Puig leads strong Asian Tour contingent at PGA Championship
In-form Spaniard David Puig is hoping to reproduce his red-hot form on the Asian Tour and The International Series this season when he tees up tomorrow at the second Major of the season, the PGA Championship.
Puig is one of four representatives from the Asian Tour and The International Series, the set of 10 elevated events that form a pathway to the LIV Golf League, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
Last year’s International Series Rankings winner Andy Ogletree will also start alongside in-form Chilean Joaquin Niemann and Japan’s Takumi Kanaya, the 2023 International Series Oman champion.
Spaniard Puig, just 22, is No.106 on the Official World Golf Ranking, but he earned his invite with a superb run of form that has brought top-10 finishes in four OWGR events, including a win in the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open.
David Puig pictured with the winner’s trophy at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open. Picture by Khalid Redza/Asian Tour.
Puig, who also plays for the Fireballs GC team on the LIV Golf League, said: “I am performing pretty well on the Asian Tour. It is a tour right now that when I tee off, I feel pretty comfortable about my game and I feel capable of playing good golf.
“Obviously winning the first event of the year in Malaysia helped me a lot to climb those rankings. If I’m very honest, at the beginning of the year I didn’t think the PGA was an option because of my schedule.”
Following his win in Malaysia, which also secured a berth in The Open at Royal Troon from 18-21 July, Puig returned an impressive T10 at International Series Oman.
Last season’s International Series Singapore champion followed that up with an outright second at International Series Macau presented by Wynn, losing out in a thrilling play-off to John Catlin after carding a final-round 60.
At one stage earlier this season, Puig was on a run of seven straight weeks of golf, including Asian Tour and LIV Golf League commitments, but the youngster believes the hard work is paying dividends.
He said: “I’m super excited that all this travel has paid off with good results here on The International Series and Asian Tour. Seeing that the USPGA saw all my travel and my dedication is really cool, and I look forward to this week.
“I knew that playing on the Asian Tour and The International Series would help my game,” Puig added. “When I started, I never played any professional events besides one when I was an amateur, so I had to play as much as I can so I can start gaining that experience.
Puig after winning last year’s International Series Singapore. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The travel has been a little intense this last couple of years, but travelling to these new places and competing in these great events is something that I have really enjoyed doing.”
Puig is taking a philosophical approach to his second Major appearance, after managing a T39 at the US Open in Los Angeles last year. He said: “I didn’t think much about it yet. I don’t want to rush things and at the end of the day, I see it as another tournament. It’s a bigger one, the name says so and it’s a Major for sure.
“But at the same time, the routine is going to be pretty much the same. You know, try to have two, three good practice days and try to learn as much as I can on the course and after that, just try to plan the best strategy and from there, just try to play as best as I can and hopefully have a good week.”
Tom Kim, the 2021 Asian Tour No.1 who now plays on the PGA Tour, is also in the field for the tournament along with YE Yang, the Korean who became the first Asian to win a Major when lifting the Wanamaker Trophy in 2009 at Hazeltine.
Michael Hendry has recorded a win for the ages by claiming the For The Players by The Players on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation on Sunday – remarkably a year after being diagnosed with leukemia.
The Kiwi won by a point from Japan’s Hideto Kobukuro in an event using Stableford points scoring, played at The Club Golf Village.
Last May, not long after finishing second in the World City Championship in Hong Kong on the Asian Tour, he shocked the golfing world by announcing news of his cancer before facing a battle for survival.
“A year ago, I received the diagnosis of leukemia, and it was a devastating blow,” said the 44-year-old.
“Throughout my hospitalisation, I remained confined to the hospital bed and lost 17kg. The hospitalisation was about three to four months; I couldn’t play golf for five months. I was discharged in September, and it was not until October before I started playing again.
Michael Hendry (far right) picture at the World City Championship, where he was second and earned a place in The Open. Not long after he was diagnosed with cancer. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I’m truly grateful for this second opportunity in my golfing journey and the chance to return to professional competition. My current goal is to enjoy golf and cherish time with my family.”
He has won once before in Japan, at the Token Homemate Cup in 2015, while he is also a four-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the most recent being the VIC Open last year, months before his diagnosis.
His fine performance in the World City Championship, one of his best on the Asian Tour, earned him a place in The Open, which he agonisingly had to let go.
However, Hendry’s determination to make a full recovery became loud and clear when he won on the Charles Tour in New Zealand in October of last year.
