Taipei something of a second home.
He’s played four events on the local tour this year, recording three top-10s to currently sit in 21st on their rankings
He joked: “I think it’s Taiwan first at the moment.”
He was four under after four thanks to birdies on the first and third and an eagle on the par-five fourth, where he fired in a five iron to 15 feet and made the putt. It was a mirror image of his eagle there yesterday, where he used the same clubs but his putt was a little closer. He made two birdies on the back nine and was bogey-free.
A proven winner who won three times on the ADT two years ago, all in Indonesia, the pack will be wary not to let him get too far ahead.
All indications are there that Sadom is starting to play the kind of golf that made him one of the region’s most feared golfers.
He has been relatively subdued since his breakthrough 2022 when he won once, at the SMBC Singapore Open, and recorded eight top 10s.
However, a tied fourth place finish at the International Series England in August – far and away his best finish of the season – and two fine rounds this week suggest much more is to come.
“My game is getting better,” said the 26-year-old, who was second on the 2020-2022 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
Settee Prakongvech. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I also finished third on my local tour recently, which gave me confidence. I hope I can keep going.”
He switched putters to cope with the slower greens today and proceeded to hole a host of long putts, including a 30 footer on the 15th, which was his sixth as he began on 10. He made seven birdies and two bogies.
He added: “Some tournaments have been bad, some tournaments good this year but I like where my golf is heading. I am looking for a win and some top-10s this year.”
Settee got off to an amazing start by making birdie on the first four, and another on six. Two more followed on the homeward half, and he was also bogey-free.
“Not so much wind this morning and the course is not too long, so I like this course,” said Settee, whose best finish on the Asian Tour is third-place at the DGC Open in 2022, plus he has one victory on the Asian Development Tour, at the Blue Canyon Open, the same year.
“You need to find the fairways then you can make a lot of birdies on these small greens.”
Veteran Lu, aged 45, won this event in 2011 and rolled back the years today, giving credit to his long-time caddie.
Said the four-time winner on the Asian Tour: “My caddie helped me a lot again today. I feel very comfortable with him. He was on my bag the first time when I won my first Asian Tour title in 2005, and we’ve worked together since then till just before Covid hit. It is great having him on the bag again, felt like the good old days.”
Current Asian Tour number one, and the winner here in 2016, John Catlin is six off the pace. The American, who has won twice this year and also leads The International Series Rankings, returned a 67.
Lu Wei-chih. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Poom Saksansin, the defending champion, fought back from a disappointing first round 73 by carding a 68 to reach three under, which was right on the cut line.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai’s fondness for Chinese-Taipei was evident once more today when he blasted an eight-under-par 64 to take the lead after the first-round of the Yeangder TPC.
An eagle, seven birdies and one dropped shot at Linkou International Golf & Country Club, in Taipei, saw him finish the day ahead of second-placed Yuvraj Singh Sandhu from India and Chinese-Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan, both in with 65s.
Lu Wei-chih from Chinese-Taipei and Jordan Zunic from Australia are next best placed with 66s.
Suteepat won the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open last year for his first win on the Asian Tour, and was second in that event the year before, when it was part of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) – a result that helped him finish first on the ADT Order of Merit.
And after a solid season so far on the Asian Tour – he is currently 41st on the Asian Tour merit list – his latest visit to Chinese-Taipei could be timely.
Yuvraj Singh Sandhu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I have a lot of friends here and have also been playing the local tour,” said Suteepat, aged 31.
“I missed the cut here last year, so I should be able to improve on that this year.”
He began on the back nine, turning in three-under, following four birdies and a bogey. He then toured the second half in five under after an eagle and three birdies. He made a three on the par-five fourth where he fired in a five-iron to 12 feet.
He added: “My game has not been too bad this year, made some slight swing changes. It’s a really busy and important time of the year for all of us now.”
Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, like Suteepat, is an ADT graduate – although he came through from the ADT last year, after finishing eighth on the merit list with one victory.
He played in this event 12 months ago, soon after winning on the ADT at the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia.
