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Mercuries Taiwan Masters Rd 2: What they said


Published on October 4, 2019

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) Second round 69 (-3) Total 137 (-7)

I’m absolutely pleased with how I’ve played the last two days and now taking a one-shot lead into the weekend.It’s always nice to be leading a tournament but there’s still a long way to go. I played pretty solid for the first two rounds and just want to continue the same and see where that will take me to. I didn’t play too well on the par-five and I’m disappointed with that. But overall, it was still solid as I hit most of the fairways and greens. I missed a few of them but that’s to be expected in golf. Obviously, this is a country where I’ve won before and that feeling definitely adds to the positive vibes I have this week.

Miguel Carballo (Arg) Second round 66 (-6) Total 138 (-6)

I’m gaining a lot of confidence especially after my win in Indonesia last month. I feel like my game is becoming sharper. Especially today with my tee shots followed by my second shot I missed the cut here last year so I’m obviously very happy that I’m not only in the weekend but also in contention. Your ball control has to be very good on this golf course and obviously when the wind blows, you need to know how to handle it well.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) Second round 72 (Even) Total 139 (-5)

I was on fire yesterday but today, I didn’t hit it that well and I gave a lot of shots away. But there are still two more days and I’m happy with my position now. I know what I’m capable of doing and I’m prepared for the weekend. I’ve played well here before and it’s nice to know that. That gives you confidence and it’s what I know I have right now too.

S.Chikkarangappa (Ind) Second round 71 (-1) Total 141 (-3)

It’s always good when you shoot an under-par score on this golf course any day. I had several birdie opportunities today but just didn’t convert them. It feels good to be playing in the weekend again. Especially having missed the cut right at the number in my last two events. Golf is a patient game and I just have to do that and hopefully my time will come.


Published on October 3, 2019

Tamsui, Chinese Taipei, October 3: Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena and Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung shared more than just a room together, returning with matching five-under-par 67s to be tied for the first round lead together with South Africa’s Keith Horne at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Thursday.

India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu signed for a 68 to trail the trio by a single shot in outright fourth place while Thailand’s Danthai Boonma is tied for fifth with Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-lun and Lin Yung-lung.

Tabeuna, a two-time Asian Tour winner, enjoyed a bogey-free round while Fung almost matched his roommate’s flawless efforts until a wayward shot at his closing ninth hole saw him drop his only shot of the day which denied him the outright lead in the morning.

Tabuena has enjoyed a proud record at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club, finishing second in 2016 and is pleased to have rediscovered his form which has seen him pass his opening test with flying colours.

Fung also had a round to remember as he returned with his best showing by far at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.

Horne, who finished tied-second at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2017, has yet to win on the Asian Tour but showed he is ready to contend at a venue which he knows he can excel.

Keith Horne of South Africa

Did you know?

  • Miguel Tabuena’s best result at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters came in 2016 when he finished second. He posted a final round 70 to finish one shot back of eventual champion Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei then.
  • Tabuena’s best result to date this season was his fifth-place finish at the Sarawak Championship in August.
  • Tabuena won his first Asian Tour title on home soil in 2015. He became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008 at just 21-years-old.
  • Fung, who turned professional in 2010, is a proud graduate of the region’s secondary circuit, where he has recorded three victories.
  • He was crowned the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit champion in 2013.
  • Fung represented Team Asia in all three editions of the EurAsia Cup and was hailed as Malaysia’s number one through his Order of Merit success on the PGM Tour in 2012, 2013 and 2016.
  • Ajeetesh Sandhu is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. A week after claiming his first Asian Tour title in Chinese Taipei in 2017, Sandhu went on to win the Taiheiyo Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour.
  • The Indian notched three top-10 finishes in 2018 to finish in 28th position on the Order of Merit.
  • Keith Horne’s best result on the Asian Tour came at the 2017 Mercuries Taiwan Masters where he finished in a share of second place, two shots back of Malaysia’s Gavin Green then.
  • Horne’s last professional victory was in 2017 when he won the Vodacom Origins on the Sunshine Tour.
  • Sandhu’s second-place finish at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in Bangladesh is his best result so far this season.

Published on

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) First round 67 (-5)

I’ve been hitting the ball very solid especially last week but I just didn’t have a good weekend in Japan last week. But I know I’m starting to play my best golf so far and it helps a bit that I’ve played well here on numerous occasions. I have some good course knowledge and I know I have to stay patient especially on the greens. The winds were not really blowing that strongly today and I took advantage of that. I was glad I got over those tough holes early in round as I started off in the back-nine and after that it was pretty straight forward.

