ASIAN ANGLE
Conquering the World in
Mexico City
AFP/Getty Images
Chuah Choo Chiang predicts who can be the next Asian winner at the first World Golf Championship tournament of 2018, the WGC-Mexico Championship in early March.
Current world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is the defending champion at the US$10 million showpiece 40
HK GOLFER
HKGOLFER.COM
HK GOLFER・FEB 2018
41
Aphibarnrat Kiradech, Asia’s No. 1 in 2013, is keen to lift his game a notch higher and improve on his WGC record
W
AFP/Getty Images
hen it comes to World Golf Championships events, Dustin Johnson probably provides the best description. “They are very important tournaments. They are big tournaments. They bring together the best players in the world,” said the 17-time PGA TOUR winner and current world No. 1. It is no wonder these factors have driven the long-hitting American superstar to five WGC titles, where he is second after Tiger Woods for most WGC career victories. Beating the best of the best has pushed him to excel and the mantra appears to be driving Asia’s band of new glory seekers on the WGC frontier. The region’s flagbearers will get a crack against the world’s elite when the first WGC tournament of 2018, the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, takes place at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City from March 1-4. Johnson is the defending champion at the US$10 million showpiece, which is supported by the Salinas family who is intented to help grow the game further in Mexico. While WGC tournaments have been held successfully for nearly two decades, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama has only burst through the gates recently as Asia’s most successful golfer following standout triumphs at the World Golf ChampionshipsHSBC Champions in 2016 and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last year. At 25, he has entrenched himself as being amongst a new wave of ultratalented golfers dominating the global golf scene alongside the power hitters such as Johnson, reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. Beyond Matsuyama, Asia is counting on the likes of China’s Li Haotong, 22, Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, 28, and 24-year-old Gavin Green of Malaysia to become world-beaters. Each has shown glimpses of greatness and the trio will 42
HK GOLFER・FEB 2018
Li Haotong will have his first WGC appearance outside of China in Mexico City
get their chance to underpin their credentials in Mexico, which is not lost on them. “I’m really excited about the WGC-Mexico Championship. It is always my ambition to play and compete against the best players in the world, so to get into the elite field is a special feeling,” said Li, who enjoyed an impressive third-place finish at The Open Championship last July. “As it is also my first WGC appearance outside of China, I am determined to make it a memorable week. Hopefully, I can contend for a win,” added Li, who is a product of the China Golf Association-HSBC Junior Golf programme and a graduate of the PGA TOUR Series-China. Green, who starred for the University of New Mexico during his amateur days, created a slice of golf history at the end of last year when he became the first Malaysian to win the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, which earned him a maiden start at the WGC-Mexico Championship. “The World Golf Championships are all big events… all the best in the world will be there,” said Green. His rise during the 2017 season paved the way for him to feature in the PGA TOUR’s events across Asia last fall, namely the CIMB Classic in Ma laysia, CJ C U P @ N I NE BRIDGES in South Korea and WGC-HSBC Champions in China. And the Malaysian said those events “opened” his eyes to top-level golf which he believes will make him a better golfer. “Playing in the WGC opened my eyes as well as playing in the CIMB and CJ too,” Green said. “I know what to expect, I know what to do. You’ll get all the good guys in the top events, so I just hope to use these events to better myself.” Kiradech, Asia’s No. 1 in 2013, is keen to lift his game a notch higher, which means improving on his WGC record and ultimately playing his way onto the PGA TOUR. In eleven starts, Kiradech’s best is a T18 at the 2016 WGCDell Technologies Match Play, and he hopes his appearance at the WGC-Mexico Championship will see a breakthrough. “It is fun to have the opportunity to play in big tournaments. Being the first World Golf Championships event of the year, I will be very motivated to produce a strong performance in Mexico, and hopefully, I can challenge for the title,” said Kiradech, who made a welcome return into the world’s top-50 following five top10 finishes at the end of last year. All eyes will surely be on Kiradech, Li and Green as they attempt to follow in Matsuyama’s footsteps and conquer the world in Mexico City. The golfing world awaits with bated breath. Chuah Choo Chiang is the Senior Director, Communications of PGA Tour and based in TPC Kuala Lumpur HKGOLFER.COM
HKGOLFER.COM
HK GOLFER・FEB 2018
43