Statistics are always going to be an interesting point of discussion at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open simply because its host venue, the notorious Namseoul Country Club, is home to one of the most difficult courses on the Asian Tour, and Korean PGA Tour. Conditions were also made more challenging by rain all day on the last day.
Built on the side of a hill, its fairways are narrow and often at a stiff gradient, so you rarely get a flat lie, and the greens are treacherous, particularly when above the hole.
Korean Hongteak Kim, who triumphed after beating Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam on the first extra-hole to cap a gripping Sunday afternoon, had the perfect answer to Namseoul’s defences.
He putted brilliantly, topping both Putts per Round and Putts per Green in Regulation, with 1.4 and 1.5 respectively, and he was also ranked among the longest drivers on the measuring holes with 306.40 yards for fourth place in that category.
Hongtaek Kim.
The interesting caveat on the latter category, again as a result of Namseoul’s toughness, is that not all players hit driver, so the longest drivers ranking is a tad misleading.
However, that does not detract from Kim’s dominance, which also saw him make five more birdies than anyone else with 24.
Chonlatit, bidding to become the first overseas winner of the event in 20 years, produced some unbelievable golf, particularly on day two when he holed from the fairway twice on par fours to make eagles. He had the joint most eagles with two thanks to those miracle shots and also registered the fewest bogeys, with five.
His second-round nine-under-par 62, one short of the course record, saw him take the lead, while the following day he holed out from off the green for birdies on two occasions.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam.
Like Kim, he also had a very good week on the fast and difficult greens and ranked second in Putts per Round, helped by holing out from off the green regularly, with 1.42, and fourth in Putts per Greens in Regulation with 1.68.
Canada’s Richard T. Lee, who finished third, looked very solid in the difficult Sunday conditions and tied for the most Greens in Regulations (GIR) hit that day with 14, placing fourth overall for the week with 75%.
The third-round leader Junghwan Lee from Korea, known in Korea as the “Ironman” because of his accurate iron play, proved his nickname right by topping the Greens in Regulation stats with 85.19% through the first three rounds, as he did not submit his final round stats. He tied for fourth, and also topped the Scrambling ranking.
Richard T. Lee.
Statistics category leaders at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open (of players making the cut):
Putts per Round: Hongtaek Kim (KOR) – 1.40
Putts per GIR: Hongtaek Kim (KOR) – 1.50
GIR: Junghwan Lee (KOR) – 85.19%*
Fairways Hit: Taehoon Ok (KOR) – 80.36%
Driving Distance: Mingyu Cho (KOR) – 317.50
Most Eagles: Chonatit Chuenboonngam (THA), Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA), Michael Maguire (USA), Seungtaek Lee (KOR) – 2
Most Birdies: Hongtaek Kim (KOR) – 24
Fewest Bogeys: Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA) – 5
Scrambling: Junghwan Lee (KOR) – 85.70%
* Through 54 holes
Korean Hongtaek Kim showed he is just as good on the golf course as he is playing simulator golf today when he beat Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam in a sudden-death play-off to win the GS Caltex Maekyung Open at Namseoul Country Club – on an overcast day with persistent rain that left everyone drenched.
Kim, a star on the golf simulator circuit on Korea’s GTour – his nickname is King of the Screen thanks to 12 wins – drained a knee-knocking four-foot par putt on the first extra hole to claim one of Korea’s most coveted titles.
The pair finished tied in regulation play on 10-under after Kim, who started the day three behind overnight leader Junghwan Lee from Korea, had stormed through on the back nine with three birdies in a row from 13 and another on 17.
His two-under-par 69 gave him the clubhouse lead before Chonlatit, playing in the last group and bidding to become the first foreigner to win the event since American Mark Calcavecchia in 2004, courageously holed par save putts on 17 and 18, both from about eight feet, to force the 43rd staging of the event into overtime.
Hongtaek Kim.
In the play-off, held on the demanding par-four 18th and with the rain constant, Kim found the fairway off the tee, but his Thai opponent landed in the large bunker on the left of the fairway. Chonlatit’s second shot clipped the lip of the trap and left him with a 50-yard approach shot while Kim’s second finished just off the back of the green.
The result was more or less decided when Chonlatit’s third landed 25 feet short. His par putt also struggled to reach the hole and after he holed his four footer for a bogey Kim had virtually the same putt for par to secure the win.
