Serapong receives high praise from global stars after being crowned World’s Best Golf Course at World Golf Awards
Famed for hosting some of the most prestigious golf events in Asia, The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club has borne witness to countless remarkable moments in its storied history.
Following further success in 2023, it has secured its place alongside the most esteemed golfing destinations in the world after being named the ‘World’s Best Golf Course’ at yesterday’s World Golf Awards in Abu Dhabi, joining illustrious venues such as the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie, Augusta National, and Shinnecock Hills in recent years to have claimed this honour.
With an unrivalled reputation for excellence, The Serapong often receives praise from top players who have graced its fairways. Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng, who emerged victorious at the SMBC Singapore Open in 2017, shared his admiration for the course’s outstanding layout and conditioning, saying: “The Serapong is one of the best conditioned courses I have ever played. Players enjoy playing fair courses and this is something I found at Sentosa Golf Club. It was difficult and challenging, but also fair and I loved this during my victory there.”
Sadom Kaewkanjana claimed the SMBC Singapore Open in 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/SPORTFIVE.
This is a sentiment echoed by fellow Asian Tour star and 2022 SMBC Singapore Open champion Sadom Kaewkanjana from Thailand: “It is not only one of the most favoured course amongst Asian Tour players but undoubtedly one of the most challenging as well for many golfers. With a perfect design and great conditioning, it has so many great holes, including the first three that work through the hillside before dropping down towards the lagoon and the coastline.”
Earlier this year, The Serapong, having staged the Singapore Open from 2005-22, welcomed the LIV Golf League for the first time as Talor Gooch landed the first back-to-back triumph on the circuit. The American came through a play-off with Spaniard Sergio Garcia, a former winner of the Singapore Open five years ago, with Brooks Koepka a shot back.
American Koepka, who would go on to lift the PGA Championship only a few weeks’ later, emphasized The Serapong’s allure as a ball striker’s paradise: “It’s a ball striker’s golf course. You’ve got to leave yourself some good opportunities from the fairway. These greens are just so pure that you can roll it in pretty easy if you just start it on line.”
Phil Mickelson has been a regular visitor to Sentosa Golf Club for the past 20 years.
For two days, Phil Mickelson was also in contention at Sentosa Golf Club and the six-time Major winner gave an interesting insight into his preparations to tackle The Serapong.
“You’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full six, seven, eight iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well. If I want to play well here, those are the areas that I really need to focus on,” said the American.
The Serapong has always been a jewel in the Singapore golfing crown but the renovations in 2020 have now elevated it to a new level, after the fairways were replaced with fresh grass and new drainage infrastructures, tee boxes re-lasered to reinstate a tabletop flat finish, and bunkers given new liners with new white sand to improve consistency, texture, and playability for decades to come.
When Garcia played there in April, he made special mention of the ‘pure greens’. He said: “It’s a course that I enjoy. I feel like if my game is a little bit on, and I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens, give myself a lot of birdie opportunities, and then the greens are so pure that if you’re rolling it with a little bit of confidence, you can make some putts.”
Sergio Garcia won on The Serapong in 2018 and lost in a play-off there this year.
Alongside being named the best course on the planet at the awards, there was additional cause for celebration as The Serapong also collected the award for Singapore and Asia’s Best Course.
These endorsements from the world’s best players, combined with its recent accolades, have firmly establish The Serapong as an icon of world golf and Singapore, inviting golfers from around the world to explore its magnificence.
Taichi Kho will be aiming to complete a unique double when he lines up in next month’s Volvo China Open.
It was on the first day of October that Hong Kong’s number one struck individual gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
It was an inspired performance that he’ll be seeking to replicate when he returns to the world’s most populous country from November 2-5 for the eighth leg of the Asian Tour’s 10-event International Series at Shenzhen’s Hidden Grace Golf Club.
Adding the Volvo China Open title to his Asiad gold would not only secure a momentous China double for Kho, but would also put him in a perfect frame of mind for the following week’s Hong Kong Open over his home course at Hong Kong Golf Club, where he won the World City Championship in March.
Across the border at Hidden Grace Golf Club, formerly known as Genzon Golf Club, Kho will face stiff competition from a high-quality field spearheaded by six of the top-nine from the International Series Order of Merit.
