ASEAN NOW Golf

Call the rules official

Stunning sand art tribute to Seve Ballesteros, 10 years on from his passing, by the R&A

 

 

Bunker Boys Golf Report for week commencing Monday May 3rd

 

Monday, May 3rd

 

Green Valley

1st Michael Brett (15) 35 points

2nd Neil Harvey (9) 33 points

3rd Dave Ashman (24) 31 points

4th Jimmy Carr (17) 31 points

 

Near pins Les Cobban, Dave Stockman, & Michael Brett

 

A week after we last visited Barcelona Valley to play the St Andrews course we were back again this time to play the Green Valley course. A beautiful bright sunny Pattaya day was on hand for the start of play, alas it didn't last, by the close of the front nine rain was pelting down causing us to shelter for about thirty minutes. The course which was flooded during the rain drained remarkably quickly as do most courses in Thailand so play was not disrupted unduly. A few areas of casual water for the first couple of holes after the resumption of play before the course returned to its normal nice condition.

 

A baker's dozen took advantage of favorable green/caddie fees (nine hundred baht) using vouchers supplied by a generous member. Given that it was a Thai holiday this was excellent value for a course of this quality.  We had a couple of rare visitors in Dave Stockman and Neil Harvey, hopefully, they won't leave it so long next time before returning. Normally it takes thirty-eight points to win at Green Valley but today's winning score was well short of that, another poor day with the flat stick saw Michael Brett take first with thirty-five points when a much higher score beckoned. Neil Harvey took second with thirty-three points of a nine handicap whilst Dave Ashman edged out Jimmy Carr for third place on countback with thirty-one. Dave Stockman, Les Cobban, and Michael Brett took near pins with one unclaimed.

 

Wednesday,May 5th

 

Pattaya Country Club

1st Jimmy Carr (17) 40 points

2nd Bob Paine (23) 39 points

3rd Joe Buda (12) 38 points

 

Near pins Geoff Atwell, Jimmy Carr, & Jay Babin

 

An overcast humid and extremely hot day for the midweek game at Pattaya Country Club. Rain threatened several times but luckily it stayed away. The fairways and greens were in beautiful condition, but the rough was a different storey, full of coarse grass that was very punishing for anyone who stayed in there. A field of twelve which isnt bad under the circumstances.

 

Scoring was of a very high standard today, perhaps the best we have seen in recent months. Top of the heap was Jimmy Carr who had a super score of forty points. Bob Paine made a spectacular return to form with thirty-nine points. Its rare to see someone with thirty-nine disappointed as Bob was, he could have done even better finishing with only one point each on the last three holes. Joe Buda in his first game with the Bunker Boys also could have done better having scored twenty-two on the front nine only to fall back a bit on the back nine to finish with a very respectable thirty-eight. Three near pins were taken with one each going to Geoff Atwell, Jimmy Carr, & Jay Babin. A couple of our lower handicap players including Myles Knowlson and Lance Conway-Jones were well below what we have come to expect from them, but I guess thats golf, its hard to maintain a high standard consistently.

 

Several new caddies have joined Pattaya Country Club in recent times and it has to be said they were superb, clearly they had been trained properly. It is believed they came from Rolling Hills which clearly doesnt have enough players to keep them occupied. Two of the new caddies carried range finders, something that we have not seen before. This is something that should be encouraged as good caddies generally assist  good play, and taking the guesswork out of distance measurement is a  very good thing, A common failing amongst caddiesis greatly overestimating the distance to hazards.

 

Friday, May 7th

 

Pattana A & B

1st Michael Brett (15) 39 points

2nd Jay Babin (22) 36 points

3rd Geoff Parker (20) 33 points

 

Near pins Tony Robbins, Michael Brett, & Peter Kelly X 2.

 

Pattana was the venue for the last game of the week where we were allocated the A & B nines. The fairways were damp in places resulting in several mudballs, in other areas they were absolutely fine. It would probably have been fair to implement the pick, clean, and place rule as the variability of the surface introduced an element of luck into the game. The greens were very disappointing, in need of mowing and rolling, they were very slow and bumpy with the A nine greens much slower than the B nine.

 

After a night of serious monsoonal weather that caused severe damage in neighbouring Satahip, Pattaya and surrounds survived without any serious flooding. The skies today were grey and overcast but luckily the rain stayed away. A strong wind blew for most of the front nine but abated later and by the end of the round conditions were perfect for golf.

