Published on July 2, 2024

Jazz Janewattananond is hoping a return to Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s challenging Red Course this week will inspire a change of fortune as he sets out to defend the International Series Morocco title he won two years ago in Rabat.

It was on the iconic course that the Thai golfer sealed his seventh Asian Tour title back in 2022.

A sensational birdie-par-eagle-birdie finish gave Jazz a six-under final round and a 12-under total which edged out Richard T. Lee of Canada by a shot with David Puig of Spain, the overnight leader, a shot further back.

Prior to the tournament, Jazz had shown his undoubted talent with a T11 at International Series Thailand and a T15 at International Series England, the first two tournaments on the new set of elevated Asian Tour events launched that year.

Jazz stepped things up in the two weeks building up to the tournament in Rabat, as he recorded two classy top-six finishes in Europe, a real confidence boost going into tournament week.

Jazz is philosophical about his game as he heads into tournament week, with a T13 at the season-opening IRS Prima Malaysian Open his best result so far this campaign. He said: “Before that point (in 2022) I had struggled for around a year. But I had come off two amazing finishes and my confidence was quite high, and I got there and got the job done.

“I’m in a similar position now, trying to find my swing again, and maybe it will help going back to a great course with such fond memories.”

Referring to his incredible run on the last four holes, he added: “Birdie-par-eagle-birdie, yes that was good finish. I felt I was close the whole day but was not quite there, and then I hit an amazing shot on 15 for birdie and I just knew I could do it, I could win this thing.”

Jazz famously won in Morocco with his then girlfriend, the German pro golfer Sarina Schmidt, on the bag. The pair are now married, but they will not be teaming up this week as Sarina is also playing a tournament in Sweden.

Jazz is trying out a new combination on the bag this weekend, but he knows all too well what is needed to get around the testing Red Course. He said: “It is a great tree-lined course and when you are playing well it really suits your game. But you must hit down the middle or you are going to struggle.”

The 28-year-old managed a T6 at International Series Thailand and a T4 at International Series Vietnam last year, but this season has been a disappointment on the series that offers a pathway to LIV Golf. Injury forced him out after one round in Oman, and he failed to make the cut in Macau.

A true champion, Jazz is optimistic about his chances moving forward, as he said: “I have had a little problem off the tee in last year or so, but everything else about my game is in place for me to win. I just need to get the ball in play off the tee, and if I can get it on the dance floor then I will have a good week.

“It is all part of golf really. It is a long journey and just part of the game. But I have spoken to a lot of amazing people, and I feel it (my game) is going to come back soon and hopefully Morocco will be the place where it does.”

Jazz is part of a world-class field that includes nine LIV Golf League players: 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell (Smash GC), Peter Uihlein (RangeGoats GC), Pat Perez (4Aces GC), Branden Grace (Stinger GC), Caleb Surratt (Legion XIII), Scott Vincent (IronHeads GC), Kieran Vincent (Legion XIII), Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs GC) and Jinichiro Kozuma (IronHeads GC).

American John Catlin, the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader is also in the field. A back-to-back winner already this season after superb performances at International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the Saudi Open presented by PIF, Catlin will be brimming with confidence.

His good form this season led to an invite to play as an alternate for Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC on the LIV Golf League, and he showed he has what it takes with a T24 finish in Houston and a T7 in Nashville.

Hongtaek Kim, who won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May for his maiden Asian Tour victory, also starts as does Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, who lost out to the Korean in a sudden-death play-off at Namseoul Country Club.

Multiple Asian Tour winners Gaganjeet Bhullar and Scott Hend also start along with a number of champions on the International Series including Wade Ormsby, Nitithorn Thippong, Sarit Suwannarut, Ben Campbell, and Sihwan Kim.

Local hero Ayoub Lguirati, the Asian Development Tour player who made the cut and finished T28 in 2022, spearheads a local challenge that also includes local professionals Othman Raouzi and Ayoub Id-Omar, as well as promising amateurs Hugo Mazen Trommetter, Aissa Elkhadri, Adam Bresnu and Soufiane Dahmane.

