Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

Bangladesh, India, Saudi Arabia and Singapore while there were two visits apiece to Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Japan and three to Korea. Leading the way, though, was Thailand with the Land of Smiles – a long-time favourite stop for the Asian Tour and its members – acting as venue for four tournaments. In total, the Asian Tour crowned 17 winners from eight countries in 2022 with the triumvirate of Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang, American Sihwan Kim and Thai Nitithorn Thippong having the distinction of posting two wins each. With his two early-season triumphs in Thailand, Kim laid the foundation for winning the Order of Merit. With earnings of US$627,458.33 he was one of four players to bank more than US$500,000, the others being Korean Bio Kim, Zimbabwean Scott Vincent and Nitithorn. In the International Series Order of Merit, Shiwan Kim had to settle for second place behind Vincent, whose reward is a ‘golden ticket’ to the LIV Golf League in 2023. Reflecting on the impact of the inaugural, seven-leg International Series, Asian Tour Commissioner Cho said: “It’s been a real game- changer, not just through access to LIV Golf but also because of the bigger purses on offer, and for the experiences that offer a pathway to growth and development for all the players. “It has created a genuinely exciting climax to the season, alongside the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, and this excitement will grow as the series evolves going forward.” While eight of the top-10 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit were tournament winners, wealth was spread around with the top-20 in the final standings all surpassing US$200,000 in winnings and the next 26 One player who didn’t earn a single cent in prize-money and another who placed 11th on the Merit list generated the most column inches. players on the list earning six-figure sums. But it was one player who didn’t earn a single cent in prize-money and another who placed 11th on the Merit list who generated the most column inches as a result of their remarkable daring deeds. On April 10, at the ripe old age of 15 years and 37 days, Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat sent shockwaves reverberating around the golfing world when he beat a high-quality field in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup, becoming the youngest male player to win on one of the game’s major Tours. Playing in the penultimate group at Siam Country Club’s Waterside Course, the Shrewsbury International School Bangkok student fired a closing seven-under-par 65. He was just the fifth amateur to win on the Asian Tour and the first since 2009. It was not an isolated display of brilliance from ‘TK’ who had not missed the cut in any of his previous six Asian Tour starts and finished third in January’s Singapore International. The player who placed second in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup was ‘Tom’ Joohyung Kim, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion. A grizzled veteran in comparison to ‘TK’, the 19-year-old Korean had the consolation of receiving the US$135,000 winners’ cheque and rising to 76th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). He also served notice about his ambition with his post-tournament observation that: “This week has given me a lot of confidence for the season ahead.” At the end of 2022, Kim had soared to 15th in the OWGR and become a household name on the back of an astonishing run of success that included a stellar display for the International Team in a losing President Cup cause and two triumphs on the PGA Tour, at the Wyndham 13 A S I A N T O U R 2 0 2 2 : B A C K I N T H E S W I N G Bio Kim (LEFT) finished second on the Merit list