Two places in the 148th Open on offer at the Kolon Korea Open

Published on June 18, 2019

Cheonan, Korea, June 18: Two players who finish in the top 8 and ties at the KOLON Korea Open who are not already exempt will earn places in The 148th Open at Royal Portrush from July 14-21, 2019.

The KOLON Korea Open is the seventh event in The Open Qualifying Series and will be played at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan from June 20 to 23.

Players in the field at the KOLON Korea Open who are already exempt for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush:

Yosuke Asaji	Doyeob Mun
Jazz Janewattananond	Kevin Na
Chan Kim	Sang-Hyun Park
Prom Meesawat

NB: Mikumu Horikawa is currently on the reserve list for the KOLON Korea Open and is also exempt from qualifying for The 148^th Open should he start in the field.

In the event of a tie for a qualifying place, the player with the higher ranking in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at the beginning of the week commencing 17 June will be awarded a place in The 148th Open.

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By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional

The Tournament

The 62^nd edition of the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship will once again be staged at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan and will like last year be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Korea Golf Association (KGA).

The event will offer a purse of KRW 1,200 million, approximately US$ 1,067,000, and with a cheque of US$266,800 going to the winner, the champion this week is guaranteed to make a big move on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

It’s also part of The Open Qualifying Series and two spots to The Open at Royal Portrush in July are up for grabs. The top two players not otherwise exempt and inside the top-eight and ties can be booking their tickets to the last Major of the year on Sunday afternoon.

The Course

Woo Jeong Hills is a Dye Designs course that requires players to bring an accurate game off the tee, with many holes having water and Out-of-Bounds very much in play.

It also features fast and challenging greens with some very tricky pin-positions. Players will need to understand which side of the hole offer makeable putts, approach shots that end up on the wrong side of mounds or tiers on the greens will make for extremely difficult two-putts.

There are also three strong par-three holes that need to be negotiated safely in numbers eight, 13 and 16.

The course has been the home of the Kolon Korea Open since 2003 and past champions at Woo Jeong Hills include international stars such as John Daly (2003), Y.E. Yang (2006 & 2010), Vijay Singh (2007), and Rickie Fowler (2011).

Top Contenders

Defending champion Minchel Choi of Korea will be looking for a return to form on a course where he has a good record, having finished tied-sixth in 2017 in addition to the victory last year.

He will however face stiff competition to retain the title, perhaps most notably from the highest ranked player in the field Kevin Na. The Korean-born American beat Tony Finau by four shots to claim his third PGA TOUR victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge in late May. He is the highest-ranked player in the 144-man field, placed 32^nd on the latest OWGR.

Na started his pro career on the Asian Tour back in 2002 and had a win at the Volvo Masters of Asia to go along with five other top-10 finishes in his rookie season.

Habitat for Humanity Standings leader Scott Hend of Australia will be making his first start in the Korea Open since 2007 and is a dangerous contender in any tournament where he tees it up. One of the longest drivers on tour, the 2019 Maybank Championship winner may have an advantage over shorter players if he can also keep the ball in the fairway off the tee.

Currently ahead by US$ 56,235 in the Order of Merit race, staying in front will surely be on his mind this week.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond has been in stellar form since winning the SMBC Singapore Open at the start of the season. Currently second on the Order of Merit behind Hend, Jazz coming into this event with two straight top-5’s on the Japan Tour (JGTO) to go along with his four top-5’s on the Asian Tour this year.

Having narrowly missed out on a U.S. Open exemption by the smallest of margins by being ranked 61^st on the OWGR last week, Jazz will be looking to continue his march towards the world’s top-50 this week in Korea.

A two-time winner on the Asian Tour last year, Korean star Sanghuyn Park has the best recent record in the tournament by anyone in the field this week. Park has finished inside the top-10 the last four years in a row, including a runner-up in 2018 two strokes behind Choi.

With multiple tournaments won in Korea and Japan, Park would dearly like to win his National Open. A title still lacking from his otherwise very solid resume.

Having just won his first professional tournament last week on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan, Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe could be primed for his first Asian Tour victory.

