Green and Phachara share lead at International Series Singapore
Malaysian Gavin Green maintained his lead in the US$1.5 million International Series Singapore today at Tanah Merah Country Club but was joined by Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand.
Green, the Asian Tour number one in 2017 and the leader after the first two days following a pair of stunning seven-under-par 65s, returned 72 to stay at 14 under, while Phachara shot 69 – in the third International Series event this season.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong are a shot behind following rounds of 66 and 68 respectively; while England’s Steve Lewton came in with a 69 to sit a stroke further back.
Play was stopped at 11.10am and resumed at 1.30pm because of inclement weather.
“It was a grinding day, it was such a grind, I couldn’t get anything going,” said Green, whose birdie on eight was offset by a dropped shot on 13 – a stark contrast to his 14 birdies and no bogeys on Thursday and Friday.
Gavin Green. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Nevertheless, I just hung in there as hard as I could, making pars from everywhere, sometimes you just got to do that.
“Golf is not a game you can be perfect all the time, my caddie kept saying, ‘stay in it, stay patient, keep trying and hit good shots,’ and you know what we made a lot of saves today, it was kind of a saving day. We are still in it, 18 more holes, I think it’s going to be fun.”
Both Green and Phachara are chasing their second wins on the Asian Tour, with Green having won the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2017, and the latter the 2021 Laguna Phuket Championship.
Said Phachara: “Today everything wasn’t bad, only one thing was my putting. Because I hit it pretty well, same as in the first and second rounds, but missed a lot of putts. I hope tomorrow the putting is going to work.
Chan Shih-chang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The greens were a little bit slower today I think, all my distance was gone. My reads were great, but only the distance wasn’t good.”
Chan looked set to finish the day sharing the lead but dropped a shot on 18.
“I knew I was tied for lead after the birdie on 17,” said Chan.
“I was just telling myself not to hit it left on 18. I was trying to make birdie there but didn’t hit a good shot from the bunker. Disappointed with the bogey on last but it’s ok, I’m still happy with my overall performance today. I am glad to give myself a good chance tomorrow. It’s great to be in contention, especially in a big event like the International Series.”
Chan will no doubt be a threat tomorrow having won four times on Tour, including the Blue Canyon Championship last November and the Royal’s Cup in four months later.
Nitithorn achieved the rare feat of making two eagles on par fours on the front, on three and nine.
“I know it’s unbelievable,” said the Thai, winner of The DGC Open in India in March.
“I didn’t expect that it’s going to be in the hole on the third, it’s a blind shot you know. I didn’t see anything, but I just knew that I hit a good shot from 168 yards. And I walked to the green and it’s in. So yeah, happy with that result. On hole nine I had 63 yards, it’s in that gap you know, I don’t really hit that distance well, but I hit it and it went in.”
He made the turn in five-under-par 31 but could not maintain the momentum and toured the second nine in one over.
Nitihorn Thippong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
American Peter Uihlein, a former US amateur champion, fired a 67 and is three off the lead along with Jaco Ahlers from South Africa, who carded a 69.
Patrick Reed, the American who claimed the 2018 Masters, was unable to mount a challenge on moving day and shot a 72 and is three under for the tournament.
In the battle to finish as the leading Singaporean, amateur Hiroshi Tai signed for an impressive 69 and is six under, two ahead of another local amateur James Leow, who returned a 71.
By Olle Nordberg, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour
Steve Lewton is very much in contention this weekend at the International Series Singapore: he started today’s third round five shots behind pacesetter Gavin Green from Malaysia – a remarkable feat considering the fact that about three weeks ago he had heart surgery to deal with an ongoing issue.
In April the Englishman had a scary episode in the middle of the first round of the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in Thailand, having to withdraw with heart palpitations on the course and later finding out he has a heart condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT), that he didn’t know about. This condition makes your heart suddenly beat much faster than normal, although it’s usually not serious.