 

A mixed bag on the scoring front with Michael Brett taking first place with a decent score of thirty-nine, after two wins this week a cut in handicap is looming. Second place went to Jay Babin with a very respectable score of thirty-six, whilst Geoff Parker playing off a handicap of twenty if you can believe that took third place with thirty-three, not long ago he was off fifteen. Peter Kelly got his name on three near pin flags, holding on to two, Tony Robbins took one from him and Michael Brett got the remaining pin.

 

Jimmy Carr, big winner at Pattaya CC.

 

Michael Brett two time winner.

 

 

We have not added individual club rates as they tend to change depending on the season. Suggest you contact the course direct be clicking on the website address which we have in most cases added to their directory entry. Fell free to add a comment on any course too.

On 5/4/2021 at 3:15 PM, topt said:

21 years since I last played golf in the Philippines. Played about 8 of the courses mentioned plus others on some of the islands including here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iloilo_Golf_and_Country_Club - which I was told then was known as the first course in Thailand.........

 

My memory is of playing with members and it was still not cheap. @Thaivisa Golf an idea of prices for some of the courses would have been helpful for those considering it. Can you even get a booking at Manila Country Club if not a member?

 

Decent accommodation in Manila/Makati used to be relatively expensive compared with Thailand - has this changed?

Prices change all the time so it is best to contact the courses direct. When I last played some course up at Clark region the prices for most were compareable to Thailand, whereas I am sure some of the exclusive member clubs will be priced similar to say the Siam Country Club rates in Pattaya.

 

Day one has been extraordinarily successful for Thai players at the LPGA Honda Thailand with Athhaya Thitikul and Patty Tavatanakit sharing the lead at -8 and Ariya Jutanugarn tied third on -7.

 

With a fairly damp and blustery course to start with, the ten Thais taking part had to contend with these difficult conditions, that then changed into very humid temperatures for their back nines.

 

18-year-old Thitikul who has already won twice on the Ladies European Tour here in Pattaya at Phoenix Gold, ended her round with an incredible eagle on the difficult 18th.

 

A few minutes later Tavatanakit, who last month won the ANA Inspiration in America,joined her at the top of the leader board after a solid round of 64.

 

Jutanugarn unfortunately boogied her last hole, otherwise Thailand would have had three players leading the tournament going into round two.

 

Thais Pajaree Anannarukan is at -4, plus PornanongPhatlum and Moriya Jutanugarnare on -2, with Nanna Madsen from Denmark at -7 and Lydia Ko from New Zealand on -6.

 

Tomorrow the play starts at 09.00hrs and the TV coverage begins around 08.30hs on the Golf Channel in English or on PPTV 36 in Thai.

 

The land of the smiles would love to have a Thai winner on Sunday.

 

 

They are showing their live broadcast on PPTV at the following times:

 

12pm – 3pm (weekdays)

12.30pm – 3.30pm (weekends)

They are showing their live broadcast on PPTV at the following times:

 

12pm – 3pm (weekdays)

12.30pm – 3.30pm (weekends)

Surely Covid cannot tell if someone is Thai or an Expat....Bottom line is Thailand needs to vacinate everyone who is vunerable regardless of their country of origin, otherwise beds will start to fill up.

It is a shame this government did not start buying quicker as they are now at the back of the queue.

 

Straight off the heels of an impressive final day in Singapore, the LPGA Tour returns to Siam Country Club from May 6th -9th 2021 for the first time since 2019 for the Honda LPGA Thailand.

 

This week marks the fourth-consecutive event in as many weeks, dating back to the LOTTE Championship this past April.

 

The 72-player field includes three-time Honda LPGA Thailand winner and defending champion, Amy Yang. The four-time LPGA Tour winner carded a fourth-round 65 to finish at -22, overcoming lightning and rain delays throughout the final day to hold off a charging Minjee Lee who held the 54-hole co-lead alongside Yang.

 

 

Four of the top-10 players in the Rolex Rankings will take on the Pattaya Old Course starting on Thursday: Danielle Kang (No. 6), Lydia Ko (No. 8), Minjee Lee (No. 10) and last week’s HSBC Women’s World Champion, Hyo Joo Kim (No. 7).

 

Along with Yang, 2014 champion Anna Nordqvist is in this week’s field as the only other returning champion.

 

Nine players native to Thailand are also teeing it up, including sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, and the most recent major champion from the 2021 ANA Inspiration, Patty Tavatanakit.

 

 

No spectators this time around however there will be live coverage on Golf Channel each day.

 

Here are the pairings for Thursday May 6th so see if you can pick out the winner. Who ever gets it spot on will win a free Fenix XCell polo shirt?

 

 

 

 

Hideki Matsuyama's historic triumph in becoming the first Japanese winner at the Masters, looks set to also become a major gain for Asian golf.

