Asian Men in Golf PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jeff Ritter   
Monday, 23 October 2006
ImageAsk any golf savant to name the first Asian golfers that come to mind. Odds are he’ll come up with a few male figures—Tiger, Vijay and maybe even a Shigeki Maruyama—and a gaggle of female names, including Michelle Wie and Se Ri Pak. In fact, five of the season’s top 15 money leaders on the LPGA Tour are Asian women. So where are the Asian men in professional golf, you ask?
Well, if you look hard enough you’ll find that as many as 17 of them this year have cracked the World Golf Rankings Top 150—a list that weighs results from the U.S. PGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour, South African PGA Tour (also konwn as the Sunshine Tour), European Tour, PGA Tour of Australia, Canadian Tour, Nationwide Tour and Challenge Tour. While these other tours don’t receive much TV time in the U.S., several players appear poised to make a serious run up the rankings and straight into your living room.
(Rankings are through 10/23/06; source from The Official World Golf Ranking, www.officialworldgolfranking.com)

 

ImageTiger Woods, USA

World Rank: 1

With two more majors and nine worldwide wins, everyone’s No. 1 Tiger Woods only added to his growing legacy in 2006. Woods’ season was a tale of two halves: a glass half empty and half full. First came a six-week hiatus after the death of his father, Earl, followed by a missed cut at the U.S. Open—his first event after the layoff and the first time in his career where he missed a cut in a major. Then—just when you thought it wasn’t possible—the tables suddenly turned and Tiger’s game elevated to its highest level yet. He took home back-to-back major championships and a career-best six consecutive PGA titles to close his season. Today, Woods has but one rival: the record book, and the question now is not if but when he will blow by Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles. Now in his 30s, Woods is entering his athletic prime, an idea that should send a collective gasp through his competitors. Look for Woods to start the 2007 season sharp and fully motivated to add to his 12 career majors. Another Tiger Slam is not only possible, but a feat he’s heavily favored to accomplish given his records at the Masters and the setup for next year’s U.S. Open in Oakmont, Pa.,—a course that favors long, straight hitters. There is still no telling where the ceiling resides for the greatest golfer of all time, so 2007 will likely prove to be yet another great season for Tiger watching.

ImageVijay Singh, Fiji
World Rank: 5

Vijay Singh started strong in 2006 before fading in closing months. His performance in major events mirrored that of his entire season: he tied for eighth, then sixth, then missed two cuts. Singh finished with just one tour victory in 2006, the Barclay’s Classic, and two second-place finishes. For a player of Singh’s talent, it was a disappointing result, especially since he came off the heels of a 2005 season where he won four times and recorded 14 top-five finishes. The year before that in an astonishing 2004 season, Singh won nine times and briefly ended Woods’ reign atop the world rankings. Back then, conventional wisdom would have said Singh would become Woods’ most consistent rival, the Frazier to Tiger’s Ali. But his age—Singh is now 43—coupled with the effects of playing in so many tournaments, might be catching up with one of the tour’s most tireless workers. With that said, don’t look suprised when Singh starts the 2007 season as a fixture on the leader board. In each of the last two years, he has finished no worse than sixth in the season’s opening two tournaments.  

ImageShingo Katayama, Japan
World Rank:

Known in the United States for his amiable persona and garish headwear, Shingo Katayama flashed substance that matched his style in the 2006 season. The Japan Golf Tour’s top money earner, Katayama recorded 10 top-five finishes in 14 Japanese tour events, winning twice. Thirty-three-year-old Katayama’s breakout on American soil came at the 2001 PGA Championship when he finished a strong fourth while hamming it up with the enormous galleries and swarming media contingent. Although Katayama remained winless on the PGA Tour, he still held his own in 2006, finishing ninth at the World Match Play Championship and tying at 27 at this year’s Masters. Katayama stuck mostly to the Japanese Tour for the remainder of the year where he holds 20 career titles. His game appears to be peaking, and Katayama could be one to watch early next season on the PGA Tour where he is again expected to compete in both the World Match Play Championship and The Masters.  

ImageK.J. Choi, Korea
World Rank: 55

The 2006 season was disappointing for K.J. Choi, who was coming off a 2005 season that produced two solid victories: one on the PGA Tour and one on the Asian Tour. The golf world hailed his win at the ’05 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro as his breakthrough PGA moment, but Choi’s best finish in 2006 was a tie for sixth at the Shell Houston Open. After missing the cut for the first three major events, Choi managed to avoid complete disaster by tying for seventh place at the 2006 PGA Championship. For Choi, 38, his short game has been key since he’s not exactly the world’s longer hitter: Last year he ranked 120th in driving distance and 144th in putting average, a combination that doesn’t portend good results. But if Choi can correct his short game woes early next season, then he can possibly emerge as one of the PGA’s dark horse candidate for the 2007 season.

Editor’s Note: Choi won the Chrysler Championship on Sunday October 29, 2006, one week after this story was written. 

ImageDean Wilson, USA
World Rank: 63

Once upon a time, 36-year-old Dean Wilson was most famous for playing in Annika Sorenstam’s group when she broke the PGA’s gender barrier at the 2003 Colonial. That all changed in 2006, when the Hawaii native and six-time winner on the Japanese Tour snagged his first PGA title at the International, besting Tom Lehman on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. With a PGA victory under his belt, Wilson shot up the World Golf Rankings, gaining not only confidence but also a two-year PGA Tour exemption. Even with one of the steadiest putters around, Wilson could benefit from improving his length of the tee—he ranked 152nd in driving distance for 2006. He’ll have the chance to kick off his 2007 sesaon on his home turf when Maui’s Plantation Course hosts the Mercedes Championship beginning New Year’s Day.

 

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