Nicholas Fung (Mas) First round 67 (-5)

It has been a roller-coaster season for me so far and I’m happy I managed to put together a good round like this today. In fact, this is by far the best round I’ve posted at this tournament so far. This will be the last year of my winner’s exemption and I need to do really well especially now that we are into the last stretch of the season. I putted really well today and only made one mistake on my closing hole where I hit a wayward shot and had to settle for my only bogey of the day.

Keith Horne (Rsa) First round 67 (-5)

Yes, it was indeed very pleasing to see myself starting with such a good score. My last win came in 2017 on the Sunshine Tour and another win is long overdue. I actually didn’t play on this course for about 12 years until I came back two years ago and finished tied-second. So it’s a nice feeling to come back and play well again today. I was playing really nicely in my back-nine and felt so much in control especially with my putting. It would have been nice to finish with another birdie but it’s still alright. It’s still a very good start and I’m looking forward to the rest of the week.

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) First round 68 (-4)

I made five birdies in a row and I think that was the most exciting part of the day.  I played really well and it should have been a lot lower, but that’s okay. I’ve played here a few times, not really played well here actually. But honestly, I think I like the looks of it. Because there’s a lot of dog legs and stuff to shape it around. Hopefully the wind picks up so it becomes a bit tougher. Yeah, I mean, I like the layout for sure. I haven’t had a good result so far but I’ve been feeling positive especially in this stretch. I’ve had some good rounds, but haven’t been able to finish it off. Like last week in Japan, I was playing well and then I had a bad round. I didn’t really play too bad but just made a few silly mistakes. But you know, I’m still feeling absolutely confident about the rest of the week.


Published on October 2, 2019

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional

The Tournament

The Mercuries Taiwan Masters is the longest consecutively running full-field event on the Asian Tour, having been part of the schedule since 2004. Inaugurated in 1987 the tournament has seen many winners that are well known to Asian golf-fans, such as Thaworn Wiratchant, Boonchu Ruangkit, Lu Wen-teh, Scott Hend, Gerry Norquist and Hsieh Min-nan.

Hsieh Min-nan, or “Tony Hsieh” as he is also known, is one of the true legends of golf in Chinese Taipei. He won this event in 1992 at the age of 52, and incredibly also made the cut in 2010 at the age of 70 when he finished tied for 47th. A remarkable feat against a field where many players were less than half his age!

Tournament host Mr. George Wong is graciously offering up prize money of US$900,000 this year, an increase of US$50,000 from last year, of which US$180,000 will go to the champion.

Last year’s event was won by first-time winner Adilson Da Silva of Brazil who held off Berry Henson and Lin Wen-tang to win by a shot on seven-under-par 281.

The Course

The Taiwan Golf and Country Club, or “Tamsui” as most of the players call it, is an old-school Asian course with tree-lined fairways requiring precision off the tee. An ability to work the ball both ways also helps since there are some doglegs to navigate.

The greens are also notoriously difficult to read, as the strong grain as well as the slope has to be taken into consideration. This will give players with past experience on these putting-surfaces an advantage over first timers and players used to bent grass greens.

The course plays to a par of 72 at 6,923 yards, so it’s not necessarily a course where power off the tee will be a big factor. Keeping the ball in the fairway however will be, as proven by famously accurate driver of the ball Da Silva last year.

The Contenders

Adilson Da Silva

Defending champion Da Silva will likely be a tough guy to beat this week, as his record from the last few years of the tournament has been outstanding. In addition to wining last year, he also finished tied-second in 2017 and tied-third in 2015.

Although he is yet to record a top-10 finish on the Asian Tour this season, a driving accuracy percentage of 84.10% so far this season should give Da Silva a great chance to excel on this course once again.

Yikeun Chang

One of the most in-form players recently on the Asian Tour with a win at Yeangder TPC and a runner-up the week before, Chang also has a lot to play for this week.

Currently in seventh place in the WGC-HSBC Champions qualification standings that end this week, he needs at least a solo-third finish this week to surpass Masahiro Kawamura who currently holds the last spot.

Not an easy task, but he’s certainly playing well enough to be up to the challenge.

