Diamond Cup Stars Set to Sparkle
Past, present and future stars of Asian golf will brush shoulders when the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf makes a nostalgic return to the Oarai Golf Club this week.
By Spencer Robinson, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), not only does the ¥100 million event feature the leading players from both circuits, but also 20 of the region’s outstanding amateur prospects.
Further kudos is added by the fact that the winner will be rewarded with an exemption into July’s 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
“Given its rich history, the Diamond Cup is truly unique,” said Andy Yamanaka, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Japan Golf Association (JGA), which hosts the event in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), Kansai TV and Mitsubishi Corporation.
Yamanaka added: “Over the years, it’s been the intention for the Diamond Cup to contribute to society through a series of charity activities, a commitment to preserve our natural environment as well as focusing on making a regional contribution through the development of junior and amateur golfers.
“The Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf has a remarkable past and we are committed to ensuring it has a glittering future.”
Inaugurated as the Dunlop Tournament in 1969, it has since then been variously called Mitsubishi Galant Tournament, Mitsubishi Motors Tournament, Diamond Cup Tournament, Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf, Diamond Cup Golf and, from 2014, the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf.
Past champions include dozens of legendary figures including Japanese all-time greats Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki, Tsuneyuki ‘Tommy’ Nakajima and Isao Aoki, and Major champions Peter Thomson and Todd Hamilton, a former Asian Tour Order of Merit champion.
Other Asian Tour stalwarts whose names are inscribed on the winner’s trophy are Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang (2016), Thai Prayad Marksaeng (2008), American Brandt Jobe (1995), the Chinese Taipei duo of TC Chen (1993) and Lu Hsi-chuen (1981) and Filipino Ben Arda (1973).
While this will be the 11th occasion that the Diamond Cup has been held at Oarai Golf Club, it’s the first occasion since 2013 when Hideki Matsuyama claimed the title, a matter of months after turning professional.
A seaside links course on the shores of the Kashima Sea, Oarai Golf Club was designed by Seiichi Inoue in 1953. It’s a challenging and strategic course, taking advantage of the natural landscape.
A top-class Japanese field for the 2022 event includes defending champion Rikuya Hoshino, Yuka Inamori, winner of The Crowns on the JGTO a fortnight ago, and Keita Nakajima, reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner, number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and already with a JGTO victory under his belt.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 18: Rikuya Hoshino of Japan plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) on June 18, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Nakajima, who captured the award for low amateur at last year’s Diamond Cup, won the 2021 Panasonic Open on the JGTO.
Victorious at Sagamihara Golf Club’s East Course last year, Hoshino said: “I am glad that the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf is being held at such a prestigious course in my home province this year.
“I look forward to playing in front of many local spectators, with a better situation of Covid-19. As defending champion, I am aiming to win this championship two years in a row, in front of many golf fans.”
Steeped in history, the Diamond Cup is one of the JGA’s four National Championships, alongside the Japan Open, Japan Women’s Open and Japan Senior Open.
Due to travel restrictions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, last year’s event proceeded without overseas amateurs and purely as a part of the JGTO.
Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO, said: “We’re delighted to have this historic championship back on our schedule in 2022 and look forward to remaining a part of it for many years to come. The event is very much part of the heritage of Asian Tour and we are proud to be part of it. The APGC and JGA do a great job nurturing the next generation of professional golfers and we are proud to be part of their transition.”
The last time the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup was part of the Asian Tour in 2019, victory went to Japan’s Yosuke Asaji. It was his first win as a professional.
Micah Lauren Shin of the United States shared second place with Japanese Ren Yonezawa, then an amateur but who lines up this week as a professional.
Roared on by a huge gallery, Bio Kim from Korea finally added another important trophy to his impressive collection of titles when he claimed the 41st GS Caltex Maekyung Open at Namseoul Country Club today for the first of what could be many Asian Tour victories.
