There’s always a measured sense of calm on Sadom Kaewkanjana’s face. But mention links golf and he brightens up, considerably.

That’s a bit surprising, considering that the 25-year-old Thai hardly played on links courses in his growing years. His first stint came well into his teenage years in amateur tournaments, and the love story reached a peak last year during the 150th Open Championship at the Old Course where he closed with a stunning seven-under par 65 for a tied 11th place last year — the best-ever performance by a player from his country in the event.

Ahead of this week’s $1.5 million St Andrews Bay Championship, being played Fairmont St Andrews, he says there is a very specific reason for his love for links golf, and the excitement is palpable.

“I love links courses. I have been looking forward to this tournament,” said Sadom, currently in sixth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

“Honestly, I don’t like to chip much. But the links courses give you an amazing opportunity to be creative with your putter. To be able to putt from way off the green is a challenge that I love. It’s a great satisfaction when you hit a long putt and can see it snaking all the way to the hole.”

Sadom, who eagled the fifth hole at the Open last year with a well-read putt from 45 feet, finished third in the inaugural International Series England at Slaley Hall last year, another indication of how comfortable he is in British conditions.

“I really like playing in the UK. I don’t mind the cold and I don’t mind the wind,” he said. “I am also OK with the rain. I played well at The Open last year and also at Slaley Hall. Hopefully, I will be able to carry on the great memories I have from the Old Course to Fairmont, which is just a few miles away in St Andrews.

“St Andrews is such a special place for golf and all the courses in the area are a dream to play for any golfer. One should not be worrying about the weather when we get a chance to play here.”

Sadom Kaewkanjana. Asian Tour

The Thai star recently spent a month as a practising monk in a monastery back home, and feels the lessons he learned there will become a powerful 15th club in his arsenal when on a golf course.

“It was something that I wanted to do and when I got the break in Asian Tour schedule, I went ahead with it,” he said.

“It was all about leading a very simple life, and a very regimented one. We had to follow a strict schedule. We only ate breakfast and lunch, and that felt good. We were not allowed to use our mobile phones when in the monastery.

“It was a great experience as a person, and I really believe it is going to beneficial for my golf. We had to do a lot of meditation, and it has helped me concentrate better. It was all about living in the present, and those are just some of the things that you need to do when playing golf.”

The St Andrews Bay Championship starts on Thursday.

The post Sadom Kaewkanjana on his love of links ahead of Asian Tour’s International Series St Andrews Bay Championship in Scotland appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Sadom Kaewkanjana always exudes calmness and composure but at this week’s Indonesia Open that will be even more apparent as, just last month, the Thai star concluded his two-week monkhood.

With the main aim of giving his family considerable credit, he was ordained a monk for a short period of time, something Thai men, after they turn 20, often chose to do, entering a monastery to study dharma — the teachings of Buddha.

“I was ordained because I wanted to return the greatest merit and repay my parents,” said Sadom, who tees off in Indonesia’s National Open on Thursday at Pondok Indah Golf Course. “During this time of ordination, it was of great value and experience, even though the ordination was a short period of time.”

As was well documented, in 2017, his compatriot Jazz Janewattananond went through the same process and a month later he won his first event on the Asian Tour — the Bangladesh Open.

Said Jazz at the time: “They [the monks] just make you see things in a different perspective. Golf is not the biggest thing in your life.”

And, back in 2014, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, the Asian Tour No. 1 at the time, also swapped his golfing attire for a robe to be ordained a monk for a week.

Sadom Kaewkanjana ?? shows how to play the 411-yard par-four second hole at @golfpondokindah. ?‍#MandiriInOpen2023 #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/E7qs5ao9WL

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) August 2, 2023

Sadom will be hoping the special spiritual experience has a positive effect on the golf course. He is currently in sixth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM), following a strong start to the year, which saw him place fourth in the season-opening Saudi International, and then joint second in the International Series Oman, the following week.

However, he has missed the cut in his last three events and will be looking to bounce back this week in an event that marks the start of the second half of the season.

He said: “I was cut off from the rest of the world when I was ordained, that made me feel more calm. I was able to concentrate more, which will help me improve my game of golf.”

His time in the temple required him to shave his head and eyebrows, wake up at 4.30am, meditate, and clean the temple grounds, eating just one meal a day.

The 25-year-old is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour; the first coming in the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in 2019, before he recorded a famous win in one of Asia’s most prestigious events, the Singapore Open in 2022.

The second victory was expected to open the floodgates to more success but while he has regularly been in contention since then, and finished third on last year’s OOM, a third win has been elusive so far.

That could change this week, though, with the supremely talented golfer, boasting a textbook swing, seeing the world and his ambitions in the game in a different light.

The post Sadom Kaewkanjana returns to action on Asian tour after time out as a Buddhist monk appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There are many critical skills that are required as a professional golfer, but nothing matters more than being cool, calm and collected. While the world’s best golfers in make their way to England for the Open Championship, one pro decided to make a different trip … a spiritual journey of meditation and enlightenment that might just provide some mental assistance to his golf game.

