Fully-fit Kho braced for tournament that “means the most to me …”
Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho has admitted the Link Hong Kong Open is the tournament that “means the most to me in the world”.
It is not overly surprising given the significance of the event to him and the importance of its famous venue, the Hong Kong Golf Club – for whom he is their ambassador – but it’s a timely statement given the tournament, which is also part of The International Series, tees off tomorrow.
The 24-year-old [pictured at a press activity yesterday] will once again try and become the first Hong Kong player to win the tournament, which is celebrating its 63rd edition, and despite having been out of action for most of the past two months because of a back injury, he is confident and upbeat.
“I am just super grateful to be back at the Link Hong Kong Open playing in front of all my friends and family,” said the uber-talented star, who claimed the World City Championship here last year, becoming the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour.
Taichi Kho pictured at a press conference at the Xiqu centre on Tuesday November 19. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“This is the tournament that means the most to me in the world and to be here with the people that watched me grow up and helped me get to where I am is amazing.
“I am very grateful to be in this position. I will definitely give it my all. I hope to share a sense of pride by being here representing Hong Kong and China.”
Kho had been in fine form before back issues set in, recording four successive top-15 finishes. He is presently in 47th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and looking to finish the season strongly with two events remaining after this week, the International Series Qatar and the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.
“I feel really good, I feel really motivated, I feel refreshed,” he adds.
“I think some time away from the game has helped me and given me some direction, so that clarity in my mental game and that motivation is really strong.”
He’s not sure how the injury happened, whether it was through playing golf or being in the gym, but he has been assured it’s not serious, and now knows the things to do to mitigate it in the future.
(L-R) Tom Kim and Taichi Kho. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Recovery has been a patient process, but I feel a lot better now,” says Kho.
“I am just really looking forward to this week. I am playing with Pat (Reed) and Justin (Rose). I get to learn a lot from them. I want to put up a good performance in front of my family, friends, and the fans.”
Former champion Justin Rose is aiming for victory at the Link Hong Kong Open, which starts tomorrow, in a bid to stake a place on the European Ryder Cup team and claim a first W of the season.
Rose, the 2015 champion here at Hong Kong Golf Club, returns for the first time since 2017 in decent form having recorded a joint second finish behind Xander Schauffele in The Open and an equal sixth placing behind the same player at the US PGA Championship.
Those are his best results of the season. And as a six-time Ryder Cup star, he is still holding dreams of reclaiming a place on the team to face the US at Bethpage Black next season – especially having played a pivotal role as a wildcard in the comprehensive 16.5-11.5 victory in Rome last time out.
Rose is hoping a good performance this week in Fanling could help to spark a decent run of form in 2025. He said: “The Ryder Cup – alongside the Major championships – are what I am trying to use as my fuel.
Justin Rose at the pre-event press activity on Tuesday. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“This is why this year was a good year in the sense of really coming so close, and it gave me the belief that I am still capable of winning a Major championship.
“You need that belief first and foremost to put in the requisite hard work that it takes to do it right. If you don’t really quite believe you can do it, you’re not really going to go that extra mile when you need to.”
Despite the two Major performances, the 44-year-old feels his season did not quite live up to his high standards and expectations.
“I felt like that was the main takeaway from this year. I would say overall, I was not happy with how I played, a lot of searching, a lot of struggling, a lot of fighting, trying to find my game. But the moments I did find my game, I was contending in Majors.”
Rose, an Olympic Gold medal winner in 2016 and also a US Open champion in 2013, also sees the Link Hong Kong Open as an opportunity to end the season on a high – with a first victory of the season.
He said: “An event like this, you never know where you spark your confidence. And of course, where you come back and you have good feelings and memories, absolutely. I hadn’t won this year and it is always nice to chalk one off. It would be nice to chalk off a win, to say, okay, I wasn’t struck out this year. I managed to get one done. So yes, it is a last chance for that, and then to take that momentum into next year, absolutely. Because the Ryder Cup is still a big, big focus.”