All will be hoping that local knowledge will help them on the testing par 73 Red Course in Rabat.

Published on July 1, 2024

Caleb Surratt is making waves as the youngest player on the LIV Golf League, having already clinched three team titles, and the 20-year-old is excited to take on a new challenge when he tees it up on the Asian Tour for the first time at International Series Morocco this week.

The American youngster turned heads last year by winning three of a possible four points on his Walker Cup debut, the storied amateur match-up between teams from the United Sates and Great Britain & Ireland.

That form put the American on the radar of LIV Golf, and he took up the offer to turn professional and sign for Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team at the start of the season.

Surratt quickly found his feet with two impressive top-15 finishes in his first two tournaments, in Mayakoba and Las Vegas, where he finished tied 13^th and joint 15^th respectively. His strong showing in the season-opening Mayakoba event helped Legion XIII win the team title, for a fairytale start for the American, before they followed that up with success in Miami and Nashville – the most recent event, played two weeks ago.

The former University of Tennessee student is taking a step into the unknown at International Series Morocco.

The tournament, which is taking place on Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red Course from 4-7 July, is the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour that provide a direct pathway to the LIV Golf League for a field of 156 players, including the cream of the Asian Tour and top local and regional talent.

The International Series events also offer players on the LIV Golf roster a chance to fine-tune their games while playing for big money purses against elite-level fields at world-class destinations.

Major champions including Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen are among the LIV Golf League big names who have featured on The International Series previously.

Surratt will use the four days in Rabat to tune up for LIV Golf Andalucia in Spain the following week, the ninth event of the season, alongside a number of fellow LIV Golf League stars including Range Goats GC’s Peter Uihlein, Graeme McDowell of Smash GC, Stinger GC’s Branden Grace and Eugenio Chacarra of Fireballs GC.

He said: “I am excited. It is a privilege because I have never been to Morocco before. To be honest I have not really been abroad too much at all, so I am really excited for it and will prepare my best for it. I have heard nothing but awesome things about The International Series and the golf course in Morocco. I am excited to be making my debut there.”

The International Series might be new to Surratt, but it is certainly in his sites – compatriot Andy Ogletree graduated onto the LIV Golf League and a spot with Phil Mickelson’s Hi-Flyers GC this year after winning the 2023 rankings race.

Surratt’s Legion XIII team-mate Kieran Vincent also claimed one of three golden tickets to the big time at the LIV Golf Promotions event.

The Zimbabwean, International Series Vietnam 2023 champion, had received a bye into the second round of the four-round tournament, and held his nerve in a thrilling play-off to earn his place alongside Kalle Samooja of Cleeks GC and Jinichiro Kozuma of Iron Heads GC.

Surratt has been impressed by the standard of players graduating from the Asian Tour. He said: “Obviously the cream is going to rise to the top and that is a great thing for a tour to produce, you cannot fake it. They (the Asian Tour) are clearly doing something right.

“Part of the whole deal is even just learning how to travel as it is harder to go from country to country and adapt rather than state to state, and that’s part of the experience The International Series provides. The players know how to adapt, and I am excited for that.”

He may have traded in his studies at University of Tennessee for a shot at the big time, but Surratt is still enjoying an education of sorts. An All-American, SEC champion and freshman of the year in 2023, he is learning from captain Rahm and other big names week in, week out.

He said: “Especially for a younger player like myself, to be able to go out and play with these guys directly out of college has been life changing. The amount of information I have learned and the amount of confidence I have gained, being able to compete with these guys, is second to none for me.”

Speaking specifically about his captain, he added: “To be able to come straight from college and be one of Jon Rahm’s right-hand men, on a daily basis, is vital for my learning. It is cool to be able to get comfortable around him, because if you can get comfortable and compete with him you can do it with anybody.”

