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Tour announces new venue for Panasonic Open India


Published on May 14, 2019

Gurgaon, India, May 14: The highly acclaimed US$400,000 Panasonic Open India will move to the Classic Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon when it returns to the Asian Tour for its ninth consecutive edition from November 14 to 17.

Dubbed as one of India’s finest courses, the Classic Golf and Country Club is the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in South Asia and it comprises of an 18-Hole Signature Championship Course as well as a 9-Hole Signature Canyon Course.

It also witnessed a slice of history in 2009 when Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat recorded the world’s lowest 72-hole score with a 32-under-par to win the third of his four Asian Tour titles then.

The then 25-year-old Thai had opened his campaign with two consecutive 10-under-par 62s before signing for a third-round 65 and a final-round 67, thanks to a closing birdie which helped him claim a commanding 11-shot victory.

Prior to hosting its first Asian Tour event in 2009, the Classic Golf and Country Club was home to the prestigious Indian Open in 2000 and 2001. Over the past few years, it has also played host to several tournaments on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

The Panasonic Open India, staged previously at the Delhi Golf Club, celebrated worthy champions in Anirban Lahiri (2011), Digvijay Singh (2012), Australian Wade Ormsby (2013), S.S.P. Chawrasia (2014), Chiragh Kumar (2015), Mukesh Kumar (2016), Shiv Kapur (2017) and Khalin Joshi (2018).

It is also known to have jumpstarted the careers for many leading Indian players such as Lahiri. Since winning the inaugural edition, Lahiri has gone on to win six more titles and was crowned the 2014 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion. He is currently plying his trade on the PGA Tour.

Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are very excited to return to The Classic Golf and Country Club for the ninth staging of the Panasonic Open India this year. It has been 10 long years since we last held an event on that course and to head back to a course where our member Chapchai set a world record is really exciting news for us.

“Since its inauguration in 2011, the Panasonic Open India has produced many worthy champions over the years. We hope that we can continue to unearth new talents through this event,” Cho added.

B.Hariharan , Managing Director of Landbase India Limited which owns and operates the Signature Golf  Course, said: “We are delighted that the prestigious Panasonic Open India is being staged at the Classic Golf and Country Club and we look forward to working with key stakeholders to make this a memorable event.”

Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the tournament continues to form part of the unique Panasonic Swing, an aggregate point race that spans five events where players have an opportunity to shoot for a share of the lucrative bonus pool.

India’s Shiv Kapur topped the inaugural 2017/18 Panasonic Swing ranking with total points of 2922.90, thanks largely to his victory at the Panasonic Open India, which was his first Asian Tour victory on home soil and second win in 2017.

Kapur went on to win his fourth Asian Tour title at the Royal Cup in Thailand one month later and became the first and only player to win three times on the region’s premier Tour that season.

The Panasonic Open India has been dominated by Indians since its inception. Australian Wade Ormsby remains the only non-Indian player to have won the tournament when he emerged victorious in 2013.

Ends.


Published on May 13, 2019

Sentosa, Singapore, May 13: Korean-American Micah Lauren Shin was thrilled to rediscover his best form as he broke into the top-10 on the latest Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after capping a noteworthy joint runner-up finish at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup on Sunday.

Shin, who claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough in 2017, had endured an uncharacteristic run of poor form prior to his fine showing at the Sobu Country Club in Japan. He missed the halfway cut twice and has never finish inside top-60 in five starts since the start of the season.

With his father on the bag last week, Shin found himself leading by two shots at the halfway stage after opening with rounds of 71 and 67 at the JPY150,000,000 (US$1,338,000) event, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

A pair of closing 72s, however, saw the 22-year-old Shin settle for a share of second place alongside local amateur Ren Yonezawa on two-under-par 282, just a shot behind Yosuke Asaji of Japan, who closed with a 72 to claim his first professional title.

Despite missing out on his second Tour victory, Shin took pride in his confidence-boosting finish which marked his best result since his victory in Manila in 2017 and propelled him to a career-high seventh place on the Merit rankings, thanks to a current haul of US$162,231.

