OWGR Watch- Post Kolon Korea Open Week
Sentosa, Singapore, June 26: Last week’s Kolon Korean Open turned out to be a big event for one of Asian Tour’s fastest rising stars, and we also had members in the fields at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and the BMW International Open on the European Tour.
The Asian Tour looks into their movement on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
The breakout star of the 2019 Asian Tour season, Jazz Janewattanond, did not disappoint his fans and followers by securing a one-stroke victory at the challenging Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Korea last week.
After three solid rounds of 70, 67 and 69, Jazz found himself in the lead by two shots on seven-under-par over Songgyu Yoo of Korea on Saturday night. However, sleeping on a lead is never easy as Jazz himself admitted after the tournament.
After getting off to a great start on Sunday by being three-under-par through the first seven holes, and at one point ahead by five shots, victory seemed all but certain going into the back-nine.
The 11th hole at Woo Jeong Hills would almost prove to be his nemesis. A converted par-five playing as a par-four, it was the most difficult hole of the week at an average of 4.46, almost half a stroke over par. After a visit to the lake located left of the green with his approach, compounded by a three-putt from long range, the resulting triple-bogey by Jazz meant his lead was now cut to a single shot over Innchoon Hwang who at that time was two-under-par for the day.
The next seven holes was now going to be a grind instead of coasting in for the win. The kind of finish that can either produce some scar-tissue in case of a blown big-lead or provide a confidence-boost by recovering from a near-fatal miscue.
Instead of the former, Jazz buckled down and made clutch putts for par down the stretch, especially on the difficult 16th and 17th, and could go into the par-five 18th with a one-shot lead although he did not know it at the time.
After a drive into the left rough and a well-positioned lay-up shot, Jazz hit a perfect short wedge up to just below the hole. With a two-putt par from five feet on the 72nd hole jazz had secured his second Asian Tour win of the season, regained his lead on the Order of Merit, and risen to yet another career high of 52nd from last week’s 62nd on the OWGR.
Jazz now has four more weeks to break into the top-50 on the OWGR for an invitation to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational July 25-28th at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. He is scheduled to play in the Dunlop SRIXON Fukushima Open on the Japan Tour (JGTO) this week, followed by the Japan PGA Championship and a week off ahead of The Open.
Justin Harding of South Africa did not play last week and slides to 49th from 47th on the latest list. He is not playing this week but has signed up for the following two weeks of Rolex Series events on the European Tour, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, leading up the The Open next month.
He will need to remain inside the top-50 following The Open to secure a spot in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat missed the cut at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and lost two places on the OWGR. He has fallen outside of the top-50 for the first time since February last year and is ranked 51st, one spot ahead of his countryman Jazz this week.
Like Harding, Kiradech is also taking this week off before the Rolex Series events and The Open, and will have a good chance to regain lost ground in the upcoming weeks.
At the BMW International, Kurt Kitayama and David Lipsky finished 21st and 26th respectively and moved to 105th and 122nd on the OWGR.
More importantly, they secured their places at The Open by being among the top five players not already exempt inside the top-20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings following the event in Munich.
Sentosa, Singapore June 24: Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continued his ascend in the world of golf with yet another winning performance at the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship over the weekend.
The 23-year-old displayed the maturity and composure of a seasoned professional to win his fourth and second Asian Tour title of the year to regain his position atop the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings and also elevated his status to a career-high of 52nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Jazz’s victory at the Kolon Korea Open saw him become the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance since American Rickie Fowler won their National Open in 2011.
It also allowed him to move back to the number one spot on the Order of Merit after being overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won the Maybank Championship in Malaysia in March.
It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
“I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle,” said Jazz.
At 14 years and 71 days, Jazz already began to show the world glimpse of his raw talent when he became the youngest-ever player to make the halfway cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok.
He may have faced several roadblocks in his career including finishing outside the top-60 on the Order of Merit in 2016 and missing the grade at the 2017 Asian Tour Qualifying School.
But the young Thai has shown great resilience by bouncing back each time the odds were stacked against him.
He got his career back on track with a morale-boosting win at the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open in 2017 and has gone on to win at least once every year since then.
Jazz savoured a home victory at the Queen’s Cup in 2018 before lifting the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open trophy in January this year.
“I guess those setbacks helped in my game as you need them to bring out success,” said Jazz.
Apart from raking up four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a remarkable tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month which was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
A borrowed putter from Zimbabwean Scott Vincent also proved to be his magical wand. He enjoyed back-to-back top-five finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks before tasting success again in the Land of the Morning Calm.
“I’ve been using this long putter since two weeks ago in Japan where I came in tied-third. This is not my putter. I borrowed it from Scott Vincent. I am feeling very good with it so I don’t have any plans on returning it to him now,” laughed Jazz.