International Series Morocco takes place from 4-7 July at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat. It is the third event on The International Series calendar and the eighth event of the Asian Tour season.

 

Published on

Just two months before the Asian Tour staged the inaugural International Series Morocco, the North African nation had grabbed the attention of the golfing world when their very own Ines Laklalech won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France – becoming the first Moroccan, Arab and North African woman to win on the Ladies European Tour.

It was a landmark moment for the continent and in many ways a perfectly timed Amuse-Bouche for the Asian Tour’s first visit to North Africa.

The Tour did not know what to expect when heading to Rabat but after spending a week there the overwhelming desire by the membership to return to Morocco’s capital city summed up everyone’s feelings.

The warm hospitality and colonial charm of the city and Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, the famous host venue, were welcomed by all and sundry, especially a certain Jazz Janewattananond.

The Thai star had not won a title since his memorable 2019 season when he claimed the Asian Tour Order of Merit following four eye-catching victories, the last of those being the Thailand Masters in December.

That was supposed to be the season that launched his career but proved to be the start of one of his most difficult periods, not helped by the many disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the lead up to Morocco, Jazz had been playing week in, week out, with few breaks, searching for the form that brought him so much success three years before.

He certainly found what he was looking for in Rabat when he won the tournament with his comments four weeks later at the season-ending Indonesian Masters, where he was also in contention before finishing joint sixth, summed up his feelings.

“I’m fresh now because I had three weeks off before coming in here, but when I played Morocco, or the weeks before that, I was so out of it,” he said.

“Seriously like in Morocco I was such a blur, I still don’t know what happened. And I walked home with a trophy so that was pretty lucky. So now after three weeks, I feel so much better, I feel like a new man.”

With this in mind it is hard to fathom how Jazz found the energy to win in Morocco by storming through at the very end with an sensational eagle, birdie finish.

On a dramatic Sunday afternoon, he came out of the chasing pack and closed with a fine six-under-par 67 to finish on 12 under and beat Canadian Richard T. Lee by one stroke.

Lee, who missed a 16-foot birdie putt on the last to force a play-off, shot a 70 while Spaniard rookie David Puig fired a 73 to finish third, a stroke further back.

Jazz, playing in the third from last group having started the day four shots behind overnight leader Puig, burst through for an unexpected victory thanks to a stunning five-under-par back nine.

He made birdie on 11 and 15 but it was the short and driveable par-four 17^th that proved to be pivotal. Lee, playing in the final group, had appeared to be in control and on course to win for much of the back nine but that all changed when Jazz found the green with his tee shot on 17 and holed a 20-foot eagle putt.  The Thai golfer then drew level with Lee after holing a five-footer for birdie on the par-five 18^th.

To the surprise of everyone, Lee then dropped a shot on 17, the easiest hole on the course, after finding trees off the tee before failing to draw level with Jazz on the last.

“It feels amazing. It’s been a long journey and I’m just so happy to end the year on a high note,” said Jazz, whose girlfriend, now wife, and fellow professional golfer Sarina Schmidt, half Thai and half German, caddied for him.

“I had three holes left and I wasn’t even nearly at the top. I just had a really good finish – everything was really quick. When that last putt dropped I just felt so relieved, the waiting game begun, and now I’m here!”

It was the seventh Asian Tour victory of his career, and in terms of confidence building one of his most important.

He added: “This was my first time in Morocco and the city of Rabat has been amazing – the culture, the food. the people, everything. I heard a lot about this golf course already from people I play with, and I knew it was going to be hard, but it’s exceeded all my expectations. I’ve been out nine weeks in a row and I’m tired now and my back’s hurting, but I came in with an open mind to exploring Morocco and Rabat, and I think that helped me win, because I didn’t come in with high expectations.”

Lee had been attempting to claim his third title on Tour and his first since 2017 but had to settle for his second runner-up finish of the season as he was also second in the International Series Singapore in August.

