Remarkable as Kim’s 13-under total of 203 is around the tricky 7,361-yard Pinx Golf Club track, he was overshadowed by a blistering course record 63 from Hur In-hoi and a 66 by baby-faced 16-year-old amateur Kim Si-woo, who share second place with fellow Korean Joo Heung-choi.

Joint overnight leader Park Sang-hyun is one stroke further back after shooting a 70, while Indonesian Rory Hie – who also had a share of the lead at the start of the day – shot a level-par 72 to remain at eight-under in sole sixth place.

Kim Bi-o, a two-time winner on OneAsia after victories in the Nanshan China Masters last year and again last week at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in Seoul, is currently in second place on the Tour’s Order of Merit.

He took grip on the tournament at the par-five ninth when he put his second shot to within six feet and converted for the only eagle there on the day. Three more birdies came on the back nine, but a pair of bogeys gave the rest of the field a glimmer of hope before he drained another birdie putt on the brutal 18th hole to increase his cushion.

Last year, aged 20, Kim Bi-o was the youngest player to have his card on the US PGA Tour, but he already appears a veteran compared to Si-woo.

A two-time national team player, Kim Si-woo’s copper-bottomed short game couldn’t be faulted until a three-putt on the last blotted his scorecard.

“I was in that position once,” laughed Kim Bi-o, when asked what advice he would have for the youngster heading into the final round. Indeed, Kim Bi-o lost his PGA Tour card at the end of last year after a season he said he spent in awe of his surroundings and playing partners.

“He mustn’t get carried away,” said Kim Bi-o. “It is a great learning opportunity for him, but I am sure he will do very well.”

Kim Si-woo, clearly nervous in front of the Korean TV cameras after his round, nevertheless talked a brave game. “I want to be a professional one day, so it is better to learn sooner than later,” he said.

The round of the day belonged to Hur In-hoi, who bettered the course record 64 set last year by one stroke. He started his round with four birdies and an eagle in the first five holes to make the turn in 30, before a more modest 33 on the back nine.

Korean KJ Choi, with eight PGA Tour wins arguably the best player Asia has produced, is 10 shots off the pace after going three-under on Saturday. Kiwi Mark Brown is at six-under, while Scott Simon Yates and Ashley Hall, of Australia, are a shot further back.

The SK Telecom Open is the fourth stop on OneAsia’s 2012 schedule and boasts a purse of one billion Korean won (about US$900,000).

Officials announced today the launch of the US$300,000 event which will be played at the Hildesheim Country Club in Chungchung north province from June 21-24. It will be the 12th leg of the 2012 Asian Tour schedule and will be jointly sanctioned with the Korean Golf Tour.

Korean golf ball manufacturer Volvik is title sponsoring the tournament as an expansion to an earlier commitment to support professional golf at the highest level in Asia. This is also the first time a golf ball manufacturer has title sponsored a tournament on the Asian Tour.

Last month, Volvik signed a three-year agreement with the Asian Tour to back a new golf tournament in Southeast Asia from 2013 onwards.

Volvik Chairman Moon Kyung-ahn said: “Following our recent alliance with the Asian Tour, we are proud to unveil the Volvik Hildesheim Open J Golf Series with the joint co-operation of the Asian Tour and Korean Golf Tour.

“This new event promises to be an exciting addition onto the Asian Tour and Korean Golf Tour schedules and we will do everything possible to ensure a successful launch. Through this venture, Korean fans will have a great opportunity to watch the top stars from the Asian Tour competing against Korea’s leading golfers.

“It is also a pleasure to announce that our tournament will be held at the Hildesheim Country Club which is a two-hour drive from Seoul. It is a terrific venue which will provide a true championship test to the players.”

Last month, the Ballantine’s Championship, sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Korean Golf Tour, was staged in Korea while the second edition of the CJ Invitational hosted by K.J. Choi will be played in October.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said: “The Volvik Hildesheim Open J Golf Series is one of two new events on our calendar this season. We are looking forward to working closely with the Korean Golf Tour and believe our strong partnership will continue to benefit both the Korean players and our members.

“Over the past decade, we have enjoyed the privilege of seeing many Korean stars come through the Asian Tour ranks. Korean heroes such as KJ Choi, YE Yang, Bae Sang-moon and Noh Seung-yul all plied their trade on the Asian Tour and we hope the Volvik Hildesheim Open J Golf Series will provide yet another impetus for Korean golfers to reach for the stars.”