Sadom Kaewkanjana took advantage of the Asian Tour’s mid-season break, as the Thai pro decided to go on a spiritual retreat, living as a Buddhist monk. Just one year ago, Kaewkanjana had a strong showing at St. Andrews, finishing T-11 thanks to a blistering final-round 65. This is a decidedly different way to spend the summer, but it looks equally meaningful.

A spiritual retreat for Sadom Kaewkanjana before the season resumes next month ???

Like most young Thai men, Sadom is spending time living as a Buddhist monk and learning how to meditate. ?‍

?: Sadom pic.twitter.com/4rJQT7Wtes

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) July 12, 2023

The World No. 117 is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and even held off Tom Kim at last year’s Singapore Open, which is how he wound up with a spot at the 150th Open. The 25-year-old even tee’d off in the last two PGA Championships. With all this meditation and introspection, he’s certainly someone to watch out for in future majors.

The post Sadom Kaewkanjana puts down clubs to spend time as Buddhist monk appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Canadian, who first shot to prominence last year when he finished joint-second in the Shinhan Donghae Open, carded six birdies and was bogey free — in the second event of the season on the Asian Tour, and first International Series tournament.

Spanish star Sergio Garcia looked set to join him in first place but made bogey on his last hole to finish with a 67, along with Sadom Kaewkanjana from Thailand.

American Andy Ogletree returned a 68, despite battling illness.

Japan’s Takumi Kanaya, Korean Kyongjun Moon, and Americans Berry Henson and Trevor Simsby shot 69s, while Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe, last year’s International Series Order of Merit winner, was one of 12 players who returned 70.

Shin breezed through the opening nine holes with birdies on four, five, six and eight, before further gains on 10 and 17.

“I really can’t complain, especially with the conditions out here,” said Shin.

“I got lucky being out first as the conditions were pretty good on the front nine and I managed to come away four-under for those nine holes but then the wind picked up in the afternoon and made it tricky, so really happy to come away without any dropped shots.

“I walked off at 18 and that was the first time I realised I was leading so I definitely can’t be unhappy with that. I think as the wind continues to pick up that score will be difficult to get near so yeah very happy with the start, now I just want to relax into the rest of the week.”

Shin, whose family emigrated to Canada when he was three years old, also won on the Korean PGA Tour last year at the Woosung Construction Open.

He added: “It is my first time in Oman, and also my first time in the Middle East so I am really excited. It is pretty cool, I’ve spent most of my time in the US, Korea and Canada so I’m so excited to be here. The course is in really great shape, it is tough out there, but I am really enjoying it and luckily I am playing pretty well.”

Garcia began his round on the 10th and was mid-leaderboard before a stunning run of five birdies in six holes starting on the second.

Said the Spaniard: “Obviously delighted. Mainly because my swing didn’t feel great, especially on the front nine, but then I got it going a bit on the back nine. Yeah, very happy with the score, especially with the wind picking up and how firm the greens are so very happy.”

The 43 year old, who recently returned to playing following a three-month break after a knee operation, is attempting to win for the seventh time on the Asian Tour.

“I hit some really good iron shots out there,” added the 2017 Masters champion.

“Like I said I didn’t feel like I was striking the ball too well, but I was managing to make a few saves on the front nine and then on the back nine I got going a bit and made five birdies in six holes or something like that which was a great feeling.”

Sadom’s presence on the leaderboard is no surprise, especially after a strong performance in last week’s PIF Saudi International, where he finished fourth, five behind the winner, Abraham Ancer from Mexico.

The in-form golfer, who remarkably has enjoyed eight top-10 finishes in his last 14 Asian Tour starts, switched putters recently and said he can do no wrong on the short grass.

“Over the break I started using an old putter of mine, it’s eight years old, and I’m holing so many putts,” said the 24 year old, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, including last year’s Singapore Open.

“I feel confident, playing on LIV last year with so many great players has helped my game so much.”

The post Shin leads Sergio Garcia and Sadom on day one in Oman appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
When Abraham Ancer signed for a seven-under 65 on the final day of the 150th Open Championship two weeks ago, you may think that he would be talking about his own exploits to the media. However, LIV Golf’s world No. 22 preferred to heap the praise his playing partner over the Old Course that Sunday.

The Mexican was paired with Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, who is one of the rising stars on the Asian Tour. Not to be outdone, Sadom also shot a 65 in the final round of the Open, bettered only by champion Cameron Smith’s 64.

Ahead of the third LIV Golf event at Bedminster this week, both Ancer and Sadom are in fine fettle, finishing tied 11th at 11-under in St Andrews. The 24-year-old’s feat was the highest-placed finish by a Thai golfer in the oldest major, edging out Thongchai Jaidee’s T13 in 2009. Sadom will now look to keep up his good form in New Jersey this weekend as part of Kevin Na’s Iron Heads team alongside compatriot Phachara Khongwatmai and Zimbabwe star Scott Vincent.