The hot favourite coming into the week thanks to a purple patch that stretches back to the end of last year, he carded a battling final round one-over-par 72 to win on nine under by two from Korean Mingyu Cho, who shot a 70 – on a day when organisers estimated 8,000 fans attended.
Korean Kyongjun Moon, winner of this event in 2015, finished third after shooting a 67.
Last season’s Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Joohyung Kim from Korea, closed with a 70 to end in joint fifth place.
It is the second time Bio Kim has won the tournament – which is one of the jewels in the crown of tournament golf in Korea, along with the Korea Open – although when he triumphed in 2012, it was not part of the Asian Tour.
The Korean star, who led the event since round two, started the day with a four-shot lead and had to overcome an early challenge on the front nine by playing-partner Cho.
Bio Kim has now claimed seven titles in Korea. Picture by KGA.
Cho joined Bio Kim tied for the lead on nine under after seven holes after he birdied four, six and seven, while Bio made bogey on six. But Cho bogeyed hole eight to slip one back before Bio reached the par-five ninth with two fine shots and birdied the hole to move two ahead of Cho.
Cho’s chances were then shot to pieces when Korean Golf Officials gave him a two-stroke penalty on the ninth for standing on the hole’s second green when playing his third. He was informed he should have taken a drop.
It meant Bio was able to cruise home unchallenged on the back nine and enjoy one of the finest most of his career; although there was a minor scare on the last when he sliced his tee shot into the trees before he got his ball back in play and made bogey.
Cho partly made up for the disappointment of his rules infringement by holing a 25-footer for birdies on 18 to finish solo second; his two shot penalty the only difference between him and Bio Kim.
“Today was very tough, I lost my concentration a few times, but I am happy to make it through,” said 31-year-old Bio Kim.
“It took all of me to win today. Namsoeul Country Club is very difficult, and a lot of good players were chasing me. As I have been doing all week, and all year, I tried to stay in the present, clear my mind and not think about things too much, like my four-shot lead on the back nine.”
He earned a cheque for US$255,536 and moved into second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit with winnings of US$402, 986. American Sihwan Kim remains in top spot, despite missing the cut.
Added Bio Kim: “It is Parents’ Day which means the win has special meaning. I have a lot to thank my parents for. If my parents didn’t raise me well, I wouldn’t be here. I’m trying to be a great son and a head of the family.”
Bio Kim’s victory once again reflected his affinity for Namseoul – which began when he tied for fourth in the event in 2007 before claiming equal third the following year, remarkably on both occasions he was still an amateur. He has also posted five other top-five finishes in addition to his success a decade ago and becomes the sixth dual winner of the event; no player has won it three times.
A professional since 2009 he only became a member of the Asian Tour after graduating from the Qualifying School in 2020, where he tied fifth, just before the pandemic hit.
Mingyu Cho finished two back. Picture by KGA.
And his performances since the Asian Tour’s restart at the end of last year have been the talk of the Tour. Since last November he has posted seven top-10s in nine events, including five top-five results. Tied second place at the Laguna Phuket Championship in 2021 had been his best finish before today’s breakthrough.
He played on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour early on his career before concentrating on competing in Korea – where he has been victorious on seven occasions, including this week.
His success today is a defining moment for a golfer who has made headlines throughout his career – including at the beginning when, remarkably, he claimed the Korea and Japan open amateur titles in 2008 and made it through the PGA Tour Qualifying School in 2010 aged just 20.
Said Joohyung Kim: “I had a lot of unlucky breaks. I really wanted to win, it’s one of the big events in Korea and it was my first event back here since last year. But I still finished inside the top five, it was a great week, and I gave it my all, but it just wasn’t enough.”
The Asian Tour heads to Japan next week for the Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup at Oarai Golf Club, from May 12-15.
Bio Kim overcame an unexpected scare on the first hole – when a scoring official collapsed on the tee near to him – to take the third-round lead in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open today at Namseoul Country Club.
The Korean star fired a three-under-par 68 to lead on 10 under, by four from his countrymen Minjun Kim and Mingyu Cho, also in with 68s, and Jiho Yang, who shot 71 – in the Asian Tour’s first event back in Korea since 2019.