Kim Hak-seo, Vice President, of the Korean Golf Tour said: “The Volvik Hildesheim Open J Golf Series is a wonderful addition onto our schedule and our players will be eager to achieve success against the top players from the Asian Tour. We are looking forward to strengthening our partnership with the Asian Tour for the mutual benefit of both organisations.”

The legendary Choi has blazed a trail around the world since turning professional in 1994, winning 19 tournaments – including eight on the US PGA Tour. His greatest triumph was the Players Championship last year when he beat American David Toms in a play-off.

He has also won the SK Telecom Open title three times, although not since it became part of OneAsia in 2010 with a billion Korean won purse (about US$900,000).

Choi is a massive drawcard for the fourth event on OneAsia’s busy 2012 circuit, but he will be challenged every inch of the way by some of Asia’s best young talents, who are seeking to follow in his footsteps. “There are a lot of good young players emerging,” Choi said during the Pro-Am on Wednesday. “I know they all want to follow me and I think they have a great chance of success.”

Many of those prospects are emerging from South Korea, which is proving to be an assembly line for the next generation of the world’s top golfers in both the women’s and men’s game.

“There has been a great change of attitude which has helped the Korean players emerge,” Choi said. “Before, we used to be very self critical and negative. We were very hard (on ourselves) when we made mistakes and doubted we could perform well. These days the players are more positive and there is a much more positive approach to all the aspects of the game – and this is showing the rewards.”

Kim Bi-o epitomises that approach, and his emphatic five-shot victory in last week’s GS Caltex Maekyung Open means he will be one to watch again, although the conditions will be very different this time around.

Fellow Korean and OneAsia members Ryu Hyun-woo, Kang Kyung-nam and Park Sang-hyun – who finished second to fourth respectively last week – are also part of that ‘next generation’ and will be keen to prove their excellent showing was no fluke.

After last week’s hilly, tree-lined course with vicious sloping greens, the players face a flatter surface carved out of a volcanic plateau, but where the wind can quickly lay waste to a scorecard.

“It is a different ball game,” said New Zealander Gareth Paddison, who had a topsy-turvy tournament last week that included a 78 and a 66 – the joint best round of the tournament. “If the wind blows, it’s going to get very interesting. Most of the pros can handle themselves around the wind, but I think as a Kiwi I probably wouldn’t mind if it blows a bit harder than normal.”

Australian Jamie Arnold, the best of the non-Koreans last week who finished 12 shots off the pace in joint 12th place, also hopes for a bit of a breeze. “It’s a lovely track in great condition, but I think its best defence will be the wind and it would be nice to see a few people blown away,” he said.

The effect the weather can have on the Pinx Golf Club was shown last year when Kurt Barnes won the title after the tournament lost the final day because of heavy fog. The weather report is more favourable for this week.

OneAsia Order of Merit leader Nick Cullen makes a return to the circuit keen to make an impact on his Korean debut. “I can’t wait,” said the Australian, who won the season-opening Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open but missed the cut at the Volvo China Open. “I think my game is in good shape and I am really looking forward to the challenge.”

Kim was an emphatic five-stroke winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in Seoul at the weekend. And after watching that dominating performance there are few who would bet against him at Pinx Golf Club.

Yet despite that effort, the Korean media continue to ask the 21-year-old if he has what it takes to consistently get his game to the next level.

Last year Kim was the youngest player to have his card on the PGA Tour, but he lost it at the end of the season and is back playing in the relative anonymity of the Nationwide Tour where he currently lies 25th on the money list – with the top 25 graduating each year.

Kim spent four days last week answering questions from the Korean media on the difference between playing at home and playing away, and the difference between the various Tours. His answers were illuminating.

“Last year as the youngest player on the PGA it was definitely a learning experience,” Kim said. “Even though this year I’m still the youngest on the Nationwide Tour, I feel more comfortable and not as overwhelmed by everything. That enables me to focus on my game much more.”

But Kim said there was pressure regardless of what level you played at, and the key was dealing with it. “There is always pressure when you play on Tour – whether in the US or at home,” he said. “I would say that because I’m in front of more family and friends in Korea, I want to do my best.”

Kim had a huge gallery following him on Sunday, which at times proved to be a little distracting. “There is a difference between the fans here and in the United States,” he said. “Here they take pictures whenever they like. They use phones and take pictures even on your backswing. They wouldn’t do that in America, but there the fans can drink beer all around the course and so towards the end of the day they can also get a bit, well, you know …” he added with a grin.