Vincent has an impressive record since arriving on the scene in Asia in 2016, with five runners-up, 11 other top-10’s and a fifth place on the 2018 Order of Merit to his credit. His highest finish on this year’s Asian Tour is a fourth place in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth in February.

Published on June 15, 2019

Fukuoka, Japan, June 15: Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent completed a wire-to-wire victory after closing with a flawless three-under-par 69 to claim his first international victory at the Landic Challenge held on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan on Friday.

The 27-year-old Vincent, who came close to securing his breakthrough win on several occasions on the Asian Tour, returned with a bogey-free round highlighted by three birdies to win by five shots on 16-under-par 200 at the Keya Golf Club in Fukuoka.

Vincent ended his 2018 season in fifth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit after notching nine top-10s, including three runner-ups. Vincent secured his Asian Tour card in his first attempt at Qualifying School in 2016 and is currently the only Zimbabwean to play on Tour.

Over in the United States, six Asian Tour members, including Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Anirban Lahiri of India, have failed to qualify for the weekend rounds at the U.S. Open held at Pebble Beach.

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Published on June 14, 2019

June 14: All six Asian Tour stars will be seeking better fortunes when they return to the tee after struggling in their opening rounds at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

On a day where England’s Justin Rose signed for a six-under-par 65 to grab the opening lead by one shot and tie the lowest round at Pebble Beach Golf Links in the history of the U.S. Open, two-time Asian Tour winner, Justin Harding of South Africa together with Australia’s Marcus Fraser and Japan’s Mikumu Horikawa emerged as the highest-placed Tour members in tied-77^th place.

The trio lie eight shots back of Rose after they returned with matching 73s at the year’s third Major.

India’s Anirban Lahiri, the 2015 Asian Tour number one, sits in tied-98^th place after posting a 74 while Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat took a share of 116^th place after signing for a 75.

Japan’s Kodai Ichihara had a day to forget when he carded an 80 to end the day tied for 149^th.

50% of the prize money earned by Asian Tour members at the U.S. Open will be counted towards the Order of Merit.

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Published on June 12, 2019

Sentosa, Singapore, June 12: There was no Asian Tour event last week but some of our members are still creating an impact in other events around the world and improving their standings on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

The Asian Tour looks into their movement on the OWGR.

Japan’s Mikumu Horikawa posted his first career victory on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO) by claiming the JGT Championship Mori Building Cup Shishido Hills by four shots over compatriot Shugo Imahira.

This win was good for a boost up the rankings from 269^th to 182^nd position, a career high for the 26-year-old Horikawa who will be making his Major debut this week in the U.S. Open Championship at Pebble Beach.

The tournament also provided a nail-biting finish for Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, who needed a tied-second with no more than two other players to reach top-60 on the OWGR and qualify for the U.S. Open.

After a two-over-par 73 in the first round, the three-time Asian Tour winner staged a dramatic comeback on the weekend firing scores of 64-67 for a ten-under-par total. However, a 15-foot birdie-putt slipped by the 72^nd hole and this proved to be one shot too many as Jazz ended up in a tie for third with Chan Kim.

With the tied-third place finish Jazz picked up 5.60 points and continues his climb up the rankings, moving to 61^st place and yet another career-high position on the OWGR.

Also playing in the same event was Gunn Charoenkul from Thailand who by finishing tied-eight posted his third consecutive top-10 on the Japan Tour and moves to a career-high rank of 265^th.

Both Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Justin Harding from South Africa were taking the week off to rest and prepare for this week’s U.S. Open, and lose one spot each in the rankings to 46^th and 47^th respectively.

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Pebble Beach, California, June 12: Thailand’s golf star Kiradech Aphibarnrat thinks he has found the secret to a winning breakthrough on the PGA TOUR – he needs to get out of his own way.

The 29-year-old Asian strongman tees up in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Thursday feeling confident he can secure a maiden victory on American soil very soon.

A knee injury suffered during the Masters Tournament in April is still causing minor concerns but the burly Thai who is loved by fans for his grip it-and-rip it style of play is prepared to battle on ahead of the year’s third major.

“The game is feeling better and better. Swing feels good, results are better and I can see improvements,” said Kiradech, who is ranked 61^st on the FedExCup Points List.

