Sentosa, Singapore, May 6: Finland’s Janne Kaske took a great leap on the Habitat for Humanity standings after marking his best result on the Asian Tour at The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Sunday.

Despite missing out on his breakthrough victory, Kaske took solace in his runner-up finish as it propelled him to seventh place on the Merit rankings and allowed him to virtually secure his playing rights for the 2020 season.

The 32-year-old Finnish held up admirably through 72 holes of regulation play to force extra time with Korea’s Taehee Lee on a nine-under-par 275 total.

The duo went head-to-head till the third play-off hole, held on the par-four 18th, where Kaske was eventually eliminated after a bad break left him with a difficult approach to the green while Lee prevailed with a birdie putt from six feet.

“We kept giving our chances away. I hit a good drive on the third play-off hole but landed in a sandy divot. I had a terrible lie and I couldn’t get in contact with the ball but Lee hit it nicely from the fairway to birdie the hole and win the tournament.

“It looked like I was going to win it pretty easily at some point. But then I started to make stupid mistakes and it looked like he was going to win it. I think we switched the lead about five times in the last hour,” said Kaske, who took home a prize purse of US$106,719.

After missing the mark in his second attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2015, Kaske decided to switch his focus to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) where he would claim two victories that year.

Kaske grinded it out on the region’s secondary circuit for three years before a solid season of eight top-10 finishes led him to finish in fifth place on the 2018 ADT Order of Merit and secure his Asian Tour card for the 2019 season.

With his foot firmly on the gas pedal, Kaske will make another attempt at a breakthrough victory at the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup, which gets underway at the Sobu Country Club in Japan this week.

“This result should help me keep my card for next year as well. Obviously, I would have loved to win but my goal for this year was to keep my card so I’ll take the second-place finish.

“It was good to give myself a chance but I don’t know what to say right now. I can’t analyse this anymore, it is still a good result for me and my best result on the Asian Tour so far,” added Kaske.

Young Thai talent Jazz Janewattananond was pleased to inch closer to Merit leader Scott Hend, as he took home US$31,701 thanks to his tied-19th finish at the Volvo China Open.

Australian Hend, who came in tied-65th in China, now leads by US$56,235 over Jazz with his current haul of US$527,531 on the money list.

“My goal this week was to get my momentum going before the PGA Championship because I haven’t been playing that well lately and I feel I can do better. I missed the cut in India by one shot so that was not fun. But I made the cut this week and I need momentum like that to be on form,” said Jazz, who will make his debut at the PGA Championship next week.

After capping a successful week with two events in China and Korea, the Asian Tour will head to Japan for the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup this week.

The event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), will see a talented field of 144 players vying for a prize purse of ¥150,000,000 (US$1,338,000) at the Sobu Country Club from May 9 to 12.

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Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings
Pos       Player   Order of Merit (US$)

1 Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94

2 Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $471,295.40

3 Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67

4 Zach MURRAY (AUS) $197,444.91

5 Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $158,720.00

6 David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

7 Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00

8 Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $91,980.10

9 Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $90,546.66

10 Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11

11 Berry HENSON (USA) $78,774.09

12 S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12

13 Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19

14 Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84

15 Paul PETERSON (USA) $67,402.25

16 Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $63,000.00

17 Jarin TODD (USA) $62,241.25

18 Gavin GREEN (MAL) $61,189.13

19 Ben CAMPBELL (NZL) $55,648.48

20 Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) $55,108.36

Seongnam, Korea, May 5: Korea’s Taehee Lee successfully retained the trophy on home soil after prevailing on the third extra hole to complete a wire-to-wire victory and claim his first Asian Tour title at The 38^th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Sunday.

Lee, who shared the overnight four-shot lead with Finland’s Janne Kaske, was locked in a tight battle with the Finnish throughout the day as they closed with matching even-par 71s to tie on nine-under-par 275 after the end of regulation play at the Namseoul Country Club.

It was a birdie from six feet on the 75^th hole that sealed the deal for Lee as Kaske was left to rue a bad break on the 18^th fairway after his drive found a divot and his second shot would end up 20 yards short of the green. Kaske eventually three-putted for a double-bogey.

Lee took home a winner’s prize purse of US$266,798, thanks to his victory in the KR₩1,200,000,000 (approx. US$1,067,000) event, which is celebrating its 38^th edition this week. It is his first Maekyung Open title and also his third professional victory on home soil.

The duo had made respective double-bogeys and bogeys on the first two holes of the play-off, held on the 433-yard par-four 18^th hole, before officials made a rare decision to change to a relatively easier pin position on the green.