Kim weekend win was his second on OneAsia following his triumph at the Nanshan China Masters last year when he prevailed in a four-way play-off, and he now has an affinity for the Tour despite his goal of returning to the top table.

“My number one priority is to get my US PGA Tour card and that means staying in the top 25 of the Nationwide Tour,” he said. “I also hope to play as many OneAsia tournaments as I can, so Maekyung and SK Telecom is a good start.”

Regardless of what happens this weekend, Kim knows he will have to hit the road again for the grind of the Tour, playing in unfamiliar towns and away from family. “Touring and travel and being away from home is never easy, but it’s worth it,” he said. “I am doing something that many people dream of – making a living playing a game I love,” he said.

And during down time? “I do what most Korean guys my age do – hang out with friends, listen to music, watch movies … and play golf.”

The PGA Merchandise circus in Orlando this year heard numerous key players making enthusiastic reference to the industry turning around in the United States. This same sense of positivism was seen at the Golf Industry Show in Las Vegas. Like a gambler plagued by a streak of bad luck, the organisers perked up and crowed that good times were in the offing.

Those who attended the Beijing Golf Show and saw the usual throngs of human traffic grabbing available brochures and pamphlets and many from the international golf trade have left the Chinese capital hoping that quick sales will follow.
We don’t want to be killjoys but we think that a reality check is in order.  Our take is that the golf industry as a whole is desperately looking for signs of a big turn-around and is ready to pounce at any indication of promise and hope.

We do agree that there may be cause for some excitement but what bothers us is whether this so-called bounce back from the doldrums is sustainable. How sustainable is this upward blip? Is the reported demand all part of pent-up release caused by depressed market conditions over the past few years? How is Asia going to figure in the anticipated re-bound as it is an important market for golf in general?

We thought that the time is right for a thorough examination of what really is happening in Asia and how the shaky economies of this massive continent can blow the dreams of the golf industry to smithereens.  Let’s begin with the one single market that has virtually everyone in the industry hedging their bets on and that market is China.

The threatening economic indicator in the land of the fiery dragon is the property sector which is now in an acute state of oversupply. Official figures reveal that there were about 2.5 billion square metres of property under development in China last year. Analysts reckon that the disposal of this amount of property would take at least 30 months. Morgan Stanley, the influential American bank projects that by the end of 2012, the property inventory in China will rise to 38 months of normal sales.

This is a worrying sign because it will most certainly result in the Chinese government forcing a fire sale to bring down the inventory to the 2009 level which was about 23 months. It will result in new housing starts being squeezed to less than one-sixth of last year’s level and this is going to result in a massive cash sacrifice of US$93 billion in investments. This will amount to about 1.5 per cent of the communist nation’s GDP.

One China watcher warned, “A seismic movement of this scale will have serious ripple effects – it is a serious property time bomb and it can go off at any time.”

The other Asian behemoth is India and its deficit account is not looking healthy. Its import of goods and services over exports is climbing to about 4 per cent of GDP and this is beginning to threaten another balance-of-payment crisis similar to that which crippled the nation in 1990-1991. If left unchecked, the Indian Central Bank will have to dive in and pledge its gold reserves to pay for imports. What is most worrying is that if there are no good options to turn things around by the Indian government, the nation can be faced with a collapse of foreign investor confidence which in turn will result in a huge flight of capital.

With a slowdown in India and China, there is bound to be a cutback in the need for commodities like iron ore and steel which both these countries devour to feed their industries. When this happens, it will deliver a huge blow to Australia – a nation that has been selling to both China and India at extortionist prices for over a decade.  Australia is starring at a “resource bust” caused by reduced user demand for its commodities.

South Korea is the next nation that is not looking too healthy. The election manifesto of President Lee Myung Bak four years ago to deliver a “747” package of goodies has fallen flat on its face. The “747”  package was designed to give  the Korean people involved a steady 7 per cent economic growth, US$40,000 per capita income and to transform South Korea into the world’s seventh largest economy. None of these promises have been fulfilled and what is most threatening is that household debt in this East Asian nation is now almost double the pre-Asian financial crisis.

We are not peddling a doomsday crisis scenario. All we are trying to do is to attempt to provide some sort of an insight into what really is happening on the Asian continent and how this can impact the golf industry if it unravels.