Abraham Ancer. Asian Tour

Following their exploits in St Andrews, Ancer told AsianTour.com: “It always helps when you are playing in the same group with someone who is playing good golf. It somehow makes you play better. Today, Sadom played exceptionally well.

“I was very impressed with what I saw. I have never played with him before, but from what I saw today… he’s definitely an extremely talented player. He’s very good at this game and I think we are going to see a lot of him in the future. His putting definitely stood out. He just rolled the ball beautifully. The putts that didn’t go in, they all had a really good chance to go in.

“It was also that he was not overawed by the occasion. I think it must have been the most important round of his career so far, in a Major on a Sunday, and he was very calm and composed.”

Ancer is also delighted that young stars such as Sadom get to display their talents to a worldwide audience on the LIV Golf stage. “I feel like when we bring in talent from all over the world and showcase it in big events, I think it’s great for golf,” he added.

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Major champions and Ryder Cup stars abound in the star-studded field for this week’s 4th Saudi International but watch for a pair of preciously talented teens at the Asian Tour’s $5 million season-opener.

By Kent Gray
The same weekend Hideki Matsuyama was enriching his reputation as the Emperor of Asian golf with a walk-off, extra-time eagle to win the Sony Open in Hawaii, the coronation of the continent’s next gen was quietly taking place in Singapore.

The rise and rise of Joohyung Kim continued apace at the Singapore International as the 19-year-old Korean captured his second Asian Tour title with a gritty playoff birdie. Solo third at tricky Tanah Merah Country Club, meanwhile, was Thai phenom Ratchanon Chantananuwat, a 14-year-old who humbly exudes the self-belief of a grizzled tour veteran.

Matsuyama, still only 29 himself, understandably hogged the headlines with his eighth PGA Tour title and a second since bringing great honour to Japan by winning the 2021 Masters. In a similar vein, the rock star PGA and DP World Tour players headed to King Abdullah Economic City will undoubtedly draw the majority of attention as the 4th PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers plays out from Feb. 3-6.

But don’t be surprised to see the likes of Kim and Chantananuwat feature at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. The occasion – the Asian Tour’s $5 million 2022 season opener with a best in circuit history field including the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Olympic champion Xander Schauffele- could and probably should get the better of the teens.

Discount the lesser known Asian Tour players at your peril, though. Kim will arrive in the Kingdom as the freshly-minted Asian Tour No.1 after a pandemic disrupted season of dizzying consistency. In the eight events spanning the Hong Kong Open of January 2020 and SMBC Singapore Open of January 2022, the Seoul pro rattled off results of T18, 4th, 4th, T84 (for a sole missed cut), T2,  T7, 1st and T2.

In between times, Kim twice won on the Korean PGA Tour and become the youngest winner of his home circuit’s Order of Merit title with a swing so compact you could almost capture it in a bottle. Indeed, Kim is an iron striker of rare ability which perhaps over emphasises the only noticeable fallibility in his game in recent months – the odd putt missed from short range. When you hit it so close so often, the putter invariably can’t cooperate every time.

Kim has secured a start in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open in early March but will be focused on footing it with the superstars in Saudi first and maintaining his steady rise up the world rankings – to a career best 79 after the Singapore Open. He sprung to prominence by capturing the Panasonic Indian Open in 2019 in just this third Asian Tour start after winning a “battlefield” promotion to the main circuit following three Asian Development Tour wins. It made him the second youngest player to win on the Asian Tour at 17 years and 149 days; countryman Seungyul Noh bettered that by six days when he captured the 2008 Midea China Classic.

“It’s all happening really fast, you know,” said Kim after his Singapore Int. triumph.

“Winning the Korean Order of Merit [was] definitely a goal of mine last year and [I’m] very fortunate to achieve it. Obviously very fortunate [now] to have that second win. It’s been a while since I won on the Asian Tour with COVID and stuff so very pleased and hopefully we can get a lot more…”

If the Asian Tour is proud of Kim’s ascension, it is positively giddy with anticipation about Chantananuwat’s emergence. And why not. 

Chantananuwat,
just 14, has made four successive Asian Tour cuts.

Nicknamed ‘TK’ (the initials of his parents including father and caddie Tara), Chantananuwat gave hint of his ability by finishing T15 and T30 in the Asian Tour’s Phuket double-header at Blue Canyon and Laguna Phuket before Christmas. He played the weekend at Blue Canyon 11 under par after becoming the third youngest player to make the cut (on the number) in an Asian Tour event. As impressive as that was in home conditions, it was another matter altogether teeing it up in his first professional event on foreign soil at the Singapore International early last month. Unfazed despite again suffering from heat stroke in the early rounds, Chantananuwat held the lead at the turn in both the third and final rounds and joined only Kim and runner-up Rattanon Wannasrichan in red figures after a devilishly tough week around the windswept Tampines layout at Tanah Merah.

