Kho Set to Showcase Links Prowess at St Andrews

St Andrews, Scotland: Since his runner-up finish to Japan’s Keita Nakajima in the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), it’s been a whirlwind 21 months for Taichi Kho.

After posting two top-25s on the Asian Tour in 2022 while playing as an amateur, Hong Kong’s Kho secured his playing rights as a professional by finishing tied 22nd at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January this year.

He wasted little time in securing his first Asian Tour title, a two-shot win in the World City Championship presented by Hong Kong Golf Club, in a field that included 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson and Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter.

It was Kho’s first win as a professional, and the maiden Asian Tour victory by a Hong Kong player. It also meant he qualified for his first Open Championship, at Royal Liverpool in July – becoming the first Hong Kong-born player to compete in the game’s oldest Major.

This week, 22-year-old Kho is in Scotland for the St Andrews Bay Championship at Fairmont St Andrews – an event that is part of Asian Tour’s International Series.

Asked how he feels about teeing it up at The Home of Golf, he said: “Super special. I’ve never been to St Andrews before, but everyone that I’ve talked to has only said great things about it.

“I’m looking forward to embracing the week as a whole and look forward to playing some links golf again. I got some great experiences from The Open so hopefully that can help.”

After a lean spell following his Hong Kong victory, Kho steadied the ship at last week’s International Series England. Against a star-studded field that included Poulter, Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell, Kho fired a final round five-under-par 66 to finish tied-ninth.

Said Kho: “I feel like the tournaments I played after Hong Kong, they’ve all been pretty new experiences for me. Like playing in Korea is really different; playing The Open was a pretty stiff challenge.

“Overall, I feel like my game has been there since Hong Kong and I feel like it’s been continuing to progress. It’s just sometimes the scores come and go. But overall, I didn’t really falter in the sense that I knew the game was there. So, it was just a matter of time.”

Having narrowly missed out on earning a spot in last year’s Open Championship after his runner-up finish in the 2021 AAC, Kho made his debut at Royal Liverpool in July.

“It was magical,” he said. “I wish the week lasted forever. It was just the amount of people that came out, and the players you play with – I watched them growing up on TV. To be part of that was really special. And it really did motivate me.

“I know I didn’t play my best, but it really motivated me and gave me kind of like a pump of determination into my game just to get back there in years to come. I’ve never played an event like that. It was the most magical experience ever,” he said.

At The Open, Kho played a practice round with 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott, who offered up some invaluable advice to the young Hong Kong native.

He said: “I played 18 with Adam leading up to the event. It was good to see how he prepares. He’s very level-headed. And he has a great sense of how far each club goes. For example, a nine o’clock [swing] seven-iron goes 140. That’s something I’ve never heard of before with a mid-iron. So, I’m kind of incorporating that into my game. It has really helped me.”

While the former Notre Dame University standout has never been to St Andrews and Scotland, he does have some experience playing on links courses at this year’s Open Championship and the 2022 Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He thinks the style of play fits his game well.

“I learned a lot from playing at The Open, just controlling my yardages with my irons a little better, flighting my shots a little better. And being a little more, I guess, mentally aggressive in the wind, knowing that if I hit a good shot, I will get rewarded.

“I feel links golf really suits good feel players, with good control over your distances and your ball. That’s something that I’ve been continuing to work on, especially after The Open. Since then I feel I’ve really progressed.”