On Course!HOLE IN ONE

Fresh from the World City Championship, DB golfer Taichi Kho discusses his big win and his preparations for The Open in July

PHOTOS BY Beatrix Malan - www.atscollective.com & Richard Gordon - www.richardgordonphotography.com

n Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise advises his students “don’t think just do,” and that’s exactly the state of mind Taichi Kho aims for when he plays golf. This approach is clearly working for the 22-year-old, DB-born golfer, who has just made history on two counts. On winning the World City Championship in March, Taichi became the first Hong Kong player to win an Asian Tour and the first Hongkonger to qualify for The Open.

“Winning in Hong Kong means so much to me; the World City Championship was a dream week, everything lined up great,” Taichi opens. “For me to achieve that in front of my parents, family and friends made my dreams come true. When I play, I don’t see any faces; I just focus on my game but I did see how many people came out to watch. This was really inspiring for me and definitely helped.

“I didn’t expect to win,” Taichi adds, explaining that the crazy weather conditions only added to the adrenaline rush. “I knew we were playing on Sunday regardless of the weather so I was hoping that it would get as tough as it could get. I thrive on challenging conditions and, as a professional golfer, all I really want is the toughest challenge possible.”

Taichi celebrated his record-breaking Asian Tour win with relatives and is now bracing for his next challenge: The Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in July. Founded in 1860, The Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. How does Taichi feel about qualifying to compete? “I feel like everything stays the same for me,” he says calmly. “I try to get 1% better every day. I feel like if I do that for the rest of my career, I will have a solid career.”

Taichi caught up with Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson at the World City Championship, and he’s looking forward to meeting Rory Mcllroy and his role model Tiger Woods at The Open. “These are the people I grew up watching on TV, so getting the chance to talk to them is really special,” Taichi says. “Now that I’m playing new tournaments, these chances will come up more and more.”

Another thing Taichi can expect more of moving forward is media attention, and he seems well able to take this in his stride. “Being exposed to the media is part of the job, the more you play the more attention you get so this is something I’m willing to embrace,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity for me to have these kinds of experiences and it’s important that I don’t shy away from it. I think I do a pretty good job separating that aspect of my career from the actual golfing part of it.”

The “actual golfing” sees Taichi spending almost every day playing the sport he loves. “Training for me is day dependent, I plan out my day based on my calendar,” he explains. “Today, at Discovery Bay Golf

Club (DBGC), I want to touch on every aspect of my game which is quite a rare situation because usually I play 18 holes with a specific target.”

Living in DB, Taichi has easy access to DBGC, the place where his golfing journey began. “DBGC has played a big part in building me. I was always supported by the community here. The club has such a great environment for young people to practice,” he says, adding that his first memory of golf is playing nine holes on Ruby with his father.

“I played with my father a couple of days ago. I give him more shots than I used to,” Taichi adds with a laugh. “It’s always nice to play with him. Growing up, he told me how to hit the ball and now I’m telling him how to hit it. What goes around comes around. Golf is definitely a big part of our lives.”

For the past 12 years, Discovery Bay Golf Club has been making golf available to DB kids through its one-of-a-kind junior nurturing programme. Lessons for children aged six years and above are led by a team of golf professionals. After-school classes run Monday through Friday on the DBGC’s covered range, bunker and practice putting greens. Similarly, DBGC’s annual summer golf camp is open to kids aged six to 16, with beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons provided. Kids start out by learning golf etiquette, safety and swing techniques, and get to play short games.

While young players benefit from DBGC’s tailored coaching programme and world-class facilities (there are three, nine-hole golf courses, Diamond, Jade and Ruby), they also benefit from the club’s strong ties to the local golfing community. DBGC collaborates with various golf professional bodies to offer opportunities for the juniors to participate in local tournaments organised by the Hong Kong Golf Association. To find out more, visit www.dbgc.hk.

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