Had he not played the back nine on Saturday in a frustrating 41 strokes, history could easily record the Thai teen as the youngest ever winner of a OWGR event and even a main tour event, records respectively set by Dubai’s own Josh Hill (15 years, 6 months, 27 days) in the MENA Tour’s Al Ain Open in 2019, and by Atthaya Thitkul who won the LETs 2017 Thailand Open at 14 years, 4 months and 19 days.

A week later Chantananuwat was at it again, sensationally outscoring playing partner and tournament drawcard Paul Casey 68 to 76 on a challenging Thursday on the Serapong course at Sentosa. The 270 yard three-wood he shaped into the water-hugged par-5 7th in that opening round, before coolly draining a downhill right to left putt for eagle from 12-foot, was a thing of beauty.

“I’m looking forward to trying to catch him over the weekend,” said Casey, pointing towards Chantananuwat after the teen had made his fourth successive cut with rounds of 68-74 to be two shots to the good of the 15-time DP World Tour winner and five-time Ryder Cupper through 36 holes.

“I’m just going to say he’s way ahead of me when I was 14. He’s got a great future.”

Most amateurs are happy to tee it up in professional events let alone survive the weekend. But Chantananuwat is different, a by-product of an upbringing that has included golf since the age of 3½.

After the genuine disappointment of letting an unlikely victory slip at Tanah Merah, he set his sights on winning at Sentosa and, as a minimum, on claiming one of the four 150th Open Championship spots on offer at the season finale (Kim achieved that with his joint runner-up finish, amends for being unable to play last year’s Open at Royal St. George’s via the same qualifying route due to COVID-19 travel restrictions). At 14, it’s not about experience gathering for Chantananuwat. It’s already about winning and on initial inspection, he seems to have the game to match the ambition. Goodness knows what he will achieve when he physically matures.  

“When I’m in the zone, I think — all I see is my ball and the hole and what’s in between. I just go on feel,” Chantananuwat said. “Sometimes my swing could look one way and I still hit it, like, really good because sometimes I [can] compensate.”

The challenge now for everyone responsible for Chantananuwat’s development is to ensure burnout is avoided. Returning to lessons at Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok will ice the increasingly high expectations somewhat but it’s clear he’s on a carefully choreographed career path.

“I’m only at this stage, really fast at 14, because my Dad has had really high expectations and whenever I accomplish something he just moves on to the next thing. He has goals that other kids or parents don’t even think of,” Chantananuwat said.

“The only thing he believes in is hitting balls,” the teen continued with a wry smile. “Golf, the more you practice, the better you get and the luckier you get. The harder you practice, you get rewarded. Maybe it’s not just 10 good shots in a row but it’s a kick off the fringe, like really close to the hole. That’s what hard work gets you.”

Chantananuwat was unable to secure his ticket to St Andrews, eventually settling for a share of 34th place at Sentosa, 14 strokes behind eventual winner Sadom Kaewkanjana who is another Thai on a tear. But the way he negotiated the final four events of the 2020-21-22 season, don’t be surprised if the kid becomes a familiar name on major championship leaderboards in the not too distant future.

Before then, count on Chantananuwat repaying the special invitee favour at the beginning of a new era for the Asian Tour with another confident display in Saudi, notwithstanding the reputations of the superstars surrounding him on the range. Belief breeds confidence and in his case, confidence can seemingly trump inexperience.  

After all the glitz and glamour of the Asian Tour’s new “flagship” Saudi International, and perhaps after a bit of catch-up school work, Chantananuwat shapes as a future standard bearer for circuit emboldened by a well-documented $200 million Saudi investment. Will he or Kim become the next Matsuyama? It’s far too early to call. But the future with players the ilk of the Korean and Thai teens looks bright.

The PGA and DP World Tour stars will come and go but at least the Asian production line is whirring back into life after a 20-month pandemic enforced shutdown. It’s clear Kim and Chantananuwat are already up and running, forcing all those ancient 20 and 30-somethings on tour to lift their games. And that, for all the naysayers, is growing the game in a region determined to become a giant finally awoken.

The post Why a pair of Asian Tour teens deserve your attention at this week’s Saudi International appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Sadom Kaewkanjana clearly missed the memo about golf being a difficult game. Perhaps it’s no surprise given he was purposely left off the mail bemoaning the curse of slow play too.

The ever-smiling Thai capped a ridiculously brilliant 10-month run by cantering to victory, almost literally, in the Asian Tour’s season-ending SMBC Singapore Open on Sunday.

A closing 69 at Sentosa Golf Club saw Kaewkanjana finish -13, three strokes clear of Japan’s Yuto Katsuragawa and Joohyung Kim, the 19-year-old Korean who won last week’s Singapore International and wrapped up the Asian Tour Order of Merit title with another standout Sunday.