Lee got off to a quick start with two birdies in his opening four holes while Kaske reeled in four straight pars. Kaske sank his first birdie of the day on fifth to move within one before turning the table around on the seventh after holing an amazing second shot from 120 yards out for an eagle-two.

It was a three-shot swing for Kaske as he took over the two-shot lead from Lee, who dropped a shot on the same hole. Kaske would go on to drop a shot on the ninth but recovered well with a birdie on 12 after knocking his second shot from the right rough to about two-feet.

However, another bogey on the 14^th saw him slip back into a share of lead again with Lee, who chipped in for birdie on the par-five hole. The duo went neck and neck coming down the stretch, both dropping shots on 16 and 17.

An errant drive from Kaske on the 72^nd hole saw his second shot from the fairway bunker land just short right of the green. His chip from the fringe came up about 18 feet short the hole on this extremely difficult green. However, Kaske held his nerves and made that clutch putt to ensure his place in the sudden play-off.

Korea’s Daehyun Kim returned with the day’s best score of a 65 to take third place on 276 while last year’s winner Sanghyun Park settled three shots back in fourth following a second consecutive 69 at the storied event.

Thai star Prom Meesawat battled to a 68 to take seventh place on 280 while compatriot Phachara Khongwatmai improved his tied-12^th finish last year by signing for a 73 to settle a further shot back in joint-eighth at the event, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association.

Did you know?

• Taehee Lee trained under Korean legend Sangho Choi, a two-time winner of the Maekyung Open, at the Namseoul Country Club from 2003 to 2010.
• Lee entered the week on the back of a tied-sixth place result on his domestic circuit. Also enjoyed a solid season in 2018, claiming one victory and four top-10 finishes on his domestic circuit.
• Lee won the Genesis Championship in 2018 for his second professional victory. That win earned him two starts on the PGA Tour – The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges last October and the Genesis Open in February earlier this year.
• The 34-year-old Lee claimed his first career victory in 2015. He came in tied-55th at the 2018 Maekyung Open. Lee ensured that the trophy is kept on home soil following his victory. No foreigner has won the event since 2005.
• Janne Kaske, who turned professional in 2011, won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2015. He is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Off the course, Kaske is an avid guitarist. He is also a graduate of the Augusta State University, where he played in the same team alongside Patrick Reed for a semester before graduating.
• Kaske would mark his best result on the Asian Tour with his runner-up finish at the 2019 Maekyung Open. His fine performance also propelled him to seventh place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, where he would have virtually sealed his card for the 2020 season.
• He notched a total of eight top-10 finishes on the ADT last year to finish in fifth place on the Order of Merit, thereby earning his playing rights on the Asian Tour for 2019.
• Kaske failed to make the mark in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2012. He returned for another shot in 2015, where he would top the class in the first stage but missed the grade in the final stage. Kaske, however, started plying his trade on the ADT that year and captured two titles.
• He continued to ply his trade on the ADT in 2016, 2017 and 2018 after missing consecutive attempts at the Qualifying School. A solid season on the ADT in 2018 finally earned him playing rights on the Asian Tour in 2019.
• Prom Meesawat is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He first won in Korea in 2006 before claiming his second victory in Chinese Taipei in 2014.
• He would mark his second top-10 result on the Asian Tour this season with his seventh-place finish in Korea.

Shenzhen, China, May 5: Finland’s Mikko Korhonen ensured his first play-off duel would end in victory when he drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Frenchman Benjamin Hebert and win the Volvo China Open on Sunday.

Together with Spain’s Jorge Campillo, the Finn began his final round at the Genzon Golf Club three shots back of Hebert in a share of second place with the Spaniard.

The trio were tussling for the lead for much of the day and were all tied at 19-under-par when they approached the 17^th tee.

Korhonen gained an advantage with his birdie after Campillo and Hebert both made par there.

Hebert, who started the day with a three-shot lead over his two playing partners, however forced the contest into extra-time when he converted his birdie chance on 18 for a final round three-under-par 69.

Campillo bowed out after signing for a 67, leaving Hebert and Korhonen to head back to the 18^th tee after they both finished regulation play with their four-day total of 20-under-par 268.

The Finn would then make no mistake with his birdie putt from 10 feet to win the Volvo China Open.

Li Haotong had a birdie-birdie finish to thank for lifting him to outright fourth place and also emerging as the best Chinese player at their National Open.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena were among the 10 players tied for 19^th place after they both signed off with matching 70s.