Vincent, who secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 at the Kolon Korea Open, meanwhile remains in ninth place on the money list and is pleased his generosity has been one of the catalyst for allowing Jazz to orchestrate all the right moves lately.
“Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him,” said the Zimbabwean, who claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour a fortnight ago,
Jazz, along with a host of leading players from the Asian Tour, will be back in action at The 148th Open which will be held at Royal Portrush from July 18-21.
Ends.
Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings
Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)
1 Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $738,093.21
2 Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94
3 Taehee LEE (KOR) $274,023.14
4 Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $272,638.11
5 Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67
6 Zach MURRAY (AUS) $204,670.05
7 Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $174,441.87
8 Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $164,552.31
9 Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $159,882.11
10 David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79
11 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $109,799.97
12 Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00
13 Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $104,405.57
14 Berry HENSON USA) $104,342.21
15 Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11
16 Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $87,433.65
17 S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12
18 Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19
19 Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $71,906.58
20 Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Rising star Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand held his nerves to claim his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Sunday.
Jazz, who extended his overnight two-shot lead to five after sinking three birdies in his opening seven holes, overcame a wild triple-bogey on the par-four 11th hole and a bogey on 14th to become the first foreign winner of the prestigious event since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
The 23-year-old Jazz signed for a closing one-over-par 72 to win by one shot over Korea’s Innchoon Hwang with a six-under-par 278 total in the KRW 1,200 million (approximately US$1,067,000) event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA).
Despite missing out on his second Asian Tour victory, Hwang took pride in his runner-up result, which not only marked his best finish in his National Open but also earned him a coveted spot at The Open next month where he will be making his Major debut.
He will be heading to Royal Portrush with compatriot Dongkyu Jang, who closed with a 72 to finish tied-fourth in the event, which offered two spots to The Open to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) finishing in the top-eight and ties as part of The Open Qualifying Series.
American Chan Kim, who played on a sponsor’s invitation, marked his best efforts of the week with a closing 68 to settle two shots back of Jazz in third place while Korea’s Minjoon Kim matched his final round efforts to grab a share of fourth on 281.
The second qualifying spot went to Jang, thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) than Kim.
Did you know?
- Jazz Janewattananond is the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance to win the Kolon Korea Open since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
- He is also the second Thai player, following Thongchai Jaidee in 2000, to triumph in the National Open of Korea, which is celebrating its 62nd edition this week.
- Jazz claimed his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the Kolon Korea Open. He won his third title at the season-opener in Singapore earlier in January.
- 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.
- In his four victories on Tour, three were secured in National Opens – Bangladesh (2017), Singapore (2019) and Korea (2019).
- Jazz had won his last three events using three different putting styles – claw, armlock and broomstick.
- With this win, Jazz is expected to claim another career-high position on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Currently ranked 62nd, Jazz could reach as high as 52nd place in the world when the new standings are released on Monday.
- This victory also helped Jazz regain his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit as he takes home a winner’s prize purse of KRW 300,000,000 (approx. US$266,800). He had held the Merit lead after winning the Singapore Open in January but slipped to second after he was overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won in Malaysia in March. Hend did not make the halfway cut in Korea.
- Jazz is using a long putter which he borrowed from good friend Scott Vincent in Japan two weeks ago. He used it in the tournament that week and enjoyed a tied-third place finish.
- According to Jazz, the switch to a long putter was inspired largely by Justin Harding of South Africa, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour in 2018.
- Jazz has been enjoying a great run of form since winning in Singapore. Apart from notching four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month. It was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
- Enjoyed back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks to move to 61st place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on June 10 but unfortunately failed to qualify for the U.S. Open after missing the cut-off mark by one rung.
- By virtue of his victory in Singapore, Jazz has qualified for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush, where he will make his second straight appearance next month.
- A boost in his world ranking, thanks to his success in Korea, will also put him closer to breaking top-50 on the OWGR and qualify for the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational next month. Jazz needs to be inside the top-50 on the OWGR on either July 15th or July 22nd for an invitation to the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
- It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
- Innchoon Hwang is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. He won on home soil in 2008.
- He will make his Major debut at The Open at Royal Portrush next month, thanks to his runner-up finish.
- Hwang has also won five times on the Korean Tour and the most recent win came at the K.J. Choi Invitational in 2017.
- His previous best finish at the Kolon Korea Open is tied-12th in 2016 and 2018.
- Hwang turned professional in 2002 at the age of 27.
- Chan Kim, 29, is a former member of the Asian Tour. He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2013.
- He’s playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week. Did not play last year because he was injured.