And so last month he had an operation to try and fix the issue.
“I’ve had it my whole life, it would just last for like literally five seconds, so I didn’t really think much of it. I would just cough, and it would go away,” he said.
“When it happens, my pulse goes up to about 200 beats a minute. Maybe twice a year I get heart palpitations that last maybe 10 seconds, but the one in Pattaya lasted for about 40 minutes. So, I got rushed to hospital and got checked out and they said I was fine.”
Steve Lewton. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“They said I could play the next week, but I wanted to go home and get checked out in England as well. I went home, got checked out, and I found out I have a condition called SVT which is more common, apparently, than what people think. I had an operation for it three weeks ago now, but unfortunately couldn’t get the heart to do what it does when it happens, so I’ll have to have it again probably in December.”
Having your heart rate go up in the heat of battle at tournaments is nothing new to tour players, but this must have been frightening on a totally different scale:
Said Lewton: “I was scared because I thought, I don’t know what this is, but when I got home they told me lots of people live with this.”
Having the procedure after the International Series England in Newcastle in June, Lewton spent some time off recovering from the surgery before resuming play in Jakarta last week where he remarkably finished tied second at the Mandiri Indonesian Open.
“They went up through my groin,” added Lewton about the operation,
“I probably had a full 10 days off and then practiced for maybe six days before I came out here. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to play, but I played quite well at home before I came out so I was hoping to just carry on.”
He has been in fine form ever since the Asian Tour resumed play in the end of 2021, racking up six top-10s in 11 events.
“I’m just scoring well at the moment, hitting it pretty good. I’m just a bit more confident than I was,” he added.
Malaysian ace Gavin Green continued to show he is on the comeback trail again today after spectacularly posting his second-successive bogey-free seven-under-par 65 to take the lead on 14 under at the inaugural US$1.5 million International Series Singapore.
He leads by three from another of the region’s finest young players Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand, who shot a 66; while India’s Veer Ahlawat and Korean Yoseop Seo are a stroke further behind after they both returned 65s – the latter’s round was highlighted by six birdies on the trot from the seventh.
Overnight leader Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe slipped back after carding a 73 and is seven under in a tie for eighth.
Green, the 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, has struggled with his game over the past few seasons but appears to be back on track after two brilliant days on the demanding Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club.
Phacahra Khongwatmai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Obviously [ball] striking has to be pretty good on this golf course, you have to keep it in play, you can’t miss too many shots,” said the 28 year old, on another day of searing heat and humidity.
“You have to place your approach shots on certain parts of the green because they are so slopy. And even when you are on the green it’s a tough two putt. My caddie and I have a good game plan. We have worked hard, really hard, over last few weeks.”
Four birdies on the front nine and three on the back saw him break away from the field and revive memories of past performances when he was at his peak.
He added: “It’s a great feeling being back in contention again, it’s a great feeling, it’s just that it is so hot I can’t even think about it. I was counting down the holes, two more holes, one more hole, so hot. I am not thinking about that past, I am not looking at leaderboards, I am just doing my thing.”
Phachara also toured the layout bogey free to put himself in position, like Green, to try and win his second Asian Tour title.
Said the Thai star: “I am very happy with six under today, I had good iron shots but missed couple of putts. It’s important for me because I have chance to play more LIV events, if I play well this week, and next week, it’s gonna be very good for me. I am really excited to play. I just need to stick to game plan.”
Steve Lewton. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
England’s Steve Lewton is nine under, along with Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, after holing his approach shot for an eagle on the par-five 18th to return a 68.
“Yeah, I had 91 yards to the flag into a bit of wind,” he said. “I was going to change clubs but didn’t, because I was like, I’ll just fly the ball behind it and hopefully use the slope. And it just came off the slope with a bit of spin and went in, so you need a bit of luck.”
Pre-tournament favourite Patrick Reed bounced back from his opening 73 with a 68 and is three under.