Tournament Information
- Tournament: Link Hong Kong Open
- Date: November 21- 24, 2024
- Venue: Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling
- Par/Yards: Par 70 / 6,710 Yards
- Purse: US$2 million (US$360,000)
- Asian Tour leg: 19th event of the 2024 season
- International Series leg: Eighth
- Edition of tournament: 63rd
- Total number of players: 132
- Format: 72-hole stroke play with a cut made after two rounds to the leading 65 pros plus ties
- Social Media Hashtags: #LinkHKO2024 #InternationalSeries #ThisISEverything #TimeToRise
Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Field Breakdown
- Order of Merit winners: Sihwan Kim (2022), Tom Kim (2020/21/22) Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Scott Hend (2016), Anirban Lahiri (2015)
- Nationalities: 26
- Top contenders: Justin Rose (ENG), John Catlin (USA), Ben Campbell (NZL), Tom Kim (KOR), Patrick Reed (USA), MJ Maguire (USA), Lee Chieh-po (TPE), Richard T. Lee (CAN), Peter Uihlein (USA), Anirban Lahiri (IND), Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: Tom Kim (KOR) #27
- Highest ranked player on 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit: John Catlin #1
- Highest ranked player on 2024 International Series Rankings: John Catlin #1
- Defending champion: Ben Campbell (NZL)
- of amateurs: 5
- of Hong Kong players in the field: 9
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Tournament Notes
- American John Catlin has been in great form this whole season with eighth top 10s in 11 Asian Tour events, and he leads both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings. The 33-year-old has posted two victories so far this season, the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the Saudi Open presented by PIF, as well as three runners-up in the Black Mountain Championship, the International Series Morocco and the Yeangder TPC. A tied third finish in the season opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open secured him a spot in the 152nd Open Championship where he finished tied 16th for his best result in a major. He currently leads the Order of Merit with 3,030.06 points to Canadian Richard T. Lee, the winner of the recent BNI Indonesian Masters, who is in second place with 1,775.29. He also tops The International Series Ranking with 900.58 points against 660.64 for Lee who is also second on this list. Catlin has also subbed in for injured players on three different teams on the LIV Golf League this year and posted an impressive T7 in LIV Golf Nashville in June. Catlin has amassed US$1,393,925 in earnings on the Asian Tour so far this season, while his LIV Golf League total was US$1,629,367 in his 2024 campaign.
- Golf legend Justin Rose is here this week. He lifted the Hong Kong Open trophy in 2015, when he was in the middle of a 12-month hot streak that began with a T2 at the US Masters and ended in 2016 when he captured gold for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics. The 44-year-old returns to the tournament having tied for second at The Open Championship in July. Winner of the 2013 US Open he has triumphed on 11 occasions on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. He is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, having claimed the Indonesian Masters in 2017.
- Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po is coming into the week with four consecutive top 10s, and six in his last seven events, including a win at International Series Thailand late last month. He also had a close call and solo third at the Black Mountain Championship, missing the play-off by only one shot, a fourth-place finish at Yeangder TPC and a T9 at the Shinhan Donghae Open in September.
- The defending champion Ben Campbell from New Zealand is a two-time International Series winner after capturing this summer’s International Series Morocco in a play-off against John Catlin, and the 2023 edition of this event. Currently fourth on both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and in The International Series Rankings, Campbell finished T6 at his last tournament, the BNI Indonesian Masters and T4 in the Black Mountain Championship last month. Other good results this season includes a T5 at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and a T10 at the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
- American MJ Maguire won the Black Mountain Championship after defeating John Catlin on the second play-off hole, and also had a great week at the International Series Thailand finishing T4 after a final round 61. Maguire also had a good result at the BNI Indonesian Masters with a T8 for his third straight top 10, and he also posted a T7 at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in early October.
- Richard T. Lee from Canada finally got his third Asian Tour win at the BNI Indonesian Masters, his first since 2017, and is entering the week with four top 10s in a row. He also finished T2 at the International Series Thailand, T9 at the Black Mountain Championship and T10 at the Yeangder TPC in September. He has been a remarkably consistent high performer this season, also posting a third place at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open and eighth position at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn. His current cut streak on the Asian Tour stands at 14, and the last tournament he was not around for the weekend was last year’s International Series Singapore in October.