Did you know?

• Prior to his Volvo China Open victory, Mikko Korhonen made his breakthrough on the European Tour with his win at the inaugural Shot Clock Masters in his 146th attempt last year.
• With his win, Korhonen is the first player from Finland to win the Volvo China Open.
• Korhonen began playing the game aged 10 after his father had started a year earlier.
• Benjamin Hebert has six wins on the European Challenge Tour and was leading for the first time in his career after he established a 54-hole lead on Saturday.
• Like his near miss at the Volvo China Open, Hebert also missed out on his breakthrough on the European Tour when he lost in the final of the Belgian Knockout last year.
• Jorge Campillo made his breakthrough on the European Tour with his win in Morocco last week and has four top three finishes from his last five starts prior to this week’s Volvo China Open.

Ends.

Mikko Korhonen (Fin) Fourth round 66 (-6), Total 268 (-20)

It’s an amazing feeling. I don’t know how I did it. But it’s probably the putter that was my winning formula this week. I made lots of putts from outside 15-20 feet this week. I made a birdie on 17 and gave myself a chance to win it on 18 but I didn’t manage to do that. But I was happy to get into the play-off. It was my first time in a play-off and I had nothing to lose. I just had to make birdie. Winning a golf tournament is never easy. It was a battle all day as everyone was making putts and I had to stay patient and do the same.  It’s great to have this second win in the bag and I’m delighted.

Benjamin Hebert (Fra) Fourth round 69 (-3), Total 268 (-20)

It has been a good week. It has been a long travel from Morocco to China and now next to England. I’m happy, finishing second. I missed the wedding of one of cousin’s this week so it was very important for me to have a good week here. Looking at the way I played, I’m happy. Mikko played great today and he didn’t make any mistakes and putted well. I knew I had to make four-under to take the lead and win the tournament but I couldn’t and only managed a three-under. Mikko and Jorge had a great start and it was an interesting battle with them. I couldn’t really find my rhythm as compared to yesterday. I’m tired but happy. I’m still chasing my first win. I got close this week and I have to be more consistent and see what happens. 

Jorge Campillo (Esp) Fourth round 67 (-5), Total 269 (-19)

It was disappointing. I finished as a champion last week, but I didn’t this week. I had the tournament in my hands but missed a few shots in the middle of my round which cost me the tournament. Mikko played unbelievable golf today and it was just a shame I couldn’t join the play-off. Hopefully, I can hit it better with my driver the next time.

Li Haotong (Chn) Fourth round 66 (-6), Total 272 (-16)

I played quite solid this weekend but still made a couple of mistakes. But overall, I’m very happy to end the week with two birdies in a row. It’s very pleasing to come back home and play like this. I’ve been playing very solid again and it’s nice to know your game’s back. The game’s heading in the right direction here in China. It’s great to see Kuang Yang, who’s only 14 making the cut and it’s amazing to see these juniors making Chinese people proud. I look forward to coming back home to play again.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) Fourth round 70 (-2), Total 277 (-11)

It was a very successful week. My game is heading in the right direction but there’s still some work to be done. I left a lot of shots out there because I just have not been practicing enough. I haven’t been playing tournament golf for about a month. I’ve recently signed with a new sponsor and the putter and driver in the bag really helped. I’m pretty confident now. Give me a few more days and I should be back to where I should be. 

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) Fourth round 70 (-2), Total 277 (-11)

My goal this week was to get my momentum right for the PGA Championship because I haven’t been playing that well lately and I feel I can do better. I missed the cut in India by one shot and I missed the cut a couple of weeks ago in Japan by one shot too. So that was not fun. But I made the cut this week and I need momentum like that to be on form.

Taehee Lee (Kor) – Final round 71 (even-par), Total 275 (-9)

When I was on the course, I had strength, but when I finished, I felt really relieved.

Every hole was memorable. I think my birdie on the 14th hole was the turning point. I actually told my family not to come out today because of the dust and pollens out there but they still came to support. I am really happy.

I just focused on my game out there. I tried to think well. We just kept the game going. I am very happy to win such a big tournament. I am now going to aim for the KPGA Order of Merit title now.

After missing shots, I told myself that “This is Nam Seoul Country Club”. I was angry to miss shots out there but I managed to recover before going on to the next hole. I just wanted to make the putts.

My caddy helped me a lot out there. He’s like a brother to me and we practiced a lot together on this course. He is also a professional golfer but he didn’t qualify for this tournament. We told ourselves to stay focused out there.

