Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

While the vast majority of golf tournaments that require a play-off opt for a sudden-death solution, the Kolon Korea Open plumps for a mini tournament format with the combined score of each player over three additional holes being adopted. In this case it proved to be a cruel quirk of fate for Cho who would have been crowned champion on the second extra hole, the 17th, if sudden-death was being used to determine the outcome. Instead, Cho, on the back of pars at 16 and 17, arrived at the tee of the par-five 18th with a one-stroke advantage over Kim, who made bogey at 17. An errant drive from Cho forced him to punch his ball back into play, while Kim struck two mighty blows through the back of the green. With the momentum having switched, Cho’s third found the edge of the green from where he struck a poor chip to 25 feet and was unable to save par. That left the way clear for Kim who gleefully got up-and-down for the most important birdie of his career, that two-stroke final-hole swing in his favour proving decisive. Winning is a difficult task. I will move on. I’m now planning to go and play in Europe for the first time. I’m sure, I’ll learn a lot. -MINGYU CHO 75 The victory was Minkyu Kim’s (FAR LEFT) first Asian Tour success. A bogey on the final play-off hole by Mingyu Cho (ABOVE) handed the win to Minkyu Kim. Hyungjoon Lee (RIGHT) looked on course to triumph but made double bogey on 18. Cho could only shrug. “Winning is a difficult task. I will move on,” said Cho, who at least had the not inconsiderable consolation of securing one of the two spots on offer for The 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July. “I’m now planning to go and play in Europe for the first time. I’m sure, I’ll learn a lot.” Like Cho, Hyungjoon Lee and American Jarin Todd were left with regrets. Playing in the penultimate group, Lee looked set for victory when he headed to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead only for his hopes to fall apart with a double-bogey seven after going out-of-bounds. He had to content himself with a joint-third finish alongside Todd, one stroke shy of joining the play-off. Following the second round, Todd was asked about his prospects. He said: “I’d rather take The Open spot than the win this week, because it’s going to be at the Old Course at St Andrews and it’s on every golfer’s bucket list.” Although he missed out this time, Todd and his fellow Asian Tour members were simply pleased to have the Kolon Korea Open back on the calendar following a two-year hiatus due to Covid. K O L O N T H E 6 4 T H K O R E A O P E N G O L F C H A M P I O N S H I P WOO J EONG H I LL S COUNTRY C LUB | J UN E 2 3 -26 , 2022 | P R IZE MON E Y K RW 1 , 3 50,0 0 0,0 0 0 (AP P ROX . US$1 ,058 ,03 1)