All we are saying is let’s be cognisant of what is “really” happening in Asia and not to overact to little blips of and over interpret these to be signs of hope and growth.

For those of us who are unfamiliar with the GCSAA, it may perhaps prove useful to gain a quick insight – the GCSAA was originally founded in 1926 when 60 superintendents met at the Sylvania Country Club in Toledo, Ohio to form the National Association of Greenkeepers of America (NAGA).

GCSAA is a golf organization that has its focus on golf course management with a primary focus to provide a voice for and give credence and proper recognition to the golf course superintendent.

Headquartered in Lawrence, Kansas, the GCSAA provides education, information and representation to 19,000 members in more than 72 countries. GCSAA’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. The association came into being because golf course superintendents saw a need to network and share their experiences on the maintenance and upkeep of golf courses.

We need something like the GCSAA in Asia. As it now stands there are some national associations in countries like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Asia needs something that is more representative of the profession, structured and properly funded. The profession needs a critical mass to be taken seriously by golf course developers, owners and operators alike.

The population of golf course superintendents in the region can be broken into two distinct groups:

• Expatriates (Americans, Europeans, Australians & New Zealanders)
• Asians

By and large, the expatriates are predominantly certified professionals from their countries of origin. It is believed that there are about some 200 of these professional engaged in the region.

The Asian superintendents are, generally speaking, mostly not certified. Their backgrounds range from trained agronomists, horticulturalists, botanists and long serving turf maintenance staff.

What is lacking for these superintendents is holistic, on-going education that is delivered in the region. What are prevalent in the region at the moment are sporadic seminars and workshops staged by equipment, turf, and fertiliser/pesticide suppliers. Invariably, these ad hoc sessions are very business-driven and depending on the suppliers involved, these events are only open to their customers.

If the profession is to elevate its standing in the industry and if superintendents are to be granted the due recognition they deserve, a plan needs to be put in place that will keep them constantly informed, exposed and educated on state-of-the-art applications.

This cannot be achieved through ad hoc workshops and seminars organised by disparate groups.Superintendents in the region, both Asian and expatriates, need a recognised body to ensure that their services are recognised, accredited and rewarded.

The organisation that needs to be set up will have to be a body that is independent, owned and managed by superintendents and committed to the cause of growing the profession in the region.

After all, these are perhaps the most important custodians of golf courses in the region!

Perhaps the time is right for the GCSAA to look at the establishment of an Asian arm?

Golf watchers are attributing this to foot-traffic at events like the PGA Golf Merchandise Show and this seems to be validated by the glowing accounts of success delivered by some equipment manufacturers. The operative word is “some” – is the reported recovery a wide-spread phenomenon or is it just affecting a few players? We tend to think that it is the latter – the “some” accounts for a few who seem to be registering growth at the expense of
others.

The crux of the matter, whatever way you look at it, has got to come down to “real” growth in the game. From everything we hear, the game is not growing – rounds are down, number of players is on the slide and there is still a general air of despondency prevalent amongst many golf course owners.

Unlike America, we in most parts of Asia, do not have sophisticated
barometers in place to measure the health of the game and to provide us with timely statistics. Most everyone is flying by the seat of their pants and holding on for dear life in the hope that Asia will be the savior of the game. We think this is one big pipe dream!

Japan, by far the most mature golf market is lethargic to say the least. South Korea seems to be following the Japanese trend of decline. China – who knows? There seems to be a halt to the once frenetic pace of golf course development in the middle kingdom as the industry awaits a definitive “white paper” decision from Beijing. Will it ever come? Your guess is as good as ours!

As we wait, China’s once booming property market is going frigid and this will definitely impact the future of golf course development because most projects are property driven.

While all this negativism sweeps China, the China Golf Association is reported to have put out a bold claim that by 2020, the nation will boast more than 2500 golf courses and a playing population of 30 million golfers.Hey, where is this growth going to come from given the tight land reforms that China has to contend with and the growing swell of peasant discontent?

These guys obviously have access to a poppy field hidden away somewhere!

Let’s leave all the spin-doctoring aside and look at what really needs to be done, especially in Asia. Forget all the grow-the-game initiatives that the powers that be keep making reference to. Get down to brass tacs – follow the example that equipment manufacturers are taking to change and introduce new technologies that make the game more fun to play. Throw out the growth-shackling rules that govern the game for club players and amateurs – keep the rules for the professionals. Speed up the game. Reduce
participation costs. Just make it bloody simple and FUN to play!