“Everything is almost back to natural. The right knee still disturbs me a little bit. I don’t feel comfortable when I need to bend my knees like when I’m reading putts or hitting bunker shots. However, it doesn’t hurt when I’m swinging the club. I have to build up the muscles around that knee,” said Kiradech.

The 2013 Asian Tour number one and four-time European Tour winner, Kiradech is seeking the ultimate prize of winning on the PGA TOUR which no Thai golfer has achieved the feat. In his first full season in America, he has been on the fringe of contention on several occasions and admitted he did not handle those situations well.

“To get my first win, I need to get used to being in contention. Every time I’m in contention, I start thinking there are so many great players on the leaderboard and I don’t feel like myself. I then put too much in my head. It’s not me playing golf and I don’t play my normal golf,” said Kiradech, who has three top-five results this season.

“I go into tournaments now with ambition. I know we’re good enough to win. Before I was thinking of making cuts. Now I want to make history.”

In his attempt for a breakthrough, Kiradech will treat the U.S. Open like any other week as he chases FedExCup points to improve his ranking and also Official World Golf Ranking points to boost his chances of playing in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia this December. He currently ranks 18^th on the International Team points list, trailing eighth-ranked Jason Day by 25.54 points which is the cut-off for automatic selection.

“I’ll treat it like another tournament. Previously, I always think the majors are big and I have to do well and prepare well but it only put additional pressure on me. I’ve got to treat it like it’s another golf tournament. There are four majors a year and I think I’ll be playing in many more,” he said.

He has played once previously on Pebble Beach, which also hosts the AT&T National Pro-Am, and remembers he endured a forgetful week.

“I played there about five years ago and the weather was bad and it was cold, rainy and windy. I didn’t enjoy my time then. Hopefully it will be better and I’ll spend a bit more time on the course to know it well,” he said.

“It’s a difficult course and we can expect a U.S. Open set-up. I don’t really like tough conditions but you have no choice as you’re competing in a major. Everyone knows it’s going to be tough and I’m just going to play the hole that’s in front of me.”

Kiradech has become a big fan of the new PGA TOUR Schedule which now features one main highlight each month starting with the TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship in March, Masters Tournament in April, PGA Championship in May, U.S. Open in June, The Open Championship in July and the FedExCup Playoffs, comprising of three tournaments, in August and rewards the FedExCup champion with a whopping US$15 million in bonus pay out.

“I like the new schedule … one big event a month and it comes one after another. We get ready for a big stretch and then have the opportunity to rest up a bit at end of the year. I think it’s very good,” said Kiradech.

Published on June 11, 2019

Sentosa, Singapore, June 11: Six of the most promising players from the Asian Tour have set their sights on mounting a strong challenge at the 119^th edition of the U.S. Open which tees off at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Thursday.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who is currently ranked 46^th in the world, is expected to fly the Asian flag alongside fellow Asian Tour members that include India’s Anirban Lahiri, South Africa’s Justin Harding, Australia’s Marcus Fraser and the Japanese duo of Kodai Ichihara and Mikumu Horikawa at the year’s third Major.

Kiradech, the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, is making his third appearance at the U.S. Open and his 15th place finish at Shinnecock Hills last year remains his best result at a Major so far.

As the first Thai golfer to earn a PGA TOUR card for the 2018/19 PGA TOUR season, Kiradech has already notched two top-five results so far and is optimistic of rediscovering his best form.

“It has been a huge learning curve for me, and I feel I can do even better. I’m trying to get my best form back by practicing hard and playing well. Hopefully that next big break will come along,” said Kiradech.

Like Kiradech, Lahiri is also an Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, having won the prestigious title in 2015.

The Indian punched his ticket to his third U.S. Open appearance through the sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio last week.

Lahiri missed the cut in his previous two appearances at the U.S. Open in 2015 and 2016 and is determined to make his mark at the only Major where he has yet to make the halfway cut.

“It doesn’t feel good to watch majors from home so definitely a new perspective heading to the U.S. Open. Safe to say, I’m hungry to play well in the big events. I’m looking forward to heading to Pebble Beach,” said Lahiri.