Today is the most beautiful day of my life. It’s a moment that I will treasure forever. I am thinking of going to play on bigger Tours like the Asian and European Tours.

Janne Kaske (Fin) – Final round 71 (even-par), Total 275 (-9)

It looks like I was going to win it pretty easily at some point. But I started to make stupid mistakes and it looks like he was going to win it and then I was going to win. I think it switched about five times in the last hour.

I had a three-footer to win the tournament and he had like two putts from 10 feet to win. There’s just so much to talk about. We keep giving our chances away. We both could have won it. I hit a good drive on the third play-off hole but landed in a sandy divot.

It was a terrible lie and I couldn’t get a contact with it but Lee hit it nicely to birdie the hole and win the tournament. The eagle was definitely the turning point for me. I made a solid par putt from about 30 feet on the 18^th in regulation play to ensure I’m in the play-off.

It was like a surreal feeling, given the hole location today. It was good to give myself a chance but I don’t know what to say right now. We both had a chance. I can’t analyse this. It’s still a good result for me, my best result on the Asian Tour so far.

This should help me keep my card for next year as well. Obviously, I would love to win but my goal for this year was to keep my card so I’ll take the second-place finish. I am heading to Japan for the Diamond Cup next week.

Prom Meesawat (Tha) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 280 (-4)

I made a 40-footer for birdie on the third hole and that gave me a lot of confidence. I was just riding on the good momentum from there. I hit it close for the other birdies but it was difficult coming down the stretch, especially the last three holes.

I was prepared for it. I know this course and I know it was going to be tough coming back. I have been hitting the ball good all week actually. Just managed to make some putts today. I am really pleased with my result, it’s a second top-10 finish for me this season.

This should give me a little boost on the Order of Merit. I’m heading to Japan for the Diamond Cup so hoping to carrying on the good form. I have been playing well since winning the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event in Brunei last week.

Shenzhen, China, May 4: France’s Benjamin Hebert stunned the crowd with a sparkling eight-under-par 64 to snatch the third round lead, taking along a three-shot cushion into the final round of the Volvo China Open on Saturday.

Finland’s Mikko Korhonen and Spain’s Jorge Campillio took advantage of China’s Wu Ashun’s slip-up by posting rounds of 65 and 68 respectively to share second place with their three-day total of 14-under-par 202 at the Genzon Golf Club.

Wu was left to rue four costly bogeys which saw him lose his grip on his overnight lead as he slipped to fourth place, four shots back of Hebert with a 72.

Wu had produced a flawless front-nine to open up a three shot lead then but dropped four consecutive shots starting from the 12^th hole to relinquish his place atop the leaderboard.

Hebert started the day four shots behind Wu and was five back just after the turn but he stormed ahead by firing six birdies and an eagle on his back-nine to take over the lead.

Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena and Thailand’s Tirawat Kaewsiribandit meanwhile returned with matching 65s to give themselves an outside chance of winning in Shenzhen as they are eight shots back of Hebert, in a share of 14^th place together with seven other players.

Did you know?

• Benjamin Hebert has six wins on the European Challenge Tour and is leading for the first time in his career after establishing a 54-hole lead.
• Jorge Campillo made his breakthrough on the European Tour with his win in Morocco last week and has four top three finishes from his last five starts.
• Wu Ashun played predominately on the Asian Tour and in Japan since he turned professional in 2007 before he started playing regularly on the European Tour following his win at the Volvo China Open in 2015.
• With that victory, Wu became the first Chinese golfer to win a European Tour title on home soil.
• Wu has since followed up that victory with wins in Austria and The Netherlands which made him the first Chinese player to win three times on the European Tour.
• Miguel Tabuena hurt his back while playing in Malaysia in March and was only advised by his doctor to resume practicing only last week.
• Tabuena hit 10/14 fairways and 14/18 greens in regulation today.
• He is a two-time Asian Tour winner. He clinched his second Tour title at the Queen’s Cup hosted by Jaidee Foundation last year.
• Tabuena made his breakthrough on home soil in 2015 when he became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008 at just 21-year-old.
• Tirawat Kaewsiribandit made his breakthrough on the Asian Tour last year when he won the UMA CNS Open Golf Championship in Pakistan.
• He made a total of 28 putts today.
• It was a remarkable achievement for the Thai after being plagued by a lower back injury in the majority of the year.
• The Thai earned a Tour card in 2017 via Qualifying School and went on to finish 36th on the Order of Merit. He has also won once on the Asian Development Tour.

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