“I looked at the leaderboard on 17 and then saw that Jazz was at 12 under and finished his round. So, I mean, I just wanted to make birdie on the last hole to try to tie and make the playoff,” said Lee, who led at the halfway mark thanks to a second day 65.

“I bogeyed the first hole with a three putt, just started off bad and then came back with four birdies in a row from six to nine and felt the rhythm going pretty well. Then just an unforced error on 17 on the tee shot, got unlucky and got behind the tree and had no shot to the green. So, I mean, it caused me to make a bogey and just… stuff happens, you know.”

Published on June 28, 2024

Ayoub Lguirati (main picture) is part of a select group of home favourites flying the flag for the region at International Series Morocco, and the local hero is hoping to reproduce his impressive form from two years ago when he tees it up on Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s testing Red Course next week.

International Series Morocco is the third of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar that offer a pathway onto the LIV Golf League, while also giving local and regional talent an opportunity to play elite-level golfers from around the world.

In the 2022 edition, Lguirati was the sole Moroccan to make the cut, and he went on to impress with a superb T28 finish.

This year, Lguirati is one of seven Moroccans in a world-class field that features LIV Golf League stars including Graeme McDowell, Branden Grace, Peter Uihlein and Caleb Surratt, as well as multiple Asian Tour champions Scott Hend, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Jazz Janewattananond, the 2022 champion.

Lguirati said: “The tournament is very important for us as local golfers, it is amazing to have this event in Morocco because it opens a lot of opportunities outside the country, especially on the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour.

Ayoub Lguirati.

“As players we get the opportunity to really learn every day from those around us. After my experience in 2022, and learning from the players in the field then, I am a lot better in my process. I am calm and more relaxed, I try to respect my strategy and play my game and be more patient.”

The 29-year-old is joined in the field by local professionals Othman Raouzi and Ayoub Id-Omar, as well as promising amateurs Hugo Mazen Trommetter, Aissa Elkhadri, Adam Bresnu and Soufiane Dahmane.

UAE amateur Ahmad Skaik and American amateur Davis Bryant also received tournament invites from the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation (RMGF).

The Saudi trio of Othman Almulla, Saud Al Sharif and Faisal Salhab will also be representing the region.

All will be hoping to follow in Lguirati’s footsteps. His impressive finish in Rabat last time out paid major dividends, in the form of an invite to International Series Egypt in Cairo the following week.

Another impressive display, and a T37 in Cairo, then gave Lguirati a spot at the season-ending BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE, where he once again made the cut and finished T38 in a star-studded field.

Ayoub Lguirati.

Lguirati, who currently plies his trade on the Asian Development Tour, is hoping that home advantage will count for something.

He said: “We have some really talented players from Morocco and the region this year, a nice mix of professionals and amateurs, and this is a terrific opportunity for all, we have a good team of Moroccan players.

“Playing the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam is a big advantage for the Moroccan players as it is a home course for us. It is a very difficult course, the greens especially are very tough, so it is good for us to have the course knowledge and home advantage.”

International Series Morocco takes place from 4-7 July. It is the third event on The International Series calendar and the eighth event of the Asian Tour season.

Published on June 25, 2024

Taichi Kho says he can “internalise a lot of positives” after his best result of the season so far at last week’s Kolon Korea Open presented by ELORD – which has put him in an excellent frame of mine ahead of two important weeks.

The 23-year-old Hong Kong number one finished in a tie for 13^th on Sunday – a strong performance against Korea’s best players on one of their toughest courses, Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.

He shot rounds of 73-67-71-73 to finish on even par and played the final round in a high-profile group, consisting of Korea’s Yubin Jang, who was equal third, and Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines, who finished fifth.

Korea’s Minkyu Kim closed with a 66 win by three on eleven under.

“It is good progress, that is all I could really ask for,” said Kho, who claimed the gold medal at last year’s Huanzhou Asian Games, and earlier in the year the World City Championship presented by Hong Kong Golf Club to become the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour.

“As a golfer you always look back and think about the things you could have done better but I can definitely internalise a lot of positives from the week.