Harding, a two-time Asian Tour winner, will be hoping to demonstrate the same consistency that led him to a notable tied-12^th finish at the Masters Tournament in April.

The South African, who first created an impression during this rookie year on the Asian Tour when he won back-to-back titles in Indonesia and Thailand last year, could spring yet another surprise in his debut at the U.S. Open.

“I’ve shown more consistency in my game and I’ve become a little better mentally. I’m no longer really going through the highs and lows and emotional roller coaster, so to speak.

“But that also comes in not really playing the aggressive mindset game that I had in the past. I’m just trying to get a little bit smarter on the golf course and making less mistakes,” said Harding.

Fraser will meanwhile be making his fourth appearance at the U.S. Open, having teed up in 2007, 2013 and 2015 while Ichihara and Horikawa were rewarded with their debuts after earning their places at the sectional qualifying on home soil.

Chinese Taipei’s T.C. Chen’s tied-second finish in 1985 remains as the best result for an Asian player at the U.S. Open.

50% of the prize money earned by Asian Tour members at the U.S. Open will be counted towards the Order of Merit.

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Published on June 10, 2019

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional

The Championship

Founded in 1895 the U.S. Open Championship is the second oldest Major after The Open Championship, and this year’s edition will be the 119th staging of the event.

Prize money for 2019 will be $12.5 million, the biggest purse in any of the four Major Championships.

No Asian player has won the U.S. Open in the in the history of the event. The closest was T.C. Chen of Taiwan who finished tied-second in 1985 at Oakland Hills after leading by three shots going into the last round.

The last first-time player to win the championship was Francis Ouimet (as an amateur) at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts back in 1913.

The Course

Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California. Par-71, 7,075 yards.

One of the most iconic golf courses in the world, and possibly the most scenic, Pebble Beach Golf Links has been the venue for scores of tour events and major championships since it opened in 1919.

In addition to playing host to five U.S Opens, it has most notably been the site of the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1929, 1947, 1961, 1999 and 2018, the PGA Championship in 1977, and the AT&T Pro-Am on the PGATOUR from 1947 to present day.

This will be the sixth time that The U.S. Open Championship is played at Pebble Beach, and past champions here include legendary players such as Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tom Watson (1982), Tom Kite (1992), and Tiger Woods (2000).

The last time the U.S. Open was held at Pebble Beach was in 2010 when Graeme McDowell held off Gregory Havret to win by one shot on a total score of even-par 284.

While Augusta has its famous Amen corner (11-13), Pebble as it’s often referred to, has its own stretch of key holes known as the Cliffs of Doom (8-10) perched perilously overlooking the Pacific Ocean and beach below.

It also has what is probably the shortest hole in Major Championship golf, the quirky par-three seventh that played to only 92 yards in the final round of the 2010 U.S. Open.

U.S. Opens are well known for very difficult course set-ups and demand a thorough examination of players’ skills, this year will surely prove no exception.

There is a famous quote from USGA’s Sandy Tatum after “The Massacre at Winged Foot” in 1974: “we’re not trying to humiliate the best players in the world, we’re simply trying to identify who they are”. This probably says it all about what they are looking for in their National Open.

Deep rough will penalize tee-shots that stray from the fairways by even a few yards, with Cost of Rough measured at just over half-a-shot over-par during the 2010 championship. Accuracy off the tee will be key this week.

As will of course hitting the greens in regulation. Missing greens by the smallest of margins will leave a tough task of saving par for the same reason as above, plus the fact that the greens will most likely be very firm and lightning fast.

The poa annua grass on the greens will also be a big factor. A notoriously difficult putting surface that players will most likely find nowhere near as smooth and true as at the first two Majors this year, especially in late afternoons.

The course will likely be a tale of two nines as it was in 2010. Players will be looking at the outward half as the side where they can make up shots and the back nine where they hang-on to any gains.

Holes one through nine played to an average score of +1.25, while on holes 10 through 18 that number was +2.73. A difference of almost 1.5 strokes.

The difference was even more noticeable if you looked at holes one through seven vs. eight through 18 where the difference was +.56 compared to +3.42.

The average score that year was 74.98 or almost four-over-par.