Kim started the day in a share of the lead but suffered a major distraction on the first when 20-year-old university student Woojun Lee, who was handling one of the scoreboards, collapsed just before he was due to tee off.
A doctor in the large crowd, who had gathered to watch the final group, as well as Kim rushed to help him before an ambulance was called. Lee, who suffers from Anemia, eventually made a full recovery at hospital.
Korea’s Mingyu Cho is tied for second. Picture by KGA.
The whole incident lasted about 10 minutes and when Kim finally got going, he made a double on the first.
“To be honest, I wasn’t too distracted on the first. We all thought we had better wait to help him before getting going. I missed the tee shot, it was a tough pin position and I three putted – maybe I was just nervous,” said Kim.
“I eventually got my flow going and having such big crowds was huge motivation. I have a lot of memories here but I’m not thinking about things too much, just keep a very clear mind.”
He is bidding to claim his first title on the Asian Tour on the back of an inspired run of form which has seen him post seven top-10 finishes in nine events, highlighted by a tied second finish at the Laguna Phuket Championship at the end of 2021.
He has actually won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open before, back in 2012, but it was not part of the Asian Tour then.
Kim grew up playing amateur golf at Namseoul and made his debut on the Asian Tour when tied fourth in the 2007 GS Caltex Maekyung Open before claiming equal third the following year, remarkably on both occasions he was still an amateur.
And as a member of the professional ranks, he has also posted five other top-five finishes in addition to his victory a decade ago.
He needed to draw on all his experience today to get ahead; he fired seven birdies, two bogies and one double.
His impressive round was built upon six birdies in the space of eight holes from the seventh.
The tournament has also so far seen strong performances by players from South Asia with India’s Khalin Joshi and Viraj Madappa five off the lead in joint fifth, following rounds of 69 and 72 respectively.
And Indian Honey Baisoya carded a 66, the joint-lowest round of the day, to sit in outright seventh, another shot back.
“Game is feeling good, so looking forward to tomorrow,” said Joshi.
“I haven’t played in front of gallery like this in a while, so I’m really excited. Today was good fun playing with two local boys, and the support we had was pretty good.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen crowds. And for me personally, I haven’t been in contention in a while, so it’s good. It’s getting me charged for sure, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Said Madappa: “It was a little erratic today, I feel like the wind was swirling a little bit. I started off really well. The front nine I played good honestly, tee to green was really solid and I made a few putts. I put myself in good places on the front nine and on the back nine… Just when the wind started swirling I made a few bad decisions off the tee. Misjudged some of the wind and put myself in tough spots.”
India’s Viraj Madappa is excelling in his maiden appearance at Namseoul. Picture by KGA.
Both Joshi and Madappa are in search of their second wins on the Asian Tour.
Reigning Asian Tour number one Joohyung Kim from Korea fired a 72 and is in a group of five players seven off the pace, along with Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan who carded a 66.
As many predicted Korean Bio Kim asserted his influence on the GS Caltex Maekyung Open today and moved to the top of the leaderboard at Namseoul Country Club at the halfway mark.
In-form and with an impressive track record here at Namseoul this week’s hot favourite leads on seven under, although shares the limelight with compatriots Dongmin Lee and Minhyuk Song, a 17-year-old amateur, who joined him in front.
Kim, who won this event at the same venue in 2012, shot a three-under-par 68 while veteran Lee carded a 70 and Song, an impressive 66.
India’s Viraj Madappa, inspired by a hole in one, shot a 65 to sit a shot back with Korean Jiho Yang, who returned a 67.
Kim grew up playing top-level amateur golf at Namseoul and made his debut on the Asian Tour when tied fourth in the 2007 GS Caltex Maekyung Open before claiming equal third the following year, remarkably on both occasions he was still an amateur.
And as a member of the professional ranks, he has also posted five other top-five finishes in addition to his victory a decade ago when the event was not on the Asian Tour schedule.