Scott Vincent

One of the top contenders every week he tees it up, Vincent came close to getting his breakthrough Asian Tour win at the Shinhan Donghae Open two weeks ago after finishing third.

Vincent is in good form and has had good results at this course the last two years with a tied-seventh in 2018 and a tied-second in 2017.

Add a win on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan earlier this year and six other top-10s this season, and the case for the Zimbabwean gets even more solid.

As with Chang above, Vincent also needs to finish no worse than third for a chance to qualify for the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Lu Wei-chih

With a tied-eight in the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup as his best result so far in 2019, Lu came close to a top finish again last week in the Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Japan.

In tied-second after two rounds and only one shot out of the lead, Lu was looking for another top finish until a poor round on Sunday derailed his bid.

Having won this event in 2016 and a tied-ninth in 2018 after coming back from brain surgery, Lu will have all the necessary experience to challenge for this title again this year.

Rashid Khan

With three top-10s this year on the Asian Tour and two wins at home on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), Khan is getting back to the form that saw him become a two-time winner on the Asian Tour in 2014.

Currently 27th on the Order of Merit with US$83,467 Khan has already regained his Tour card that he lost last year, and the tied-second in his last event could mean he is ready to come back into the winner’s circle once again.

Lin Wen-tang

The winner of this event in 2009 and with three top-10s here the last three years, Lin certainly has all the necessary local knowledge to do well again.

He was the leader after 54 holes at last month’s Yeangder TPC outside of Taipei and had his best tournament of the season finishing fourth. Always a threat playing on home soil.


Published on

Tamsui, Chinese Taipei, October 2: Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant returns for his first event on the Asian Tour this season, ever ready to show he can still rule the fairways when the Mercuries Taiwan Masters begins on Thursday.

At 52, the Thai veteran holds the distinction of having the most number of Asian Tour victories with a total of 18 wins.

While he plays predominately on the Senior Tour in Japan and Europe nowadays, Thaworn knows he can still give his younger rivals a run for their money especially with his vast experience and mental toughness.

Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih, who has won the Mercuries Taiwan Masters three times in 2005, 2011 and 2016, is confident of emerging victorious again at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.

Lu showed glimpses of his best form when he finished tied-eighth in Japan earlier this year and is pleased to have his career back on track again after undergoing a brain surgery in 2012.

American Berry Henson is also back and hoping to make up for the disappointment of last year when he finished just one shot back of eventual champion Adilson Da Silva of Brazil.

Did you know?

  • Thaworn came close to winning the Mercuries Taiwan Masters twice in 2008 and 2011 when he finished second on both occasions.
  • The 52-year-old holds the record for the most number of Asian Tour victories with a 18 total wins.
  • Thaworn is a two-time winner on the Japan Senior Tour with his latest victory coming in September at the Komatsu Open.
  • Thaworn’s last win on the Asian Tour came in 2014 when he won the King’s Cup on home soil.
  • In 2012, Lu underwent brain surgery to remove a non-malignant tumour which put him out of action for close to a year.
  • All of Lu’s four victories on the Asian Tour have come from home soil in Chinese Taipei.
  • Lu won the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2005, 2011 and 2016.
  • Berry Henson is a one-time winner on both the Asian Tour and the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2011.
  • The American has notched two top-10s in Bangladesh and Korea this year.
  • He finished tied-second together with Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang, one shot back of Adilson Da Silva at last year’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters.

Published on October 1, 2019

Tamsui, Chinese Taipei, October 1: Malaysia’s Danny Chia is hoping to pull off a miracle as he seeks a hat-trick of victories in Chinese Taipei when he returns for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters which starts on Thursday.

Despite having to grapple with injuries and limited playing opportunities on the Asian Tour, the 46-year-old is still clinging on to hope that he can find his lucky charm again at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club where he won his second Tour title in 2015.

Chia ended his 13-year title drought with a two-shot victory then. However, he has yet to conjure any winning formula again since that triumph four years ago.

Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva also returns to the scene of his historic breakthrough last year, ready for another shot at glory.

With a proud track record at the Mercuries Taiwan, the Brazilian believes the favourable playing conditions at the oldest golf course in Chinese Taipei will be advantageous to him.

Australia’s Scott Hend is also relishing the opportunity to contend again in the longest-running full-field event on the Asian Tour, having etched his name in the roll of honour in 2013.

