Asian Tour Yearbook: 2023

The trio were tied as they went to the final tee, but 2022 Open Championship winner Smith had to lay up with his second shot. Although he nearly holed his third, he had to settle for a four. Phachara, meanwhile, missed his birdie attempt from 25-feet and three-putted. Displaying nerves of steel Campbell. who also made birdie on 17, held firm to make it across the finishing line in first place in what was the penultimate leg of The International Series. Campbell said: “I went back to a few Ben Campbell [FAR LEFT AND LEFT] took the lead for the first time all week on the 72nd hole. Phachara Khongwatmai [ABOVE] led for much of the final round. close losses and wrote a few notes down in my yardage book last night, and used them on those last four or five holes. “It was getting a bit tight in the swing and from those past experiences I managed to put a couple of nice swings coming down the stretch which really helped.” Given his injury travails, victory was just reward for Campbell. “Even probably four months ago, I was battling with the body. I’ve had quite a few operations, and bulged discs in the back and things like that. I had to change the swing quite a bit, especially in the last two or three years,” said Campbell, the third New Zealander to win the Hong Kong Open after Walter Godfrey in 1972 and Frank Nobilo in 1997. Smith, a two-time winner on the LIV Golf League in 2023, struggled with his driver and long irons over the weekend and was disappointed not to win for the first time in Asia. “Pretty poor over the weekend, I guess. I found parts of the course I don’t want to see ever again. Definitely wasn’t the nicest golf to be played over last couple of days,” he said. Like Campbell, Andy Ogletree had cause to celebrate after being confirmed as the winner of The International Series Order of Merit, handing him a ‘golden ticket’ onto the multi-million-dollar LIV Golf League in 2024. “It’s been a lot of hard work this year and a lot of great golf has gone into this. I want to thank everyone that’s gotten me to this point. The Asian Tour for all that they’ve done and my team back home for allowing me to play the way I’ve played this year. I couldn’t be more excited, and I can’t wait to play LIV next year,” said the American, who finished joint 15th following a closing 69. Yubin Jang, the 21-year-old who turned professional after helping Korea win gold in the team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games a month earlier, blazed his way to final-round 63 to claim fifth place. Among those tied for eighth was Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, who won the keys to a BMW I5 eDrive40 MSE after holing his seven-iron tee shot at the par- three eighth in round two. Eight months on fromhis history-making victory in the World City Championship at Fanling, HKGC ambassador Taichi Kho shared 53rd place. 129 HONG KONG OPEN H ON G KON G GO L F C L U B | NOV EM B E R 9 - 1 2 , 2 0 2 3 | P R I Z E MON E Y U S $ 2 M I L L I ON