The 31 year old was quickly into his stride today thanks to three birdies on the front nine. He made an unexpected double-bogey on the 13th but confidently bounced back with birdies on the next two holes.
“I felt comfortable out there today and it was certainly inspiring to play in front of such big crowds. We haven’t done that in a long time,” said Kim.
“It’s great to still be playing at the same level I have been this year and put myself into a good position into the weekend.”
He’s been the cusp of a first Asian Tour victory several times since its restart at the end of last year, recording five top-five finishes plus two other top-10s.
Little-known Song is enjoying playing the finest tournament of his fledgling career.
“I am now tied first! I feel like I’ve been given a whole new opportunity,” said the youngster, who suffered a herniated disk last year.
Madappa aced the par-three third with a seven iron to help make his move in an event he is competing in for the first time.
“One of the main reasons why I came here you know: the legend of Namseoul,” said the 24-year-old Indian, who has triumphed once on the Asian Tour at the 2018 TAKE Solutions Masters on home soil.
“I was really excited to start the week here and I think it’s lived up to the expectation. I’m pretty sure it’s going to get a little tougher for the next few days.”
About the hole in one he said: “It was actually anticlimactic, because I thought the ball went long but it ended up going in the hole. We were actually looking for the ball and ended up looking in the hole thankfully.”
Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Joohyung Kim is three off the lead after a 68.
He was also particularly excited to be playing in front of so many spectators.
“It’s amazing to participate in a Korean tournament with crowds,” said 19 year old.
“It is my first time to see the gallery in Korea for a long, long time as there were no galleries last year, including at overseas tournament too, because of Covid. It was great because they cheered me on a lot.”
The rising star said he is gearing up for an epic summer as he will play in The Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship.
Korean Dongmin Lee took the first-round lead with a six-under-par 65 at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open today, helped by drawing on the experience of playing in the prestigious event on many occasions.
His compatriot Hyungjoon Lee came in with a 66 at Namseoul Country Club – in an event which marks the first time that the Asian Tour has been to Korea since 2019.
“I have a lot of experience on this course, so I know exactly where I shouldn’t go and where I should go,” said 36-year-old Dongmin Lee.
“A first day six under par round is great. I hope I can play the rest of the tournament this well. It’s my best score in this course. Namseoul is difficult, but I played aggressively, and things worked out well.”
Dongmin Lee is a two-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour, including last year’s Descente Korea Munsingwear Match Play.
He began his round early in the morning on hole 10 and could be forgiven for starting with a bogey as conditions were very cold before bright sunny weather started to warm things up.
Hyungjoon Lee is a five-time winner in Korea. Picture by Korean PGA.
The Korean, a professional for two decades, ended up shooting eight birdies including on the last three holes and dropped just two shots.
He added: “It’s just the first day though, I need to pace myself and just focus on playing my own game over the next three days.”
Hyungjoon Lee finished joint second in the Korean PGA Tour’s season opening DB Insurance Life tournament last month and picked up where he left off with an equally impressive round today, which also started on the back nine, made up of six birdies and one bogey.
“I teed up early in the morning. There was no wind really until the second [11th] and third [12th] holes. It was easy to make a birdie. I felt confident,” said Hyungjoon Lee.
“I had about a three-week break after the season opening tournament and I spent a lot of time practicing my putting to get ready for Namseoul. I really wanted to work on my feel and touch. I practiced at quite a lot of different venues and came to Namseoul four times.”
The 29 year old completed his 18-month military service in July last year and struggled with his game when transitioning back into normal life.
He added: “I did not play very well after finishing military service and was very disappointed. I got away from the Korean winter and went to practice in Chiang Mai for a month and a half this year and that was a big help.”
The Korean is a five-time winner in Korea but like Dongmin Lee he is looking for his maiden title on the Asian Tour.
Bio Kim won this event in 2012. Picture by Korean PGA.