- Came in runner-up at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour at the beginning of the month. Earned his spot at The Open next month.
- He was crowned the Order of Merit champion on the Japan Golf Tour in 2017, thanks to three wins.
- Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 to grab a share of 10th place on 285.
- He has not missed a single cut in seven starts on the Asian Tour so far this season.
- Vincent claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour last week.
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Innchoon Hwang and Dongkyu Jang have secured their places in The 148th Open after qualifying at the KOLON Korea Open.
The KOLON Korea Open was played at Woo Jeong Hill Country Club in Cheonan and was the seventh event in The Open Qualifying Series, which gives golfers around the world opportunities to book their place at Royal Portrush from 14-21 July 2019.
Two places were available to the leading players who finished in the top 8 and ties and who were not already exempt.
Jazz Janewattananond, who was already exempt from qualifying for The Open after winning the SMBC Singapore Open in January, lifted his fourth title on the Asian Tour after topping the leaderboard on a six-under-par total of 278.
Hwang will make his debut in The Open and first major championship appearance after finishing runner-up one stroke behind Janewattananond on a five-under-par total of 279. The Korean, who has five professional wins including the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on the Asian Tour, carded a one-under-par round of 70 that included three birdies to clinch the first available qualifying place.
Chan Kim finished in third place on four-under-par for the championship and had already qualified for The Open, meaning that the second qualifying spot went to Jang thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking than Minjoon Kim.
The Korean pair finished in a tie for fourth place on a three-under-par total of 281 but it will be Jang, who last qualified to play in golf’s original championship at Royal Liverpool after winning the 2014 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open, who will take his place in the starting field at Royal Portrush next month.
The next two events in The Open Qualifying Series are the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation in Spain and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the United States of America. Both events are being played from 27-30 June.
Photo Credit: The R&A/Getty Images
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDxaBQv1LFY[/embedyt]
Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 278 (-6)
I’m really honoured to win the National Open of Korea. This is a really tough course. I got away with most of it but still struggled towards the end. I got off to a good start today and I was like flying until that triple-bogey.
It has happened to me earlier at the PGA Championship. I was playing well on the front nine as well. The exact same thing happened. I made the same easy mistake to make a big number and couldn’t recover. I thought I learned well from my experience at the PGA Championship.
I told myself not to think about it and just keep moving forward. Made another bogey on 14 unfortunately but I told myself to just grind it out and try not to make anymore big numbers. The course is really hard. I got away at the end of the day but not unscathed.
There aren’t many scoreboards out there but I knew I had a one-shot lead heading into the last because someone shouted. I knew I just need to make a par there but then I was thinking he might make birdie so I hit my driver down anyway.
I hit it in the rough though but I saw he miss the putt when I stood in the rough. Then I told myself to lay up now, hit it close but didn’t make that birdie putt unfortunately. I knew from the start that Rickie Fowler was the last foreigner to win this tournament in 2011.
It’s really a huge honour to win the National Open of Korea and become the next one after Rickie. It just shows how strong the players on the Korean Tour are. I did feel the nerves out there, especially after that triple-bogey. I didn’t know what was going on for a moment.
I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle.
Innchoon Hwang (Kor) – Final round 70 (-1), Total 279 (-5)
The main goal for today was to win the tournament of course. I tried my best and the end result is a runner-up finish. I am happy with my result and I am excited to go to The Open Championship next month. I’m really looking forward to playing at Royal Portrush.
The Open was a championship I grew up watching on television and always wanted to play in so to qualify today is unbelievable. It’s a great honour to be playing in my first major championship and it is something that all golfers dream about.
Chan Kim (Kor) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 280 (-4)
It was a tough round. There are a lot of tough pins out there. To be honest, the conditions are better. The roughs aren’t that long so you can actually get it on the greens or somewhere close. The key for this week was to be able to get up and down. Whoever can do that will do well.
I made a few good par-saves today. On the 11th, after making a bogey on 10th, I chipped it to about seven-feet and made that. Hit a good shot from the rough on 12th and made a five-footer for birdie there. Made a few more putts after that which was nice.
The game’s been feeling good. It’s nice to secure another top-three finish. Hopefully I can get a win soon.
Dongkyu Jang (Kor) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 281 (-3)
I last played in The Open in 2014 when I won the Mizuno Open and back then I didn’t really know what to expect from links golf but I am sure that the experience will count in may favour at Royal Portrush and I’m really looking forward to it.
I’m also looking forward to playing in front of the Irish fans who are very passionate about golf and who hopefully will give me lots of support when I play there.
Scott Vincent (Zim) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 285 (+1)
I played well today. I did so many things well, a lot better than how I did the last three days. I hit nine fairways today and that gave me some opportunities to attack the pins, instead of playing defensive.