The Australian won his 10th Asian Tour title in Malaysia earlier this year and was atop the Order of Merit for 13 weeks. A win again at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters for the big-hitting Hend will allow him to close the gap between him and current leader, Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand.

Backed by the Mercuries Group, the Mercuries Taiwan Masters is last qualifying event for the lucrative CJ Cup and WGC-HSBC Champions in Korea and China respectively.

The Mercuries Taiwan Masters, which was inaugurated in 1987, has been held annually on the region’s premier Tour since 2004. The event offers an all-time high US$900,000 of prize money in 2019, US$50,000 increase from last year.

Did you know?

  • Danny Chia ended his 13-year title drought on the Asian Tour when won the 2015 Mercuries Taiwan Masters by two shots in 2015.
  • He has started the round with a one-shot deficit but fired three birdies in his opening five holes to take over the lead and remained in top spot before winning with a tap-in par save on the 18th hole.
  • Chia’s maiden Asian Tour win also came in Chinese Taipei when he won the 2002 Taiwan Open. With that breakthrough, Chia also became the first Malaysian to win on the Asian Tour.
  • He also represented his country at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
  • Adilson Da Silva became the first Brazilian to win on the Asian Tour following his victory at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last year.
  • The Brazilian has a proud track record at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. Before that victory, Da Silva has never finished outside top-three in his last three starts in the event. In his debut appearance in 2012, he also enjoyed a tied-ninth place finish.
  • Da Silva enjoyed a career high in 2016 when he was given the honour of striking the first tee shot at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when golf made a return into the programme after 112 years.
  • Scott Hend won his 10th Asian Tour title at the Maybank Championship in March.
  • He is the first Australian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title in 2016
  • All of Hend’s wins have come in Asia.
  • Hend is the fourth player after Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng to obtain 10 wins or more on the Asian Tour.
  • Hend held the number one spot on the Order of Merit for 13 weeks before being dislodged by Jazz Janewattananond after the Thai won the Kolon Korea Open in June

Published on

Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha)

My good friend Lu Wen-teh was asking me to come back here and play. And I thought to myself, why not? It has been some time since I last played an Asian Tour event and it’ll be nice to come back and show all my friends, both young and old that I still got the game to compete and even win! Never write off an old man. I enjoy playing on this golf course and I feel it suits my playing style as it’s also not that long, which obviously gives me a chance. I’ve been away playing mostly on the Senior Tour in Japan and Europe. Golf is my life and it’s something which I enjoy. I’ll not give it up for anything else.

Lu Wei-chih (Tpe)

I’m really looking forward to play at home this week. This is a course which I’ve won before and I know I can do well if I play true to form. I’m comfortable here and have lots of support. My fitness has improved over the years and so has my mental strength. I just need to work on my putting which has not been very good lately. But having said that, I will take it as just another tournament for me. No targets, no expectations. I am taking one week and one tournament at a time right now and not thinking too far ahead.

Berry Henson (Usa)

This is the sort of week where you expect yourself to play well. It’s a fun venue and the layouts are actually quite good. You just have to play a different style of golf here to compete and last year, I figured it out and hopefully this year, I can continue that. I think I’ve probably over traveled a little bit and I’ve got a little tired. I’ve a bit of a cold now. I feel like I’ve managed my year pretty well until the last month and a half where I was going back and forth to Europe a couple times. So, the travel was taking a bit of toll on me. But I’ve played in some good tournaments and I had a nice summer break at home. I’ll have another nice break after this week to finish off the year and I feel like I’m close to winning. It’s just making sure I’m 100% physically ready to go every week and that has been a little bit difficult for me.

Danny Chia (Mas)
It’s good to be back here at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. I didn’t play last year because I was playing the Qualifying School in Japan. But fortunately, the Qualifying School didn’t clash this year so I’m very happy to be here. I haven’t been physically fit this year. I’ve been doing a lot of recovery and rehabilitation work. In fact, I’ve just recovered from a shoulder injury and I’m just very pleased that I’m still able to play. I haven’t been playing a lot of events this year, mainly local events and this is one of the few Asian Tour events that I’m playing. I know this golf course well and I feel I have the luck here in this country. Both of my wins on the Asian Tour have come from Taiwan and hopefully miracles can happen again.