Said the 27-year-old from Chandigarh: “Game is good. I am confident but do have a few nerves. Quite far from home, of course. As I played here last year so I knew what to prepare for.”
He has been struggling this year and missed the past six cuts, but he is still enjoying his debut season on the Asian Tour.
Wang Wei-hsuan won the longest drive competition on Wednesday. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I have a lot of friends who have graduated from the ADT to the Asian Tour,” he explained.
“I am comfortable here, it is great fun, it is competitive. Every shot matters on the Asian Tour. I am grateful for being here and I am blessed to be playing golf on a weekday, what more can I ask for.”
He is a six-time winner on the Professional Golf Tour of India, with five of those coming in 2022 – when he finished second on the rankings.
Wang won the event’s long drive competition earlier in the week with a powerful strike of 370 yards and used that element of his game to good effect today.
He said: “I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be off the tees today but because I hit it long, I didn’t have much distance left going into the green. The way I drove the ball is definitely an advantage for me. The greens are soft this week, so I didn’t need to hold back on attacking the greens. I made the most of the opportunities I had.”
He plans to play in the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School in a few weeks, so he’s hoping a good week here will be the perfect preparation.
Carlos Pigem from Spain, winner of this event in 2016, Filipino Miguel Tabuena, Korea’s Taehoon Ok, Jose Toledo from Guatemala, India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Karandeep Kochhar, and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana and Atiruj Winaicharoenchai all shot 67s.
John Catlin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
John Catlin, who leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings carded a 69. The American was the champion here in 2018.
Defending champion Poom Saksansin returned a 73. The Thai star had been hoping his wife Piyatida, or ‘Ing Ing,’ would recover from flu so that she could caddie for him. They formed a winning partnership last year, but she decided she was not well enough to help him this time.
Poom Saksansin will attempt to successfully defend his Yeangder TPC title this week, once again looking to produce a potentially career saving performance.
His victory here last year at Linkou International Golf & Country Club, in Taipei, was arguably the most meaningful of his career as it was his first win on the Asian Tour in five years and came at a time when he was considering quitting the Tour to start coaching.
He followed up that success with a joint third-place finish in the International Series Singapore, before finishing runner-up in the SJM Macao Open – where he pushed eventual champion Min Woo Lee from Australia all the way. He finished the year in seventh place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, his highest ever placing.
However, this season he has been unable to re-produce the goods and is currently in 69th place on the Merit list. His best result came at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, where he tied for 14th, and he has missed three cuts in nine starts.
Poom Saksansin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It’s nice to be back,” said the 31-year-old, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour.
“I played really well last year. It changed things as I was going to start coaching golf but realised and I can still keep playing.”
Twelve months ago a closing six-under-par 66 for a stunning 24-under aggregate of 264, saw him finish three strokes clear of second-placed Australian Travis Smyth, who was the defending champion.
Poom also started last year poorly before hitting a rich vein of form on courses that suit his game. His is accuracy off the tee, and into the green, coupled with his putting genius are perfect for handling the courses at Linkou International and Macau Golf & Country Club.
He added: “I am not playing so good; this year kind of up and down. Mostly down. But hopefully this week will change me again.
“Try to make the cut first and then enjoy the weekend. I am struggling with ball flight, usually I hit a fade, but the ball seems to be going straight. It is difficult to play when you cannot control the ball.”
Poom Saksansin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
His triumph last year was made even sweeter by the fact his fiancee Piyatida, or ‘Ing Ing,’ caddied for him. They are now married, and she is once again in attendance this week although she has been struggling with a bout of flu.
“Hopefully she will be better and ready in time for Thursday,” said Poom, who took part in a photocall today with eight former champions of the event.
There’s no doubt she will play a key role in helping to determine whether her husband can be become the first player to successfully defend the Yeangder TPC.
And Poom will also look for that killer instinct that, following some incredible performances since turning professional 11 years ago, helped establish him as the Asian Tour’s baby-faced assassin.
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