Joked 30-year-old Kim: “There was a misunderstanding that I was only good at simulator golf. I solved the misunderstanding today.
“I think simulator golf has actually been very helpful. Competing in championships in simulator golf has helped relieve tension.”
He earned a cheque for US$221,231 for what is his first victory on the Asian Tour and third on the Korean PGA Tour, plus he joins an elite list of Korean golfers who won this title, including Bio Kim, Sanghyun Park, Sangho Cho, and Jongduck Kim.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam.
Chonlatit, who led at the halfway mark following a stunning 62 – the lowest round of the week – was also trying to become the first Thai to have his name inscribed on the trophy.
He had a one-shot lead with three to play but made an expensive bogey on the par-five 16th.
“It was very hard today,” said the 25-year-old, who was attempting to win for the first time on the Asian Tour.
“Everything was hard, I was constantly trying to keep my grips dry, but I’m still very happy with the tournament. I had some good luck in the other rounds holing out shots and chips.”
He also lost in a sudden-death play-off against Australian Wade Ormsby at the International Series Thailand at the beginning of 2023. To the surprise of many it has taken him this long to once again be in contention.
He said: “I just changed my swing a little bit, and I have worked very hard on it. I feel like my game is back now.”
Canadian Richard T. Lee closed with a 71 to finish in third place, two short of the play-off.
“Yeah, I mean I had a lot of good looks but the putts just didn’t seem to drop in today,” said the two-time winner on the Asian Tour, who frustratingly made bogeys on 16 and 18.
Junghwan Lee.
“I hit the putts that I wanted to, but they just didn’t fall in. I guess next time I’ll make sure I get a little bit more luck. And yeah, it was tough today with the rain and the conditions, so I’m actually pleased.”
Since the Asian Tour returned from the COVID-19 pandemic he has finished second twice and third on three occasions.
Junghwan Lee shot a 75 and finished in a tie for fourth with countrymen Yang Jubin and Taehoon Ok, who both carded 68s.
The Asian Tour takes a short break next before returning to Korea next month for the Kolon Korea Open. The tournament will take place at Woo Jeung Hills Country Club from June 20-23. American Steve Seungsu Han is the defending champion.
Junghwan Lee birdied three of the last five holes to take the third-round lead in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open today to give himself a chance of improving upon his joint second place finish here last year.
The Korean, whose nickname is ‘Ironman’ because of his strong iron play, carded a five-under-par 66 to lead on 11-under at Namseoul Country Club by a shot from Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, the leader at the start of the day, who returned a 70.
Canadian Richard T. Lee (69) and Hongtaek Kim (71) from Korea are another two strokes back – in the sixth event of the Asian Tour’s season.
This year’s Asian Tour Qualifying School winner Kristoffer Broberg (71) from Sweden and Korean Kyungnam Kang (73) are an additional two shots behind.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam.
Lee, aged 32, started the day three behind the leader Chonlatit and trailed the Thai for much of the day.
However, Chonlatit, who had a two-shot lead after nine, made a costly double bogey on the par-four 16th – where left a chip short and failed to get up and down – while Lee was able to take to the front thanks to birdies on 14, 15 and 17.
Said Lee: “I was second going into the final round last year but this time I am going in to the final round in the lead, which I think is an advantage. I think it is good to solve problems step by step.
“I want to win. I want to do it so much. I have my coaches here this year and we are working really hard. My swing is getting better little by little, it’s not perfect, but it’s improving.”
Lee is in pursuit of his third win since turning professional in 2009, having won on the Korean PGA Tour in 2017 and 2018.
Chonlatit will be disappointed to have let the lead slip from his grasp over the closing stages, but he has given himself a chance to become the first foreign winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in 20 years.
Hongtaek Kim.
The 25-year-old, who would also become the first Thai to win the tournament, which is one of Korea’s most prestigious events, sensationally made two eagles on par fours yesterday and he was equally inspired today holing a bunker shot for a birdie on the par-three 11th and chipping in for birdie on number 13.
He’d started the day with a one-shot lead following a scintillating day two 62 – which was one shy of Chinese-Taipei’s Chung Chun-Hsing course record, set in 2001.
“I was so lucky today, just lucky,” said Chonlatit.
“Today wasn’t that good, but I had some luck saving me on a few of the holes.
“Today the greens were very fast, if you were past the pin I don’t think you would be able to stop the ball short of the hole.”