“It’s disappointing to miss out on the win of course but I really tired my best to catch him (Asaji). I haven’t been playing well lately and I needed a result like this to boost my confidence,” said Shin, who has been based in Davao City, Philippines with his father for more than half a decade.

“But I know I have the game to do well so hopefully, this is the start of better things to come,” added the young talent, who came through the Qualifying School in 2017 before going on to claim his breakthrough win at the Resorts World Manila Masters the same year.

Shin’s maiden win in the Philippines held extra significance as it came after the then 20-year-old called a ruling on himself on the opening hole of the final round and was penalised two strokes for having 15 clubs in the bag.

His two-year winner’s exemption ends this season but Shin has virtually retained his card for 2020 as he is likely to finish inside top-60 on the final Order of Merit following his tied-second finish in Japan.

Zimbabwean Scott Vincent recorded his second top-10 result this season after battling to a 72 to finish three shots back in tied-sixth place. He would move up a spot to eighth position on the money list, where Australian Scott Hend continues to lead on US$527,530.

Thailand’s rising star Jazz Janewattananond, who will be making his debut appearance at the PGA Championship this week, remains in second place with US$471,295 while Korea’s Taehee Lee took third on US$266,798.

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

1. Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94

2. Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $471,295.40

3. Taehee LEE (KOR) $266,798.00

4. Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67

5. Zach MURRAY (AUS) $197,444.91

6. Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $167,216.73

7. Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $162,231.17

8. Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $142,062.24

9. David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

10. Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00

11. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $91,980.10

12. Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11

13. Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $81,777.54

14. Berry HENSON (USA) $78,774.09

15. S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12

16. Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19

17. Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84

18. Jarin TODD (USA) $68,128.75

19. Paul PETERSON (USA) $67,402.25

20. Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $62,607.25

For full listing, please click here. 

Ends.


Published on

Dallas, Texas, May 13: Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat bounced back from a recent knee injury by closing with a flawless seven-under-par 64 to finish in a share of fifth place at the PGA TOUR’s AT&T Byron Nelson on Sunday.

Kiradech, the first player from Thailand to earn full playing rights on the PGA Tour, marked his third top-five finish of the 2018/19 season after compiling a four-day total of 17-under-par 267, four shots back of winner Sung Kang of Korea, at the Trinity Forest Golf Club.

The 29-year-old Thai, who came in tied-third at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship in February, had unfortunately tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) when he made his third appearance at The Masters last month.

South African Justin Harding, who won twice on both the Asian Tour and Sunshine Tour in 2018 before securing his maiden European Tour title two months ago, recorded his first top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR after signing for a 65 to grab a share of 10th place on 268.

It was only his 10th career start on the PGA Tour. The 33-year-old Harding stole the show in his dream Masters debut last month where he finished tied-12th to earn a return invite to Augusta National in 2020.

Kiradech and Harding would move to 41st and 42nd place respectively on the latest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), courtesy of their strong outings in Texas last week.

Ends.


Published on May 12, 2019

Chiba prefecture, Japan, May 12: Japan’s Yosuke Asaji capped an unforgettable week when he held his nerve to win the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup by one shot on Mother’s Day at the Sobu Country Club on Sunday.

With his mother and wife following him throughout the final round, Asaji, who earned his spot by topping the Monday Qualifiers, kept his composure as he held on to his overnight lead to eventually close with a one-over-par 72.

Asaji’s winning total of three-under-par 281 also earned him a spot at The 148th Open which will be held at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland in July.

The Japanese was chasing his first professional victory and admitted he also had a stroke of luck with his closest rivals failing to dislodge him from the leaderboard’s summit.

Micah Lauren Shin of the United States tried to surmount a late charge but dropped three shots in his inward-nine and had to settle for a share of second place with Japanese amateur Ren Yonezawa.

New Zealand’s Danzel Ieremia and Korea’s Y.E. Yang were tied for fourth while Zimbabwean Scott Vincent secured another top-10 by sharing sixth place with Korea’s Dongkyu Jang.

The Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup was the Asian Tour’s first stop in Japan this season and second of four co-sanctioned events with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.

Did you know?