Andy Ogletree of the USA
American Andy Ogletree, the runaway leader, is joined by Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent (third), Australian Wade Ormsby (fifth), Thai Gunn Charoenkul (sixth), Australian Kevin Yuan (eighth) and Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra (ninth).
There are also the top four from the Asian Tour Order of Merit with Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines (second), Thai Poom Saksansin (third) and Australian Travis Smyth (fourth) all looking to close the gap on leader Ogletree.
Other notable names in the starting line-up include Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, a former US Open champion, and past Asian Tour Order of Merit winners Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand and Australian Scott Hend.
Look out, too, for a concerted challenge from home players with past, present and future stars from China all vying for glory.
It will be an especially poignant occasion for Zhang Lianwei, a pioneer of the professional game in China. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Zhang’s victory in the ninth edition of the Volvo China Open in 2003.
Zhang Lian-Wei of China
Meanwhile, the unrelated Zhang Jin will be defending the title he won in 2021, the last occasion the Volvo China Open was staged. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was then a standalone event on the China Tour.
There will also be considerable focus on an exciting batch of Chinese amateur golfers led by Ding Wenyi, who is among the favourites for the previous week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Ding, currently 19th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, was runner-up at the 2020 Volvo China Open.
Joining him at Hidden Grace will be Qiu Zihang, the reigning China Open Amateur champion who represented his country at last week’s 33rd World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi.
Also displaying their talent will be the past two winners of the Volvo China Junior Match Play Championship, Shao Minghao (2023) and Kuang Yang (2022).
The Hidden Grace Golf Club, formerly known as Genzon Golf Club.
The Volvo China Open marks a welcome return to China for the Asian Tour, following a four-year absence. The Asian Tour’s last visit there was for the Volvo China Open in 2019.
Among the famous names inscribed on the Volvo China Open trophy are Korean Yang Yong-eun, Asia’s first Major championship winner, and European Ryder Cup players Paul Casey of England and Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts.
Ends.
Some of the greats of modern-era golf will be lining up for a shot at glory in one of Hong Kong’s longest-running professional sporting events, as a stellar field prepares for the long-awaited return of the Hong Kong Open from 9-12 November at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed and 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell join LIV Golf headliners Harold Varner III and Belgian Thomas Pieters for the long-running tournament, first held in 1959, which has a prize pool boosted to the tune of US$2 million this year thanks to its new status as an International Series event on the Asian Tour.
Other big-name players including 2022 The Open Championship winner Cam Smith; two-time Hong Kong Open champion Wade Ormsby; Hong Kong Asian Games gold medallist and the first local player to win an Asian Tour title at the World City Championship in March, Taichi Kho; and LIV Golf pros Talor Gooch and Eugenio Chacarra are in the field for the first Hong Kong Open to be contested since 2020.
For Varner and Pieters, the Fanling date means a chance to re-connect with close friend and LIV Golf “RangeGoats GC” teammate Gooch. Gooch has acknowledged his relationship with fellow star ‘HV’ Varner as a key factor in his switching LIV Golf teams to RangeGoats this season.
Graeme McDowell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“HV and I first met in college golf. We just hit it off right away and have been close ever since; then we had a bunch of time together on the PGA Tour, and now on LIV – and now we are teammates so it is fun, and it is a cool opportunity,” said Gooch, who has made history this season as the first player to win three LIV Golf events and won the overall standings last Sunday at LIV Golf Jeddah.
Varner also has some history behind his name; the 33-year-old is only the second American player to win the Australian PGA Championship. He added a first LIV Golf victory in DC in May with a 12-under-par score, and also has an Asian Tour win at the PIF Saudi International last year.
Gooch is confident that Varner and his teammate Pieters are going to quickly become fan favourites at the Hong Kong Open.
“‘HV’ is about as fun of a dude that you are going to be around, but he is also a great player. He hits the ball a long ways, and he has a great short game. He plays well all over the world. He is my teammate, but I hope that I whip him that week,” added Gooch.
Pieters has seven wins since turning pro in 2013 and has represented Belgium and Europe in numerous team events including the 2016 Ryder Cup – when he led Europe with four points.
With wins in six different countries in his career already, Pieters will be intent on adding China to that list this November at the Hong Kong Open. For Gooch that outcome is always a possibility.