- American Peter Uihlein won the International Series England in August and came close to posting another victory at his last Asian Tour event, the International Series Thailand, finishing T2 just one shot behind the winner after a bogey on the 72nd He is currently in third place in The International Series Rankings. In addition to the results in England and Thailand, he also has a T3 at the Saudi Open presented by PIF and a sixth-place finish at the International Series Oman earlier in the season. Uihlein also plays in the LIV Golf League where he had a T2 at the LIV Golf Las Vegas as his best result this year.
- The 2015 Order of Merit champion Anirban Lahiri of India came very close to capturing his first LIV Golf League event at the legendary Real Club Valderrama in Andalucia, Spain in July. A missed short putt on the 18th in regulation play put Lahiri in a play-off with Sergio Garcia who came out on top in the end. Lahiri’s impressive resume boasts seven Asian Tour titles as well as a runner up at the 2022 Players Championship, a tied second at the 2017 Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour. His best finish in a Major is a tied fifth at the 2015 PGA Championship. He won the Asian Tour Merit title in 2015.
- The 2018 Masters Tournament winner Patrick Reed of the U.S. is making his second Asian Tour start of the season, after previously playing the International Series Macau presented by Wynn where he finished fourth. Reed is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour and has appeared on three Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup squads each.
- Suteepat Prateeptienchai of Thailand is now a three-time Asian Tour winner in a span of 12 months after successfully defending his Taiwan Glass Taifong Open title last week and winning the Yeander TPC two months ago. He has also posted good results at the Black Mountain Championship where he was T4 and at the Mandiri Indonesia Open where he finished T6. Currently in fifth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
- Hong Kong number one Taichi Kho is making his first Asian Tour start since the Mandiri Indonesia Open in August, after recovering from a back injury. Kho famously won the 2023 World City Championship presented by Hong Kong Golf Club in March last year, becoming the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour. In nine Asian Tour starts this season Kho has posted a T10 at the International Series England as his best result.
- Germany’s Martin Kaymer is a two-time major champion, winning the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 U.S. Open, the latter coming just a month after also capturing the Players Championship. He is an 11-time winner on the DP World Tour and has represented Europe four times in the Ryder Cup, three of them on the winning side. In 2011 he reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and held that spot for eight weeks before he was overtaken by Lee Westwood. Kaymer currently plays on the LIV Golf League captaining the Cleeks GC.
Nearly two-and-a-half years after his last appearance on the Asian Tour, golfing phenom Tom Kim is back this week competing in the Link Hong Kong Open with the air of expectancy palpable.
The Asian Tour is where it all started for the young Korean – particularly in 2019 when he triumphed four times, once on the main tour and three times on the Asian Development Tour at the tender age of 17 – before he became an almost overnight sensation on the global stage with two victories on the PGA Tour in 2022 and another last year.
“This is where I started; I have a lot of my friends here,” said Kim, now aged 22.
“Going to the US I have not been able to come back because of a busy schedule. It is really nice to be back. I think I have said hello to so many people. It is a tight group here. I have been outside that group for a bit but to see all the guys now is really great. It is different out here.”
He has played in the Hong Kong Open, here at the Hong Kong Golf Club, only once before, back in 2020. He tied for 18th when Australian Wade Ormsby raised the trophy – shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped play for nearly two years on the Tour.
(L-R) Kipp Popert of England, Ben Campbell of New Zealand, Justin Rose of England, Tom Kim of Korea and Taichi Kho of Hong Kong pictured at a press conference at the Xiqu centre on Tuesday November 19, 2024 ahead of the Link Hong Kong Open. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Says the world number 27: “I was so young then. I played with Jazz (Janewattananond) and Shane Lowry that week [in Hong Kong]. I felt so excited. Now I just feel like I want to be that kid again. I don’t get to play back here much now but Asia is my motherland. When I step on that first tee on Thursday, I want to feel 17 again.”
Kim is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour as he claimed the Singapore International in 2022, to add to his success in the Panasonic Open India in 2019.
He also claimed the 2020-2022 Asian Tour Order of Merit before, soon after, he broke through on the PGA Tour by winning the Wyndham Championship in July of 2022.
“Every year goes by so quickly for me. I started when I was 17. Now I am 22. A lot of things have changed,” he added.
“I am definitely not that same 17-year-old any more. It is a draining sport. I have had some rewards, but I have had some scar tissue. You develop this personality, and you become a man.”