We think that golf can grow, but some drastic measures have to be put in place to make it more relevant to the NOW GENERATION. If this call is not heeded, then just be prepared to accept that golf is not going to grow. It will be around and eventually, we may have to label it as an ENDANGERED SPORT!

He did not deserve all the ‘C’mon, pull the trigger’ comments. He did not deserve the ‘Na Na, Na Na Na Na, goodbye’ chorus on the back nine.

Na was braced for the worst. His battle to initiate his golf swing was well documented. Everybody knew about it. “I was a target,” he said. “It didn’t surprise me.”

Na vowed to conquer this problem, although he made no prediction about how long it will take.

I say he will quickly overcome his swing demons. I was there in 2002 at Bethpage when Sergio Garcia was mercilessly booed by spectators at the US Open. Garcia’s dilemma was similar to that of Na – he waggled endlessly before beginning his backswing. Yet, a few months after his Bethpage flogging by fans, Garcia was the possessor of a new, speedy routine.

A gang of rude partisans will do that for you. Na doesn’t want to go through this ordeal again, and he will figure out how to patch this bump in his golf road.

But the vicious, insensitive nature of the taunting at The Players should not be allowed to fade from our consciousness without comment.

Winner Matt Kuchar addressed the situation after the championship was over. He praised Na’s efforts to play faster. Indeed, Na could be seen practically running to stay out of Kuchar’s way.

I wish Kuchar had said even more, perhaps scolding the fans and urging more compassion for Na’s stuck-at-address predicament. It was an ugly Sunday scene that eventually turned Na, the third round leader, into a pawn in the final round.

No athlete in no sport deserves such lampooning. It was a sad day for golf.
-JAMES ACHENBACH, GOLFWEEK

The 54-hole, stroke play competition will take place from May 23-25 on the Nicklaus-designed World Cup Course. It will boast its largest field yet with 120 players from China, Hong Kong, Chinese Tapei, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and the United States. They will compete in four divisions: Boys Under-18, Boys Under-15, Girls Under-18 and Girls Under-15.

The overall winner in both the Boys and Girls categories, along with the top three players in each division, will receive invitations to play in the Nicklaus Junior Championship on July 7-8 at Bear Lakes Country Club (Links Course) near Jack Nicklaus’ South Florida home in the United States.

The overall winner in both Boys and Girls categories will also gain automatic entry into the Mission Hills Golf Series Junior Tour Grand Final and Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills in 2013.

“We’re honoured to once again partner with Jack Nicklaus in the fifth year of this competition here at Mission Hills,” said Tenniel Chu, Vice Chairman, Mission Hills Group. “Jack’s passion for growing golf around the world, and particularly here in Asia, is admirable. Making golf both accessible and affordable to everyone, but particularly to juniors, is a sentiment we whole-heartedly share.”

Speaking ahead of the event, Nicklaus said: “This event continues to enjoy significant growth each year, and that is a testament to the commitment by Mission Hills and the Chu family to grow the game throughout China and Asia. I wish all the competitors the very best of luck and hope that this is just the beginning of a lifetime of success and enjoyment within the game.”

First staged in 2008, the Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Junior Championship offers R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points to participants. It is open to juniors of all nationalities under 18 years of age with maximum handicaps of 24 for girls and 18 for boys.

Created with the support of Nicklaus, the game’s greatest champion and one of the true icons in sports, the Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Junior Championship is designed to promote junior golf both in China and abroad. In line with Nicklaus’s commitment to junior golf development, it is Mission Hills’ aim to create opportunities for juniors to develop and compete against each other under tournament conditions.

Mission Hills’ other commitments to junior golf include its role as official home of the Faldo Series Asia, creation of the Mission Hills Golf Series Junior Tour, instruction programmes at its three golf academies specifically geared toward young players, and regular scheduling of clinics from greats of the game like Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Annika Sorenstam.

Australian Barnes followed up his victory at Pinx Golf Club here with a maiden triumph on the Japan Tour four months later, but he admits he is now struggling a bit with the putter and has returned home to fix the problem.

“It was a very difficult decision not to play in the SK Telecom Open as I enjoyed it so much last year, but on balance I needed to work further on my game before resuming playing,” Barnes said. “I love Korean food and the course was great too.”

The SK Telecom Open is the fourth stop on this year’s OneAsia schedule and follows Korean Kim Bi-o’s emphatic five-stroke victory in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in Seoul at the weekend.