Adilson Da Silva (Bra)
The win last year was absolutely stunning. Especially when I wasn’t really playing well before that. I was practicing really hard and nothing was coming along. So, I was doubting myself and I just told myself to try my best as I know the course suits me. On the last day, I kept telling myself to stay in the present and play one shot at the time and just don’t get too ahead of myself. Over the years, I’ve found a way of playing this course. There’s going to be lots of swirling winds and you just have to trust what you are doing. It does swirl a lot between the trees and you have keep the ball low. If you hit it too high, you’re probably going to mess up and hitting these kind of low balls suits me.

Scott Hend (Aus)
It should be a fun week. The greens are always very grainy here and it’s going to be interesting. I remembered when I won in 2013, the winds were so strong and the branches were cracking off trees. This is the kind of golf course where you got to be mentally strong, and if you can move inside the top-20 on the final day, get a little lucky, you might have that chance to win. It’s an exciting period now with many big events coming up and will be interesting to see how things shape up.


Published on September 30, 2019

Sentosa, Singapore, September 30: Young Thai talent Jazz Janewattananond extended his advantage at the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit after capping a commendable fourth-place finish at the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship on Sunday.

The 23-year-old picked up a cheque of US$64,227 to take his season’s earnings to US$833,524 from 13 events, increasing his lead to more than US$300,000 over second-placed Scott Hend of Australia, who missed the halfway cut at the Higashi Hirono Golf Club.

Jazz, who has already claimed two victories and six top-10 finishes, made his season even sweeter by winning the 2018/19 Panasonic Swing series following his commendable performance at the ¥150,000,000 (approx. US$1,338,067) event.

Starting the week in third place on the rankings, Jazz needed at least a tied-fourth place result to top the Panasonic Swing after compatriots Poom Saksansin and Panuphol Pittayarat, previously ranked first and second respectively, failed to make the weekend rounds.

Jazz battled with a cold putter on the final day but a crucial birdie on the 17th hole saw him close with a one-under-par 71 to take fourth place, eight shots back of winner Toshinori Muto of Japan on 13-under-par 271 total.

The young Thai took home a top bonus prize of US$70,000 after winning the second edition of the Panasonic Swing series with a total of 3,021 points from four of the five selected events, where he had all finished inside top-10.

“It’s an honor to win the Panasonic Swing. I didn’t even know I had a chance to win until the last minute. I think it’s a nice to see sponsors like Panasonic so committed to grow the game of golf. Their support has such a big impact on the Asian golf community,” said Jazz.

“The game is almost back on track. I wanted to finish better but I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole. You can’t really force the win if you are not putting well but overall, I’m happy with my result. A couple of big events coming up for me so this result will definitely help,” added the four-time Asian Tour winner.

Thai duo Poom Saksansin and Panuphol Pittayarat would secure second and third places on the final Panasonic Swing rankings, earning US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively from the reward scheme.

The Panasonic Swing is based on an aggregate point ranking earned by players at the following five tournaments – 2018 Thailand Open, 2018 Panasonic Open India, 2018 Indonesian Masters, 2019 Maybank Championship (Malaysia) and 2019 Panasonic Open Golf Championship (Japan).

The Asian Tour returns to Chinese Taipei this week for the storied Mercuries Taiwan Masters, which will be held once again at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club from October 3 to 6. The prestigious tournament will offer an increased prize money of US$900,000 this year.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings
Pos       Player   Order of Merit (US$)

1. Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $833,524.71

2. Scott HEND (AUS) $528,160.94

3. Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $300,957.19

4. Taehee LEE (KOR) $284,661.95

5. Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $260,100.96

6. Jbe KRUGER (RSA) $257,289.40

7. Scott VINCENT (ZIM) $242,216.34

8. Zach MURRAY (AUS) $221,011.92

9. Yikeun CHANG (KOR) $187,563.01

10. Micah Lauren SHIN (USA)             $187,218.98

11. Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $177,288.30

12. Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $167,502.45

13. David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

14. Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) $125,615.96

15. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $123,386.86

16. Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $118,336.53

17. Janne KASKE (FIN) $114,708.67

18. Berry HENSON (USA) $106,792.21

19. Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $104,405.57

20. Richard T. LEE (CAN) $98,972.88


Published on September 29, 2019

Catch up on all the highlights from the final round of the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship.


Published on

Kobe, Japan, September 29: Japan’s Toshinori Muto collected his first Asian Tour title in style after closing with a second straight seven-under-par 64 to win by four shots at the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship on Sunday.