  • Yosuke Asaji turned professional in 2012. Prior to his breakthrough, his best result at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup came in 2017 when he finished tied-10th.
  • Asaji secured a spot at this week’s Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup when he topped the Monday Qualifiers where three spots were allocated for this week’s event.
  • Micah Lauren Shin is based in Davao and came through Qualifying School in 2017. He made his breakthrough that same year when he won the Resorts World Manila Masters.
  • Shin’s tournament winner’s exemption ends this season and he needs to finish inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit to keep his card.
  • Shin’s tied-second finish this week was his best result since his victory in Manila in 2017. His previous best results after his breakthrough were two top-10s in Hong Kong in 2017 and 2018.
  • In 2012, Lu Wei-chih underwent brain surgery to remove a non-malignant tumour which put him out of action for close to a year.
  • Although he posted only one top-10 in the subsequent seasons upon his return, Lu was simply relieved he could compete again after his major health scare.
  • All of Lu’s four victories on the Asian Tour have come from home soil in Chinese Taipei.
  • It was another top-10 finish for Scott Vincent after finishing fourth in Perth earlier this year.
  • Vincent came through Qualifying School in 2016. He did not miss a single cut in six tournaments that year and in 2017, he notched three top-three results to finish in 17th place on the Merit rankings to retain his playing rights.
  • He finished fifth on the Habitat for Humanity Standings in 2018, thanks to nine top-10 results – the most number of top-10s made by a player without a win last season.

Ends.


Published on May 7, 2019

With lucrative events such as WGCs and Majors looming, the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) becomes all important. Here we follow the Asian Tour players that are making a charge up the rankings and their quest to play their way into these events via the OWGR.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, currently ranked number 43 on the OWGR is already eligible for all the above events.

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional

 

Last week’s dual events, the Volvo China Open and The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship, both provided some Sunday play-off drama and worthy champions.

At Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen Mikko Korhonen of Finland defeated France’s Benjamin Hebert on the first extra hole with a birdie. With this win Korhonen goes to number 84 from 121, a new career-high ranking for him.

The Namseoul Country Club in Seoul saw local favourite Taehee Lee win a hard-fought battle against recent Asian Development Tour (ADT) graduate Janne Kaske of Finland on the third play-off hole, also by making a birdie. Lee rises to a new career-high OWGR ranking of 299 from 545, while Kaske improves his position to 518 from 801.

Of the players in position to gain access to the upcoming Majors via the OWGR, Justin Harding, Jazz Janewattananond and Shaun Norris all received Special Invitations for the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black next week by being inside the top 100 at the cut-off date May 5th.

In addition to the players above, Asian Tour members Kurt Kitayama and David Lipsky were also given Invitations to the second Major of the year even though they were outside of the top-100 at the deadline.

  • Justin Harding (RSA)

 

Harding had a week off tournament golf and remains at number 45 this week. Having already locked up his place in the PGA Championship for the second consecutive year, he also has a very good chance to secure an exemption to the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links June 13 to 16.

 

The qualifying criteria for OWGR exemptions is to be inside the top-60 by either May 20th or June 10th, the two cut-off dates, and Harding looks very likely to secure one of these spots.

 

  • Jazz Janewattananond (THA)

Finishing in tied-19th place at the Volvo China Open, Jazz picks up 1.42 OWGR points and rises two places in the rankings to number 70 from 72 last week, tying his previous career high rank.

The next important step on the OWGR for him will be breaking into the top-60 for an exemption into the US Open Championship.

Jazz is not playing this week, opting instead to spend the time to get ready for the PGA Championship. A good finish there with all the OWGR points it has on offer would go a long way towards a top-60 ranking in time for the cut-off dates.

 

  • Shaun Norris (RSA)

Currently ranked number 98 on the OWGR thanks to a very strong 2018 season that included a win in the Heiwa PGM Championship on the Japan Tour, and 11 other top 10s around the world.

Norris managed to stay just inside the top-100 at the cut-off date for the PGA Championship despite missing the cut at last week’s Volvo China Open.

This will be Norris’s first start in a Major on US soil, and he is not playing this week’s Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup in preparation for next week.

 

  • Kurt Kitayama (USA)

Missing the cut at the Volvo China Open Kitayama slides four places in the rankings to 110 from 106 last week, however he still received a Special Invitation to next week’s PGA Championship which will be the first Major of his career.