“Thomas is truly one of the great talents that we have in the game. You look at him and think why are you not playing a different sport. He looks like a Greek god. He is 6’5” and a big dude that hits the ball a country mile. Great short game, great hands, just a great player. He truly has the potential to be one of the best players in the game on any given week,” added Gooch.
From friends to friendly rivals, the Hong Kong Open is set to welcome the return of two Fanling – and Ryder Cup – legends in Reed and McDowell.
Reed is no stranger to the excitement surrounding the Hong Kong Open – the nine-time PGA tournament winner having finished tied-for-third at Fanling on his debut in 2015, behind winner Justin Rose and Lucas Bjerregaard. The 33-year-old Reed has returned twice since then (2016, 2018), and was named in the field for the 2021 tournament, which was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The Texan is circling in on the LIV Golf Tour with five top-five finishes so far this season. He had a similar showing at this year’s Masters at Augusta, a venue where Reed will forever be remembered for his heroics in 2018, when he shot 15-under-par to win by a stroke.
Harold Varner III. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Northern Irishman McDowell is also no stranger to Fanling – or Reed – as the pair have been part of rival Ryder Cup camps down through the years, representing Europe and America, respectively.
The 44-year-old McDowell counts four top-20 finishes among his previous efforts at the Hong Kong Open, to add to 15 career wins on the PGA Tour and European Tour in his illustrious career. He has also been an ever-present player on the LIV Golf Tour since 2022.
The Hong Kong Open is the penultimate event of this season’s The International Series, 10 marquee tournaments on the Asian Tour calendar. What happens in Fanling could have real bearing on the final standings for The International Series Order of Merit, the year-long race which will guarantee one lucrative spot for the overall leader in next season’s LIV Golf League.
As well as the enthralling, world-class golf, the Hong Kong Open’s Fan Village will once again entertain tens of thousands of visitors across event week. The Fan Village is the place to enjoy all the sun and fun off the course at the beautiful Hong Kong Golf Club with a host of activities and entertainment with yoga sessions, art workshops, golf simulators and other sport games, premier food and beverage offerings, shopping, face painting and more.
Tickets for the Hong Kong Open 2023 are now available via Ticketflap at www.ticketflap.com/hongkongopen2023.
Admission on Thursday and Friday, 9-10 November is free while daily prices for Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 November are Hk$200 per day or HK$300 for a weekend pass.
For more information please visit: www.thehongkongopen.com.
While Min Woo Lee captured the headlines with his stunning victory in the US$1 million SJM Macao Open last Sunday, another player who caught the eye with an exceptional performance was former champion Jason Knutzon. Report by Olle Nordberg, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
The American, the winner of the event a mere 19 years ago in 2004, finished in a tie for sixth place – a remarkable achievement, also considering it was his first tournament in five years.
After finishing an inspired week, where his tournament total of 17 under par was one stroke better than when he won the event, Knutzon said: “I would say I am incredibly happy; I had no expectations for the week.”
It was a trip that nearly didn’t happen, after Knutzon had a bout with a bug leading up to the event and felt unsure about his preparations for returning to tournament action.
“I started practicing a little bit about a month ago and then I got sick for a week or two. Something got me pretty good, and I almost felt like I wasn’t gonna come over, because I’m already unprepared, is what I felt like,” said the 47-year-old whose other Asian Tour win came at the Motorola International Bintan tournament in 2007.
Jason Knutzon poses with trophy 19 years ago. Picture by Stanley Chou/AFP via Getty Images.
“I almost didn’t go, but then I’m like, you know what, I want to play just to see a bunch of the tour friends and staff, and obviously I know this place pretty well. So yeah, it’s pretty remarkable to be honest with you, because most of my friends know what I’ve been doing at home.
“I worked basically an insurance job for a couple years and then felt like I wanted to get back into golf, so I’ve got a teaching facility in Des Moines and I’m really enjoying that. Now, I hit it incredible this week actually, I really hit it good. I don’t know, I can’t really describe it, but I really had a great week, it was awesome.”
Since playing his last Asian Tour event at the Yeangder TPC in Chinese-Taipei in the fall of 2018, Knutzon has been totally away from tournament golf and has focused more on coaching and spending time with family and friends.
