Incheon, Korea, September 11: South Africa’s Justin Harding is looking to pick up the winning momentum again at the 34th Shinhan Donghae Open which tees off on Thursday.

The 32-year-old was in the form of his life earlier this year when he won two titles in his first two starts on the Asian Tour. Now, he wants to put the euphoria behind him and focus on playing well at the Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club.

Placed 13th on the current Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, Harding is aiming to break into the top-10 with an exceptional performance at the KR₩1,200,000,000 (approximately US$1,000,000) event.

Harding is in the running to qualify for the upcoming lucrative events in Malaysia and China where he needs to break into top-10 and top-four respectively on the Merit rankings before the cut-off date on October 7.

Ben Campbell of New Zealand.

Joining the South African in making their debuts at the Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club are New Zealand’s Ben Campbell and Australian Steven Jeffress.

Campbell has been very consistent this year as he has missed the cut only once in his last 10 starts on the Asian Tour. He finished tied-third in Fiji last month, putting him in good stead going into the 34th Shinhan Donghae Open.

Jeffress, who earned his Tour card by finishing tied-third at the Qualifying School this year, also enjoyed a fruitful outing in Fiji last month as he finished tied-11th. He has also enjoyed a successful run on the local circuit and is aiming to bring his good form to Korea.

The 34th Shinhan Donghae Open is the third Asian Tour tournament in Korea this year. The tournament is sponsored by the Shinhan Financial Group since 1989.

Did You Know?

• Justin Harding broke into top-100 on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) after his Royal Cup victory, which earned him a spot at this year’s PGA Championship.
• He is the highest-ranked Asian Tour player in the field this week.
• Harding is currently the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit leader.
• Ben Campbell earned his Asian Tour card for 2018 via Qualifying School where he finished commendably in tied-seventh.
• He was tied-second in Bangladesh earlier this year, his best finish on the Asian Tour so far.
• Campbell rose to a career-high world number 277 after his commendable showing in Fiji.
• Steven Jeffress was second on the 2014 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
• He turned professional in 1999. His career highlights include winning the Fiji International in 2014 and qualifying for The Open in 2012.

Players’ quotes:

Justin Harding (Rsa)

It was a great experience (playing at the PGA Championship) being involved in an event of that stature and playing my way into it over the recent months has been really rewarding. That run has finished, and now I’m looking to start on another one.

I’m going to be visiting a lot of places now that I’m on the Asian Tour. Before coming to Korea, I’ve only competed in this part of the world in 2008 in Japan. I’m enjoying it so far and I’m looking forward to the rest of this week.

I’m aiming to play three solid rounds of golf and see where that can lead to. I’ve got to make some money and move up the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings so that I can qualify for the some of the big events on the schedule. That’s the number one goal at the moment.

Ben Campbell (Nzl)

I haven’t played here at Bear’s Best before but I’ve heard amazing things about this golf course. I can’t wait to experience it first-hand.

I’ve only missed one cut on the Asian Tour the entire year. I had a few weeks off, so hopefully, my game won’t be too rusty. There will be a good run of events until the end of this year so hopefully, I can keep playing the way that I’ve been playing and keep the momentum going.

I’ve been hitting the ball really well and my short game is getting better. Saving pars a few more times and things like that helped keep me in contention.

A top-five will be nice. I just want to keep doing what I’ve been doing and improve my short game even more. The course conditions are different here in Asia compared that what I get at home, but the more I get out here, the more I’ll get used to them and the better I’ll get.

Steven Jeffress (Aus)

This is my first visit to Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club. I’ve never played on it but I have a mate who caddied for Inbee Park and knows the course quite well; he told me that the conditions here are great. I hit a few putts on the practice green and it was rolling well! If that’s an indication of how the course is going to be like, then I’m looking forward to playing on it.

Playing on the Asian Tour has been challenging. Like Bear’s Best Cheongna, I’ve played on a lot of golf courses for the first time. It’s definitely more ideal when you head to a place where you know where you are going and where things are. But in spite of that, I’m enjoying the experience so far.

I’ve had a good finish in Fiji. I’ve also been playing well at some pro-am tournaments back in Australia. I’ve done a couple of tweaks in my game and I’ve been doing well.

A win here will be great, but a top-10 here will also be a nice result. That will help keep my Asian Tour card for the next season.

Ends.