Asian Tour part of the solution with new Tour Partner Bluewater
Takahiro Hataji, who edged Scott Hend to win the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport earlier this year, has claimed his maiden title on the Japan Golf Tour – the Kansai Open Golf Championship.
The 30-year-old Japanese triumphed by three from countryman Yuta Sugiura at Meishin Yokaichi Country Club, Shiga Prefecture on Sunday.
Hataji started the final round one off the lead but came through with a three-under-par 67 to finish with a winning total of 14-under 266. He overcame a poor start, that saw him make bogeys on three and four, with a strong four-under-par back nine when he made back-to-back birdies twice.
It made amends for finishing runner-up in the same tournament last year and added to what is far and away the most successful season of his 10-year career.
K.J. Choi. Picture by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
In March he won New Zealand’s National Open to become the first player from his country to raise the trophy. He beat Australia’s Hend by a shot after making key birdies down the stretch before Hend three putted 18.
Veteran KJ Choi, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, rolled back the years on the Korean PGA Tour winning the SK Telecom Open yesterday.
He’d started the final round at Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island with a five-shot advantage, but he was caught by Korean Park Sang-hyun – whom he eventually defeated on the second hole of a play-off.
At the age of 54 he is the oldest golfer to win a tournament on the Korean PGA Tour and it broke his 12-year drought on home soil.
Remarkably, the win came on his birthday.
Thailand’s irrepressible amateur star Ratchanon Chantananuwat, the boy wonder we know as ‘TK’, is finally heading to play college golf in the United States. Ahead of his departure to Stanford University we asked him nine key questions – including when can we expect to see him again on the Asian Tour.
TK we’re probably not going see you much on the Asian Tour for quite a while now, with you going to Stanford University later this summer to join their golf team. Can you tell us a little bit about how you evaluate your season so far?
The season has been just sub-par really. I haven’t played bad, all my finishes aren’t bad, I’m making almost all the cuts but when I do, I’m just middle of the pack. So, I’m managing just fine, but it’s definitely not good. I mean, I’m definitely not playing my best with how intensive the schoolwork is getting, now that the finals are getting nearer and nearer. I’m devoting a lot of my time to school and I’m not practicing as much as I want, so I mean it’s no surprise that my golf is going to drop a little bit. But other than that, I can’t really complain. I’m just hoping that when I do come back, I have been practicing more so I can start contending often again.
You had a pretty good tournament at the Porsche Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour, you were only three shots out of the lead going into the final round?
Yeah, I was actually fifth through three rounds and Sunday was just a bad day. It was unfortunate because Sunday, like the results that week, didn’t really reflect how well I played. Just one bad day ruined the whole week. And I was contending, I was up there, I was three behind, I felt like I belonged, you know. I didn’t feel alienated, pressured or anything, it was just a bad round. So that’s some good takeaway there.
TK hugs his father/caddie at last year’s Saudi Open presented by the Public Investment Fund, where he finished tied fifth. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
What will your golf schedule look like now for the next few months, will we see you at the Korean Open or International Series Morocco coming up?
No, so my timeline right now, as it stands, I have tests that I need to take, eight to be specific. They’re all between May 7th and June 7th. Then I will go to play in The Amateur Championship in Ireland from June 15 to 22, and then Stanford summer school starts two days after so I’m gonna go to Stanford to get settled in. I’ll play the U.S. Junior Championship and the U.S. Amateur Championship and whatever else I can. I’m thinking maybe The Open qualifier, the final qualifier, if I’m exempt. I really can’t say how much I’m gonna get to play, because I have no idea how much school I can miss.
When will you actually start school this summer?
Summer school starts on June 24th and will last until about the end of August, but then I just start the real term straightaway at the start of September. I mean, the one event I would really hope I get to play would be the Saudi International, the big one. I’m sure coach would want me to play that as well, given how big the event is.
How does it feel now to be going over to Stanford, one of the most prestigious universities in the world and Tiger Woods alma mater, to start your college career?
Super excited, but honestly, I don’t feel much. I just have so much going on in the in the present that I can’t even look at the future. I mean, right now, the most important thing and the only thing I can think about, are the tests that I’m about to do. But yeah, I’m super excited. I think about it, every day is an understatement, like every other shot, if not twice every shot, it’s just the only thing on my mind.
The tests or going to university?
Going to school, of course. I don’t think about the tests, I dread the tests. They find their way into my mind, but school I’m actually thinking about. I mean there’s just so many things to look forward to, but most importantly, I just can’t wait to better myself, you know. Like, I’ve seen the facilities, I trust coach Conrad Ray. I’m sure that I’m gonna get maybe not more practice, but maybe more efficient practice in college. Because I waste a lot of time in Bangkok driving around, getting from one place to another, getting from my house to the golf course or whatever. There are not many good golf courses that I have ready access to, whereas in Stanford, I’ll be living essentially on a golf course. Because for those that don’t know, we have 18 holes and pretty much three driving ranges on campus at Stanford.
TK pictured at the ‘Beat the Pro’ challenge in the Golf Village at the Wynn Palace ahead of International Series Macau presented by Wynn in March. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.
Will you be living in a dorm, and how will it feel to be moving away from your mom and dad soon?
Yes, that is the whole point of going to college. I mean, I think this is just a very cliche answer, but exciting and also scary. If anything, I’m more scared than other kids usually are, because I’ve been with my parents my whole life. They’re there every second of my day, every event that I have traveled to, both of them are there all the time. But they will be there at least for the foreseeable future, the first few months. At least until the term starts after I finish the U.S. Amateur, just to make sure I settle in ok, and once they know that I can take care of myself they’ll come back to Thailand. So, it doesn’t feel like I’m leaving them yet.
You will have a lot of new team-mates on the golf team, are there any of them that you already know, or will they all be new to you?
The three people I’ve met are all seniors, so they are all leaving. But we do have a group chat. There’s the current freshmen Kush Arora and Ethan Gao, and then me and the other two freshmen. So, it’s like I’m already really good friends with the other four, and one of the incoming freshmen, Jay Leng Jr. I’ve been playing golf with him in the U.S. since I was like, five, six years old, so we know each other pretty well. Well, we’ve known each other a long time. And the majority of the team are Asians, but like American born.
So, when can we possibly expect to see you back on the Asian Tour again?
It will depend on finals at summer school and whatever tests I have to take. It also depends on the travel as well. I’m really hoping the Saudi International, but I need to check. I have the schedule now, but I need to check the dates of my exams. But honestly, if they give me the green light, I’m 100% playing that one, like it’s just an event you can’t miss. I mean it’s like at least 15-20 Major winners who are going to be there.
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.
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