Last year the one billion won (about US$900,000) event was shortened to three rounds because of fog on the final day, but a brilliant tournament-best 64 by Barnes in the second round showed him to be a worthy winner.

Barnes has played three events in Japan this year, but missed the cut in each. “It’s hard to pinpoint what separates a winning performance one week to a poor performance the following week,” he said. “But if I was to point to one thing it would be putting. You can putt well one week and touch the hole half a dozen times in a round but sink nothing, and the following week they can all drop. It’s a confidence thing which comes from hitting shots you envisage.”

That just isn’t happening at the moment. “I couldn’t quite get the speed of the greens in the three weeks in Japan ,” he said. “It is a long season in Japan with some big events coming up so I need to be on top of my game.”

Barnes said he returned home to spend time with his coach and to focus on putting as well as short approach shots. “Preparation is critical. My putting wasn’t where I need it to be. We have spent a lot of time on that.”

That said, there are some bright spots to match the garish trousers he is fond of wearing on the course. “My TaylorMade R11S driver is working beautifully,” he said.

Barnes has still set himself some lofty goals for the year, with the main aim of breaking into the world’s top 50. He is currently ranked 155. “You need to win several events, and I hope to build on the confidence of doing that last year,” he said

But to do that he must continue with the grind of the travel associated with being a professional golfer. “Travel used to be fun, but after a while it can become a chore,” he said. “I have just come to accept it as part of what we do and not worry about it,” he said.

“Yes, delays happen, flights are missed … but playing golf for a living is a privilege and the moment we start complaining about all the little things is when it might be time to try something else.”

Kuchar headed into the final round one shot off the lead, but played typically solid golf to hand in 70 and seal the biggest victory of his career. The American’s effort was typified by excellence around the greens as he registered his highest score of the week following returns of 68, 68 and 69.

His 72-hole total of 13-under 275 was two shots clear of a quartet of players who tied for second – Scotsman Martin Laird and Americans Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson and Ben Curtis. Donald was alone in sixth spot on 279.

Overnight leader Kevin Na could only manage a 76 that saw him fall to joint seventh on 280, while Korean Charlie Wi was the leading Asian in equal 25th on 285. Among those two strokes further back in a tie for 40th was Tiger Woods who closed with a 73.

But the day belonged to Kuchar. Even when he made mistakes, the 33-year-old made amends, epitomised on the 13th, when a nine-footer was holed for par following a brilliant first putt.

What followed was even better as, just after hearing the roar for Fowler moving to 11-under, Kuchar rolled in a 15-footer on 16 to move three shots ahead. Johnson showed similar resolve to par the 18th and tie Laird, who had earlier shone in striking 67, in the clubhouse. But their efforts – and those of Fowler and Curtis – proved in vain as Kuchar held his nerve.

Having bogeyed 17, he was made to wait for a second shot after Kevin Na hit his first right. That seemed to have little impact on Kuchar, however, as he delivered a par to seal the title and €1.32million to boot. “It is such an amazing feeling,” he said. “It is really magical and special.”

Laird, ahead after the first round following a 65, was six-under heading into today, and made his move with a hat-trick of birdies just after the turn. The Scot had already picked up shots at two, seven and nine, yet it was a magical run in the middle that left him level with Kuchar on 12-under.

He went on to bogey the 14th, but responded with a birdie two holes later courtesy of a fine two-putt. Laird narrowly avoided the water after a poor second shot on the last, eventually bogeying to finish 11-under.

A frustrating finish did not detract from an outstanding round that was only bettered by David Toms and Donald, who struck 65 and 66 respectively.

Donald’s was the more important as he gave himself the opportunity to overhaul Rory McIlroy as world number one by equalling the course record with a scintillating 30 on the back nine. The Englishman required a top-four finish to go past his 2010 Ryder Cup team-mate but ended up in sixth.

Donald started in solid fashion; a birdie and bogey ensured he remained three-under through the front nine. However, a charge was to come; the 34-year-old birdied six of the last nine holes, with his fine play being illustrated by an outstanding first shot on the tricky par-three 17th. “Suddenly the putts clicked and I got on a nice little run,” he said. “The wind direction was favourable and the greens were holding.”

Donald’s eventual disappointment means the battle with McIlroy and Lee Westwood, who carded a disappointing 77 today, will re-commence at the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club on Thursday week.

The 29-year-old delighted the home crowds as he overhauled overnight leader Carlos Del Moral and withstood the challenge of Andreas Harto to finish four shots clear on 22-under – a record low total for the event.