Said the father of two: “Now we live in Altoona, a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa. We’ve been back there for about three years now and really like it, happy to be back around family. We have two kids, 15 and 12, so they are growing up fast. I have played a couple little qualifiers, but this year, all I did was play a member guest event at the Harvester Club, it’s a pretty awesome place.
“But you know, I haven’t done anything all year. I probably played about five times until the summer and then I played a little bit. But no, I didn’t even play in anything, not even one day events, so it’s pretty remarkable.”
Following his shock performance against a strong field of Asian Tour’s best and after a five-year hiatus, is he tempted to ask for some more sponsor invitations for upcoming events?
“I don’t know. I mean, honestly, it was such a fun week to be back. I was relaxed and maybe it’s because I had no expectations. You know, sometimes you get in the tour grind, and as a lot of my friends and family know, I always kind of played better after weeks at home and some weeks off, and then I’d come out and usually play pretty decent,” he said.
“But this is five years of testing that theory, so no, I honestly don’t know. I know I hit a lot of awesome shots over the week and played really well. Now, I know there’s a lot of work to it, it was just one week. But yeah, I don’t know what the future brings.”
For now, it is back to his “golf barn”, as he calls it, to do more coaching and after a majestic week in Macau there is no doubt he has one eye on the senior game in just three years time.
An exciting new chapter in the history of the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open will be written this year when the event becomes part of the Asian Tour for the first time.
Since 2014 the tournament has been one of the most prominent and lucrative events on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) but this season its prizemoney will be doubled to US$400,000 paving the way for its elevation to the main Tour.
The tournament will be staged at Taifong Golf Club – its regular home, located in Chang Hwa County in central Chinese-Taipei – from November 30 to December 3 and it will be the 22nd and penultimate of the season.
“We welcome the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open to the Asian Tour,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.
Taifong Golf Club.
“We feel it is a natural progression in its evolution for this highly regarded and established event to step up onto the Asian Tour and play a key role in determining how our year is concluded.
“For seven successive seasons the tournament was part of the Asian Development Tour, and featured some famous winners, such as two-time champion Chan Shih-chang, and its profile will now be further elevated as an Asian Tour-sanctioned tournament.”
The arrival of the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open means the Asian Tour will visit Chinese-Taipei on three occasions this year.
Last year, the tournament made a welcome return to the schedule after a three-year hiatus due to the global pandemic and was the final event of the ADT’s season.
In what proved to be a thrilling climax to the season Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao sealed a commanding five-stroke victory, while Suteepat Prateeptienchai from Thailand finished in second place, cementing his position at the top of the ADT Order of Merit. The prizemoney was incremented by 25% to US$200,000, making it the joint richest event on the ADT.
Local hero and five-time Asian Tour winner Chan won the event in 2014 and 2018, while other past champions include Thais Donlaphatchai Niyomchon (2019), Pannakorn Uthaipas (2017) and Rattanon Wannasrichan (2015), and American Johannes Veerman (2016).
Brooks Koepka won another playoff, and Fireballs GC enjoyed another team victory. But on the final day of the 2023 LIV Golf League regular season, Talor Gooch had the biggest reason to celebrate.
The RangeGoats GC star shot an eight-under 62 Sunday at LIV Golf Jeddah presented by ROSHN to secure the Individual Champion crown. It’s the first full-season title Gooch as ever won in his golf career, and it earns him an US$18 million bonus.
“It’s awesome,” said Gooch, who won a league-best three times this season. “From January 1st until now, that’s what we’ve been working for. So to get here and be the champion, man, I’m proud. I’m honored. And I’m excited.
“It was a day that you dream of – for the score and the moment. It was a special, special day.”
It was a special day for many LIV golfers at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
Brooks Koepka celebrates winning the play-off on the final day of the 2023 LIV Golf League regular season on October 15, 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Picture by Khalid Alhaj/MB Media/Getty Images.
Koepka, the Smash GC captain, successfully defended his Jeddah title and in similar fashion to last year – by winning an extended playoff. Last year, it was a three-hole playoff against Peter Uihlein; this time, it took him two holes to subdue Gooch, who had already guaranteed his season-long title no matter the playoff’s outcome.