“I will just focus on my game and just play tomorrow. I want to hit my tee shots in the fairway first, and then same plan as before, keep it short of the pin and make some putts.”
The Thai lost in a sudden-death play against Australian Wade Ormsby at the International Series Thailand last year, and has won once before on the Asian Development Tour in 2022.
Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam upstaged the big guns of Korean golf today to take the halfway lead in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open after shooting the lowest round of the week so far and one of the best of the season.
His brilliant bogey-free nine-under-par 62, which featured eagles on two of the par fours and was agonisingly one short of the 23-year-old course record, put him on nine-under and gave him a one-shot lead over Koreans Kyungnam Kang, the first-round leader, and Hongtaek Kim.
Kang carded a 69 and Kim a 65, while their compatriot Yubin Jang, a member of Korea’s gold medal winning Asian Games team last year, is another stroke back following a 69.
Chonlatit lost a sudden-death play-off against Australian Wade Ormsby at the International Series Thailand early on last season – a result which many thought would launch his career. Further success did not materialise but his talent re-surfaced once more today with the finest round of his career that featured two eagles and five birdies, including two in the last three.
Kyungnam Kang.
He also missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-five ninth, which was his 18th as he began on 10, to narrowly miss matching Chinese-Taipei’s Chung Chun-Hsing course record, set way back in 2001.
“I didn’t see the ball go in on either hole for eagle as they were uphill,” said 25-year-old, who finished late in the day to edge ahead of Kang and Kim, who were out in the morning session.
“I thought they were going to be the right distance and close, but not that they would go in.
“It’s my first time playing this course. I don’t know the trouble left and right, so I just played my game. I didn’t think too much. I just tried to hit the fairways and keep the ball short of the pins for uphill putts. That’s my game plan for the weekend too, keep it short and not past the pin.”
His first eagle came on the 13th before he made another two on the first.
Kang admitted that the GS Caltex Maekyung Open is the title he wants to win the most.
The 41-year-old is an 11-time winner in Korea but he has yet to win one of the country’s big three events: the Korean Open, the Shinhan Donghae Open and this week’s event.
Hongtaek Kim.
“The goal is always to win. I want to win the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Championship the most though,” said Kang, who was bogey-free yesterday, but made two bogeys today and four birdies.
“I have played safe for two consecutive days. It is more important to avoid bogeys than make birdies. If you persevere, you get a chance.
“I’m over 40 years old, but I have the confidence to win.”
The Korean has been battling a back injury by doing plenty of exercise including regular bike riding.
He said: “I rode my bike for 40 minutes again yesterday. I have discovered that my body performs better when I am tired. If I had realised this earlier, I would have won 20 tournaments!”
Kang, who last won in Korea three years ago, said he is not used to playing so well early in the season and is normally a late starter so feels he might have a chance to finish the year ranked first in Korea.
Yubin Jang.
Kim has made his name on the golf simulator circuit in Korea winning 12 times on the GTour – his nickname is ‘King of the Screen’ – but he is enjoying being in contention playing the real thing.
“It feels good to be tied for the lead at the moment. I’ll prepare well for the weekend round,” said the 30-year-old, who won on the Korean PGA Tour back in 2017.
“I was in a hurry yesterday because the play went well.”
He participates in simulator competitions when there are no Korean PGA Tour events being played.
“Namseoul’s green speed is faster than simulator golf’s ‘very fast’ mode. You can’t come here after playing at ‘very fast’,” he joked.
Defending champion Chanmin Jung from Korea missed the cut after rounds of 72 and 73 to finish three over. The cut was made at one over.
His playing partner John Catlin also finished on the same total, adding a disappointing 74 to his first-round 71. The American had been attempting to become the first player in the history of the Asian Tour to win three in a row, having triumphed in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the Saudi Open presented by PIF.
Kyungnam Kang, one of Korea’s most experienced campaigners, laid down a marker on the opening day of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open today shooting an imperious bogey-free six-under-par 65 to take the lead here at one of the country’s venerable old venues Namseoul Country Club, south Seoul.
The 41-year-old, an 11-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour, made six birdies – including four in a row from the 12th – and has one-shot lead over his compatriots Jang Yubin and Woohyun Kim, Canadian Richard T. Lee and Miguel Carballo from Argentina.
Kang has been a professional for 20 years but has never won on the Asian Tour.
He’s made the perfect start to try and add that feather to his cap and record his first victory since 2021.