It was nice to hit that many fairways and make a good score from there. It’s good to finish the week with a good round. Coming off a victory in Japan, I had a few high expectations so it was great to play well.
The course is very tough this week as you can see from the scores. You knew it was going to play tough so you just had to get your mind right before you start the day.
Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him.
Munich, Germany, June 22: India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar sank a spectacular ace at the European Tour’s BMW International Open and won himself a new BMW M8 Coupé, which is slated to make its official world premiere next week.
Bhullar, a nine-time Asian Tour winner, holed a six-iron from 196 yards to win the incredible €194,000 car, which was on offer to the first player to ace the 17th hole at the Golfclub München Eichenried.
The 31-year-old Indian would go on to sign for a second round one-under-par 71 and grab a share of 25th place on four-under-par 140 total, seven shots behind leader Martin Kaymer of Germany.
“This is my second hole-in-one in a professional golf tournament,” said Bhullar. “Before starting this year, I discussed with my caddy one of my dreams, I said I need to make at least one hole-in-one and choose the right one.
“I am glad we made that commitment. It is a great moment. BMWs are some of my favourite cars and I would love to drive that car,” added Bhullar.
American duo Kurt Kitayama and John Catlin carded rounds of 68 and 66 respective to settle six shots off the pace in tied-14th place.
Malaysia’s Gavin Green, who topped the Asian Tour Merit rankings in 2017, battled to a 72 to tie in 37th place with a host of other players, including Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura (71) and S.S.P. Chawrasia (68) of India.
Americans Paul Peterson, David Lipsky and Sihwan Kim survived the halfway cut on the mark after posting rounds of 69, 68 and 69 respectively for matching 142s.
Over in the United States, Thai ace Kiradech Aphibarnrat (74) and Anirban Lahiri (77) of India uncharacteristically failed to advance into the weekend rounds at the Traveler’s Championship on the PGA TOUR.
Ends.
Sentosa, Singapore, June 19: 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.
Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe claimed his first professional title on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan last week by winning the Landic Challenge 7 five shots clear of Japan’s Tomoyasu Sugiyama. The victory moves the five-time Asian Tour runner-up to number 150 on this week’s OWGR, a gain of 35 spots from last week’s rank of 185.
Playing in his third U.S. Open, the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat got off to a fast start at Pebble Beach Golf Links and was three-under-par after seven holes in the first round. However, two straight double-bogeys at holes eight and nine derailed his initial momentum and he would eventually miss the cut after rounds of 75-74 and seven-over-par.
A weekend off means Kiradech slides three spots on the OWGR to 49th position and he is now dangerously close to falling out of the top-50 for the first time since he won the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth in February last year.
Although he is already exempt for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush next month, the next major event on the calendar, the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, slated to take place from July 25-28 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, does require players to be inside the top-50 on the OWGR on either July 15th or July 22nd for an invitation.
South Africa’s Justin Harding is in a similar situation as Kiradech as he also didn’t make it to the weekend at the U.S. Open, rounds of 73-73 turned out to be two shots too many to make the cut.
Harding is exempt for The Open by virtue of being inside the top-50 on the OWGR as of end of week 21, however remaining in 47th place on this week’s list leaves Harding perilously close to the cut-off position for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
The 2019 SMBC Singapore Open champion Jazz Janewattanond had a week off having just missed out on an OWGR exemption into the U.S. Open, and slips one spot to 62nd in the latest rankings. Having clinched his place in The Open with the win in Singapore early this year, Jazz’s next target is now the top-50 on the OWGR and a place in the field at TPC Southwind in July.
A victory at this week’s Kolon Korea Open could get the three-time Asian Tour winner very close to this goal.
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 148th 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.
Ends.
By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional
The Tournament
The 62nd 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 32nd 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 61st 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.
OWGR Watch- Post Kolon Korea Open Week
By - sereneloh
[addtoany]
A look at movements on the OWGR following the Kolon Korea Open
Sentosa, Singapore, June 26: Last week’s Kolon Korean Open turned out to be a big event for one of Asian Tour’s fastest rising stars, and we also had members in the fields at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and the BMW International Open on the European Tour.
The Asian Tour looks into their movement on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
The breakout star of the 2019 Asian Tour season, Jazz Janewattanond, did not disappoint his fans and followers by securing a one-stroke victory at the challenging Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Korea last week.
After three solid rounds of 70, 67 and 69, Jazz found himself in the lead by two shots on seven-under-par over Songgyu Yoo of Korea on Saturday night. However, sleeping on a lead is never easy as Jazz himself admitted after the tournament.
