Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open: Patience Pays Off For Korean Lim


Tokyo (May 24): Displaying a steely nerve, Korean Lim Eun-a outlasted Yuko Mitsuka in a play-off to claim victory in the Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open. Two shots off the pace in joint second at the start of the day, Lim played patiently, carding a closing three-under-par 69 over the 6,421-yard layout in Aichi Prefecture. That gave her a 54-hole total of seven-under 209 at the Chukyo Golf Club's Ishino Course and left her level with overnight leader Mitsuka, who signed for a 71. But it was 25-year-old Lim, who is in her third season on the JLPGA Tour, who prevailed with a par at the third hole in extra time to collect her second title in Japan.

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Yantai Yangmadao Championship: Experience Wins The Day For Yang


Yantai (May 23): Yang Hongmei claimed her first China LPGA Tour victory today when the Chinese veteran beat compatriot Li Wei at the third hole of a play-off at the US$50,000 Yantai Yangmadao Championship in Shandong Province. After starting the day three shots off the lead, the 33-year-old Yang carded six consecutive pars to finish with a 78 for an aggregate 12-over 228 as the competition faltered around her in the windy but sunny conditions to set up the play-off. With both players registering par on the first two extra holes at Orient (Yantai) Sports and Country Club’s uphill 376-yard 18th hole, Yang’s second shot found the green on the third extra hole as Li’s attempt was short. The Haikou-based pro, a five-time victor on the old Orient Masters Tour, then sank a 15-foot putt for birdie and the US$7,500 winner’s purse.

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Harrington Gives Thumbs-Up To Tough Turnberry Test


Turnberry (May 21): In preparation for this year’s Open Championship, two-time winner Padraig Harrington teed-off at the Ailsa Course for the first time. Harrington was at Turnberry attending a media day organised by his club supplier Wilson Golf. Having played this year’s Open venue for the first time he was full of praise for the famous links. “It’s a super course. It’s lived up to expectations. I had obviously been told that it was a very fair golf course, an enjoyable course. There are not a huge amount of opportunities out there but a lot of steady holes, with difficult par-threes. The par-threes really stand out the most. You would want to play the par-threes well with the par-five seventh hole the only real birdie chance."

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Asia's Finest Fired Up For Warming Wentworth Performance


London (May 20): Indian Jeev Milkha Singh and Thai Thongchai Jaidee will spearhead the Asian challenge for glory at this week's European Tour flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The enduring ability of the €4.5 million tournament to attract a global Who’s Who of golf is emphasised once again with a world-class international field assembling to contest the event. In addition to Singh and Thongchai, other Asians in the starting line-up are China's Liang Wen-chong, Indians SSP Chowrasia, Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur and Thais Chapchai Nirat and Prayad Marksaeng.

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Superb Sim Closes In On 'Battlefield Promotion'


Sydney (May 19): Michael Sim, long regarded as one of golf's most exciting talents, is closing in on an immediate promotion to the US PGA Tour. The 24-year-old West Australian is on a high after claiming victory in the BMW Charity Pro-Am in a play-off on Sunday, his second win in three starts on the Nationwide Tour. Sim triumphed at the first extra hole against Argentinian Fabian Gomez to walk away with the first prize cheque for US$126,000, pushing his Nationwide Tour season total to a record US$367,417 in just seven starts.

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Rising Golfing Star Bae Sets Sights On Blasting More Home Runs


Singapore (May 18): Like most Korean kids, Bae Sang-moon marvelled at the chance to launch the ball afar and wanted to make a career from the game. The only problem was his parents objected to baseball and told him to focus on golf. He sure is glad that he listened to his folks. The 22-year-old underlined his standing as one of the most exciting talents on the Asian Tour with a third career victory on Sunday when he claimed the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on home soil. It gave him a collection of some of the finest trophies in Korea and also ensured he maintained a winning streak since 2007, the year he broke through at the SK Telecom Open. He followed up with another title at the Kolon-Hana Bank Korean Open last year.

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