“My game is heading in the right direction, which is great, and I think it is a big step forward.

“It was not an easy golf course. The mental challenge seeing the golf course is one thing, and also the physical challenge. Playing in the rough, greens are firm, it rained hard on day three, there were a lot of challenging elements, so I am pleased to have observed myself go through the week and see how I handled all those situations.”

Jet-setting Kho flew out on Sunday night to Switzerland where he is playing in a qualifying event this week for the Omega European Masters. He’ll also play in a qualifier for The Open in the UK before travelling to the International Series Morocco next week.

He played in The Open last year for the first time, missing the cut, thanks to his victory in Hong Kong.

He explained: “I just want to give myself opportunities to play everywhere. It is a lot of travel, but I definitely enjoy it. The Asian Tour is putting up a great schedule at the back end of the year, so I am really looking forward to it.”

His best other performance in 2024 came at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport back in February, where finished joint 14^th. He is currently in 48^th place on the Asian Tour, with much to play for.

“The season has been pretty solid so far. I have not put in too many strong results yet, but I feel like the game is heading in the right direction. I have been trying a couple different things just to see if that can help me go in the right direction,” he said.

“It’s weird with golf, when you try to get better you end up going back to what worked before. I feel like I am maturing as a golfer and figuring it out as I go along. Overall, I have been hitting it good all year.”

 

 

Published on June 23, 2024

Korean Minkyu Kim claimed his second Kolon Korea Open presented by ELORD in the space of two years today to draw a line under a couple of challenging seasons.

He closed with a five-under-par 66 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, just south of Seoul – the scene of his win in 2022 – to finish on 11-under for a three-shot victory over compatriot Younghan Song, the overnight leader who carded a 71.

Koreans Yubin Jang, who returned a best of the day 65, and Kyungnam Kang, in with a 71, finished in a tie for third, one shot back.

Filipino Miguel Tabuena fired a 67 to take sole possession of fifth a stroke further behind, his best result of the season.

Open bound: Minkyu Kim and Younghan Song.

The result means both Kim and Song secured the two places available in year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon in July, as the event is part of the Open Qualifying Series.

Kim, aged 23 and a professional since 2017, started Sunday two behind Song but moved two ahead of playing-partner Song at the turn, with Jang three back. He’d toured the front in three-under with an eagle, on eight, two birdies and a bogey.

By hole 12, which he birdied, he had a three-shot cushion, but it looked like he was in trouble on the par-three 13^th following an unexpected and uncharacteristically lose tee shot. His ball landed in the water in front of the green but somehow it popped up and finished on the edge of the island green, in semi-rough. He capitalised on his good fortune and got up and down for a par and quickly put that behind him by making a birdie on the next to go four ahead.

He dropped a shot on the 16^th and with Jang, playing two groups ahead, carding a birdie on 17 it meant the gap was down to two.

However, a confident birdie on the par-five last sealed the deal for Kim. Song also made birdie on 18 to snatch second place from Jang, who made bogey there, and Kang – second here last year and narrowly missing out on another trip to The Open.

Yubin Jang.

Two years ago Kim was on the crest of a wave after winning his National Open by beating countryman Mingyu Cho in a three-hole play-off, but two months later he was in a car crash on the eve of the International Series Korea on Jeju Island.

It was two months before he could play again and he has gradually worked his way back since, including finishing equal fourth here last year.

However, this month has proven to be pivotal for Kim as he won the Descente Korea Munsingwear Matchplay at the start of month for just his second win on home soil before today’s victory validated all his hard work.

It is the sixth win of his career which began with three wins in 2017 – two on the Euro Pro Tour and one on the Jamega Pro Tour – before he made global headlines the following season with victory in the D+D Real Czech Challenge to become the European Challenge Tour’s youngest winner at the age of 17.

“I feel like I am dreaming,” said Kim.

“[On hole 13] I tried to hit a fade, but it flew too low. It hit water and came up. I went over and the ball was there.”