Korean Bio Kim, winner of this event in 2012 when it was not on the Asian Tour schedule, and Junggon Hwang, a four-time winner in Japan, fired 67s.
Thailand’s Natipong Srithong carded a 68 along with Asian Tour Qualifying School graduates Neil Schietekat from South Africa and Ireland’s Kevin Phelan, as well as India’s Khalin Joshi, Canadian Richard T. Lee and Koreans Doyeob Mun, Junghwan Lee, and Yoon Chung.
Bio Kim is due a maiden win on the Asian Tour after an exceptional run of form recently and will have an outstanding opportunity to get the monkey off his back at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open – which tees-off tomorrow at Namseoul Country Club, just outside Seoul.
The Korean star has an impressive track record in the tournament: he won in 2012, when it was not on the Asian Tour schedule, and, when he was an amateur, he tied fourth in 2007 and equal third the following year. He has also posted five other top-five finishes.
Combine this with the fact he has had five top-five finishes since the Asian Tour restarted at the end of last year, plus two other top-10s, and the stars could well align for the 31 year old this week.
“To be honest, we grew up at the Namseoul Country Club,” said Kim, whose current purple patch actually started when he claimed the LG Signature Players Championship on home soil last November.
“I had the opportunity to play the course quite a bit, because as a national team member we got to play there a lot. We had a junior tournament at Namseoul, like a Korean amateur tournament, there as well. We’ve also had some practice rounds for Maekyung, or before the Korean amateur tournament.
Kim was runner-up in the Laguna Phuket Championship in November. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I guess just comfort wise, it’s a place where I grew up and where I practice a lot. So that’s maybe a reason why I’ve had success there. I like the golf course and my house is about 20 minutes away, that helps as well. And so hopefully, I can keep that good record going on.”
Namseoul is a notoriously tricky course, especially on the approach shots and on or around the greens. The greens are usually very fast and firm, and many of them slope quite severely from back to front, so players need to try their best to keep the ball below the hole for uphill putts.
“Yeah, there’s some undulations and the greens are firm and fast. You have to be kind of short of the pin all the time. The fairways are also kind of tricky to read. Sometimes the ball could go further, sometimes it’s just hard to judge the lie, so I guess growing up there just helped me out a lot.”
Kim’s style of play and local knowledge of the course also lets him stay aggressive and not give up any distance off the tee.
“I would say so, but for me, I don’t know why, I just would like to be a bit more aggressive than others because I have a lot more comfortable holes than other guys. The reason why I say that is maybe because I’m hitting the ball left to right. That kind of helps me to hit a lot of drivers out there. A lot of people use two irons, five woods and three woods off the tee. For me, I do use a lot of drivers.”
The Korean star has been consistently near the top of the leaderboards going back to late last year, and came close to posting his first Asian Tour victory at the Laguna Phuket Championship in December finishing tied-second. In his last 11 events Kim has only finished outside of the top-10 twice.
Said Kim: “I am happy with the results, but to be honest I don’t know. I’ve been just working on my game, you know, tweaking my swing and putting here and there. I just had some good vibes, good people around me, supporting me. That always helps make my golf game a little easier. I would just love to keep making birdies and eagles down the road. Hopefully I can keep that record going on and hopefully I can win a couple of times.”
In his last 11 starts Kim has finished outside the top 10 just twice. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Kim also had the experience of playing on the PGA Tour back in 2011, and although he didn’t quite manage to have the success there that he wanted, he still rates the experience highly.
He adds: “It was good. I mean, if I look back on it, I enjoyed it. I had a really good experience in 2011, but also, at the same time, I guess I was too young mentally to be away from home by myself. I was homesick most of the time, so I always wanted to go back to Korea. Like I would skip some events even though I could play in them.
“Now I regret that I made that choice. But you know, I guess life is just all about making mistakes and learning. Now I’m on the Asian Tour and Korean Tour, but I still want to go back to the PGA Tour at some point.”