The Favorites

Brooks Koepka (USA)

The winner of the PGA Championship last month at Bethpage Black and tied-second at the Masters Tournament in April, Koepka totally fits the mold for a U.S. Open champion. A no-nonsense player that grinds and goes about his business when others may start to let the sometimes-brutal conditions wear them down.

He has won the Championship the last two years in a row and has a chance to be the first three-peat winner since Willie Anderson in 1903 to 1905, one of only four four-time winners of the U.S. Open (Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus).

Dustin Johnson (USA)

A two-time winner this year capturing the Saudi International and WGC-Mexico Championship, he also finished second at the PGA Championship and tied-second at the Masters Tournament. A Johnson victory would be a big story of redemption this week, not only for the two Major runners-up this year, but also for the last time the event was held at Pebble Beach.

Leading by three going into the final round in 2010, the winner of the 2016 U.S. Open let the tournament slip away from him by shooting 82 in the final round.

Starting round four par, triple, double, bogey he let a host of other players back into the tournament right from the start and eventually finished in a tie for eighth place.

Johnson does have a very good record at Pebble, having won the AT&T Pro-Am in 2009 and 2010 and finished tied-second in 2014 and 2018.

Tiger Woods (USA)

When Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, he did so by the biggest winning margin in U.S. Open history. A total score of 12-under-par was good for a 15-stroke victory over Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ernie Els.

That U.S. Open was also the first leg of the “Tiger Slam”, where he famously won the four Majors in a row although not in the same season. The closest anyone has come to winning the modern Grand Slam of the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship in the same calendar year.

Already a three-time winner of the Championship in 2000, 2002 and 2008, this year’s Masters champion has a chance to tie the record for U.S. Opens won (four) and to win his 16th major, two short of Jack Nicklaus all-time-record of 18.

The Asian Tour Players

Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA)

This will be the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion’s third start in the U.S. Open, and in the 2018 edition at Shinnecock Hills, he was within striking distance of the leading quartet of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau and Daniel Berger after three rounds.

Teeing off on Sunday afternoon in tied-seventh place and only three shots behind the joint-leaders, a final round of three-over-par 73 meant he finished in 15th place for his best performance in a Major to date.

In his first full season as a PGATOUR member Kiradech has recorded two top-five finishes so far: a tied-third in the WGC-Mexico Championship and a tied-fifth at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Currently ranked 61st in the FedEx Cup standings, and with over $1.5 Million in prize money, he should have already secured his playing rights for the 2020 PGATOUR season.

Justin Harding (RSA)

After a successful rookie season on the Asian tour in 2018 when he won the Bank BRI Indonesia Open and Royal Cup in consecutive events, Harding went on to win the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on the European Tour early this season. His fifth world-wide win since the start of 2018.

Since then, he has spent most of his time on the PGA TOUR and notably finished tied-12th in his first Masters Tournament appearance to earn an invitation back to Augusta next year.

Harding will be playing in his first U.S. Open this week and should be ready and well rested after a few weeks away from tournament golf.

His performance statistics from the PGA TOUR also speak in his favor as Harding is currently ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting and fifth in Driving Accuracy. Two categories that will be very important this week at Pebble Beach.

Anirban Lahiri (IND)

The 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner qualified for the championship by finishing second in the sectional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio last week. This will be Lahiri’s third U.S. Open and he will be hoping to redeem his previous two missed cuts in 2015 and 2016.

His best result on the 2019 PGATOUR schedule is a tied-10^th in the Mayakoba Golf Classic late last year, but he has shown signs of a return to form with good first-round scores in his last two events.

Marcus Fraser (AUS)

Fraser had his best year on the Asian Tour in 2016 when he won the Maybank Championship and had three other top-10 results. A highlight of that year was also representing Australia in the Rio Olympics where he finished tied-fifth.

Qualifying for this week by finishing tied-third in the sectional qualifier at Walton Heath Golf Club in England, this will be Fraser’s fourth start in a U.S. Open after playing the event in 2007, 2013 and 2015.

He will be hoping to improve on his previous best result which was a tied-45^th back in 2007.

