Hangzhou, China: Taichi Kho withstood a four-pronged Korean challenge to earn golden glory for Hong Kong, China at the 19th Asian Games.
With a gutsy closing round of three-under-par 69 at the Westlake International Golf Club, the 22-year-old rookie pro repelled the charges of PGA Tour stars Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo and Korean amateur standouts Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young.
For Kho, a former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship runner-up, victory provided another remarkable high in what has been an astonishing year during which he became the first player from his country to win an Asian Tour title and participate in the Open Championship.
Six months after his triumph at the World City Championship presented by the Hong Kong Golf Club, Kho once more confounded the odds by beating a world-class field.
Six shots clear at the top after opening with rounds of 62 and 60, Kho returned a 70 on day three as his advantage was trimmed to three shots.
Holding his nerve under extreme pressure, Kho eked out pars on the last six holes on Sunday in a tension-packed final round for a 69 and a four-day total of 27-under 261.
That was just one shot ahead of fast-finishing Im. The two-time PGA Tour winner, who is currently 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), closed with a joint best-of-the day 65 and took the individual silver medal.
Im’s fellow PGA Tour standout Kim, 40th in the OWGR, also signed off with a 65 but had to content himself with fourth place on 265, one shot behind bronze medallist Hung Chien-yao of Chinese Taipei.
Illustrating the strength of the Korean team, Jang was fifth on 266 with Cho in a share of sixth spot on 261.
Not surprisingly, the Koreans surged to the gold medal in the team event in which the best three daily scores of each four-man team were counted.
Their team tally of 76-under 788 was 25 strokes in front of silver medallists Thailand (Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, Danthai Boonma, Poom Saksansin and Phachara Khongwatmai).
The bronze medal went to the Hong Kong quartet of Kho, Matthew Cheung, Jason Hak and Ng Shing-fung.
Leading Final-Round Scores, Individual
261 – Taichi Kho (Hong Kong, China) 62-60-70-69
262 – Im Sung-jae (Korea) 66-65-66-65
264 – Hung Chien-yao (Chinese Taipei) 65-63-67-69
265 – Kim Si-woo (Korea) 66-66-68-65
266 – Jang Yubin (Korea) 61-67-68-70
271 – Masato Sumiuchi (Japan) 63-71-68-69; Cho Woo-young (Korea) 63-67-73-68
272 – Si Ngai (Macau) 65-70-64-73; Chen Guxin (China) 63-67-67-75
273 – Clyde Mondilla (Philippines) 65-70-68-70; Atiruj Winaicharoenchai (Thailand) 67-63-67-76
274 – Anirban Lahiri (India) 65-67-74-68; James Leow (Singapore) 64-74-68-68; Ryan Ang (Singapore) 66-69-66-73
275 – Ding Wenyi (China) 70-67-73-65; Siddikur Rahman (Bangladesh) 65-72-70-68
276 – Danthai Boonma (Thailand) 70-70-71-65; Poom Saksansin (Thailand) 66-71-68-71; Phachara Khongwatmai (Thailand) 64-71-68-73; Matthew Cheung (Hong Kong, China) 69-66-68-73
Full Final-Round Scores, Teams
788 – Korea (190-198-202-198)
813 – Thailand (197-204-203-209)
814 – Hong Kong, China (200-194-211-209)
820 – Japan (195-203-213-209)
821 – Singapore (194-213-202-212)
824 – China (201-204-209-210)
830 – India (200-205-211-214)
833 – Chinese Taipei (203-199-211-220)
844 – Philippines (207-209-210-218)
861 – Vietnam (209-213-216-223)