The final day of the Asian Tour’s elongated 2020-21 season, which paradoxically featured the SMBC Singapore Open twice in its limited eight tournament schedule and finished on Jan. 23, 2002 after spanning a smidgeon over three years due to the pandemic, clearly belonged to Kaewkanjana though.

A $225,000 payday for his second Asian Tour triumph was only the start of the biggest day of a career on a sharp ascent. Kaewkanjana also snared the first of four spots on offer for the 150th Open Championship at the Home of Golf in July – a wondrous opportunity money simply can’t buy. Kim, Katsuragawa and Korean-American Sihwan Kim snared the other coveted starts at St. Andrews.

Open Championship bound (from L to R) Yuto Katsuragawa, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Sihwan Kim and Joohyung Kim.

It will be a well-earned first major championship start for Kaewkanjana (presuming he doesn’t qualify for the first three majors of 2022) who has incredibly won five of his last 10 starts, including three wins on the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) in little more than a month at the tail end of 2021. Indeed, his results since March last year are the stuff of golfing dreams: 2nd, 8th, Win, Win, 2nd, 2nd, Win, 2nd (and since the Asian Tour’s resumption) 2nd, 5th, 24th and Win. It has seen the 23-year-old rise 595 spots up the world rankings to a career-high position of 148th.

It seems Kaewkanjana has been in a hurry ever since he graduated to the Asian Tour via Q-School in 2019. He duly went on to win his very first start on the main tour at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in Bangladesh that April – a graduation record.

The best bit about all the success is Kaewkanjana’s pace of play. His silky putting stroke is noteworthy but not as much as his ability to draw a club, pick a target and pull the trigger in roughly the same amount of time most players spend studying the wind and calculating the distance to be negotiated.

It’s refreshingly brisk and inevitably accompanied with a smile. And why not. Golf is a simple game the way Kaewkanjana is playing it as those set to spectate the $5 million Saudi International, the Asian Tour’s new 2022-23 season opener from Feb-3-6, will likely discover.

Kaewkanjana went bogey-free over the final 38 holes at Sentosa Golf Club.

“I’m very excited and very happy to win this tournament,” Kaewkanjana said before revealing the well-hidden truth about trying to close out one of the most prestigious tournaments on the Asian Tour. He’d started the final round tied with Sihwan Kim on -11 and three clear of the other Kim, Joohyung. From there, Kaewkanjana barely put a speedy foot, much less a swing, wrong.

“On the final day it was not easy for me, a lot of pressure but I got it so happy.”

He could have fooled everyone watching on TV after playing the final 38-holes on Sentosa’s water hugged and sand-laden Serapong course bogey-free.

You make it look so easy, so uncomplicated. Seriously, Sadom, what’s the secret?

“I think just play happy and just enjoy the game, just live in the present and don’t worry about the results, just live shot by shot and small focus,” he said. “I have a lot of practice and a lot of hard work after COVID-19 so today’s result has made me happy.”

The putt that sealed the victory for Sadom Kaewkanjana.@SingOpenGolf #SingOpen #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/UUu2Dp6UVK

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) January 23, 2022

Another happy chappie is Joohyung Kim who finished the season Asian No.1 with $507,553.35 from eight starts – six of them resulting in top-10s. After becoming the youngest ever winner of the Korean PGA Tour OOM in 2021, the teen moved to a career-best world ranking of 79.

Just as exciting was confirmation of his Open ticket.  It marks the second time in succession that Kim has made it through to golf’s oldest Major via the SMBC Singapore Open as he finished fourth in 2020, the last time the prestigious event was played. 

“I had the opportunity to play in The Open last year but could not because of COVID, so it means so much to have a second chance,” Kim said. 

Kaewkanjana finished second, $128,581 adrift, with Aussie Wade Ormsby, who had led the OOM all season until Kim won the first leg of the Singapore Swing, finishing third after opting to tee it up in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship instead.

Congratulations to Joohyung Kim on lifting the 2020/21 Order of Merit crown! The 19-year-old topped the final Merit rankings following his joint second-place finish at the SMBC Singapore Open.???@SingOpenGolf @joohyungkim0621 #SingOpen #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/mZknigCY85

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) January 23, 2022

For all the highs on Sunday in Singapore there were stories of heartbreak too, led by Veer Ahlawat who had one of the four Open Championship starts in his grasp for much of the final round only to finish double bogey-bogey. The Indian eventually settled for a share of fifth, two shots out of the golden ticket zone.

Japan’s Naoki Sekito was also pipped by a tiny margin in the final OOM standings where the top-30 earned invites to King Abdullah Economic City for the Saudi International. Sekito was just $3,433 behind the lucky last qualifier for the Asian Tour’s new “flagship” event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai.