“I just put the ball in position on a lot of holes, especially early on but I didn’t make any putts – just burned the edges and when you are doing that around here it is hard to shoot low,” said the American, the 2018 Masters champion.
“I definitely need to shoot a really low one tomorrow. I feel I’m doing what I’m supposed to from tee to green, but I need to capitalise on a couple of par fives and holes like eight and nine here. And I need the ball to go in with putts.
“I feel like I’m hitting a lot of good putts, my speed was decent today, and yesterday it was actually great, but it is one of those days that instead of the ball going in, it is lipping out and burning edges.
“If I can get the putter going early on, and hopefully get the momentum going then there is no reason I can’t shoot a mid to low 60s round and have a chance to hopefully have to shoot another in the mid to low 60s to have a chance.”
SINGAPORE- Patrick Reed of the USA pictured on Friday August 12, 2022 during round two of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Singapore amateur James Leow, who attends Arizona State University, came in with an impressive 67 to move to three under and lead the local challenge.
Said Leow: “I went out there with the goal of shooting five or six under to make the weekend, and I got a good round going. It’s always nice playing on home soil, in front of family and friends and team-mates and a lot of home local fans as well and obviously playing on a course I have not played before, and it’s been three years since I played here because of COVID; it’s been a lot of fun.”
India’s Aman Raj played the shot of the day, making a hole in one on the par-three 16th – using a wedge from 140 yards. It was a timely shot as he finished right on the cut mark, which was one under, after shooting 71.
While all eyes are on the golfing talent on show at this week’s International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club, one Korean superstar in the making – Joohyung Kim – is the name on everyone’s lips.
The 20-year-old Korean, who cut his teeth on the Asian Tour, stole the headlines last weekend by becoming the first player born after the year 2000 to win a US PGA Tour title – his stunning nine-under final round securing a five-shot maiden tour win in the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
The star golfer – often affectionally known as Tom when competing internationally – has long been known for his sensational talent, earning playing rights to the Asian Tour in 2019 at the tender age of just 17, following three victories on the Asian Development Tour.
His upward trajectory has continued to be nothing short of meteoric ever since. First was his debut Tour triumph at the Panasonic Open India later that year, still aged only 17, before his dramatic play-off win in The Singapore International here at Tanah Merah last January, which helped him secure the Asian Tour Order of Merit title.
Patrick Reed. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
However, it was last weekend’s PGA Tour victory that earned him his grandest moment yet, as he became the latest Korean to win Stateside.
At this week’s International Series Singapore – the third International Series event of the Asian Tour this season, preceding next week’s $1.5million International Series Korea on Jeju Island – Kim’s fellow Korean golfers have spoken about the inspiration they are taking from the 20 year old, as they look to show up strongly both in Singapore this week and Jeju next.
Yoseop Seo, handily placed in Singapore after a three-under opening round, said: “Kim succeeded at an early age as a player. He is doing so well beyond reason. He’s a younger brother, but he’s a player to emulate and it is a real stimulus.”
“It creates confidence for all of us,” the 26-year-old added.
Compatriot Taehee Lee was always confident in Kim’s abilities to perform on the greatest of stages.
The 36-year-old, who opened his Singapore challenge at level par, said: “I always thought Kim could do it. He’s a good player. He is a good player in Korea and a well-prepared player. I thought he could win but the first win came quick!”
One of the biggest names in Singapore this week is 2018 Masters champion, Patrick Reed. Reed recently witnessed ‘Tom’s’ talents up close, playing two rounds with him at The Open.
The 32-year-old, who in 2013 – like Kim – claimed his maiden US Tour win at the Wyndham, on the way to nine PGA Tour and three European Tour titles, said: “I was really impressed. I admit he was one of those guys I didn’t know anything about, but playing with him in a Major, he played really well for those two days. He looked very steady and played some real solid golf. To then turn around and see he won his first US PGA tournament – and the way he did it by shooting nine under on Sunday to win comfortably – is special.