Jang Yubin. Picture courtesy GS Caltex Maekyung Open organiser.
He said: “I’ve played a lot in Namseoul. It’s a difficult course every time I play it, but I made a lot of birdies today, so I gained a lot of confidence.
“It’s a good performance considering I have a bad back. I withdrew from the first event on the Korean PGA Tour season last month because of it. It was even hurting when I was breathing. It is still not great.”
Despite the injury the Korean says he is fully focused on winning as many times as possible in the twilight of his career.
“I hope to win 15 or more games until I retire. Sanghyun Park has 12 wins, I have 11 wins. Sanghyun is an excellent player and I want to catch him,” added Kang, who says he does Pilates for one or two hours every day and: “I ride my bike for 50 minutes whether it’s early evening or early morning. I’m just trying to take care of myself.”
Jang’s excitement at competing in this week’s event for the first time since turning professional was behind his fine start.
Miguel Carballo. Picture courtesy GS Caltex Maekyung Open organiser.
He finished tied eighth last year at a venue he has played many times as a member of the Korean amateur team and his familiarity with the course was evident as he moved into contention making six birdies and one bogey.
The 21-year-old is one of Korea’s hottest properties having been part of the Korean team that won gold at last October’s Hangzhou Asian Games – the event that marked his last appearance as an amateur.
At the start of this year Jang targeted the three events he wanted to win the most and the GS Catltex Maekyung Open was one of them.
“I have taken a step forward,” said Jang.
“When I played in professional tournaments before as an amateur, I was very nervous, so I didn’t play well. Now I’m not nervous.
“I gained so much experience participating here before as an amateur. That experience has helped me, and I feel like I have improved since last year.”
In the Hong Kong Open, soon after the Asian Games and in his first event overseas as a professional, he shot a stunning closing round seven-under-par 63 to finish solo fifth.
Richard T. Lee. Picture courtesy GS Caltex Maekyung Open organiser.
And in the early season events on the Korean PGA Tour he has also been in the running: finishing fourth, joint sixth and tied 24th.
Carballo is the surprise package at the end of day one, but perhaps he shouldn’t be bearing in mind he shot 66 on the opening day last year to sit in third place. He eventually tied for 35th.
The veteran golfer has done well in an event traditionally dominated by Korean golfers. The most recent overseas player to win was Mark Calcavecchia from the United States in 2004.
“I like the golf course,” said the 45-year-old.
“I hit the fairways and I hit the greens, and the putting was working. This year the first couple of tournaments I played well, but the putter wasn’t working. The scoring wasn’t coming but the last two tournaments I played very good, the putter is not very good but it’s working.”
John Catlin from the United States, chasing a record-setting third consecutive win on the Asian Tour, appeared to be in complete control at three-under with three to play, without a bogey on his card, but proceeded to bogey the final three holes for a 71.
His playing partners Koreans Guntaek Koh, currently ranked first on the Korean PGA Tour, and Chanmin Jung, the defending champion, fired rounds of 70 and 72 respectively.
Korean Bio Kim, a two-time winner here, opened with a 75 and has much to do to become the first player to win this event three times.
- Tournament: GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship
- Date: May 2-5, 2024
- Leg: Sixth event of 2024 season
- Edition: 43rd (Asian Tour 1999-2003, 2005-2009, 2018-2019, 2023)
- Venue: Namseoul Country Club, Seongnam, Seoul, South Korea
- Course designer: Seiichi Inoue (JPN)
- Year Opened: 1971
- Course Record: 61, Chung Chun-Hsing (TPE) GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship 2001
- Purse: KRW1,300,000,000
- Par/Yards: 71 / 7,083
- Field: 144
- Format: 72-hole stroke play with a cut made after two rounds to the leading 65 professionals and ties
- Social Media Hashtags: #MaekyungOpen #whereitsAT
Chanmin Jung celebrates on the 18th last year. Picture supplied by GS Caltex Maekyung Open committee.
FIELD BREAKDOWN
- Order of Merit winners: Sihwan Kim (USA) 2022, Jazz Janewattananond (THA) 2019
- Nationalities: 16
- Past winners of tournament in the field: Chanmin Jung (KOR), Bio Kim (KOR), Inhoi Hur (KOR), Taehee Lee (KOR), Sanghyun Park (KOR), Sanghee Lee (KOR), Kyongjun Moon (KOR), Innchoon Hwang (KOR), Jongduck Kim (KOR)
- Defending champion: Chanmin Jung (KOR) -16 (won by 6 strokes over weather shortened 54 holes in 2023)
- Highest ranked player in field on OWGR: John Catlin (USA) 155
- Highest ranked player on 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit: John Catlin (USA) #1
- No. of amateurs: 8
- No. of Korean players in the field: 87
Bio Kim won for the second time in 2022. Picture supplied by GS Caltex Maekyung Open committee.
