Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

He said: “One thing I’ve seen with these two 63s is I was not expecting anything. At Black Mountain I birdied 18 to just make the cut. Then I shot nine-under with zero expectations. “The three weeks since then I’ve not been playing much, I’ve been doing a lot of schoolwork. Out of the six or seven events I’ve played on the Asian Tour this is the one I’m least prepared for.” A 70 on day two gave him a share of the half- way lead while another 70 on day three meant he went into the final round in the penultimate group, one shot behind joint pace-setters Phachara Khongwatmai and Bio Kim. Although Bio and Phachara both bettered par in the final round, it was only 19-year-old Korean Joohyung Kim, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, who was able to match Ratchanon’s brilliance. Nonetheless, when Kim, playing two groups ahead, found water on 17 and made bogey and Ratchanon birdied 14 and 15 to open a three-shot lead, the contest appeared over. But the Korean then holed a 15-footer for eagle on the par-five 18th for a 64 and an 18-under total, reducing Ratchanon’s lead to just one. Undaunted, Ratchanon split the fairway with his drive, laid up safely, pitched on and made birdie from 12 feet, becoming the fifth amateur to win on the Asian Tour and the first since 2009. “I’m very excited, but I felt a lot of pressure,” said Ratchanon, who’d made the cut in each of his previous six Asian Tour appearances, including a third-place finish in January’s Singapore International when Kim triumphed. “I saw that Joohyung eagled 18. He pulls off that stuff all the time. It put pressure on me but I tried not to look at it too much,” said the Shrewsbury International School Bangkok student, indicating he’d resist the temptation to turn professional in the foreseeable future, preferring to pursue a college career. He said: “This has been my plan all along. I enjoy going to college and learning. I’ve talked to a lot of players, and they have all said go to college.” For his part, Kim had the consolation of receiving the US$135,000 winners’ cheque. “Let’s face it, TK deserves this. There’s no stopping him. But this week has given me a lot of confidence for the season ahead,” said Kim. No kidding. Within six months, Kim would have two PGA Tour titles to his name and a place in the top- 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Out of the six or seven events I’ve played on the Asian Tour, this is the one I’m least prepared for. RATCHANON ‘TK’ CHANTANANUWAT 51 Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat (FAR LEFT) became the youngest male player to win on one of the game’s major Tours. Joohyung Kim (ABOVE) finished second but took home the winners’ cheque. Chanoknan Angurasaranee (LEFT) was the leading female in joint sixth place. T R U S T G O L F A S I A N M I X E D C U P S IAM COUNTRY C LUB, WATER S I D E COU R S E | AP R I L 7-1 0 | P R IZE MON E Y US$750,0 0 0