When KJ Choi won the SK Telecom Open earlier this year he had a similar incident on an island green in a play-off.

Miguel Tabuena.

Said Kim: “I was thinking about K.J Choi’s SK Telecom Open island shot at that moment. After I survived that I felt I was going to win, and then I birdied the next hole.”

Victory in 2022 also saw him qualify for The Open, played at St Andrews. He did not make the cut but will hope to rectify that this summer.

“I have been to Royal Troon before to watch an Open when I was at junior high school, so I will go there with good memories,” he added.

Tabuena had a chance to win today and was five under for his round after 14, just off the lead, but made his first bogey of the day on 15 and then dropped another shot on the next.

He bounced back on the last hitting a fairway wood into six feet but just missed the eagle putt.

“It was a great week overall; I have been battling some things with my game,” said Tabuena.

“After I missed the cut in Oman this year, I changed my irons and then I lost my confidence. Then a couple of weeks ago I made the switch back to the irons and putter I was using before. I am slowly getting there but my game is trending. Any week you finish top five it’s excellent.”

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho also had an encouraging week. He signed off with a 73 to tie for 13^th, on even par for the tournament. Like Tabuena it was his best result of 2024.

The Asian Tour has a one week break now before heading to the International Series Morocco, where Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond will try and defend the title he won in 2022, when the event was last played. The tournament will be played on the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in the capital Rabat once again, from July 4-7.

Published on June 22, 2024

Korean Younghan Song, best known for his famous win in the Singapore Open in 2016 when he held off then world number one Jordan Spieth from the United States, will have a chance to claim another of the region’s National Opens tomorrow after taking the third-round lead in the Kolon Korea Open presented by ELORD.

Song’s game was in tune despite persistent rain and grey skies all day that replaced the sunshine of the opening two days.

He shot a best of the day four-under-par 67 to move in front on eight-under at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, to lead by one from compatriot and overnight leader Kang Kyungnam, in with a 72, and two from the 2022 champion Minkyu Kim, who carded a 71.

Kang Kyungnam.

The trio played together in the final pairing with Song edging ahead after a birdie on 18, on a testing day when it rained non-stop. There were two rain delays, at 12.15pm and 2.15pm, with play eventually finishing in fading light at about 8pm local time.

Song, who mainly plays on the Japan Golf Tour, trailed Kang for most of the day, but was a picture of consistency making four birdies and not dropping a shot.

After winning in Singapore further success did not follow but last year he returned to the winners’ circle by winning the Sansan KBC Augusta in Japan.

Kang, also the second-round leader, has come close to winning this tournament on several occasions before. He was second last year, while almost 20 years ago he tied for third in 2006 and finished equal fourth in 2007 – on each occassion at Woo Jeong Hills, home to the event since 2003.

His 2006 attempt saw him shoot an eight-under-par 63 in the second round, which is the course record, also held by four other players.

Three bogeys saw him struggle to hold onto the lead today, while he made two birdies.

Minkyu Kim.

A strong international contingent have an outside chance tomorrow with Filipino Miguel Tabuena and Taichi Kho from Hong Kong in a tie for seventh on two under. Tabuena shot a 68, while Kho fired a 71.

England’s Steve Lewton carded a 73 and is one stroke further back.

Play will commence at 7am tomorrow morning.

The event is once again part of the Open Qualifying Series, meaning the leading two players, not otherwise exempt, will qualifying for the forthcoming Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club, to be played from July 18-21.

Total prizemoney for the event is KRW1,400,000,000 (approx. US$1.013 million).

Published on June 21, 2024

Kyungnam Kang made the most of his affinity for Woo Jeong Hills Country Club today taking the halfway lead in the Kolon Korea Open presented by ELORD.

The Korean, second here last year and the course record holder with four other players, played in the afternoon and shot his second four-under-par 67 for a two-round total of eight-under – an impressive tally on a difficult course.

