The Asian Swing Odyssey

The PGA TOUR’s annual Asian odyssey served up a marvellous treat for golf fans across Malaysia, South Korea and China during a spectacular month in October, delivering edge-of-your-seat action for the most avid golf fans and those new to the game as well

Justin Thomas won the CJ Cup in South Korea

Running purely on adrenaline, the 2017 FedExCup champion and PGA TOUR player of the year, Thomas clawed his way into a playoff with Australian Marc Leishman with a closing birdie in regulation and then made a stress-free birdie on the second playoff hole to land his career seventh PGA TOUR victory.

“It’s an unbelievable honor to win the inaugural CJ CUP. It’s a great way to cap off the year. I’m really excited to do nothing for a while,” said Thomas.

The likeable Thomas picked a trophy which features the names of every player in the field in Korean language. As the tournament champion, his name was painted in gold. “The trophy is really cool. It’s very unique. I’m glad my name is in gold, so I know where it is,” he smiled.

The Asian swing concluded in Shanghai with world No. 1 Dustin Johnson bidding to become the first man to hold three World Golf Championships titles in the same calendar year.

Following three exquisite rounds of 68, 63 and 68, the long-hitting American opened up a commanding six-shot lead heading into the last round at the WGC-HSBC Champions. However, the powerful Johnson was uncharacteristically blown off course on a blustery Sunday, with a disappointing 77 ruining his hopes of making history.

England’s Justin Rose seized advantage of Johnson’s mishap, firing a glorious 67 which included five birdies on his back nine to triumph by two shots from Brooks Koepka, Henrik Stenson and Johnson. It matched the third-best comeback victory in PGA TOUR history as Rose had started the final round eight shots off the lead.

“The beginning of the day, I was playing for second,” conceded Rose, the Olympic Games gold medal winner in 2016.

“It’s the kind of day you certainly don't expect. It's the kind of day you hope for, dream for but a lot of things need to go your way in order for a day like today to happen coming from eight shots behind, especially going against a player like DJ. Whenever you beat the top players in the world, that gives a tournament victory so much more meaning, and obviously with a leaderboard like we had today with Dustin, Brooks, Stenson, I take a lot of pride in winning this tournament.”

Chuah Choo Chiang is Senior Director, Communications of the PGA TOUR and is based at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

Pages

Written by Chuah Choo Chiang

Photography by AFP

Click here to see the published article.

Understanding Comebacks
Rahil Gangjee is a name that may not resonate beyond the golfing fraternity but after his win at the Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Japan, he will be someone to remember for every occasion...
The Golf Scene in St Andrews
Golf in St Andrews is rather a minefield for the uninitiated and particularly concerning playing on the Old Course. I am just about to pay £220 to the Links Trust for my local residents ticket,...
As Real as It Gets
Sports offers the purest of all human emotions, and it’s real as it gets. It’s not fake and does not set out to deceive. I had the privilege of getting up close and personal with many...
Banished to the Castle
Ok I’ll admit it. I have two massive and rather lofty golfing ambitions. One is to become a member of The Royal and Ancient in St Andrews and the other to be sent as a journalist to Augusta to...
Final Shot with Brigadier Christopher Hammerbeck
When did you start playing golf? I started to play golf with a very old set of wooden shafted clubs inherited from my father’s cousin on the Tidworth Golf Course when I was serving with...
Kim's No Kid: Si Woo Kim Continues to Grow
Nostalgia litters the champions’ dining room at TPC Sawgrass, where framed portraits of Si Woo Kim adorn dark wood walls and mementoes of his highest achievement sit proudly atop mantelpieces...
Banking on the Rankings
Over the years golfers come and go, some even come back again for a second shot at stardom, whilst other disappear almost as mysteriously as they originally appeared, which is why greatness in...
The Longest Hole - The Finale
"I suffered for a couple of weeks with pretty bad back spasms and probably the stiffest neck I have ever had… But, there was never one second, we thought we wouldn't make it. Ron was a hero. He...
Joe Public Will Have No Say
With regards to the latter there will, as from 2020, be a single world handicap system based on the US model which averages all the rounds that you play including social ones. I think this is...
Pro Can't Have Their Cake and Eat It
Imagine an English Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United, the Old Trafford outfit winning a last-minute penalty in front of an outraged and uproarious Kop. Spot-kick-taker...

Pages