After getting off to a great start on Sunday by being three-under-par through the first seven holes, and at one point ahead by five shots, victory seemed all but certain going into the back-nine.
The 11th hole at Woo Jeong Hills would almost prove to be his nemesis. A converted par-five playing as a par-four, it was the most difficult hole of the week at an average of 4.46, almost half a stroke over par. After a visit to the lake located left of the green with his approach, compounded by a three-putt from long range, the resulting triple-bogey by Jazz meant his lead was now cut to a single shot over Innchoon Hwang who at that time was two-under-par for the day.
The next seven holes was now going to be a grind instead of coasting in for the win. The kind of finish that can either produce some scar-tissue in case of a blown big-lead or provide a confidence-boost by recovering from a near-fatal miscue.
Instead of the former, Jazz buckled down and made clutch putts for par down the stretch, especially on the difficult 16th and 17th, and could go into the par-five 18th with a one-shot lead although he did not know it at the time.
After a drive into the left rough and a well-positioned lay-up shot, Jazz hit a perfect short wedge up to just below the hole. With a two-putt par from five feet on the 72nd hole jazz had secured his second Asian Tour win of the season, regained his lead on the Order of Merit, and risen to yet another career high of 52nd from last week’s 62nd on the OWGR.
Jazz now has four more weeks to break into the top-50 on the OWGR for an invitation to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational July 25-28th at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. He is scheduled to play in the Dunlop SRIXON Fukushima Open on the Japan Tour (JGTO) this week, followed by the Japan PGA Championship and a week off ahead of The Open.
Justin Harding of South Africa did not play last week and slides to 49th from 47th on the latest list. He is not playing this week but has signed up for the following two weeks of Rolex Series events on the European Tour, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, leading up the The Open next month.
He will need to remain inside the top-50 following The Open to secure a spot in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat missed the cut at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour and lost two places on the OWGR. He has fallen outside of the top-50 for the first time since February last year and is ranked 51st, one spot ahead of his countryman Jazz this week.
Like Harding, Kiradech is also taking this week off before the Rolex Series events and The Open, and will have a good chance to regain lost ground in the upcoming weeks.
At the BMW International, Kurt Kitayama and David Lipsky finished 21st and 26th respectively and moved to 105th and 122nd on the OWGR.
More importantly, they secured their places at The Open by being among the top five players not already exempt inside the top-20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings following the event in Munich.
Sentosa, Singapore June 24: Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continued his ascend in the world of golf with yet another winning performance at the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship over the weekend.
Sentosa, Singapore June 24: Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continued his ascend in the world of golf with yet another winning performance at the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship over the weekend.
The 23-year-old displayed the maturity and composure of a seasoned professional to win his fourth and second Asian Tour title of the year to regain his position atop the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings and also elevated his status to a career-high of 52nd place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Jazz’s victory at the Kolon Korea Open saw him become the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance since American Rickie Fowler won their National Open in 2011.
It also allowed him to move back to the number one spot on the Order of Merit after being overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won the Maybank Championship in Malaysia in March.
It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
“I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle,” said Jazz.
At 14 years and 71 days, Jazz already began to show the world glimpse of his raw talent when he became the youngest-ever player to make the halfway cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok.
He may have faced several roadblocks in his career including finishing outside the top-60 on the Order of Merit in 2016 and missing the grade at the 2017 Asian Tour Qualifying School.
But the young Thai has shown great resilience by bouncing back each time the odds were stacked against him.
He got his career back on track with a morale-boosting win at the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open in 2017 and has gone on to win at least once every year since then.
Jazz savoured a home victory at the Queen’s Cup in 2018 before lifting the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open trophy in January this year.
“I guess those setbacks helped in my game as you need them to bring out success,” said Jazz.
Apart from raking up four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a remarkable tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month which was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
A borrowed putter from Zimbabwean Scott Vincent also proved to be his magical wand. He enjoyed back-to-back top-five finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks before tasting success again in the Land of the Morning Calm.
“I’ve been using this long putter since two weeks ago in Japan where I came in tied-third. This is not my putter. I borrowed it from Scott Vincent. I am feeling very good with it so I don’t have any plans on returning it to him now,” laughed Jazz.
Vincent, who secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 at the Kolon Korea Open, meanwhile remains in ninth place on the money list and is pleased his generosity has been one of the catalyst for allowing Jazz to orchestrate all the right moves lately.
“Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him,” said the Zimbabwean, who claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour a fortnight ago,
Jazz, along with a host of leading players from the Asian Tour, will be back in action at The 148th Open which will be held at Royal Portrush from July 18-21.
Ends.
Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings
Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)
1 Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $738,093.21
2 Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94
3 Taehee LEE (KOR) $274,023.14
4 Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $272,638.11
5 Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67
6 Zach MURRAY (AUS) $204,670.05
7 Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $174,441.87
8 Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $164,552.31
9 Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $159,882.11
10 David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79
11 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $109,799.97
12 Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00
13 Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $104,405.57
14 Berry HENSON USA) $104,342.21
15 Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11
16 Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $87,433.65
17 S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12
18 Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19
19 Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $71,906.58
20 Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84
Rising star Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand held his nerves to claim his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Sunday.
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Rising star Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand held his nerves to claim his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the 62nd Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship on Sunday.
Jazz, who extended his overnight two-shot lead to five after sinking three birdies in his opening seven holes, overcame a wild triple-bogey on the par-four 11th hole and a bogey on 14th to become the first foreign winner of the prestigious event since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
The 23-year-old Jazz signed for a closing one-over-par 72 to win by one shot over Korea’s Innchoon Hwang with a six-under-par 278 total in the KRW 1,200 million (approximately US$1,067,000) event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA).
Despite missing out on his second Asian Tour victory, Hwang took pride in his runner-up result, which not only marked his best finish in his National Open but also earned him a coveted spot at The Open next month where he will be making his Major debut.
He will be heading to Royal Portrush with compatriot Dongkyu Jang, who closed with a 72 to finish tied-fourth in the event, which offered two spots to The Open to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) finishing in the top-eight and ties as part of The Open Qualifying Series.
American Chan Kim, who played on a sponsor’s invitation, marked his best efforts of the week with a closing 68 to settle two shots back of Jazz in third place while Korea’s Minjoon Kim matched his final round efforts to grab a share of fourth on 281.
The second qualifying spot went to Jang, thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) than Kim.
Did you know?
- Jazz Janewattananond is the first foreigner to break the Korean dominance to win the Kolon Korea Open since American Rickie Fowler in 2011.
- He is also the second Thai player, following Thongchai Jaidee in 2000, to triumph in the National Open of Korea, which is celebrating its 62nd edition this week.
- Jazz claimed his fourth Asian Tour victory and a second one this season at the Kolon Korea Open. He won his third title at the season-opener in Singapore earlier in January.
- 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.
- In his four victories on Tour, three were secured in National Opens – Bangladesh (2017), Singapore (2019) and Korea (2019).
- Jazz had won his last three events using three different putting styles – claw, armlock and broomstick.
- With this win, Jazz is expected to claim another career-high position on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Currently ranked 62nd, Jazz could reach as high as 52nd place in the world when the new standings are released on Monday.
- This victory also helped Jazz regain his lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit as he takes home a winner’s prize purse of KRW 300,000,000 (approx. US$266,800). He had held the Merit lead after winning the Singapore Open in January but slipped to second after he was overtaken by Scott Hend when the Australian won in Malaysia in March. Hend did not make the halfway cut in Korea.
- Jazz is using a long putter which he borrowed from good friend Scott Vincent in Japan two weeks ago. He used it in the tournament that week and enjoyed a tied-third place finish.
- According to Jazz, the switch to a long putter was inspired largely by Justin Harding of South Africa, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour in 2018.
- Jazz has been enjoying a great run of form since winning in Singapore. Apart from notching four other top-10s on the Asian Tour this season, Jazz also enjoyed a tied-14th place finish at the PGA Championship last month. It was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.
- Enjoyed back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in the last three weeks to move to 61st place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on June 10 but unfortunately failed to qualify for the U.S. Open after missing the cut-off mark by one rung.
- By virtue of his victory in Singapore, Jazz has qualified for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush, where he will make his second straight appearance next month.
- A boost in his world ranking, thanks to his success in Korea, will also put him closer to breaking top-50 on the OWGR and qualify for the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational next month. Jazz needs to be inside the top-50 on the OWGR on either July 15th or July 22nd for an invitation to the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
- It will also increase his chances of making Captain Ernie Els’ International Team at the President’s Cup in Melbourne this December.
- Innchoon Hwang is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. He won on home soil in 2008.
- He will make his Major debut at The Open at Royal Portrush next month, thanks to his runner-up finish.
- Hwang has also won five times on the Korean Tour and the most recent win came at the K.J. Choi Invitational in 2017.
- His previous best finish at the Kolon Korea Open is tied-12th in 2016 and 2018.
- Hwang turned professional in 2002 at the age of 27.
- Chan Kim, 29, is a former member of the Asian Tour. He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2013.
- He’s playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week. Did not play last year because he was injured.
- Came in runner-up at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour at the beginning of the month. Earned his spot at The Open next month.
- He was crowned the Order of Merit champion on the Japan Golf Tour in 2017, thanks to three wins.
- Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe secured his third top-10 finish of the season after closing with a 68 to grab a share of 10th place on 285.
- He has not missed a single cut in seven starts on the Asian Tour so far this season.
- Vincent claimed his first international victory on the Japan Challenge Tour last week.
Innchoon Hwang and Dongkyu Jang have secured their places in The 148th Open
Cheonan, Korea, June 23: Innchoon Hwang and Dongkyu Jang have secured their places in The 148th Open after qualifying at the KOLON Korea Open.
The KOLON Korea Open was played at Woo Jeong Hill Country Club in Cheonan and was the seventh event in The Open Qualifying Series, which gives golfers around the world opportunities to book their place at Royal Portrush from 14-21 July 2019.
Two places were available to the leading players who finished in the top 8 and ties and who were not already exempt.
Jazz Janewattananond, who was already exempt from qualifying for The Open after winning the SMBC Singapore Open in January, lifted his fourth title on the Asian Tour after topping the leaderboard on a six-under-par total of 278.
Hwang will make his debut in The Open and first major championship appearance after finishing runner-up one stroke behind Janewattananond on a five-under-par total of 279. The Korean, who has five professional wins including the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on the Asian Tour, carded a one-under-par round of 70 that included three birdies to clinch the first available qualifying place.
Chan Kim finished in third place on four-under-par for the championship and had already qualified for The Open, meaning that the second qualifying spot went to Jang thanks to his higher position in the Official World Golf Ranking than Minjoon Kim.
The Korean pair finished in a tie for fourth place on a three-under-par total of 281 but it will be Jang, who last qualified to play in golf’s original championship at Royal Liverpool after winning the 2014 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open, who will take his place in the starting field at Royal Portrush next month.
The next two events in The Open Qualifying Series are the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation in Spain and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the United States of America. Both events are being played from 27-30 June.
Photo Credit: The R&A/Getty Images
Catch up on highlights from round 4 of the Kolon Korea Open
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDxaBQv1LFY[/embedyt]
Read what players have to say following the final round of the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship.
Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 278 (-6)
I’m really honoured to win the National Open of Korea. This is a really tough course. I got away with most of it but still struggled towards the end. I got off to a good start today and I was like flying until that triple-bogey.
It has happened to me earlier at the PGA Championship. I was playing well on the front nine as well. The exact same thing happened. I made the same easy mistake to make a big number and couldn’t recover. I thought I learned well from my experience at the PGA Championship.
I told myself not to think about it and just keep moving forward. Made another bogey on 14 unfortunately but I told myself to just grind it out and try not to make anymore big numbers. The course is really hard. I got away at the end of the day but not unscathed.
There aren’t many scoreboards out there but I knew I had a one-shot lead heading into the last because someone shouted. I knew I just need to make a par there but then I was thinking he might make birdie so I hit my driver down anyway.
I hit it in the rough though but I saw he miss the putt when I stood in the rough. Then I told myself to lay up now, hit it close but didn’t make that birdie putt unfortunately. I knew from the start that Rickie Fowler was the last foreigner to win this tournament in 2011.
It’s really a huge honour to win the National Open of Korea and become the next one after Rickie. It just shows how strong the players on the Korean Tour are. I did feel the nerves out there, especially after that triple-bogey. I didn’t know what was going on for a moment.
I am really proud of myself that I manage to get the job done. It’s good to be back at the top on the Asian Tour Order of Merit now but it’s still a long way to go this season. I am not sure what Scott (Hend) plans to do now that he saw me winning but if he does come back to challenge, I’m sure it will be an interesting battle.
Innchoon Hwang (Kor) – Final round 70 (-1), Total 279 (-5)
The main goal for today was to win the tournament of course. I tried my best and the end result is a runner-up finish. I am happy with my result and I am excited to go to The Open Championship next month. I’m really looking forward to playing at Royal Portrush.
The Open was a championship I grew up watching on television and always wanted to play in so to qualify today is unbelievable. It’s a great honour to be playing in my first major championship and it is something that all golfers dream about.
Chan Kim (Kor) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 280 (-4)
It was a tough round. There are a lot of tough pins out there. To be honest, the conditions are better. The roughs aren’t that long so you can actually get it on the greens or somewhere close. The key for this week was to be able to get up and down. Whoever can do that will do well.
I made a few good par-saves today. On the 11th, after making a bogey on 10th, I chipped it to about seven-feet and made that. Hit a good shot from the rough on 12th and made a five-footer for birdie there. Made a few more putts after that which was nice.
The game’s been feeling good. It’s nice to secure another top-three finish. Hopefully I can get a win soon.