Kodai Ichihara (JPN)

A two-time champion in his home country in 2018, Ichihara won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament and the JGT Championship Mori Building Cup Shishido Hills to finish fourth on the Japan Tour (JGTO) Money Rankings. His best season since turning pro in 2001.

Winning the Japan sectional qualifier earned the 37-year-old his first appearance in a U.S. Open and fourth Major over-all.

Mikumu Horikawa (JPN)

As with his compatriot above, Horikawa had the best season of his career last year when he finished 19^th on the Japan Tour Money Rankings and was the runner up to Ichihara at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament.

The U.S. Open will be marking his Major debut after securing a place in the field by grabbing the last spot available in a play-off at the Japan sectional qualifier.

Coming into this week in great form having just captured his first Japan Tour title by winning last week’s JGT Championship Mori Building Cup Shishido Hills by four shots.

Ends.

Published on

Photo credit: Japan Golf Tour Organisation

Ibaraki, Japan, June 10: Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate Mikumu Horikawa of Japan completed a wire-to-wire victory on home soil after closing with a three-under-par 68 to claim his first professional title at the JGTC Mori Building Cup Shishido Hills 2019 on Sunday.

Horikawa, who is set to make his U.S. Open debut after coming through the Sectional Qualifying in Japan two weeks ago, returned with a round of five birdies against two bogeys to compile a four-day total of 15-under-par 269 at the Shishido Hills Country Club.

The 26-year-old Horikawa, who turned professional in November 2014, would triumph by four shots over compatriot and playing partner Shugo Imahira (68) in the 20^th edition of the prestigious event held on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

Former Asian Tour member Chan Kim of the United States stole the limelight by firing a course-record 62 to finish in third place alongside Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond on matching 274s.

Jazz missed a 15-footer for birdie on the last hole 18^th for a joint runner-up finish, which would help him break into top-60 on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to qualify for the U.S. Open this week.

His tied-third place result moved him to 61^st place on the OWGR, where he would miss the cut-off mark by one rung for the year’s third Major championship.

It was, however, a new career-high world ranking for the 23-year-old Thai, who put up a fantastic run in Japan with back-to-back top-five finishes. He came in tied-fifth at the Gate Way to The Open Mizuno Open a fortnight ago.

Ends.

Published on June 9, 2019

June 9: The dynamic Thai duo of Thongchai Jaidee and Phachara Khongwatmai, with their combination of youth and experience, fended off the challenge from England’s Tom Lewis and Paul Waring by winning the closest-to-the-pin playoff to triumph in the final of the GolfSixes Cascais on Saturday.

The thrilling finale of the innovative European Tour event, which was held in the Portuguese coastal resort, went right down to the wire where a 1-1 draw in the regulation six holes led to a playoff like no other.

The two teams returned to the final tee to play the hole in full once more, but neither team could be separated on the first extra hole and the match was decided by a closest-to-the pin contest.

Phachara then ensured Thailand would become the first Asian team to win the innovative six-hole format event when he hit his tee shot to inside four feet to clinch victory with his partner Thongchai, who has won an unprecedented three Order of Merit crowns and 13 career victories on the Asian Tour.

“It was really fun to play with Thongchai for Thailand. He taught me about the format of the game and I’m really happy to have Thongchai as my partner,” said Phachara.

“We played a great round well today, but I think the team work was very important. It has been a fantastic and successful tournament which would not have been possible without the commitment of the sponsors. Thank you to everyone,” said Thongchai.

Over at the Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup Shishido Hills, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond kept his dream of playing in next week’s U.S. Open alive by firing a sensational third round seven-under-par 64 that included six birdies in eight holes on the home stretch.

“I was having a hard time with my putting the last two days. So I decided to borrow another putter from a friend. If my putting is hot again tomorrow, I might win. If that happens, I won’t give back that putter to my friend. It will be mine!” laughed Jazz.

Based on the latest projected Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), the three-time Asian Tour winner needs at least a joint runner-up finish to punch his ticket to Pebble Beach next week.

The Thai’s three-day total of six-under-par 207 moved him to a share of fourth place together with Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura and Rikuya Hoshino.