Koepka forced the playoff with a birdie at the par-five 18th to close out his 68 in the final round, leaving him tied with Gooch at 14 under for the tournament. He then birdied the 18th twice in the playoff.
“It’s been great. It’s been fantastic,” said Koepka about his successful title defense. “It’s always a good feeling. Super proud of the way I played today.”
By winning the tournament, Koepka also moved into third place in the Individual standings, overtaking Bryson DeChambeau, who finished at eight under after a 70, leaving him 16th on the points leaderboard. DeChambeau needed to finish 13th or better to hold off Koepka.
“I really didn’t think I had a chance,” said Koepka, who earns a US$4 million bonus for third. “I don’t know how many points Bryson had to have or to get, but I felt like I had to win, and I did my part. … Super fortunate to kind of squeak in there.”
Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith, who entered the week atop the Individual points standings, finished at six under after his final-round 66. That left him 25th and with no points for the week. He finished with 170 points to Gooch’s 192.
Seeds for next week’s season-ending Team Championship in Miami were also finalized, with 4Aces GC, Crushers GC, Torque GC and RangeGoats GC securing byes for Friday’s Quarterfinals.
Fireballs Captain Sergio Garcia challenged for the individual title most of the day before finishing two strokes shy and in a three-way tie for third with Scott Vincent and Harold Varner III. Still, he found the top of the podium with his team, as Abraham Ancer (64), Carlos Ortiz (64) and Eugenio Chacarra (67) supplied a counting score of 15 under to finish at 34 under for the week.
Scott Vincent. Picture by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images.
The Fireballs were already eliminated from bye consideration, but with a second-place in Chicago and a win in Jeddah in their last two starts, they will enter the Team Championship with plenty of momentum.
“We know how much Miami means, so hopefully we’ll be able to keep that going and make it fun.”
The Iron Heads’ Vincent also had a special week, as he moved into the top-24 Lock Zone and secured his spot for next year’s LIV Golf League. Vincent followed his 62 on Saturday with a 66 on Sunday to finish at 12 under. After the tiebreakers, he claimed fourth in the points leaderboard, giving him enough points to move into 22nd in the season-long standings.
“It’s been incredible,” said Vincent. “I can’t tell you how many high fives I just received from so many different people.”
He won last year’s International Series Order of Merit to secure his place on this year’s LIV Golf League.
Australia’s Min Woo Lee recorded an exceptional two-shot wire-to-wire victory in the US$1 million SJM Macao Open today, for his first title in two years.
The tournament’s marquee player, ranked 46 in the world, hit crushing drives and holed putt after putt to card an eight-under-par 63 for an astonishing four-round aggregate of 30-under – a new tournament record and two short of the Asian Tour record, although preferred lies were played on the first two days.
Thailand’s Poom Saksansin also fired a 63, like Lee bogey-free, and finished second after a fascinating final day dual between the big-hitting Australian and the tenacious little Thai golfer, hoping to replicate one of his giant-killing acts of the past.
Lee started the day with a two-shot lead over Poom and the margin was the same at the turn after both players pulled away from the field playing brilliant golf with four birdies apiece.
Minwoo Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The turning point proved to be the par-five 13th, where Lee opened up a four-stroke cushion after he made an eagle, for the second day in row, against Poom’s par.
A wild drive a long way left on the short par-four 15th by Lee gave Poom a glimmer of hope, but his ball stayed away from trouble. He had a clear shot to the green and was able to avert disaster and make a comfortable par.
Predictably Poom refused to submit and made birdies on the next two holes to close the gap to two before they both made four on the par-five 18th.
“I love it,” said 25-year-old Lee, who opened with rounds of 62, 64 and 65.
“As soon as the week started I had a couple of days rest because of the typhoon, and the course was looking amazing from the beginning. Obviously, it was pretty bad for a couple of days there, so it was props to the green keepers for keeping the course in such good condition.
“And yeah, I played wonderful, really flawless golf for a lot of the holes, there was only a few holes that I could really look back on. But yeah, I’m really proud of the way I handled myself.”
Poom Saksansin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Lee’s score smashed the event’s previous lowest winning total of 20 under, set by Australian Scott Hend in 2015 and was just two short of the Asian Tour record, which Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat set at the SAIL Open in 2009, at the Classic Golf and Country Club in India, when he finished 32-under-par.