Kitayama will be playing the British Masters Hosted by Tommy Fleetwood on the European Tour this week.

 

  • David Lipsky (USA)

A tied-fifth place in China last week means Lipsky moves up five spots in the OWGR rankings to 115 from 120 the previous week. He has been playing very good golf since his win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last December, with back-to-back top-five results in his last two events and a tied-10th in the WGC-Mexico Championship earlier in February.

Like Kitayama above, he also received a Special Invitation to next week’s PGA Championship even though he was outside the top-100 at the cut-off date and it will be his first start in this Major Championship.

Lipsky will also be playing the British Masters in Southport, England this week.


Published on

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional 

This week we are in Japan for the prestigious Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup, held for the first time at Sobu Country Club in Chiba prefecture an hour east of Tokyo.

The second co-sanctioned event in 2019 with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) following the SMBC Singapore Open, and the first of the year on Japanese soil, this event used to be played in September and has been co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour since 2014.

Last year’s event was won by Japanese star player Yuta Ikeda in comfortable fashion, as he finished six shots ahead of South Africa’s Justin Harding on a 15-under-par 269 total.

The defending champion is coming off a solid tournament in China last week where he finished tied-11th, and he has had four other top-10s on the Japan Tour since his victory at this event last September.

While Ikeda’s Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) of 119 is not as high as it was in early 2017 when he hit a career high of number 33, he is nevertheless always a force to be reckoned with when playing in Japan.

He would love to be the first player to defend this title since the legendary Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki did so in 1996-1997.

There are a number of other players in-form and aiming to come out on top this week, and among those the ones below all have strong cases as to why they should be considered top contenders:

 

  • Shugo Imahira (JPN)

The reigning Japan Tour Order of Merit Champion finished second at The Crowns last week on the Japan Tour and is obviously in good form. He had a staggering 14 top-ten finishes last year and will be looking to keep this pace in 2019.

Currently ranked number 71 on the OWGR which is the highest in the field.

 

  • Brendan Jones (AUS)

The winner of the Token Hommate Cup three weeks ago on the Japan Tour, Jones is referred to as the “King of Japan” by his fellow Australian players. No surprise, given his record in Japan which includes 15 victories going all the way back to 2002.

The leading player on the current Japan Tour Order of Merit, Jones also had a good 2018 season which included nine top-10 finishes and placed him seventh on the Order of Merit.

Currently ranked number 100 on the OWGR.

 

  • Sanghyun Park (KOR)

Last year’s Asian Tour Rookie of the Year looks to have his game in a good place at the moment, coming into this week with a fourth and tied-fourth finish in his last two events, at The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the Token Hommate Cup respectively.

Park’s impressive 2018 season saw three victories (GS Caltex Maekyung Open, KEB Hana Bank Invitational and the Shinhan Donghae Open) and 11 top-10s in total on the Asian Tour, Korean Tour and Japan Tour.

With his game trending in the right direction, another win could be right around the corner for the OWGR number 131.

 

  • Masahiro Kawamura (JPN)

Spreading his play between the Asian Tour, European Tour and Japan Tour in 2019, Kawamura has shown great form as of late with a runner-up in the Hero Indian Open, a tied-sixth result at the Trophee Hassan II and tied-15th at the Maybank Championship.

During his 2018 campaign he racked up eight top-10s on different tours and ended the season 24th on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, and 19th on the Japan Tour Order of Merit.

His lone victory came at the co-sanctioned 2013 Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, and it would not be surprising to see him lift a trophy again soon.

Kawamura is sitting in 137th place on the OWGR this week.

 

  • Junggon Hwang (KOR)

Finishing tied-third last week at The Crowns, the current OWGR number 204 also had a good finish to the 2018 season with two straight top 10s finishing tied-second in the Nippon Series JT Cup and seventh at the Casio World Open.

Having won three tournaments previously on the Japan Tour, the Casio World Open (2015 & 2012) and the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open (2011), Hwang will be looking to get back in the winner’s circle once again.

 

  • Prom Meesawat (THA)

Prom is coming off two good tournaments in a row where he finished seventh at last week’s Maekyung Open, and the winner at the Butra Heidelberg Cement Brunei Championships on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) the previous week.