It gave him a two-shot cushion over compatriot Minkyu Kim, the 2022 champion. Kim, out in the morning session, held the clubhouse lead for much of the day after returning a 65.

Korean Younghan Song (68) is a further two behind, while England’s Steve Lewton (71) is another shot back.

Kang carded an eight-under-par 63 here in 2006 and that is still the course record although a group of players, including Rickie Fowler in 2011, have matched it.

Minkyu Kim.

He made six birdies and two bogeys today and looked in complete control, especially when he made three successive birdies from the fifth.

“I played happily in the same group as Minkyu on the last day last year, so I will use that experience this weekend,” said Kang.

“I am hitting the ball really straight. I used to fade the ball but recently I have stopped putting so much spin on the ball, so it’s staying straight. It’s really helped me a lot with my approach shots.”

His second place finish here 12 months ago saw him secure one of the two places up for grabs in The Open. He went on to miss the cut in the game’s oldest Major but will be targeting another appearance this year as this week’s tournament is once again part of the Open Qualifying Series. Last year’s winner Steve Seungsu Han was the other player who made it through to The Open, but having missed the cut this week, with rounds of 82 and 72, there will be no repeat trip for him.

Kang added: “When I feel like giving up, I remember my experience at the British Open last year and I get my mind together. I want to win a berth again and get back there.”

Forty-one-year-old Kang is an 11-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour, has never won on the Asian Tour and is looking for his first win in Korea since 2021.

Judging on recent form in Korea – he has had six top 20s in his last seven starts – he’ll likely be in the running on Sunday.

Steve Lewton.

Kim’s performance so far is representative of his return to form.

He beat fellow Korean Mingyu Cho in a play-off at Woo Jeong Hills to win here two years ago but two months later he was in a car accident, the resulting injuries meant he was unable to play for several months.

He has been gradually working his way back since, winning on the Korean PGA Tour at the start of the month, in the Descente Korea Munsingwear Matchplay for just his second win on home soil, before a fine round today points to a player back to his best.

He said: “I played well today. It was a better score than I expected. I wasn’t hitting the ball well on the range, but once I got on the course, it worked out.”

Woo Jeong Hills is a notoriously demanding golf course with the championship committee setting it up with penal rough, narrow fairways and perilous putting surfaces but Kim was one of the few players to rise to the challenge.

He started on 10 and made the turn in one under with three birdies and two bogeys but then toured the second half in four under with four birdies.

Jang Jubin.

“When I was talking with other players before the tournament, they said that the difficulty level was getting easier, but the course is still difficult … the set-up, the flagstick positions, etc,” said Kim, who tied for fourth last year and who’s winning score in 2022 was four-under.

“The Korea Open is a big tournament; I think it’s right to play at a challenging golf course like Woo Jeong Hills. I think the challenging setting suits the event.”

Lewton hasn’t missed a cut this year and is playing some of the best golf of his career and will attempt to become the first Englishman to win Korea’s National Open.

“Didn’t play quite as well as yesterday, felt I had a chance to do better,” said Lewton.

“Got off to great start on front nine with eight pars and a birdie, which set me up but dropped a few on the second nine. Missed a few putts I should have made. It’s a tough golf course but I am well placed heading into the weekend”

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho is starting to put together one of his best tournaments of the year. He fired a 67 and is two under in a tie for sixth with Korea’s Hongtaek Kim (68), winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last month, and countryman Jang Jubin (72).

Two-time Korea Open winner Sangmoon Bae, the joint leader at the start of the day, fired a 74 and is tied on one under.

Total prizemoney for the event is KRW1,400,000,000 (approx. US$1.013 million).

Pictures courtesy of the Korean Golf Association.

Published on June 20, 2024

Korean Sangmoon Bae (main picture) rolled back the years in the Kolon Korea Open presented by ELORD today, the event he won in 2008 and 2009, taking a share of the lead on the opening day.

He carded a four-under-par 67 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, the venue for both of his wins, along with countrymen Kyungnam Kang, second here last year, and Sungyeol Kwon.