Kim pictured at today’s press conference. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Having lost in two sudden-death play-offs recently – first to world number one Scottie Scheffler in the Travelers Championship in June and then to fellow-Korean An Byeong Hun in the Genesis Championship in October – Kim is highly motivated to make it a triumphant return to the Asian Tour this week.
He explains: “Game is good. Made some changes mid-season and got to see a lot of good things. I have been playing really well, just working on a few things right now. Trying to get ready for next year.”
This week’s event is the 19th stop of the season on the Asian Tour and event number eight on The International Series.
When Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai successfully defended his Taiwan Glass Taifong Open title on Sunday, he became the only player to win three times from the start of the 2023 season. Americans Andy Ogletree and John Catlin, David Puig from Spain and New Zealander Ben Campbell each have two wins during the same period.
Remarkably all three victories have come in Chinese Taipei, since in addition to the two wins at Taifong Golf Club he also captured the Yeangder TPC on the outskirts of Taipei in late September this year.
While last year’s win came with a comfortable four-shot margin, this one came down to the 72nd hole and it was Suteepat’s birdie against countryman Runchanapong Youprayong’s par that sealed the deal for a one-shot victory. Of the 1,385 birdies and 46 eagles made during the week, both players made 23 birdies and one eagle each, pipped in the birdie count only by home player Hung Chien-yao with 25.
The winner had an impressive week with his iron game, missing only 10 Greens in Regulation (GIR) for the 72 holes to top stat category for the tournament with 86.11%. The few times that he did miss a green he was equally in great form, ranking second in the Scrambling category with 90% only to compatriot Chonlatit Chuenboonngam’s perfect score of 100%.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam. Picture courtesy of Taiwan PGA.
Suteepat’s other major stats for the week were: Putts per Round 28.5 (T37), Putts per GIR 1.68 (16th), Driving Distance 304.1 yards (16th) and Fairways Hit 58.93% (T28).
Runner-up Runchanapong’s approach game was also on point, missing only 11 greens and ranking second in the GIR category with 84.72%. He also had a solid week off the tee, with a Driving Distance average of 305.9 yards (13th) and a Fairways Hit percentage of 67.86% (T16).
While the winner Suteepat moves up two places on the Asian Tour Order of Merit from seventh to fifth, it was a much more crucial week for Runchanapong who moved a whopping 111 places from 175th to 64th . Having mainly played on the Asian Development Tour this year where he’s currently ranked 10th, his top-five finish secured him a spot in this week’s LINK Hong Kong Open and he now has a real chance to finish in the all-important top 65 and earn his playing rights for next season.
It was also a big week for Hung who finished T3 in the tournament, moving him from 55th to 37th on the Merit list and out of the danger zone with only three tournaments left of the season.
Statistics Categories leaders at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open (of players making the cut):
- Putts per Round: He Chin-hung (TPE), Manav Shah (USA) 26
- Putts per GIR: Manav Shah (USA) 1.59
- GIR: Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA) 86.11%
- Fairways Hit: Shen Wei-cheng (TPE), Lu Wei-chih (TPE), Karandeep Kochhar (IND) 80.36%
- Driving Distance: Wang Wei-hsuan (TPE) 321.7 Yards
- Most Eagles: Justin Warren (AUS) 3
- Most Birdies: Hung Chien-yao (TPE) 25
- Fewest Bogies or Worse: Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA) 1
- Scrambling: Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA) 100%
Major champions Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel are among 18 LIV Golf stars in the field for International Series Qatar – the penultimate event of the season on both The International Series and the Asian Tour.
The 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel and 2010 Open winner Oosthuizen, both from South Africa, will be joined by Stinger GC team-mates and compatriots Dean Burmester and Branden Grace for the second staging of the event, which takes place at Doha Golf Club from November 27-30 and this year has a US$2.5 million prize purse.
4Aces GC star Reed from the United States, the 2018 Masters winner, is one of three former Ryder Cup players alongside fellow American Anthony Kim, a wild card this season, and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters of Range Goats GC.
Other prominent LIV Golf stars include Range Goats GC’s American Peter Uihlein, the International Series England champion, talented Spanish youngsters David Puig and Eugenio Chacarra, both winners on The International Series in 2023, Crushers GC’s Indian star Anirban Lahiri and Caleb Surratt, the promising American from Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII.
