Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

I n a year when LIV Golf became the talk of the golfing world and some of the biggest names in the sport joined the new series, players from the Asian Tour managed to successfully steer the limelight away from these superstars every now and then and manage to hold their own. The Asian Tour players brought a unique flavour to the proceedings in LIV Golf’s inaugural schedule of seven tournaments, followed by the 2022 Team Championship in Miami. And probably nobody exemplified their never-say-die spirit better than Sihwan Kim at the LIV Golf Invitational – Boston. Having started his year with two remarkable wins on the Asian Tour – at the International Series Thailand in Hua Hin and the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge in Pattaya – the 34 year old endured a couple of horrible months as he struggled with his swing. It all came to a head in Boston, where the Seoul-born American was also making a comeback after a bout of COVID-19. Low energy levels and erratic driving led to a nightmarish opening-round 87. It would have knocked the wind out of most players, but Kim responded in spectacular fashion – making an eagle and seven birdies in a brilliant seven-under par 63 second round for a 24-shot turnaround! In the end, Kim ensured he’d be a regular feature on the 2023 LIV Golf League schedule as well. Needing to finish inside the top 24 in the Points List after Jeddah, which was the cut-off point to secure full playing rights, he finished right on the mark despite missing the tournament in Bedminster. His finest moment on LIV Golf, quite appropriately, came in Thailand, the site of his two wins months earlier. He needed a good finish in Bangkok to get anywhere close to the top 24, and a brilliant 15 under par effort at Stonehill saw him finish tied third – which catapulted him from 45th to exactly 24th in the Points List, a position he maintained with his tied 19th place in Jeddah. That finish, despite a double bogey on his third-last hole (the 17th) and a bogey on his last (the 1st) on Sunday, was important because it gave him two extremely crucial points. “I made it a little difficult for myself with that finish in Jeddah. But I am so proud of what I managed to accomplish at the end of my first LIV season. I managed to achieve my goal of staying in the top-24. I have loved being a part of LIV Golf and this gives me a chance to rub 131 Anirban Lahiri (LEFT) congratulates Dustin Johnson after their epic play-off in Boston. Asian Tour players LIV’n the dream Tour received unrivalled access to LIV Golf events in 2022 By Joy Chakravarty I have loved being a part of LIV Golf and this gives me a chance to rub shoulders with some of the finest golfers in the world throughout the year. -SIHWAN KIM