Add to that a win at the Singha Thailand Masters on the All Thailand Golf Tour and a tied-fifth place at the SMBC Singapore Open (which qualified him for The Open Championship) and you could definitely call this a successful season so far.

The OWGR number 241 last won on the Asian Tour in 2014 and his next victory on the main Tour does not seem to be far off.

 


Published on May 6, 2019

Sentosa, Singapore, May 6: Finland’s Janne Kaske took a great leap on the Habitat for Humanity standings after marking his best result on the Asian Tour at The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Sunday.

Despite missing out on his breakthrough victory, Kaske took solace in his runner-up finish as it propelled him to seventh place on the Merit rankings and allowed him to virtually secure his playing rights for the 2020 season.

The 32-year-old Finnish held up admirably through 72 holes of regulation play to force extra time with Korea’s Taehee Lee on a nine-under-par 275 total.

The duo went head-to-head till the third play-off hole, held on the par-four 18th, where Kaske was eventually eliminated after a bad break left him with a difficult approach to the green while Lee prevailed with a birdie putt from six feet.

“We kept giving our chances away. I hit a good drive on the third play-off hole but landed in a sandy divot. I had a terrible lie and I couldn’t get in contact with the ball but Lee hit it nicely from the fairway to birdie the hole and win the tournament.

“It looked like I was going to win it pretty easily at some point. But then I started to make stupid mistakes and it looked like he was going to win it. I think we switched the lead about five times in the last hour,” said Kaske, who took home a prize purse of US$106,719.

After missing the mark in his second attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2015, Kaske decided to switch his focus to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) where he would claim two victories that year.

Kaske grinded it out on the region’s secondary circuit for three years before a solid season of eight top-10 finishes led him to finish in fifth place on the 2018 ADT Order of Merit and secure his Asian Tour card for the 2019 season.

With his foot firmly on the gas pedal, Kaske will make another attempt at a breakthrough victory at the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup, which gets underway at the Sobu Country Club in Japan this week.

“This result should help me keep my card for next year as well. Obviously, I would have loved to win but my goal for this year was to keep my card so I’ll take the second-place finish.

“It was good to give myself a chance but I don’t know what to say right now. I can’t analyse this anymore, it is still a good result for me and my best result on the Asian Tour so far,” added Kaske.

Young Thai talent Jazz Janewattananond was pleased to inch closer to Merit leader Scott Hend, as he took home US$31,701 thanks to his tied-19th finish at the Volvo China Open.

Australian Hend, who came in tied-65th in China, now leads by US$56,235 over Jazz with his current haul of US$527,531 on the money list.

“My goal this week was to get my momentum going before the PGA Championship because I haven’t been playing that well lately and I feel I can do better. I missed the cut in India by one shot so that was not fun. But I made the cut this week and I need momentum like that to be on form,” said Jazz, who will make his debut at the PGA Championship next week.

After capping a successful week with two events in China and Korea, the Asian Tour will head to Japan for the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup this week.

The event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), will see a talented field of 144 players vying for a prize purse of ¥150,000,000 (US$1,338,000) at the Sobu Country Club from May 9 to 12.

Ends.

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

1 Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94

2 Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $471,295.40

3 Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67

4 Zach MURRAY (AUS) $197,444.91

5 Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $158,720.00

6 David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

7 Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00

8 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $91,980.10

9 Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $90,546.66

10 Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11

11 Berry HENSON (USA) $78,774.09

12 S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12

13 Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19

14 Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84

15 Paul PETERSON (USA) $67,402.25

16 Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $63,000.00

17 Jarin TODD (USA) $62,241.25

18 Gavin GREEN (MAL) $61,189.13

19 Ben CAMPBELL (NZL) $55,648.48

20 Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) $55,108.36


Published on May 5, 2019

Seongnam, Korea, May 5: Korea’s Taehee Lee successfully retained the trophy on home soil after prevailing on the third extra hole to complete a wire-to-wire victory and claim his first Asian Tour title at The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Sunday.