Kim is currently in fifth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. The top-three ranked players, American Sihwan Kim, Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai and Korean Joohyung Kim, are also competing this week and have been drawn together for the first two rounds.
Korea’s Taehee Lee will attempt to make history this week when he bids to win the 41st GS Caltex Maekyung Open for a record third time.
A host of players have claimed the prestigious event twice – including compatriots Sanghyun Park and veteran Jongduck Kim, who are both competing this week – but Lee has the distinction of being the most recent winner of the event when it was last played on the Asian Tour in 2019, before COVID-19 shut down international tournament golf.
He also has the distinction of contributing to one of the most exciting finishes at Nam Seoul Country Club – although there have been many at the famous venue, which has hosted the event on 31 occasions since its inauguration in 1982.
Lee prevailed on the third extra hole to complete a wire-to-wire victory but was made to work mightily hard to secure his first Asian Tour title.
Taehee Lee’s win in 2019 was his maiden Asian Tour title.
He shared the overnight four-shot lead with Finland’s Janne Kaske and was locked in a tight battle with the Finn throughout the day as they closed with matching even-par 71s to tie on nine-under-par 275 after the end of regulation play.
It was a birdie from six feet on the 75th hole that sealed the deal for Lee as Kaske was left to rue a bad break on the 18th fairway after his drive found a divot; his second shot ended 20 yards short of the green before he eventually three-putted for a double-bogey.
It was Lee’s third professional victory on home soil.
Remarkably, the two combatants made respective double-bogeys and bogeys on the first two holes of the play-off, held on the 433-yard par-four 18th hole, before officials made a rare decision to change to a relatively easier pin position on the green.
Earlier in the day Lee got off to a quick start with two birdies in his opening four holes while Kaske reeled in four straight pars. Kaske sank his first birdie of the day on the fifth to move within one before the tournament burst into life on the seventh when, incredibly, he holed his second shot from 120 yards for an eagle two.
It was a stunning three-shot swing for Kaske which saw him move two ahead of Lee, who dropped a shot on the same hole. Kaske then made bogey on the ninth but recovered well with a birdie on 12 after knocking his second shot from the right rough to about two feet.
Janne Kaske’s runner-up finish remains his best finish on the Asian Tour.
However, another bogey on the 14th saw him slip back into a share of the lead again with Lee, who chipped in for birdie on the par five. The duo went neck and neck coming down the stretch, both dropping shots on 16 and 17.
After an errant drive from Kaske on the 72nd hole his second shot from the fairway bunker landed short and right of the green. His chip from the fringe came up about 18 feet short of the hole but he held his nerve and made the clutch putt to ensure his place in the play-off.
And although victory eluded Kaske, a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour, he had the consolation of recording his best finish on the Asian Tour.
For Lee it was a breakthrough performance on the international stage and one he clearly enjoyed so much that he triumphed again the following year to become the first to successfully defend the title, although, due to the pandemic, it was played as a domestic event on the Korean PGA Tour.
Lee will no doubt be in contention this week trying to set a new record with three wins, which will also surpass the two victories by Korean legend Sangho Cho, his long-time coach.
It was 10 years ago that Bio Kim raced to a five-stroke success in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open. In the process, he underlined his billing as one of Asia’s great golfing hopes, writes Spencer Robinson, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
Then aged 21, Kim’s stunning victory at the venerable Nam Seoul Country Club was the springboard, many predicted, for a glittering career.
A decade on, Kim admits he has not yet fulfilled his potential. However, as he prepares to make a nostalgic return to Nam Seoul for the 41st edition of GS Caltex Maekyung Open, there are plenty of encouraging signs.
On the back of an impressively consistent six-month period, Kim is trending upwards, flying high on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and currently 169th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
And given his liking for the historic Nam Seoul layout, Kim is certain to figure among the pre-tournament favourites at next week’s (May 5-8) event which carries a total purse of KRW1,200,000,000 (approximately US$990,000).