Del Moral started the day three shots ahead, but his challenge faltered with a triple-bogey seven at the ninth and ultimately signed for a 73 to finish tied fourth, while Harto reached the turn in six-under, but could not maintain the momentum. Three bogeys in four holes from the 12th proved costly, and he had to settle for third place, one shot behind Magnus A Carlsson, who finished on 18-under thanks to a 67.

Santos, a 2011 Challenge Tour graduate, produced a nerveless, flawless performance when it mattered most, however, sinking a monster putt on the 17th to all but guarantee victory and then adding gloss to the finish with another birdie at the last.

He is the first Portuguese player to win a European Tour event in his home country, and he said: “It is very emotional and I haven’t got the words to describe how I feel. To win my first European Tour event in my own country is very special. The putt on the 17th was unbelievable, and I knew then that victory was mine.

“It was a sensational round – definitely the best of my career. It was amazing to have the crowds here supporting me. It would be difficult to imagine a better win than this. I didn’t have many bad moments in the round, but the supporters were always there to pick me up and keep me going. This is a huge moment in my career.

“I just played very solidly all the way round. I kept hitting fairways and greens and trying to hole putts, and luckily my putting was incredible today.”

Santos was 105th in The Race to Dubai heading into this event, largely thanks to finishing tied 10th in the Avantha Masters in February, but rises to 50th with the €112,500 earned for this victory.

He added: “This will now mean I’ll definitely be playing Wentworth, because before this I was only sixth reserve, and I can’t wait for that. I will have to have another look at my schedule and maybe re-think where I am going to play.”

Harto was disappointed to have come up just short, but overall was happy with the way he played throughout the week. “The front nine was incredible today,” said the 23-year-old. “I holed some really, really long putts. Unfortunately I just couldn’t keep it going and I missed some short ones on the back nine.

“There was a point where I saw a leaderboard and saw I was in front, and it’s hard not to think about winning. I tried to put it out of my head and just concentrate on playing the next shot. But this is a great week for me. It’s like a Major on the Challenge Tour so it’s important to finish well, and I’ve done that with two great rounds at the weekend. There are many positives to take from this.”

The 24-year-old Dutchwoman dominated the tournament, having either led outright or held a share of the lead after each of the four rounds, ending with a winning score of seven-under-par 285, which matched the tournament record set by Lotta Wahlin in 2008.

Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom finished three strokes back in outright second on four-under, while Carlota Ciganda of Spain and Swede Carin Koch tied for third at two-under.

Boeljon started the final round with a two-stroke lead but dropped a shot at the first hole and was caught by Ciganda after the Spaniard made two birdies in the first three holes. However, Ciganda fell away and a run of three birdies in four holes gave Boeljon an outward nine of two-under and a three-stroke cushion over Wikstrom.

Her lead was cut to one stroke after she bogeyed the 10th and the Finn birdied the 11th but Boeljon had established a four-stroke lead after Wikstrom double-bogeyed the 15th hole. Boeljon still had a dream four-stroke lead coming down the par-four last, but having hit a great drive that split the fairway, she pulled her second shot from 100 metres from the pin into the water left of the green and had to take a drop.

Her first putt, which was uphill, raced around two metres past the hole, but she made the returning putt for a bogey five which was enough to seal her fourth Ladies European Tour (LET) win.

“It means a lot. To be able to defend is quite an honour and quite special so I’m very pleased to be here,” said Boeljon, whose first win on Tour came in a team event as a rookie in 2009. “I stayed calm and hit some really good shots in. I was able to go low, two-under at one point and I just kept that going. The back nine was a little so-so, but overall it was enough and I played strong throughout the four days.”

She denied feeling nervous, despite her final-hole error, saying: “I just hit a bad shot which was a shame, but it’s what happened. I knew I had a big lead so it didn’t really matter. I thought the first putt might move because it was just a bit on the slope and I hit it too hard but the last putt was good.”

The tight, tree-lined National Golf Club is one of the toughest courses on the LET schedule where strong course management is essential. Boeljon said: “You have to play well, hit good shots and if your confidence goes, the fairways just get smaller and smaller so you’ve got to keep that going. It’s tough because you need to put the ball in the right place and you need to putt well. Your short game needs to be good so it’s all around a good golf course.”