Dongkyu Jang (Kor) – Final round 72 (+1), Total 281 (-3)
I last played in The Open in 2014 when I won the Mizuno Open and back then I didn’t really know what to expect from links golf but I am sure that the experience will count in may favour at Royal Portrush and I’m really looking forward to it.
I’m also looking forward to playing in front of the Irish fans who are very passionate about golf and who hopefully will give me lots of support when I play there.
Scott Vincent (Zim) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 285 (+1)
I played well today. I did so many things well, a lot better than how I did the last three days. I hit nine fairways today and that gave me some opportunities to attack the pins, instead of playing defensive.
It was nice to hit that many fairways and make a good score from there. It’s good to finish the week with a good round. Coming off a victory in Japan, I had a few high expectations so it was great to play well.
The course is very tough this week as you can see from the scores. You knew it was going to play tough so you just had to get your mind right before you start the day.
Yes, Jazz is using my putter this week. We might have to renegotiate our contract (laughs). But no, he’s going to keep it. He’s doing really well with the long putter and I am very happy for him.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar sank a spectacular ace at the European Tour’s BMW International Open and won himself a new BMW M8 Coupé, which is slated to make its official world premiere next week.
Munich, Germany, June 22: India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar sank a spectacular ace at the European Tour’s BMW International Open and won himself a new BMW M8 Coupé, which is slated to make its official world premiere next week.
Bhullar, a nine-time Asian Tour winner, holed a six-iron from 196 yards to win the incredible €194,000 car, which was on offer to the first player to ace the 17th hole at the Golfclub München Eichenried.
The 31-year-old Indian would go on to sign for a second round one-under-par 71 and grab a share of 25th place on four-under-par 140 total, seven shots behind leader Martin Kaymer of Germany.
“This is my second hole-in-one in a professional golf tournament,” said Bhullar. “Before starting this year, I discussed with my caddy one of my dreams, I said I need to make at least one hole-in-one and choose the right one.
“I am glad we made that commitment. It is a great moment. BMWs are some of my favourite cars and I would love to drive that car,” added Bhullar.
American duo Kurt Kitayama and John Catlin carded rounds of 68 and 66 respective to settle six shots off the pace in tied-14th place.
Malaysia’s Gavin Green, who topped the Asian Tour Merit rankings in 2017, battled to a 72 to tie in 37th place with a host of other players, including Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura (71) and S.S.P. Chawrasia (68) of India.
Americans Paul Peterson, David Lipsky and Sihwan Kim survived the halfway cut on the mark after posting rounds of 69, 68 and 69 respectively for matching 142s.
Over in the United States, Thai ace Kiradech Aphibarnrat (74) and Anirban Lahiri (77) of India uncharacteristically failed to advance into the weekend rounds at the Traveler’s Championship on the PGA TOUR.
Ends.
There was no Asian Tour event last week but some of our members are still making moves up the OWGR.
Sentosa, Singapore, June 19: 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.
Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe claimed his first professional title on the AbemaTV Tour in Japan last week by winning the Landic Challenge 7 five shots clear of Japan’s Tomoyasu Sugiyama. The victory moves the five-time Asian Tour runner-up to number 150 on this week’s OWGR, a gain of 35 spots from last week’s rank of 185.
Playing in his third U.S. Open, the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat got off to a fast start at Pebble Beach Golf Links and was three-under-par after seven holes in the first round. However, two straight double-bogeys at holes eight and nine derailed his initial momentum and he would eventually miss the cut after rounds of 75-74 and seven-over-par.
A weekend off means Kiradech slides three spots on the OWGR to 49th position and he is now dangerously close to falling out of the top-50 for the first time since he won the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth in February last year.
Although he is already exempt for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush next month, the next major event on the calendar, the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, slated to take place from July 25-28 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, does require players to be inside the top-50 on the OWGR on either July 15th or July 22nd for an invitation.
South Africa’s Justin Harding is in a similar situation as Kiradech as he also didn’t make it to the weekend at the U.S. Open, rounds of 73-73 turned out to be two shots too many to make the cut.
Harding is exempt for The Open by virtue of being inside the top-50 on the OWGR as of end of week 21, however remaining in 47th place on this week’s list leaves Harding perilously close to the cut-off position for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
The 2019 SMBC Singapore Open champion Jazz Janewattanond had a week off having just missed out on an OWGR exemption into the U.S. Open, and slips one spot to 62nd in the latest rankings. Having clinched his place in The Open with the win in Singapore early this year, Jazz’s next target is now the top-50 on the OWGR and a place in the field at TPC Southwind in July.
A victory at this week’s Kolon Korea Open could get the three-time Asian Tour winner very close to this goal.
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.
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 148th 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.
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 62nd 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 32nd 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 61st 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.
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