“It just shows there is talent all over the world. There are stars in the making on the Asian Tour – Tom went out and played at a big level at a Major, and then backed it up with a win on the PGA Tour. It just shows the talent level of the tour over here.”
The International Series Korea takes place at Lotte SkyHill Country Club, Jeju, from August 18-21st.
Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent is starting to earn the nickname “Mr International Series” after firing a scintillating bogey-free eight-under-par 64 in the opening round of the US$1.5 million International Series Singapore today, on the highly-regarded Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club.
Malaysia’s number one Gavin Green sits in second place after an equally impressive and flawless 65 while Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, Phachara Khongwatmai and Tirawat Kaewsiribandit, Korean Kyongjun Moon, Englishman Steve Lewton, and Filipino Juvic Pagunsan carded 67s – in severe sauna-like conditions.
Vincent won the International Series England in Newcastle in June and leads the International Series Order of Merit, having tied for 11th in the International Series Thailand in March, and was once again in inspired form in the Asian Tour’s new raft of million-dollar plus events.
“It was a great day, just got off to a really nice start, and then the momentum just kept going. As I have said before I am just out here trying to be a little better each day,” said Vincent.
Gavin Green. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Today was a really good day, a lot of things went my way, a lot of putts went in, so it was a good challenge trying to stay present and stay in the moment and enjoy each stage and not get too far ahead. Yeah, so that was the big challenge today and the golf was phenomenal.”
He began his round on the back nine, and made birdies on 10, 13, 16 and 18; while on the front side he made gains on one, three, five and eight.
Not everything went his way though as on the par-three sixth he hit what looked like a precsion tee shot that was zeroing in on the pin but hit his playing partner American Sihwan Kim’s ball.
Said Vincent: “Sihwan hit a shot to about three feet – that was the real problem. My shot came in and pitched on his ball and then kicked all the way back [about 30 feet]. I was fortunate to walk away with a par there but a nice little challenge there for me trying to finish my round. I was happy to walk away with a par.”
Vincent’s brother Kieran, a rookie, returned a 68 along with 10 other players including American Peter Uihlein. It’s his debut on the Asian Tour, and 30-year old Scott is expecting great things of his 24-year-old sibling.
Sadom Kaewkanjana. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“He is a great player, I have no doubt he will do something really special with his golf, and whether it is here or whether it is down the road it is going to be really good to see him playing well because he is very capable and we’ll just see how he does coming in,” said the Zimbabwean, who won a title in Japan before his success in Newcastle.
Green’s round is one of his best in a long time as he has been battling to try and rediscover the kind of form that saw him win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title in 2017.
“It’s nice to see a good score again, it’s been a tough run,” said Green, who birdied his last three holes and was bogey free.
“It’s been such a tough last few years for me. We have put a lot of work in and it’s coming back nicely. We made some pretty big changes with my coach, and you just have to trust it sometimes. Even today there were just sometimes when this was just so uncomfortable for me. But you just trust it enough and it works out nicely.”
The Malaysian is battling back from a bad bout of COVID which he picked up in the US recently
“It was pretty bad, I lost my taste and smell. It’s still there, not as bad but I can still feel it. You just don’t enjoy eating as much. It is what it is and it’s the world we live in right now,” he added.
Sadom also toured the testing Tampines Course bogey free as he attempts to add this week’s title to his win in the SMBC Singapore Open in January.
“I had a good start today,” said Sadom.
“I didn’t expect to finish the day with under par because I played in the morning, and I thought it should be windy but it was not. I started at the 10th tee and got two birdies in the first nine holes that made my game easier. After that I controlled my game quite well during the last nine holes. I’m satisfied with my performance today because I played as my game plan, shot by shot, and finished the day with bogey free.”
Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
One player who really felt the heat and humidity today was Moon.
“The weather is so hot, and my shot wasn’t that good, but the putting went well, and I recovered well,” said Moon.