Said Lee, who only had two bogeys all week and earned a cheque for US$180,000: “Poom played unbelievable today, he’s tough! He never left, he just stayed around. I tried my best and ended up on top, but he was giving it to me for the whole time.”
It is his first victory since claiming the Scottish Open in July of 2021 and while he was winning in Macau, his sister and two-time Major winner Minjee Lee tied for 12th in the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
For Poom it was yet another fine performance coming off the back of his success in the Yeangder TPC last month and a joint third placing in last week’s International Series Singapore.
“I don’t know when I’ll be able to putt like this again,” said Poom, whose win at the Yeangder TPC was his first in five years and fourth Asian Tour title.
“I would say that I played very well today but needed a miracle to win. Like I said yesterday I would have to hit at least 10-under to win today. Lee is a very good player. He hits it very far and had a very good game plan. His chipping and putting are awesome. He should have been better than 30-under-par.”
The 30-year-old came very close to repeating some of his David verses Goliath experiences in the past such as when he famously beat England’s Paul Casey in the singles at the 2018 EurAsia Cup and got the better of England’s Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson from Sweden on the final day of the Indonesian Masters later that year.
Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai closed with a 64 to finish in sole possession of third while Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, in with a 63, and Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines, who shot a 65, tied for fourth.
Phachara Khongwatmai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
American Jason Knutzon, the 47-year-old who won this event in 2005 and has not played tournament golf for five years, rolled back the years by closing with a 65 to impressively tie for sixth.
Defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar from India signed for a 68 to end equal 17th.
The Asian Tour has a two-week break now before three successive weeks of high-profile events: the Volvo China Open, the Hong Kong Open, and the BNI Indonesian Masters.
Australia’s Min Woo Lee led the US$1million SJM Macao Open for the third successive day after firing a six-under-par 65 today for a staggering tournament total of 22-under, and a narrow two-shot lead over Poom Saksansin from Thailand.
Poom fired an equally impressive 64 here at Macau Golf and Country Club, with Korea’s Jaewoong Eom two back following a 65, thanks to a brilliant eagle on 18.
New Zealand’s Ben Campbell (68) and Meenwhee Kim (69) from Korea are four strokes further adrift.
Playing aggressively and with supreme confidence 25-year-old Lee, brother of LPGA Tour star Minjee Lee, made an eagle, five birdies and one bogey – which was only his second dropped shot of the week – to put himself in position to win for the first time in two years and claim his maiden Asian Tour title.
He was pushed all the way by playing partner Poom, who in typical Poom fashion drew level with him on the back nine and refused to capitulate.
Poom Saksansin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The diminutive 30-year-old birdied four in a row from the seventh to catch his Australian opponent before Poom handed the lead back when he dropped a shot on 12. Lee went two ahead after a superb eagle on the par-five 13th, where he hit his second to 10 feet and holed out, before a birdie on 15 put him three in front. However, Poom rallied and birdied the last two holes, while Lee also made birdie on 18.
Lee will have his work cut out for him tomorrow as Poom won the Yeangder TPC three weeks ago for his first victory in five years and is known for being a ferocious competitor and giant killer.
He famously beat England’s Paul Casey in the singles at the 2018 EurAsia Cup and combined with Korean Sunghoon Kang to defeat Henrik Stenson and Alex Levy in a four-ball match 5&4.
And later that year he won the Indonesian Masters for the second time, upstaging the tournament’s two big name players Justin Rose from England and Stenson.
He is also a renowned strong frontrunner having won all four of his Asian Tour titles having led going into the final day and claimed one of those, the 2017 TAKE Solution Masters, wire-to-wire.
Said Lee: “You know, all the boys that I was playing with they were going pretty hard, so I knew I needed to just keep my composure and the back nine was really good.”
A par-save on the par-three 11h proved to be crucial. An uncharacteristic-wayward tee shot there left him with a difficult 20-yard pitch which he landed 15-feet away and bravely holed.
“Yeah, it was massive,” he said.
“I mean, probably worst swing of the week on 11. You know the chip shot was a bit scary. It wasn’t the best of lies and it came out pretty good, and as long as I give myself a putt I am happy. So yeah, that was huge, I knew I needed to get some momentum going my way, missed a lot of putts early on.”