TOURNAMENT KEY NOTES + STORYLINES
- Order of Merit leader John Catlin is coming off back-to-back wins at the Saudi Open presented by PIF and International Series Macau presented by Wynn. He will be returning to Namseoul Country Club for the first time since 2018 when he finished eighth. Catlin, who is a six-time winner on the Asian Tour and a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, will be looking to extend his lead on the Order of Merit with his eight closest OOM pursuers not playing in Korea. He is attempting to become the first player in the history of the Asian Tour to win three events in a row.
- Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub is making his first appearance in this tournament and will look to continue his good form of the past six months. The 20-year-old should feel confident after a final round 63 at the Saudi Open presented by PIF two weeks ago where he finished tied 17th, despite a five over par 76 in the third round. He has a tied third place finish in the IRS Prima Malaysian Open, which earned him a ticket to the Open Championship, and a ninth place in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn as his best finishes of the season and sits in 10th place on the Order of Merit. At the end of 2023 Denwit posted three straight victories.
- Local favourite Bio Kim won the 2022 and 2012 editions of the tournament and has a very impressive record at Namseoul overall, with a tied sixth in 2023 and five other top-five finishes in the previous 15 times he’s played in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open. Kim has tied 13th in the IRS Prima Malaysian Open as his best Asian Tour result this season and has recently posted two top 10s on the Korean Tour.
- Korea’s Sanghyun Park is also a two-time winner of the tournament, with both of his victories coming in playoffs in 2016 and 2018. Park has posted 12 wins on the Korean Tour and two on the Japan Tour during his career. He recently finished runner up at the DB Insurance Promy Open, the first event on the 2024 Korean Tour schedule.
- Taehee Lee of Korea won the tournament in back-to-back years in 2019-2020 and is a four-time winner in Korea during his career. Not off to the best start on his 2024 Asian Tour campaign, he will be looking at the return to Namseoul as a chance to rekindle his form. Recently posted a tied 10th finish at the KPGA Founders Cup, the second event of the Korean Tour season, and a tied 11th last week at the Woori Financial Group Championship.
- Korean players have won the last 19 editions of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, going all the way back to 2004 when American Mark Calcavecchia, the winner of the 1989 Open Championship, captured the event.
- Established in 1982, the tournament has mostly been staged at the Namseoul, but it has also been held at three different venues. The other venues that have been used are Lakeside Country Club in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2006, Gwanak Country Club in 1984 and Elysian Gangchon Country Club in 2020.
- In 2005, Korean Sangho Choi won the tournament and set an Asian Tour record as the oldest winner on the Asian Tour at 50 years and 145 days.
- Five players have won the tournament twice, Bio Kim, Sanghyun Park, Taehee Lee, Kyungtae Kim and Namsin Park. No player has won the title three times.
COURSE YARDAGES
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 |
| Yards | 409 | 484 | 189 | 537 | 421 | 223 | 418 | 422 | 524 | 3,627 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
| Yards | 423 | 209 | 386 | 394 | 504 | 341 | 535 | 231 | 433 | 3,456 | 7,083 |
American John Catlin will attempt to write his name into the history books once again this week, this time at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open where he will try and become the first player to win three tournaments in a row on the Asian Tour.
Two weeks ago, at the Saudi Open presented by PIF, he became the 13th player to win back-to-back titles – having preceded that with success at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
Victory in Macau was helped by an outrageous 11-under-par 59 in the third-round, the Tour’s first ever sub-60, and his remarkable period of form has seen him reach the summit of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and second position on the International Series Rankings.
History is undeniably against the 33-year-old here at Namseoul Country Club in Seonghan, just south of Seoul, as the last non-Korean to win the event, which this week celebrates it 43rd edition, was former Open champion Mark Calcavecchia from the Unites States a distant 20 years ago.
John Catlin pictured with the Saudi Open presented by PIF trophy. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
However, if there is one player you would put in position to achieve the elusive hat-trick it would be the unflappable and supremely confident Californian.
