Confident Hong aims for breezy win Down Under
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Korean Tour regular Hong Chang-kyu is bracing himself for an Australian comeback this week. He will be among a contingent of 18 Koreans teeing off Down Under at OneAsia's season-ending swing.
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Hong Chang-kyu [OneAsia] |
Adam Scott will defend his title at the Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney from December 2-5 while the following week Robert Allenby puts his trophy on the line at the Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola. The latter is hosted at the Hyatt Regency, Coolum.
Both events offer prize money of AU$1.5 million (approximately US$1.48 million) and are co-sanctioned by OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Hong currently ranks 9th on the Korean Tour and is optimistic for a good end-of-season finish. But having focused much of his year in his homeland, Hong's concerns are more to do with acclimatising to the Australian weather.
"I am feeling really good about my game at the moment," said Hong. "I know next week will be a challenge as Australia's conditions are warm and soft, as opposed to the dormant conditions I've been playing in Korea. The greens have been hard and the ball runs a lot. I'm sure this sudden change will affect my game but I'm confident I'll be able to find my feet."
Having made his Australian debut at the Australian Open last year, Hong was stunned by windy conditions at the New South Wales Golf Club.
Hong recalled, "It was such an incredible experience. I had never experienced anything like it before so I was literally blown away. We never get that kind of wind in Korea but it was something the Australians were used to.
"I will be watching their game very closely to see how I can adapt fast. I hear they hit the ball lower than the wind and that they chip around the green. We're definitely the underdogs when we're out there so any tips will help!"
The 29-year-old has had a slew of successful top 10 finishes since his 2009 win at the Lakehills Open and is searching for that breakthrough victory in Australia.
Hong has been an American citizen since he moved to the States 17 years ago to pursue an English education and career in golf. Known by his friends as "Charles", he is currently based in Seoul with his wife, Nicole, whom he married just a year ago. He keeps his game fun by hitting the fairways with his mother at least once a week.
"OneAsia is a good incentive for leading players in Asia to work harder and do better," he said. " I hope OneAsia will be able to grow to 20 tournaments next year!"
The Korean contingent in Australia boasts several winners on the Korean Tour, including this year's Shinhan Donghae Open winner John Huh, Tomato Savings Bank Open winner Kim Do-hoon (753) and winner of the J-Golf 53rd KPGA Championship, Son Joon-eob.
They are also joined by Asia's first-ever British Amateur champion, 20-year-old Korean Jin Jeong, who will travel north from Melbourne where he is currently based.
The Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola will be the final tournament on both the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia.
The tournament will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 260 million homes in more than 40 countries.
Full coverage of both events will be available domestically on Network Ten, as well as internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 & America One in the USA, ViaSat & Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.
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