Louis Oosthuizen. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
As the second event in a three-week run in between the US$2 million LINK Hong Kong Open and US$5 million season-ending PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, the Qatar date will go a long way towards deciding The International Series Rankings.
One coveted spot on the LIV Golf roster is available to the rankings champion, while 32 places are also available on the season-ending LIV Golf Promotions event.
International Series Macau presented by Wynn champion John Catlin from the United States leads the rankings, with in-form Richard T Lee – the recent BNI Indonesian Masters winner – sitting in second.
Uihlein, New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, and MJ Maguire from the United States all have a chance of catching Catlin over the closing stages.
Catlin has a stronger lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit but still has work to do if he is to secure the title for the first time.
Hassan Nasser Al Naimi, Qatar Golf Association (QGA) President and Chairman of the Championship Organizing Committee, said:
Charl Schwartzel. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.
“With the tournament bringing elite-level golf and some of the biggest names in the sport for the second year in succession, we are witnessing another chapter in Qatar’s rich legacy in sports. This event aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030, showcasing our world-class facilities while inspiring future generations.
The pathway to LIV Golf offers a unique opportunity for emerging talent in the region, further strengthening Doha’s position as the sports capital and a global hub for world-class events.”
Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “The season is reaching an exciting conclusion, and the fact that it is happening in a three-week run across Hong Kong, Qatar and Saudi Arabia is conclusive proof that we truly are The International Series.
“Anything could happen thanks to the points at stake in these three big-money, back-to-back tournaments. This is everything to the players challenging for the rankings title, and also for those hoping to make it to the LIV Golf Promotions event.”
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour added: “Bringing the Asian Tour to the Gulf region is always a highlight and further evidence of our strength as a brand in different important international markets. With so much at stake, it promises to be a wonderful weekend of golf, and Doha Golf Club is a fitting stage for this to play out.”
As a golfer, Ben Campbell has endured more than his fair share of disappointments and setbacks.
During his final years as an elite amateur and over the ensuing decade as a professional, the New Zealander had frequently found himself on the wrong end of narrow losses.
Third-round leader in the third edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Singapore in 2011, starting spots at the following year’s Masters Tournament and Open Championship beckoned.
However, a final-day 70 relegated him to third spot, two shots behind the triumphant Hideki Matsuyama. For Campbell, it was little consolation that he finished one shot ahead of fourth-placed Australian Cameron Smith and comfortably in front of highly-rated fellow Kiwi Ryan Fox.
Upon joining the ranks of the professionals in 2012, Campbell was widely tipped to become a dominant force.
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
It didn’t work out that way, though, with his solitary success coming at the New Zealand PGA Championship in 2018. On the Asian Tour, he’d contended on more than a dozen occasions, only to fall agonisingly short.
At the fabled Hong Kong Golf Club in the second week of November 2023, the tide finally turned.
Putting behind him the demons of previous close calls and the doubts that had swirled in his mind since undergoing back surgery and missing six months of the 2022 campaign, Campbell [main picture being congratulated by Cam Smith] wrote his name into Hong Kong Open folklore with a gutsy victory, secured on the famous final green at the Fanling venue.
“It’s good to finally get the monkey off the back. I was just battling away all day,” said Campbell, who drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the home hole to defeat playing partners Smith and Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai after a gripping battle over the closing stages.
Campbell, who had not led at any stage of the tournament until that brilliant last putt, shot a four-under-par 66 to finish on 19-under and beat Smith by one and Phacahara by two.
The trio were tied as they went to the final tee, but 2022 Open Championship winner Smith had to lay up with his second shot. Although he nearly holed his third, he had to settle for a four. Phachara, meanwhile, missed his birdie attempt from 25-feet and three-putted.
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Displaying nerves of steel Campbell. who also made birdie on 17, held firm to make it across the finishing line in first place in what was the penultimate leg of The International Series.
Campbell said: “I went back to a few close losses and wrote a few notes down in my yardage book last night, and used them on those last four or five holes.
“It was getting a bit tight in the swing and from those past experiences I managed to put a couple of nice swings coming down the stretch which really helped.”
Given his injury travails, victory was just reward for Campbell.