Lee, who shared the overnight four-shot lead with Finland’s Janne Kaske, was locked in a tight battle with the Finnish throughout the day as they closed with matching even-par 71s to tie on nine-under-par 275 after the end of regulation play at the Namseoul Country Club.

It was a birdie from six feet on the 75th hole that sealed the deal for Lee as Kaske was left to rue a bad break on the 18th fairway after his drive found a divot and his second shot would end up 20 yards short of the green. Kaske eventually three-putted for a double-bogey.

Lee took home a winner’s prize purse of US$266,798, thanks to his victory in the KR₩1,200,000,000 (approx. US$1,067,000) event, which is celebrating its 38th edition this week. It is his first Maekyung Open title and also his third professional victory on home soil.

The duo had made respective double-bogeys and bogeys on the first two holes of the play-off, held on the 433-yard par-four 18th hole, before officials made a rare decision to change to a relatively easier pin position on the green.

Lee got off to a quick start with two birdies in his opening four holes while Kaske reeled in four straight pars. Kaske sank his first birdie of the day on fifth to move within one before turning the table around on the seventh after holing an amazing second shot from 120 yards out for an eagle-two.

It was a three-shot swing for Kaske as he took over the two-shot lead from Lee, who dropped a shot on the same hole. Kaske would go on to drop a shot on the ninth but recovered well with a birdie on 12 after knocking his second shot from the right rough to about two-feet.

However, another bogey on the 14th saw him slip back into a share of lead again with Lee, who chipped in for birdie on the par-five hole. The duo went neck and neck coming down the stretch, both dropping shots on 16 and 17.

An errant drive from Kaske on the 72nd hole saw his second shot from the fairway bunker land just short right of the green. His chip from the fringe came up about 18 feet short the hole on this extremely difficult green. However, Kaske held his nerves and made that clutch putt to ensure his place in the sudden play-off.

Korea’s Daehyun Kim returned with the day’s best score of a 65 to take third place on 276 while last year’s winner Sanghyun Park settled three shots back in fourth following a second consecutive 69 at the storied event.

Thai star Prom Meesawat battled to a 68 to take seventh place on 280 while compatriot Phachara Khongwatmai improved his tied-12th finish last year by signing for a 73 to settle a further shot back in joint-eighth at the event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association.

Did you know?

  • Taehee Lee trained under Korean legend Sangho Choi, a two-time winner of the Maekyung Open, at the Namseoul Country Club from 2003 to 2010.
  • Lee entered the week on the back of a tied-sixth place result on his domestic circuit. Also enjoyed a solid season in 2018, claiming one victory and four top-10 finishes on his domestic circuit.
  • Lee won the Genesis Championship in 2018 for his second professional victory. That win earned him two starts on the PGA Tour – The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges last October and the Genesis Open in February earlier this year.
  • The 34-year-old Lee claimed his first career victory in 2015. He came in tied-55th at the 2018 Maekyung Open. Lee ensured that the trophy is kept on home soil following his victory. No foreigner has won the event since 2005.
  • Janne Kaske, who turned professional in 2011, won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2015. He is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand.
  • Off the course, Kaske is an avid guitarist. He is also a graduate of the Augusta State University, where he played in the same team alongside Patrick Reed for a semester before graduating.
  • Kaske would mark his best result on the Asian Tour with his runner-up finish at the 2019 Maekyung Open. His fine performance also propelled him to seventh place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, where he would have virtually sealed his card for the 2020 season.
  • He notched a total of eight top-10 finishes on the ADT last year to finish in fifth place on the Order of Merit, thereby earning his playing rights on the Asian Tour for 2019.
  • Kaske failed to make the mark in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2012. He returned for another shot in 2015, where he would top the class in the first stage but missed the grade in the final stage. Kaske, however, started plying his trade on the ADT that year and captured two titles.
  • He continued to ply his trade on the ADT in 2016, 2017 and 2018 after missing consecutive attempts at the Qualifying School. A solid season on the ADT in 2018 finally earned him playing rights on the Asian Tour in 2019.
  • Prom Meesawat is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He first won in Korea in 2006 before claiming his second victory in Chinese Taipei in 2014.
  • He would mark his second top-10 result on the Asian Tour this season with his seventh-place finish in Korea.

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