“The weather is so hot I can’t even practice, so I’m planning to take a rest. It’s my first time playing this course and my first experience of an International Series event. I’m also playing next week in Jeju.”
Sihwan Kim, who currently leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit, returned a 71 – impressively bouncing back from a torrid four over first nine, with a five under homeward half.
Pre-tournament favourite Patrick Reed from the United States carded a 73. The 2018 Masters champion was one under at the turn but struggled home with dropped shots on 11 and 14.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of last week’s Mandiri Indonesian Open, also signed for a 73.
Patrick Reed. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed is in Singapore this week for the very first time, to compete in the International Series Singapore on the Asian Tour, and he most definitely likes what he sees, enough to recommend his peers to come and play.
“It’s awesome to be here!” said the American, on the eve of the US$1.5 million event – which is being played on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club.
“I have heard a lot of amazing things about the area and the golf course. To be able to come and experience it myself is amazing and watching the [National Day] fireworks last night was great.”
Reed played in the Saudi International earlier this year, so this week is only his second appearance on the Asian Tour and certainly not his last.
Patrick Reed pictured during the Pro-am event on Wednesday August 10, 2022 ahead of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“There is a lot of things that go into it, and when the people treat you like family as they have here, it makes the experience that much better,” he said.
“With that being said, I will try and pull as many players over to start playing some more events because that is the only way you can grow the game by getting outside of your bubble and start playing different places. I have always loved travelling and playing, so to be able to come and play events like this is a real treat.”
He hit global headlines when he won the Masters in 2018 and is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour – his most recent victory came at last year’s Farmers Insurance Open. He has also claimed two WGC events during his stellar 11-year professional career, at the 2014 WGC-Cadillac Championship and WGC-Mexico Championship in 2020.
The 32 year old has competed in three Ryder Cups, with his fine performances in the Match Play event earning him the nickname “Captain America”.
This year he started playing the LIV Golf Invitational events and enjoyed success at the most recent tournament in Bedminster where his 4 Aces GC side – which included captain Dustin Johnson, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez – finished first, while he was fifth individually.
Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I definitely think a lot more guys will come over and start playing more events. Personally, having talked to some of the guys, trying to grow the game round the world, the only way you are going to do that is by travelling and playing on different Tours at different events like the International Series,” said Reed.
“To grow the game of golf, just like any business, the only way you can become successful is to spend a little money to make money. And to help out and grow the purses of the International Series that is going to bring money not only to those events but the Asian Tour and allow them to sustain and grow larger and larger. At the end of the day if the guys go and have fun and enjoy themselves, they are going to come back and play more events.”
Reed has been paired in the first two rounds with Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai and Justin Harding from South Africa. They tee off at 12.05 tomorrow.
Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Four international players bidding for glory in this week’s International Series Singapore took time out from their tournament preparations to experience the wonders of Singapore on the country’s National Day, ahead of the Asian Tour event which is taking place on the Tampines Course at the Tanah Merah Country Club from August 11-14.
Former Masters winner Patrick Reed was joined by current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Sihwan Kim, recent International Series England champion Scott Vincent and local hero Mardan Mamat for a tour of the spectacular Gardens By The Bay, and a walk along the OCBC Skyway – two of Singapore’s most stunning attractions.
SINGAPORE- Patrick Reed of the USA pictured during an official practice round on Tuesday August 9, 2022 ahead of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
American star Reed, a LIV Golf ambassador said: “It’s my first time here in Singapore, and it’s very exciting to be here. I’ve heard from many players on the PGA Tour, the European Tour and the Asian Tour about how amazing and beautiful this place is, and to fly in last night and drive in and see the lights, and then experience this morning, it is definitely living up to expectations already.
“I’ve always loved experiencing new things, trying food and different cultures and making new friends in different places. I can’t wait to experience the rest of the week and play a proper golf course which can get challenging,” added the nine-time PGA Tour winner.