Paul Casey, opting for Singapore over Abu Dhabi for his Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic title-defence tune-up, had a topsy-turvy week, finishing T-16 at -3, 10-shots behind Kaewkanjana.

Here’s the final leaderboard for the 2022 SMBC Singapore Open

Full results: https://t.co/59si9yYSov@SingOpenGolf #SingOpen #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/g3lM5Y1wTn

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) January 23, 2022

The post Sadom sensational in Singapore as Kim captures Asian Tour Order of Merit title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Like most everyone else, at Golf Digest Middle East we’re genuinely excited to see Tiger Woods back on his feet, lighting up social media again – all it took was one swing – and even planting the seeds of a top-level comeback.

About the only thing that would make his annual Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas better would be if the Big Cat was playing himself this week. With that said, the revelations about the seriousness of his Feb. 23 car accident — “I’m lucky to be alive” and “Yeah, it [amputation of his injured leg] was on the table.” — means no one is getting ahead of themselves.

There are still a plethora of PGA Tour superstars teeing it up in New Providence – McIlroy, Koepka, Thomas, Morikawa, DeChambeau etc. etc. – so by all means, enjoy the limited field show and repeated sightings of Tiger.

But if you’re not quite ready for the start of golf’s made-for-TV silly season, there’s a strong argument – and Middle East motives – to switch attention 14,000-odd km away to the $1 million Laguna Phuket Championship.

With the worrying Omicron-enforced demise of the DP World Tour’s South African swing, the second leg of the Asian Tour Phuket Series is the only main tour in full-field action this week.

After its own pandemic enforced shutdown – 20 long and frustrating months – the Asian Tour returned to action with Chan Shih-chang’s victory at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship last week. But it’s what happened on Monday, namely the release of the 25-star players headed to February’s Saudi International – Johnson, DeChambeau, Schauffele, Mickelson, Watson etc. etc. – that has really upped the ante.

To catch you up, the Saudi International has become the Asian Tour’s $5 million, “flagship” season-opener and the 144-players in Phuket this week are all striving to make it to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Feb. To achieve that a top-30 finish in the final Asian Tour Order of Merit is required so with just three events of this severely disrupted season to play – at Laguna Golf Phuket from tomorrow and a Singapore double-header next month– there’s a lot on the line.

There’s also the prospect of a 2022 schedule not only bolstered by the Saudi International but also 10-new premier events made possible by a $200 million investment by the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Investments.

But that is for next season. Right now, the inaugural Laguna Phuket Championship has plenty of storylines to draw your attention. Here’s eight, with the prospect of more to emerge as the Middle East discovers more about the emboldened circuit on its geographical back doorstep:

Suttijet Kooratanapisan returns to his beloved Laguna Golf Phuket.

The Asian Tour’s original Mr. 59 returns

Suttijet Kooratanapisan is one of 58 Thais in the field but the only one who can claim to be the first Asian Tour player to shoot golf’s mythical number – 59 . The now 34-year-old achieved the feat on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) at the 2017 Singha Phuket Open, notably on the same layout to be used this week, Laguna Golf Phuket. Another Thai, Naras Luangphetcharaporn, is the only other player to shoot 59 in official Asian Tour competition ‒ at the circuit’s 2019 Q-School. There was also lift, clean and place rules in play then but hey, 59 is 59 no matter how you slice and dice it.
“I remember hole No. 7 was a par-5 last time, now it’s a par-4. I loved that because when I shot 59, I made eagle there,” said Kooratanapisan who has one ADT title to his name but is still searching for main tour breakthrough. “This week is a lot harder though as the rough is very long and the fairways are very narrow. It’s not the same as last time. My goal this week is just to play under par every day. Right now my putting is so good.”

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Have we mentioned the precociously talented Thai teen Ratchanon Chantananuwat?

Why yes, yes we have – here and here in the past week – and right here again. So what’s all the fuss about? For starters, the Bangkok schoolboy became the third-youngest player in Asian Tour history to make the cut at last week’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship. Then he stormed home with a Sunday 65 to finish his Asian Tour debut T-15. Not bad for a 14-year-old. It would be something else if he can make it back-to-back cuts but perhaps no surprise either given he finished second in the Singha Laguna Phuket Open – an All Thailand Golf Tour event – at Laguna Golf Phuket recently. Whatever happens, Chantananuwa looks set to play a big part in the Asian Tour’s suddenly bright future.

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Jordanian trailblazer Shergo Al Kurdi

Followers of MENA Tour will know how critical the regional development circuit has been in the rise and rise of Jordanian teen Shergo Al Kurdi, including an OWGR feat for Middle East and GCC golfers at the opening event of the 2020 MENA Tour season. What Middle East fans may not know is that Al Kurdi turned professional at last week’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship. Things didn’t quite go as planned, rounds of 76-74 seeing the 18-year-old miss the cut by seven strokes. But with his pro debut out of the way there will be added resolve this week. The three other MENA Tour regulars in the field be looking for better weeks as well; at +2, Englishman David Langley (76-70) was the best performed at Blue Canyon but still three strokes shy of making the weekend. Compatriot Curtis Knipes (75-73) finished +4, a shot worse than Scot Ryan Lumsden (70-77).