“I am excited,” said Catlin, who has managed to win three times in a season before, back in 2018.
“Any time you have a chance to break any kind of a record, that’s always something to really look forward to.
“But I play because I enjoy the game. Sometimes you can get away from that. I think when you go out there and have fun and let the work that you do show up, I think that is when you play your best.”
Namseoul is a notoriously difficult golf course as it is tight and hilly but that suits Catlin as he is accurate from the tee while he also has something else he can draw on.
He explains: “I like this course. I have only played here once. It was six years ago, and I had my first top-10 on the Asian Tour here. You have to keep it in play, it’s tight, there’s a lot of slope, so you have to make sure you put the ball in the right places.”
He finished eighth in 2016 in just his second year on the Asian Tour, when he was in the process of finding his feet in the professional game, but a star was born two years later when he won three times and was voted the Players’ Player of the Year.
Catlin after winning the International Series Macau presented by Wynn. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
In 2020 he turned his attention to Europe and was victorious on three occasions there before losing his way last year and opting to return to Asia.
He quickly got his spark back and made it through this year’s Asian Tour Qualifying School before tying for third in the season-opening Malaysian Open.
“There’s no real secret to this at the moment, just hard work, and you know, just trying to enjoy the process a bit more,” said Catlin, who bases himself in Hua Hin, Thailand, when competing in the region.
“I am always tinkering, trying to do this a little better, that a little better – that never really changes, that never really goes away. Some things have clicked, my mind is working a little better, because of that you build a bit more confidence, those things spiral on top of each other.
“One thing I think I am good at is staying in the present. You are teeing it up to win. I would not be here if I didn’t think I had a chance to win but you don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself as well. You don’t want to plan these things out. No, you are there prepared, and ready to compete. And you know, I like to win.”
Asian Games gold medallists Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young will reach another important milestone in their blossoming careers this week when they play in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open – one of their country’s premier tournaments – for the first time as professionals.
Both players tied for eighth as amateurs here last year at Namseoul Country Club – in an event that has traditionally been a testing ground for the nation’s leading amateurs as it is organised by the Korean Golf Association – in part helping to earn their places in the four-man Korean team that competed in the Hangzhou Asian Games in October.
They combined with PGA Tour stars Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae to win the team gold medal, for the first time since 2010, and turned professional immediately afterwards.
The duo have not disappointed in the play for pay game, with this week being another important part of their progression.
Jang Yu-bin.
Said Jang: “At the beginning of this year, we selected three competitions that we really wanted to win, and one of them was the GS Caltex, because it is a place with special memories of being an amateur and a national team player.”
In the Hong Kong Open, soon after the Asian Games and in his first event overseas as a professional, he shot a stunning closing round seven-under-par 63 to finish solo fifth.
And in the early season events on the Korean Tour he has also been in the running: finishing fourth, joint sixth and tied 24th.
The transition to the paid ranks has not been a difficult one, which he feels is the result of the experience and pressure involved in the build up to the Asian Games.
“We played in a lot of professional events, as part of the amateur team, getting ready for the Asian Games. So I think I am ready for this next stage of my career, and I am going to enjoy life as a professional,” said Jang, who also won on the Korean Tour as amateur early last season.
“Since winning the Asian Games I think I have many fans. There have been many requests for autographs and photos at tournaments. I am very grateful and surprised. “
Cho Woo-young.
Cho has finished in top-15 in the opening three Korean Tour event so far this season and is revelling the opportunity to compete this week.
“I have been improving since the start of the season,” said Cho, also a winner as an amateur on the Korean Tour last year.
“I have practiced and trained at Namseoul so much as amateur, so I think it’s a tournament that I want more than any other tournament.
“I turned around with a gold medal on my neck in October last year, and I’m already in my seventh month as a professional. I’m enjoying life on tour so much, with so much passionate support.”
Like Jubin, Cho says the experience of being on the same team as Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, who have a combined six victories on the PGA Tour, is something that he will never forget.
He said: “The Asian Games awards ceremony was amazing, but I think what I remember the most is just chatting with Sung-jae and Si-woo and Yubin in the same room, as we shared accommodation. My older brothers told me a lot about the PGA Tour. I received a lot of advice. It is a happy and precious memory.”
The GS Caltex Maekyung Open starts Thursday and is the sixth event of the season on the Asian Tour. Total prizemoney is KRW1,300,000,000 (approximately US$939,000).
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