Poom made nine birdies and two bogeys and is in contention for the second week in a row having tied for third in last week’s International Series Singapore.
“I think I have to hit nine under tomorrow to stop Lee,” said Poom.
“If he plays like he is playing now, it will be difficult, even though I am only two shots behind. We’ll see. I am going to hit some balls on the range now.”
Jaewoong Eom. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Eom was the third player in the group and appeared to be slipping too far behind before making the shot of week, holing his chip shot from 25 yards on the par-five 18th. The ball took an eternity to trickle into the hole, adding to the drama.
“It happens sometimes,” laughed Eom, joint second in Singapore last Sunday.
“Hit a great tee shot, agonised between a three or five wood for my second, chose five but it was finished short. I was focused on making a birdie but unbelievably it slowly rolled in. Like I said yesterday, I was aiming to shoot six under, and that’s what I did. Plan the same tomorrow.”
Veteran golfer Jason Knutzon continued his impressive tournament. The 47-year-old won this event in 2005 and has not played tournament golf for five years but showed his affinity for Macau Golf and Country Club after returning a 66 to go to 11 under. Defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar shot the same score and is one of the players tied with him.
World number 46 Min Woo Lee once again combined power with precision at the US$1million SJM Macau Open today skillfully adding a seven-under-par 64 to his opening 62 for a three-shot lead.
His 16-under-par total here at Macau Golf and Country Club is the lowest two-round total in the event and was fueled by 15 birdies and an eagle since yesterday.
Poom Saksansin is in second place, his purple patch continuing as he carded a 62, while Korean Jaewoong Eom, also enjoying a good run of form, is third, four off the lead, following a 65, with compatriot Meenwhee Kim, who fired a 66.
Lee barely put a foot wrong again today in his debut appearance in a full-field event on the Asian Tour.
He began the day sharing top spot with Scotsman David Drysdale but accelerated away from the pack with five birdies on the front, and two on the back.
Poom Saksansin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Flawless golf today,” said Lee, who missed numerous birdie opportunities including a four-footer on the last.
“I played really good, didn’t get myself in too much trouble and the last two days have been probably the lowest two days I’ve ever played. So, it’s been fun.”
He is attempting to win his first title in two years, with the most recent being the Scottish Open in 2021.
At the start of the week, he warned that he’s playing well and that his game is trending in the right direction – something very evident by the fact he has an impressive total of eight top-15 finishes this season with a best finish of joint second – and he has been true to his word, dropping just one shot over the two days.
He added: “I feel like I have really good control over the ball, and I’ve been putting well, so if the drives are still on, I think I’m gonna try go low again. I haven’t tried to play passive, I’ve just been trying to play aggressive and it’s nice to make a lot of birdies.”
The previous lowest score after two days had been Australian David Gleeson’s total of 14 under back in 2008.
Poom won the Yeangder TPC in Chinese-Taipei three weeks ago and last week came home in equal third in the International Series Singapore and played near perfect golf today.
He said: “I hit almost all fairways I think, and my irons were pretty good, and I holed most of my putts.”
The layout is short and narrow therefore suitable for a player like the Thai golfer, who is not the longest but known for his accuracy and deft touch.
“If I can guess the wind right then this course definitely suits me,” he added.
Jaewoong Eom. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Eom, who tied for second in the International Series Singapore for his joint best finish on the Asian Tour, said: “I set my goal at six-under-par before I started, and I am grateful that I succeeded.”
His only two dropped shots of the day came on the 10th which he double bogeyed.
“I miscalculated the wind on the 10th hole. My ball fell into the hazard. I thought it was a wind to hook the ball into, but I should have sliced it. Definite miscalculation,” he added.
“Rather than chasing Min Woo, I think I will just try and focus on firing six under each day.”
Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po and Indian Kartik Sharma returned 65s and are tied fifth, along with New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, who shot 68.
Drysdale came in with a 71 and is nine under in joint 12th.
Defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar from India shot a 70 and is six under in a group that includes China’s Liang Wenchong, the Asian Tour number one in 2007, who, now 45, came out of retirement to play this week and carded his second 68.
Meenwhee Kim. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Jason Knutzon, the 47-year-old American who won this event in 2004, also did well to finish on the same score.