Teenager @SHERGOKURDI shares his thoughts ahead of the Laguna Phuket Championship and talks about his hopes to inspire others ?

The 18-year-old ?? became the first Jordanian to tee up on the Asian Tour last week.?@LagunaGolfHKT #LPC2021 #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/jKdJFlAi68

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) December 1, 2021

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Saudi stepping-stones

Faisal Al Salhab, H.R.H. Prince Khalid Saud Al Faisal, Advisor to the Chairman and CEO of Golf Saudi, Saud Al Sharif and Othman Almulla.

Saudi Arabia’s investment in the Asian Tour – separate deals incorporating the Saudi International and the 10 new premier events starting 2022 – will help fast-track the development of the Kingdom’s leading players. It won’t be smooth sailing as the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship highlighted with pro Othman Almulla (+4) the best performer. But the only way to learn how to cope at the highest level is to experience the highest level and amateurs Faisal Al Salhab (81-72), Saud Al Sharif  (78-85) and Abdulraham Al Mansour (81-85) will measure improvement by trying to improve on their respective +9, +19 and +22 aggregates. The Saudi trio join Ratchanon Chantananuwat among six amateurs in this week’s field.

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 Tight at the Top

OOM leader Wade Ormsby finished T-23 last week.

Wade Ormsby won the season-opening Hong Kong Open (way back in Jan. 2020) and led the Order of Merit when the Asian Tour shut-down after the Malaysian Open in March 2020. The Aussie still leads the moneylist (US$237,003 ) after a decent T-23 finish at Blue Canyon but it’s getting tight at the top. Blue Canyon champion Chan Shih-chang ($211,775) is up to second while the monster birdie putt Joohyung Kim binned on the 72nd hole Sunday earned the 19-year-old Korean a share of second place and bumped him up to third overall ($194,628).  Who will lead going into the Christmas break and January’s Singapore double-header? Don’t be surprised if it is Kim who won has kicked on from his Asian Tour breakthrough at the 2019 Panasonic Open in India to become the highest-ranked player this week at No. 130 in the OWGR.

Joohyung Kim.

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A little more Jazz

Jazz Janewattananond.

 If there was a genuine shock at last week’s season resumption it was that Jazz Janewattananond, a former MENA Tour winner and the reigning Asian Tour No.1,  missed the cut by four strokes. Count on the Thai getting his bid to become the first back-to-back OOM winner firmly back on track at Laguna. He enters the week in 7th on the moneylist with $113,000.

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Are you not entertained?

So you haven’t paid much attention to the Asian Tour until now and wonder what’s the standard like? Allow us to present Chan Shih-chang’s tee shot on the tricky par-3 14th at Blue Canyon during last Sunday’s final round as an example of the quality shot-making that marked the week.

Accuracy off the tee ?#BCPC2021 #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/DGtgD3aK2F

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) November 28, 2021

It was a pivotal laser beam, setting up the Chinese-Taipei 35-year-old for his third Asian Tour title after a five-year title drought on the circuit. So yes, the quality is world-class. Tune in any way you can. You might just be surprised.

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Speedy Sadom Kaewkanjana

Sadom Kaewkanjana.

It seems everything Sadom Kaewkanjana does he does so quickly. Like securing his Tour card at his first attempt via Q-school before becoming the fastest graduate to win on the Asian Tour (at the 2019 Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open)… in his very first Asian Tour start. A 72nd hole bogey scuppered his chances of a second title last week but the eventually second-placed Thai is in sublime form; he’s returned sub-par scores in his last 20 competitive rounds. And he does it all at an impressively giddy pace, as in one of the fastest pro golfers we’ve witnessed on any tour type-cadence. Pull a club, pick a target and pull the trigger. We love it. And Kaewkanjana’s chances this week.

The post Eight (sometimes Middle East) reasons why Phuket, not the Bahamas, deserves your golf attention this week appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Asian Tour waited 20 months to resume play post the COVID-19 outbreak. Chan Shih-chang’s patience was tested even longer.

By Kent Gray
When Chan Shih-chang won back-to-back Asian Tour events in Asia (keep reading for globe-trotting context) in mid-2016, it seemed Chinese-Taipei had unearthed a potential world-beater.

The victories at Thailand’s King’s Cup in June (then co-sanctioned by the European Tour) and two months later at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup (a tournament still co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour) propelled the pint-sized Taiwanese player to a career-high 164th in the OWGR by years end. In between those two heady weeks, Chan made the trek to the OMEGA European Masters in Switzerland for another duel Asian-European Tour stop at famed Crans Sur Sierre, the useful T-49 finish contributing to an eventual fourth-place finish on the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit with $542,820 in earnings.