“Even probably four months ago, I was battling with the body. I’ve had quite a few operations, and bulged discs in the back and things like that. I had to change the swing quite a bit, especially in the last two or three years,” said Campbell, the third New Zealander to win the Hong Kong Open after Walter Godfrey in 1972 and Frank Nobilo in 1997.
Smith, a two-time winner on the LIV Golf League in 2023, struggled with his driver and long irons over the weekend and was disappointed not to win for the first time in Asia.
“Pretty poor over the weekend, I guess. I found parts of the course I don’t want to see ever again. Definitely wasn’t the nicest golf to be played over last couple of days,” he said.
Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Like Campbell, Andy Ogletree had cause to celebrate after being confirmed as the winner of The International Series Order of Merit, handing him a ‘golden ticket’ onto the multi-million-dollar LIV Golf League in 2024.
“It’s been a lot of hard work this year and a lot of great golf has gone into this. I want to thank everyone that’s gotten me to this point. The Asian Tour for all that they’ve done and my team back home for allowing me to play the way I’ve played this year. I couldn’t be more excited, and I can’t wait to play LIV next year,” said the American, who finished joint 15th following a closing 69.
Yubin Jang, the 21-year-old who turned professional after helping Korea win gold in the team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games a month earlier, blazed his way to final-round 63 to claim fifth place.
Among those tied for eighth was Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, who won the keys to a BMW I5 eDrive40 MSE after holing his seven-iron tee shot at the par-three eighth in round two.
Eight months on from his history-making victory in the World City Championship at Fanling, HKGC ambassador Taichi Kho shared 53rd place.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai became the first player to successfully defend a title on the Asian Tour in seven years when he claimed the US$400,000 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open in Chinese-Taipei today after the closest of finishes.
The Thai golfer backed up his breakout star status by making a birdie on the final hole at Taifong Golf Club to beat his young compatriot Runchanapong Youprayong by one.
He birdied the par-five 18th after chipping to two feet while Runchanapong, playing with him in the final group, missed his four from 10 feet moments earlier.
Suteepat shot a four-under-par 68 to finish 22-under, while Runchanapong returned a 69.
“This means so much, I am very happy, and excited,” said Suteepat, who started the day sharing the lead with Runchanapong.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai (left) celebrates with Danthai Boonma.
“I made a bogey on six and that made me really angry. It fired me up and then I started making birdies.”
He actually birdied the next three holes and made another on 11 and was two ahead at that point before Runchanapong impressively drew level with birdies on 15 and 17.
The victory, which earned him a cheque for US$72,000 and moved him to fifth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, continues a remarkable run of form – particularly on this golf course and in this country.
Three years ago he was playing on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), and won the Order of Merit thanks to three wins in Indonesia and a second-place finish here in Taifong – when it was the ADT’s season-ending tournament.
A year later he went one better in Taifong, when the event was played on the Asian Tour for the first time, while two months ago he was victorious in the Yeangder TPC, also in Chinese-Taipei.
Added the 31-year-old: “Even my caddie said when I play here, I always have a chance.”
Suteepat is also the first player to defend the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open, and he is virtually assured of becoming the first foreigner to win the Taiwan PGA Merit list. Just two events remain on the Taiwan circuit where he has also been playing this year.
In addition, the win gives him a three-year exemption on the Asian Tour.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai.
Runchanapong, just 23-years old and in his second season in the pro game, found a fairway bunker off the tee on the last and wasn’t able to reach the green in two like Suteepat, although he hit a brilliant third in close.
“I thought that last putt was left edge but when I putted it didn’t move at all. It was a mis-read,” he said.
“I have never been in this position on the Asian Tour before, so it definitely feels very special to come second.
“I am happy, thought I handled the pressure well even though I did not have my A game.”
India’s S.S.P. Chawrasia was the last player to defend a title when triumphed in the Hero Indian Open in 2017.
Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam from Thailand closed with 68s to tie for third, four behind the champion.
Thailand’s Danthai Boonma and Jack Thompson from Australia fired 70s and finished another two strokes back.
The Asian Tour heads to the Link Hong Kong Open next week at Hong Kong Golf Club, one of three big money events in a row that will bring the season to a thrilling climax. It’s followed by the International Series Qatar and the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. All three are also part of The International Series.