Compatriot Gunn Charoenkul , who earned his Asian Tour card at Qualifying School last December, sits in second place on 204 total, three shots back of Japanese leader, Mikumu Horikawa while India’s Rahil Gangjee is tied for 12th with seven other players that also include Yuta Ikeda of Japan.

Ends.

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Two players who finish in the top 8 and ties at the KOLON Korea Open who are not already exempt will earn places in The 148th Open at Royal Portrush from July 14-21, 2019.

The KOLON Korea Open is the seventh event in The Open Qualifying Series and will be played at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan from June 20 to 23.

Players in the field at the KOLON Korea Open who are already exempt for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush:

Yosuke Asaji	Doyeob Mun
Jazz Janewattananond	Kevin Na
Chan Kim	Sang-Hyun Park
Prom Meesawat

NB: Mikumu Horikawa is currently on the reserve list for the KOLON Korea Open and is also exempt from qualifying for The 148^th Open should he start in the field.

Ends.

Olle Nordberg looks ahead to this week’s Kolon Korea Open at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional

The Tournament

The Course

Woo Jeong Hills is a Dye Designs course that requires players to bring an accurate game off the tee, with many holes having water and Out-of-Bounds very much in play.

There are also three strong par-three holes that need to be negotiated safely in numbers eight, 13 and 16.

Top Contenders

Defending champion Minchel Choi of Korea will be looking for a return to form on a course where he has a good record, having finished tied-sixth in 2017 in addition to the victory last year.

Na started his pro career on the Asian Tour back in 2002 and had a win at the Volvo Masters of Asia to go along with five other top-10 finishes in his rookie season.

Currently ahead by US$ 56,235 in the Order of Merit race, staying in front will surely be on his mind this week.

With multiple tournaments won in Korea and Japan, Park would dearly like to win his National Open. A title still lacking from his otherwise very solid resume.

Having just won his first professional tournament last week on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan, Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe could be primed for his first Asian Tour victory.

Scott Vincent claimed his first international win at the Landic Challenge held on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan on Friday.

Ends.

All six Asian Tour stars will be seeking better fortunes when they return to the tee after struggling in their opening rounds at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

June 14: All six Asian Tour stars will be seeking better fortunes when they return to the tee after struggling in their opening rounds at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

The trio lie eight shots back of Rose after they returned with matching 73s at the year’s third Major.

India’s Anirban Lahiri, the 2015 Asian Tour number one, sits in tied-98^th place after posting a 74 while Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat took a share of 116^th place after signing for a 75.

Japan’s Kodai Ichihara had a day to forget when he carded an 80 to end the day tied for 149^th.

50% of the prize money earned by Asian Tour members at the U.S. Open will be counted towards the Order of Merit.

Ends.

There was no Asian Tour event last week but some of our members are still making moves up the OWGR.

The Asian Tour looks into their movement on the OWGR.

With the tied-third place finish Jazz picked up 5.60 points and continues his climb up the rankings, moving to 61^st place and yet another career-high position on the OWGR.

Also playing in the same event was Gunn Charoenkul from Thailand who by finishing tied-eight posted his third consecutive top-10 on the Japan Tour and moves to a career-high rank of 265^th.

Thailand’s golf star Kiradech Aphibarnrat thinks he has found the secret to a winning breakthrough on the PGA TOUR – he needs to get out of his own way

Pebble Beach, California, June 12: Thailand’s golf star Kiradech Aphibarnrat thinks he has found the secret to a winning breakthrough on the PGA TOUR – he needs to get out of his own way.

The 29-year-old Asian strongman tees up in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Thursday feeling confident he can secure a maiden victory on American soil very soon.

“The game is feeling better and better. Swing feels good, results are better and I can see improvements,” said Kiradech, who is ranked 61^st on the FedExCup Points List.

“I go into tournaments now with ambition. I know we’re good enough to win. Before I was thinking of making cuts. Now I want to make history.”

He has played once previously on Pebble Beach, which also hosts the AT&T National Pro-Am, and remembers he endured a forgetful week.

Sentosa, Singapore, June 11: Six of the most promising players from the Asian Tour have set their sights on mounting a strong challenge at the 119th edition of the U.S. Open which tees off at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Thursday.