Golf was easy and life was good. With five (of now six) Asian Development Tour wins, Chan had served his apprenticeship and was on his way at the elite level, the world his oyster. Until golf happened that was. You know, that sport where the only guarantee is absolutely no guarantees whatsoever.

Fast-forward 1890 days bouncing between various circuits with varying success and Chan became an Asian Tour winner once again on Sunday. A fittingly topsy-turvy closing 68 got the job done at the $1 million Blue Canyon Phuket Championship, securing victory by a stroke from exciting Korean 19-year-old Joohyung Kim and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana who might just be the fastest player in professional golf, a trait that should be celebrated nearly as much as Chan’s brilliant Sunday display.

That winning feeling ???#BCPC2021 #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/aIaM5yF3rd

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) November 28, 2021

The Asian Tour was paused the best part of 20 months by the pandemic and this absorbing Phuket comeback  – including a noteworthy T-15 finish for 14-year-old Thai amateur Ratchanon Chantananuwat – almost made the enforced wait worth it. For Chan, who recovered from two bogeys in his opening seven holes on the Canyon course Sunday to eventually post a winning score of 270 (-18), there was no almost about it. What’s an extra 20 months when you’ve been waiting, grinding and hoping for five years?

“It’s impossible, it’s amazing!” said Chan, 35, who banked US$180,000 for this third Asian Tour triumph to rocket 20 places up the 2020-21 Asian Tour OOM to second place behind Aussie Wade Ormsby.

“I am so happy to be back after the problems everyone has had with COVID. My front nine was not very good but an eagle on nine turned things around.”

That deftly drained eagle putt on the reachable par-5 saw Chan turn in 36 strokes – even par for Canyon’s outward nine – but still three shots adrift of playing partner Sihwan Kim, the lanky American who played a pivotal role in Sunday’s narrative before slipping to a share of fourth.

Sihwan Kim.

At least Chan’s backwards momentum had been reversed though, the eagle triggering a run of four successive birdies from the 13th. There was shot after impressive shot down the cliched stretch, the most impressive of them a laser beam to five-feet on the nerve-jangling 14th where water overpowers grass on the island green par-3, at least to the naked eye from an elevated tee pushed back to an extra intimidating 197 yards on Sunday.

Sadom Kaewkanjana.

Chan had a decent look for a fifth straight birdie on 17 as Sihwan Kim’s challenge ended with a bogey and Kaewkanjana, who contributed so much so quickly to the final threesome, hung tough with a gritty par save. It sent the final round drama to the 72nd hole where a pulled drive and resulting tree trouble saw Kaewkanjana send his approach long and left of the green. Chan, meanwhile, also tugged his tee shot left to avoid the water right, and was only able to advance his second shot to just shy of the green from a gnarly, ball-swallowing lie. From there (after Kim missed a decent birdie attempt that might have forced a playoff had Chan and Kim both bogeyed) Kaewkanjana slightly undercooked another knee-knocking par save following a delicate chip across and down the final green. The stage was set for Chan who had pitched to three feet and he didn’t disappoint, calmly nailing the putt to avoid any chance of overtime. The lottery of extra holes is not something you spend five years grinding for. The door was opened and Chan quickly slammed it shut, leaving all challengers behind him.

“I always enjoy coming to Thailand. I feel very relaxed playing here. Actually, I feel less pressure playing here than playing back home,” said Chan who warmed up for the season resumption by finishing second at the Yeangder TPC on home soil last week, an event normally part of the Asian Tour schedule but this year scuppered by COVID-19 restrictions.

Mission accomplished

Chan Shih-chang closes out his third Asian Tour victory at the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship ??#BCPC2021 #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/ax0Jpp2VB5

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) November 28, 2021

“It’s my second win since my baby boy arrived eight months ago. I guess its baby luck!”

Fatherhood has indeed been kind to Chan who has risen from 1366th to 428th in the latest world rankings and has taken his season earnings to $211, 775. That’s just a whisker more than $25,000 behind Ormsby (T-23 at Blue Canyon) as the field contemplate the 19km journey sou-west to this week’s $1 million Laguna Phuket Championship. It’s the second of four events the Asian Tour has been able to tack onto its 2020-21 schedule to deliver a meaningful season that, ironically, won’t climax until early January 2022 after the just confirmed $1 million Singapore International (Jan. 14-17 at Tanah Merah Country Club) and the $1.25 million SMBC Singapore Open (Jan. 20-23, Sentosa Golf Club).

The great news for Chan? A top-30 finish in the OOM is now guaranteed, meaning a start in February’s Saudi International, the Asian Tour’s new $5 million “flagship” and 2022 season opener, is assured. The world, though vastly different from five years ago, is at Chan’s feet once more.

The post The Asian Tour resumption proves a timely re-set for a Chinese-Taipei journeyman appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.