England’s Steve Lewton returned a 68 along with Koreans Yubin Jang, who stormed home with an eagle on the iconic par-five 18^th, Taehoon Ok and Jinjae Byun, plus Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang.

Bae is based in the United States, where he has triumphed on the US PGA Tour twice and on the Web.com Tour once, and rarely returns to play on home soil.

Kyungnam Kang.

However, he played in the Korean PGA Championship on the Korean PGA Tour at the start of the month, finishing in a tie for second place, and he looks to be in a similar vein of form this week.

He turns 38 tomorrow and is revelling being in the lead in a big event, something that does not happen so often these days, unlike the majority of his brilliant career.

“I’m excited and nervous to compete at the top,” he said.

“There is also some anxiety. So many other great players are in contention. To win you have to play well for four days. I have to play carefully and calmly.”

He started on the back nine and made six birdies in total, including on 17 and 18, and carded two bogeys. He chipped in for two of those birdies, on 10 and 17.

Despite his fine start, he felt his game was far from under control on a golf course set up by the Korean Golf Association to try and mirror Major championship conditions, with fast greens and unforgiving rough.

Sungyeol Kwon.

Said Bae: “My shots with my driver didn’t go the way I wanted them to, I played a lot of shots from the rough and missed plenty of greens. I also struggled with my pitch shots. But overall, I’m happy with the way I played. Those chip ins gave me momentum.”

He also said he is drawing inspiration from Korean legend K.J. Choi after he won the SK Telecom Open in Korea last month at the age of 54 – becoming the oldest golfer to win a tournament on the Korean PGA Tour.

“I watched K.J.’s win and I was inspired. I texted him after the second round and said, ‘you young kids are killing it’. We talked for 10 minutes.”

Bae’s most recent win came at the Albertsons Boise Open on the Web.com Tour in 2018, a year after he had completed his National Service in Korea.

Prior to his near two-year stint with the military, he had established himself as one of his country’s finest players. He triumphed on the PGA Tour in 2013 and 2014, claimed nine titles in Korea, and won three events on both the Asian Tour and Japan Tour.

Lewton’s solid opening round reflects his excellent start to the season which has seen him make the cut in all five of the events he has entered.

Steve Lewton.

“I have only played here once before, last year, and really struggled,” said Lewton, who made a 27-hour trip from his home in Leicester to get here.

“The course is slightly different this year, there is not quite as much rough even though it is still very penal. I came with a slightly different game plan: I didn’t hit nearly as many drivers. I used the driver five times; last year I hit it about 10.”

He is currently in 20^th position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, having tied for ninth in the season-opening Malaysian Open, his best result of the season to date, while he also finished equal 11^th when the Tour was last in Korea for the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last month.

He added: “I worked hard over the break. I feel like I have played pretty good for three rounds but it’s just one round that just isn’t quite good enough, don’t always know which round it is going to be. My goal this week is to have four consistent rounds. I changed my swing over the break, working with my coach, Corey Vincent, the brother of my caddie, and a 3D coach in the US, on posture and alignment.”

A big football fan, when asked if he planned to watch the England Denmark game in the Euros tonight, which is on at 1 a.m. in Seoul, he replied: “100% yes!”

Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, who was beaten in a sudden-death play-off at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, is clearly enjoying being back in Korea after shooting a 70.

Korean Hongtaek Kim, the man who beat him to win that event, fired a 73.

Defending champion Seungsu Han from the United States got off to the worst possible start carding an 82.

This year marks the 66^th staging of Korea’s flagship tournament, which has been played at Woo Jeong Hills, an hour outside of the capital Seoul, since 2003.

It is once again part of the Open Qualifying Series, meaning the leading two players, not otherwise exempt, will qualifying for the forthcoming Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club, to be played from July 18-21.

Total prizemoney for the event is KRW1,400,000,000 (approx. US$1.013 million).

Photos courtesy of Korean Golf Association.