Kim finished joint third at the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in April and is now fifth on the Asian Tour Merit list. (Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour)
A strong showing in his home country would be another step in the right direction towards his stated goals. “At some point, I want to get inside the top-100 in the world ranking, qualify for the Majors and get back to the big-time on the PGA Tour,” said Kim, who soared into the international golfing spotlight after gaining his PGA Tour card via qualifying school at the end of 2010.
In 2011, at the age of 20, he was the youngest member of the PGA Tour. Although he posted five top-25 finishes from 25 starts he finished 162nd on the Money List and lost his card.
The plus side was that he returned to his home continent, competing on the domestic Korean PGA Tour and the now-defunct OneAsia Tour, of which the Maekyung Open was a part when he won.
To those who had followed his outstanding amateur career and his brilliant track record at Nam Seoul, that victory was not a surprise. Before turning pro in 2009, he twice contended in the Maekyung Open, placing joint fourth in 2007 and equal third in 2008, both occasions at Nam Seoul.
Kim on the PGA Tour at the Northern Trust Open in 2011. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Heading into the 2022 iteration, few players are in better form than Kim, who hopes a return to a happy hunting ground will not only enable him to consolidate his position in the top-10 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, but also offer an opportunity for him to finally claim a belated maiden Asian Tour title after countless close calls.
Thanks to four successive top-10s when the Asian Tour resumed play late last year – Blue Canyon Phuket Championship (tied fourth); Laguna Phuket Championship (tied second); The Singapore International (seventh) and SMBC Singapore Open (tied ninth) – Kim finished seventh on the Asian Tour’s 2020-21-22 Order of Merit.
His good spell has continued in 2022, making the cut in all five events in which he’s played, highlighted by top-five finishes in a trio of Thailand tournaments – Royal’s Cup (tied fourth); International Series Thailand (tied fifth) and Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup (tied third).
If anyone is overdue a victory on the Asian Tour, it’s Kim. Back on familiar home soil next week, could this finally be his moment?
The belt buckle of Kim during the third round of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic 2011 in (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
The 64th Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship, one of the region’s oldest national Opens with an eye-catching list of past champions, will return to the Asian Tour this year following a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic.
The tournament, famously won by Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond during his epic 2019 season, will be played at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club from June 23-26.
It will be the 10th leg of this season’s Asian Tour and the second visit of the year to Korea, after next week’s 41st GS Caltex Maekyung Open at Namseoul Country Club.
“The Korea Open is one of our mainstay events and always a high point of the year,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour.
“With the Korea Open back on the schedule it shows the Asian Tour is returning to full speed and along with next week’s GS Caltex Maekyung Open means our membership are able to return to one of their favourite tournament destinations.”
Korea’s national Open was held last year and won by Korean Junseok Lee but it was played as a domestic event on the Korean PGA Tour, due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions for foreigners, while the year before it was cancelled.
Korea’s Daesub Kim won the Korea Open three times, twice as an amateur (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
When Jazz won the title in 2019, also at Woo Jeung Hills, it was his second victory of the year. He later went on to claim the Indonesian Masters and Thailand Masters, both in December, to take the Asian Tour Order of Merit title for the first time.
His name was inscribed on a trophy awash with great names such as: Sergio Garcia (2002), John Daly (2003), Vijay Singh (2007) and Ricky Fowler (2011). Scott Hoch also lifted the trophy in 1990 and 1991.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy has the distinction of finishing runner-up in 2011 and 2013.
Thongchai Jaidee’s first ever win on the Asian Tour came at the event in 2000 while many of Korea’s most prominent players have added the trophy to their silverware displays including: K.J. Choi (1996 and 1999), Y.E. Yang (2006 and 2010) and Sangmoon Bae (2008 and 2009).
Also, few forget the performance of Korean Daesub Kim who was victorious on three occasions: in 1998 and 2001 when he was still an amateur and in 2012 as a professional.
This year will mark the 18th successive time the tournament has been staged at Woo Jeung Hills, which is located south of Seoul.
Prizemoney for the event will be announced shortly.
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