Another impressive performance came from Wikstrom, who closed with a 74. “There was a time when we started to get pretty close but then I had some trouble afterwards. I held in there so I’m pleased,” Wikstrom said. “I was a little bit nervous but I was trying to enjoy myself and smile the whole day and I managed to do that.”

Ciganda, who fired a course record seven-under 66 in the third round, started well and fought back from a run of five bogeys in the middle of her round with birdies at 12 and 14 to sign for a level-par 73. “I’m happy. I think third place is good and I wanted to finish under par because I started well with two birdies but then I had four bad holes. I had two birdies in the last seven holes so I’m happy with my tournament.”

Koch mixed two bogeys on the front nine with two birdies on the back and finished with a 73. She said: “I didn’t play well at the beginning of the week so I was just trying really to get my game together and get some confidence. I feel like I gained a lot of confidence and my short game and my putting were good all week so that really helps.”

English amateur Charley Hull, aged 16, finished fifth in her first LET event. She ended on one-under after steady rounds of 73, 72, 73 and 73 and said: “I’m really happy I came fifth on my own and I didn’t shoot over par at all, all week. I didn’t expect anything: I just go out there and play golf and have fun, which I did.” She will now head home to Northamptonshire to practise for next month’s Curtis Cup at Nairn Golf Club.

Fellow-Thai Thanyakon Khrongpha took outright second after shooting a 69 at Burapha Golf Club. In third place was Filipino Jay Bayron who carded a 70 to finish seven behind the winner in the tournament’s 10th anniversary.

Prom had a four-shot lead at the start of the day in the second event of the season on the ASEAN PGA Tour. The 27-year-old won at Burapha by nine shots last year and many expected another rout.

But Thanyakon, a two-time winner on the ASEAN PGA Tour, had other ideas and made four birdies in the first six holes. At the turn Prom led by two but any concerns he had were laid to rest when Thanyakon double-bogeyed the par-three 12th and then bogeyed 14.

“Thanyakon really came at me and I had a battle on my hands. He was really playing well like we all know he can. After the 12th though I felt much more relaxed,” said Prom, who earned a cheque for US$9,500.

Prom finished with a four-round aggregate of 14-under-par 274, not as good as last year’s winning total of 20-under-par that included a round of 62. He said: “I am really happy, of course, but I still have a lot of work to do on my game. Things are so much better but I still need to work on hitting my driver straight. I have a four-day break then I will go to Japan for US Open qualifying.”

His victory is the continuation of a good start to the season which included three top-10s, one of which was a play-off loss at the SAIL-SBI Open in India.

The popular Thai has been able to get back to form thanks to the help of psychologist Dr Pichit Namuangpo, who he has been working with for two years.

Prom was tipped for greatness after making his breakthrough in 2006 with victory in the SK Telecom Open but failed to fulfill his potential and suffered a period in the doldrums. His father Suthep was the first player from Thailand to win the Thailand Open in 1992.

Thanyakon showed his class by making birdie on the last two holes. He led the tournament at the half-way mark but the 21-year-old was ultimately overpowered by the more experienced Prom. The rising star won last year’s ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Championship and the 2010 Kariza Indonesia Championship.

For Bayron it was yet another missed chance to win his first ASEAN PGA title. Remarkably he has now finished second four times and third four times.

Thai Poom Saksansin, an amateur, returned a 72 and his compatriot Somsak Kaopratum a 73 to end tied for fourth.

After several close calls this season, including a runner-up finish last week, the Korean finally came good with a closing four-under-par 68 over the 6,384-yard Wajiro Course at Fukuoka Country Club.

That gave her a 54-hole total of nine-under 207 and a two-shot triumph over China’s Feng Shanshan with whom she had shared the second round lead.

For former US Women’s Open champion Park it was the fourth success of her Japan LPGA Tour career.

But Feng pushed her hard, covering the front nine in two-under 34 to head for home with a one-stroke advantage. Park drew level with a birdie at the long 11th and then moved ahead thanks to a two at the 143-yard 12th. Her lead was extended to two when Feng dropped a shot at 14 after which Park free-wheeled to the end.

Storming up the leaderboard into a share of third place were Korean Jeon Mi-jeong and Japan’s Mihoko Iseri. Remarkably, both players birdied the opening five holes. Jeon eventually carded a bogey-free 65 while Iseri’s 66 contained eight birdies against two bogeys.

Ahn Sun-ju, winner of last week’s World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup and bidding for a third successive Money List title, finished fifth on 212.