SINGAPORE- L-R – Kieran Vincent and Scott Vincent, both of Zimbabwe pose for a photograph during an official practice round on Tuesday August 9, 2022 ahead of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Zimbabwean golfer Vincent, aiming for back-to-back International Series wins after his one-shot victory in the US$2million International Series England event at Slaley Hall in June, was delighted to be back in Singapore, to catch up with old friends and give himself another chance of success.
He said: “I haven’t been here for about two years, and I love coming here, it is good to come here and spend some time with some very close friends.
“Every week is an opportunity, a chance for me to get better and go through my routines and my daily goals, and that’s how I treat every week. I visualise winning – ultimately that is out of my control, so I just have to focus on doing my best.”
For Singapore veteran Mamat, the strong field and home comforts make it a special occasion. He said: “It is always nice to play a tournament at home in Singapore. It is nice to sleep on your own bed and prepare for a tournament. Of course, once you have a Major winner playing in a tournament, most of the Singaporeans would look forward to seeing him play, and it is a great occasion for us, especially as we celebrate National Day today.”
SINGAPORE- Sihwan Kim of the USA pictured during an official practice round on Tuesday August 9, 2022 ahead of the US$ 1.5 million International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Order of merit leader Sihwan said: “It is very good to be back in Singapore and I’m really looking forward to playing here this week, my game is in good shape and hopefully my putting will be on par, and we will see how it goes. I played here in January this year, and the course is great. When the wind gets up it can be hard, so let’s see how it goes.”
The Singapore event is the first of two back-to-back tournaments, with the International Series Korea event taking place next week on the Lotte SkyHill course on Jeju Island from August 18-21. Both events offer US$1.5m in prize money.
Ends.
Current Asian Tour number one Sihwan Kim says he is gradually starting to fix his game after a surprising loss of form which he says has, on occasion, put him in “no man’s land”.
The American tees-off in the US$1.5 million International Series Singapore, on the impressive and imposing Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club on Thursday, encouraged with the work he has been doing on his technique.
“Game is getting better,” said the 33 year old, who has missed the cut in his last two Asian Tour events, as well as The Open at St. Andrews.
“I got some coaching over the last three weeks. Trying to fix some things in my swing. It’s getting better.”
During The Open and the week after he worked with renowned coach Jamie Gough, who counts Li Haotong amongst his clientele and is the brother of former Rangers, Tottenham and Scotland defender Richard.
“It’s just old habits I have, just getting too narrow throughout my swing. I don’t know why it happened, obviously your ball striking goes off and on. I am just missing it to both sides, and it wasn’t looking pretty. I just had to get it looked at,” added the American, who took part in a shoot at Gardens By The Bay today, which is National Day in Singapore.
SINGAPORE-L-R – Sihwan Kim of the USA, Patrick Reed of the USA, Mardan Mamat of Singapore and Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe pose with the International Series Singapore trophy at Gardens by the Bay ahead of the US$ 1.5 million Asian Tour event to be staged at Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course) August 11-14, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It’s going right and left. If it’s going right all the time, you just aim left and hit that shot but when I hit that shot and it goes left I am in no man’s land.”
He currently leads the Order of Merit with earnings of US$517,858 having won The International Series Thailand in March and Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge in April, also in Thailand.
He added: “I don’t think about the Order of Merit title race that much, you just want to play your best every week. Winning twice a year, you have pretty much done your duty. Obviously, if you win more that’s better. How many people win more than twice a year, know what I mean? Not many.”
He has also been playing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series this year and despite the fact that they are 54-hole events and there is no cut he says the pressure is still very much on.
“It has been a great experience, it was a lot of fun. With guaranteed money and when you are playing for so much you would think there is less pressure going into the tournament but because you are playing for so much money, there is more pressure,” said Kim.
This week is the third International Series event of the year. He tied for sixth in the International Series England in June, so has a liking for the series and having fine tuned his game be could return to the leaderboard this week.