The 41-year-old Muto halted a winless streak of four years after firing eight birdies against a bogey to cap a winning total of 21-under-par 263, setting a record lowest 72-hole score in the tournament that is celebrating its 10th edition this week.

Starting the day with a one-shot edge, Muto rode on his fine form to pull away from the chasing pack at the Higashi Hirono Golf Club. His four-shot triumph would also match the largest winning margin record in the tournament set earlier by Daisuke Maruyama in 2009.

Shugo Imahira, who entered the week as the second highest-ranked Japanese on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), came in runner-up after closing with three straight birdies for a 67. Home favourite Ryo Ishikawa carded a commendable 66 to finish one shot back in third.

Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand battled to a 71 to finish in fourth place on 271. The result was enough to help him win the second edition of the Panasonic Swing series with 3,021 points and take home a top bonus prize of US$70,000.

Thai duo Poom Saksansin and Panuphol Pittayarat secured second and third places on the final Panasonic Swing rankings, earning US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively from the reward scheme.

The ¥150,000,000 (approx. US$1,338,067) event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), is the concluding leg of the 2018/19 Panasonic Swing.

The Panasonic Swing is based on an aggregate point ranking earned by players at the following five tournaments – 2018 Thailand Open, 2018 Panasonic Open India, 2018 Indonesian Masters, 2019 Maybank Championship (Malaysia) and 2019 Panasonic Open Golf Championship (Japan).

Did you know?

  • Toshinori Muto started playing golf when he was a kid. His family from his mother side owned a driving range back then.
  • The 41-year-old Muto turned professional in 2001. With this victory at the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship, Muto is now a seven-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour. His last victory was the 2015 ISPS HANDA Global Cup.
  • Muto would take home a winner’s prize purse of ¥30,000,000 (approx. US$267,613), thanks to his victory at the Higashi Hirono Golf Club.
  • He is the second Japanese, following Yosuke Asaji, to win on the Asian Tour this season.
  • Muto successfully recaptured the trophy on home soil after India’s Rahil Gangjee became only the second foreign player to win the tournament last year.
  • Prior to this week, Muto was ranked 519th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). His career-best position was 102nd at the end of 2012.
  • Muto needed only 25 putts in his solid rounds of 64 today.
  • Shugo Imahira topped the Merit rankings on the Japan Golf Tour in 2018. He was a former member of the Asian Tour in 2016 and 2017.
  • He entered the week in 72nd place on the latest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as the second highest-ranked Japanese in the world. The 26-year-old, who hails from Saitama, is the highest-ranked Japanese in the 132-man field this week.
  • Imahira’s runner-up finish would mark his fourth consecutive top-10 finish on the Japan Golf Tour and second straight one on the Asian Tour.
  • Ryo Ishikawa won his first Japan Golf Tour event, the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup, when he was only 15 years 8 months and 3 days old.
  • The 28-year-old Ishikawa was playing that event as an amateur in his first Japan Golf Tour start, and winning the tournament made him the youngest winner ever on the Japan Golf Tour.
  • Ishikawa turned professional in 2008 and by the end of the year he had become the youngest ever player to reach the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), ending the year ranked 60th.
  • After a few years on the PGA Tour, Ishikawa returned to play full time on the Japan Golf Tour in 2018.
  • Ishikawa won this year’s Japan PGA Championship and Shigeo Nagashima Invitational SEGASAMMY Cup in consecutive starts on the Japan Golf Tour.
  • Jazz Janewattananond is the only player to have won more than once on the Asian Tour so far this season. He claimed his third title at the season-opening Singapore Open in January and secured his fourth victory at the Kolon Korea Open in June.
  • At the age of 23 years 6 months and 27 days, Jazz becomes the youngest ever player to achieve four wins on Tour. India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar held the record previously after he won his fourth title in 2012 at the age of 24.
  • Jazz entered the week in 60th position on the OWGR and he was the highest-ranked player in the talented field this week.
  • Apart from the two victories, Jazz has now notched six top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour this season, following his solo fourth result at the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship. He would extend his lead on the Order of Merit with a season’s haul of US$833,524.
  • Jazz also enjoyed a tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship in June which was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
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40-year-old completed a remarkable return to golf by claiming LIV Golf Adelaide at the weekend
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Tabuena makes history as first Filipino to earn LIV Golf card

He joins LIV Golf League for the 2026 season as a Wild Card while Anthony Kim moves to 4Aces GC
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