The four rounds of golf competition at the Asian Games ended on September 28. The matches highlighted newcomers to the sport, as well as the progress made by Thai female and Taiwanese male golfers.

At the Dream Park Country Club (par 72), Park Gyeol of Korea shot a four-round total of 19-under 269, including eight birdies, and won the gold medal, beating Sukapan Budsabakorn of Thailand by only one stroke. Park and Sukapan kept a tight game, but on the par-3 17th hole (191 yards), Park took a one-stroke lead with par, while Sukapan committed a fatal bogey. On the final 18th hole, both Park and Sukapan made a birdie putt, but Park finished the game with the gold.



Sukapan settled with a silver in the women's individual, but won gold in the women's team rounds, in which the scores of three individual golfers are combined to determine the winner. The Thai women's team shot a four-round total of 38-under 538 and won the gold. The Korean team won silver with its four-round total of 31-under 545, seven strokes behind the winning team. The mainland Chinese won bronze with a four-round total of 17-under 559, 21 strokes behind the Thai team.



Taiwan, playing under its official Olympic name of Chinese Taipei, showed its knack in the men's team round, in which four players from each country compete.

Chinese Taipei won gold and bronze in the men's individual golf competition. Pan Cheng Tsung topped the tables in the men's individual rounds with a four-round total of 17-under 271. Pan continued to record pars until he committed a bogey on the par-4 6th hole (372 yards). He made bogey putts at the par-5 9th hole (541 yards) and at the par-5 12th hole (558 yards), giving him the lead. Pan and Kim Nam-hun of Korea held a tight race, but in the end, the Taiwanese golfer had an easy victory against Kim, who committed double bogeys on the par-4 14th hole (394 yards). Pan got par on the next four holes.



All female Thai golfers finished under-par in their four round total at the Asian Games, showing why the Thai players have recently been giving outstanding performances in the LPGA, in which many Korean female golfers have also distinguished themselves. Only Korean and Thai female golfers scored under-par in their four-round totals.

Also noteworthy was that four of the six medalists in the golf competition were teenagers. In particular, all female individual golf medalists were teenagers. Although they still need to hone their skills and to improve their round management ability, they have a lot of growth potential.

Golf industry watchers at the Asian Games all agreed that if these players continue to receive training and are given the opportunity to improve their skills, the level of golf in Asia will make ever further progress.

By Jeon Han, Limb Jae-un
Photos: Jeon Han
hanjeon@korea.kr