By Olle Nordberg, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour
Hong Kong amateur star Taichi Kho came very close to punching a ticket to the 2022 Masters when he narrowly lost to Keita Nakajima of Japan on the second playoff hole at the 2021 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship.
It was a brilliant performance by the University of Notre Dame standout that opened the door for him to play on the Asian Tour this year, such as in the star-studded Saudi International, the International Series England in Newcastle, and last week’s Mandiri Indonesia Open – where he sensationally shared the lead after day one following a sublime eight-under-par 64.
The 21 year old eventually tied for 11th on Sunday, a fine performance that will give him confidence heading into this week’s International Series Singapore – where he will hope to become the second amateur to win on the Asian Tour this year after Ratchanon Chantanauwat of Thailand’s victory in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in April.
“It’s just been a great experience so far,” said Kho at the weekend in Jakarta.
“I think whenever I can be out here and play against professionals, it’s the best experience I could ask for. And yeah, so far, I’ve just been really relishing it, the nerves on the first tee and you know, like, just kind of the environment here.”
Kho, who had his dad Victor on the bag, added rounds of 70, 70 and 71 to his brilliant first day score to finish the event on 13 under.
He added: “I feel like I’ve been managing my game really well. Just having a really solid game plan and having a lot of discipline to that. I feel like that’s been the main driver of some low scores this week.”
Taichi Kho of Hong Kong pictured during round four on Sunday August 7, 2022 of the Mandiri Indonesia Open 2022 at the Pondok Indah Golf Course, Jakarta, Indonesia. The US$500,000 Asian Tour event is staged from August 4-7, 2022. Picture by Graham Uden / Asian Tour.
Even with his strong credentials as a runner-up at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship and a successful college career at Notre Dame, taking your game from the amateur ranks to tour events against some of the best players in the region, or in the case of the Saudi International in the world, can be a different proposition altogether.
“I feel like it is nice to kind of feel a sense of belonging, like in Newcastle that gave me a lot of confidence. In Saudi as well, it was nice to be exposed to some of the world’s best players. And I feel like from those experiences, it’s just given me a lot of confidence that I do belong out here. I have just really enjoyed this experience so far,” said Kho.
Playing so well against stiff competition while still playing an amateur, it is no surprise the Hong Kong native is repeatedly asked if, or rather when, he will turn pro. However, Kho is not done with his educational goals yet.
“I’m actually going back for a one-year Master’s degree at Notre Dame, so I’ll play another year of amateur golf and hopefully that goes well, and we’ll see where that takes me,” he says.
“There are some Korn Ferry Tour opportunities with college golf right now, so hopefully that goes well. And you know, if there’s an Asian Tour Q-school later in the year, I’m definitely looking forward to that too.”
Being from Hong Kong which has seen some of the strictest COVID-19 measures in the region has certainly not made it easy for Kho to go home for visits while at school in the U.S., but he recently had the chance to go home and take a break from this summer’s hectic golf schedule.
He added: “I was able to go back this past month actually, which was really nice. After Newcastle I played a couple of amateur tournaments in Europe, and I decided it was time for a break because August is really busy. So, I went back home and saw some family and friends.”
Taichi Kho, Hong Kong amateur golfer pictured on Friday, June 3, 2022, during round two of the International Series England at Staley Hall Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort, Hunting Course, an Asian Tour US$ 2 million event. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Kho’s busy August schedule continues next week with the International Series Korea and after that he will represent Hong Kong at the world’s premier amateur team event.
“Yeah, after Korea I have the Eisenhower Trophy playing for Hong Kong one week later. It’s in Paris this year at Le Golf National so I look forward to that too. So, it’s a really busy August, but these are the strongest tournaments I could play in, and I’m just really grateful to be out here.”
First up is the International Series Singapore, which tees-off on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club on Thursday, and who knows what else the impressive young golfer has in store for his growing army of fans.
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