After Typhoon Koinu hit this area last week, it was the turn of Australian Min Woo Lee to storm Macau Golf and Country Club today along with Scotland’s David Drysdale. They fired breathtaking nine-under-par 62s to share the lead after round one of the SJM Macao Open, which matched the course record but could not count officially as preferred lies applied.
India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, joint second here in 2017 when the event was last played, Ian Snyman from South Africa and Ben Campbell from New Zealand, also went low, carding 63s.
Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand and Korean Meenwhee Kim returned 64s in the US$1 million event, that is the 18th event of the season on the Asian Tour.
Lee is the highest ranked player in the field in 46th place on the Official World Golf Ranking and proved that today, firing an eagle, eight birdies and one bogey, which came on his first hole, the 10th.
David Drysdale. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“62 anywhere is a really nice score,” said the 25-year-old from Perth, who is the younger brother of LPGA Tour star Minjee Lee.
“Especially on a course like this: it was tricky, and the wind got up. It was really nice to really drive it well and capitalise on those drives.
“There are a few holes you can hit driver and a few I didn’t just because we saw some stats from before indicating holes where not so many birdies are made. We were aggressive, smart, smart aggressive. It worked out pretty well. Drove on the fairway most of the time and had wedges in. It was an early start today, 4am wake up, so keen to get back to the room and have a snooze.”
Lee, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, was helped by playing with countryman Scott Hend and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, recent winner of the gold medal in the Asian Games.
He said: “It is one of the better groups I have had all year around. Taichi is around my age, and we can talk about anything and Hendy, I have known him since being a pro on the European Tour, so it’s been really good fun and we all made a lot of birdies.”
While Lee played his round in the morning Drysdale was in the afternoon session, starting on tee one.
He birdied the first two and made three-in-a-row from the sixth to make the turn in five under, before more gains on 10, 12, 14 and 15.
“I missed makeable birdie putts on the last three holes, including a 10-footer on the last,” said the 48-year-old, who played in Europe for over 20 years before successfully negotiating this year’s Asian Tour Qualifying School.
“However, I would have taken a 62 at the start of the day. I have shot 10 under before in a tournament. The first time I played the course was yesterday in the Pro-Am, and that was in a buggy!”
He is proving to be one of the leading ‘rookies’ of the season, especially after tying for third in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last month.
Ateejesh Sandhu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Currently in 49th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit he is looking for another good week, in order to secure a top-60 finish on the Merit list and keep his Tour card.
Sandhu missed the early part of the season due to a sore back but has gradually been returning to form, as he demonstrated today.
“I was injured for the first half of the year,” said the Indian, who has one win on his Asian Tour resume, the Yeangder TPC in 2017, as well as five runner-up finishes.
“It was nothing too serious, it looked like it could have been a back issue, but the spine is absolutely fine. It was more a ligament tear on the SI joint. I was just over- golfed. Last year, I played all the tournaments in India, chasing the Order of Merit, and on the Asian Tour. At the Saudi International [the first event this season] it just kind of gave up. I was out until May. Took a bit of time to get back into it but the game is in a good place. I was at home for two months, didn’t touch a club.”
Like Lee, and Campbell, he started on the back nine today and made an eagle, on the second, the same as Lee, and recorded seven birdies and a bogey.
He finished three shots behind compatriot Gaganjeet Bhullar here six years ago and feels his game is a match for the Macau course.
“This is a course where you cannot get ahead of yourself. You have to position yourself on every hole, and that suits my game a bit more, you have to be patient. You can’t overpower it in anyway,” he said.
“I think the course is playing easier than the past years. Usually, it is a lot firmer and faster, but it is a little bit softer because of the rain and the typhoon, so I think that is playing a little bit into our hands. It should firm up at the weekend with the sun being down and the wind picking up. Today was a lot easier than what I am used to here. Glad I was able to take advantage of it.”
Phachara Khongwatmai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Phachara had looked to be on course to easily better the nine under mark when he went to nine under after 14, but surprisingly he pushed his tee shot out of bounds on the par-four 16th. His ball landed on the out of bounds line and unluckily he was forced to play his provisional. He signed for a double-bogey.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, the defending champion, and Kho both shot 66s and are tied 14th.
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