Pictures courtesy Taiwan PGA.
Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai is one round away from a successful defence of his Taiwan Glass Taifong Open after he took a share of the third-round lead today with his young compatriot Runchanapong Youprayong.
Suteepat, who also won the Yeangder TPC here in Chinese-Taipei in September, fired a four-under-par 68 at Taifong Golf Club, while Runchanapong carded a 66.
They lead the US$400,000 event on 18-under by four from overnight leader Jack Thompson from Australia, who fell back with a 73, Thailand’s Danthai Boonma, who came in with a 65, and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, who returned a 68, plus Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao, after a 70.
Suteepat has made no secret about his love of Chinese-Taipei and he showed that again today when after a slow start he moved through the field. He bogeyed the first but bounced back with five birdies later on.
Runchanapong Youprayong.
Said the 31-year-old: “I three putted the first but holed a 15 footer for birdie on eight which was the turning point for me. I missed from six feet on the last to match my winning score of 19 under last year, but never mind.
“I have never defended a title before. It’s big. I just need to make sure I create a lot of chances tomorrow.”
Runchanapong, who is 23 years old and in just his second year as a professional, birdied the last three holes to set up the biggest Sunday of his fledgling career.
“I was only two under on the front nine but gave myself a lot of chances,” said Runchanapong, who was coached in his junior days by this week’s Tournament Director Krirkchai Boonprasert.
“Made a big birdie putt on 10 from 25 feet and then had that great finish. I am just going to play the course tomorrow not the other players. It’s been great this week, the greens really suit me so that’s why I have been holing putts.
Danthai Boonma.
“Just need to play the same tomorrow as I have for the last three rounds.”
Boonma is looking to make it win number three on the Asian Tour, his most recent was the Bangladesh Open in 2022.
He said: “No complaints, bogey free today. Made birdie on number five, which is one of the toughest, that relaxed me and helped me to play easier. Felt I was more focused today, concentrating better.”
Chinese-Taipei’s Max Lee Chieh-po, currently in third place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit thanks to his victory in the International Series Thailand, shot a 67 and is six behind the leaders.
Jack Thompson has the halfway lead in an Asian Tour event for the first time after a second round seven-under-par 65 moved him to 15-under at the US$400,000 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open.
The young Australian, who is languishing in 87th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and fighting to keep his card with three events remaining after this week, has a one-shot lead over defending champion Suteepat Prateeptienchai from Thailand.
Suteepat carded a best of the week 63 here at Taifong Golf Club, while Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao and Thai Runchanapong Youprayong, the joint overnight leader with Thompson, are another two strokes further back.
Hung carded a 64 while Runchanapong fired a 68.
Thompson’s best finish this year is joint 23rd in the Mandiri Indonesia Open in August – surprising for a player who won last year’s Qualifying School and who great things are expected.
“I kept doing what I was doing yesterday,” said the 26-year-old from Melbourne. “I just kept it going. Everything was pretty level; it was all good. My putting has been really good.
Sutteepat Prateeptienchai. Picture courtesy of Taiwan PGA.
“Just trying to not get in my own way. Just all the cliches, like one shot at a time. I just feel really relaxed, don’t know why, just feel really good.”
He finished in a blaze of glory yesterday with an eagle and three birdies in his last four holes and was equally as strong today making eight birdies and dropped his only shot in 36 holes on the first, which was his 10th as he started on the back nine.
He kept his card finishing 54th on last year’s Merit list and feels he is not doing much differently this year.
“I am not trying to hide from what I need to do; I know how I need to play,” he explained.
“I have not been matching everything up this year, but it is only my second year. I don’t feel I am doing that much different from the year before.”
Suteepat won the Yeangder TPC here in Chinese-Taipei at the end of September and is bidding for a rare hat-trick of titles in the island nation.
“I have not been thinking about defending my title this week, but now I am,” he said. “The conditions are easier this year because the greens are soft and slower, so easy to putt.
“The courses in Taiwan require you to hit good tee shots as they are narrow, and I have been playing well from the tee, so that is a reason why I play well here.”
Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam and Shahriffuddin Ariffin from Malaysia are in a tie for fifth, five behind Thompson, after they both carded 67s.
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