 

South Korean An Byeong-hun certainly attests to that theory. When Yang Young-eun delivered Asia's maiden men's major title at the 2009 PGA Championship, An was among the multitude of Asian kids who were instantly inspired.

 

Two weeks after watching Yang defeat the great Tiger Woods in a head-to-head final-round duel at Hazeltine National, An won the prestigious US Amateur Championship at Southern Hills to become the youngest champion in its history at age 17.

 

A regular now on the PGA Tour, An expects to see a steep rise in Japanese kids and aspiring golfers from across Asia making a beeline to the US and emulating Matsuyama.

 

Over the years, a sprinkling of Japanese golfers have made their way onto the PGA Tour, with the likes of Isao Aoki, Shigeki Maruyama, Ryuji Imada and Satoshi Kodaira having won at least once at the game's highest level.

 

"You've seen YE Yang win the PGA in 2009 and since then, we've had 10 Korean-born players out here on the PGA Tour. We have two Japanese players now and I am sure we will see more and more soon as Hideki's win will propel that. It's not only great for Japanese golf, but also for Asian golf too," said An, who is competing in the RBC Heritage.

 

An has got to know Matsuyama better over the years, especially when they were International teammates at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. So, watching Matsuyama grind out a one-stroke victory at Augusta was "freaking unbelievable".

 

"He's the first Asian to do it at the Masters and I was watching on TV," added An.

 

"He was my teammate in the Presidents Cup and it's great to see someone from the Internationals win the Masters. The golf he played was amazing."

 

Future Talent on the Way

 

A new wave of Japanese talent, led by 22-year-old Takumi Kanaya, is fast ascending the world rankings, and is tipped to follow in Matsuyama's footsteps. Kanaya has already cut a path like Matsuyama. Both went to Tohoku Fukushi University, both won on the Japan Golf Tour as amateurs, and both won the Asia-Pacific Amateur.

 

Kodaira is the second Japanese golfer currently competing on the PGA Tour, and he reckons his countryman's breakthrough will be a boon for the game at home. And then there is also this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo, where Matsuyama will now be the obvious main attraction.

 

"Hideki winning the Masters is an amazing and historic achievement that he did on behalf of Japan," said Kodaira. "It's inspirational and definitely provides added motivation to the Japanese players competing in Japan and to those of us, myself included, playing in America to go out and try and win.

 

"It will only have a positive impact on the golf industry in Japan. Whether they are juniors already playing golf or the ones who have never touched a club in their life, kids across Japan will see that Hideki just won the Masters and will think to themselves that if Hideki can win, then I can win too.

 

"There are a few of us, including myself, that see this win and it makes us believe we can go out and win the Masters soon. My hope would be that those same feelings will carry over to the kids in Japan."

 

CT Pan of Chinese Taipei witnessed first-hand how good Matsuyama is when they partnered for two matches in the Presidents Cup two years ago. They won both their four-ball matches against Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed. Pan marvels at how the 29-year-old Matsuyama, now a six-time PGA Tour winner, handles the pressure and expectations of golf-crazy Japan.

 

"I am so happy for him. He was my teammate and we became good friends. I think he carries a lot of expectations of Japanese fans. Japan is a country where many people love golf and I believe they were expecting their own Masters winner all the time. He has a great attitude in his practice and in competition," said Pan.

 

India's Anirban Lahiri hopes golf in his native country will be inspired by Matsuyama's Masters heroics. “We are all really happy and proud of him. Anyone who knows himand I'm fortunate enough to know him a little bitsays he's just a fantastic guy," said Lahiri.

 

"He doesn't say much and he's soft spoken. He has got a big heart and genuinely loves the game and playing his best all the time. I know how much emotion he probably felt and still feels. It is probably still sinking in for him.

 

"Hideki does a lot of amazing things for golf in Asia. The Olympics are in Japan and the country will be boasting its own Masters champion heading into the Olympics ... how cool is that?"

 

 

Korean professional and Rolex ranked No 9 Hyo Joo Kim carded a bogey-free 64 in the final round of the 2021 HSBC Women’s World Championship to claim a one-stroke victory. 

 

It was her first LPGA Tour win since 2016 and she heads to Thailand with US$240,000 in the bank.

 

Yet, instead of talking about her great performance on Sunday – where the 25-year old Korean made four birdies in five holes (TWICE!), many were commenting on her mask.

 

With wrap-around sunglasses and a face mask/neck gaiter, Kim’s entire head was covered. Some joked that she looked like a beekeeper, while others chose a Star Wars character. 

 

But the most common reaction – by far – was that she appeared freaky and it belonged nowhere near tour golf – LPGA or PGA.

 

Should the LPGA immediately ban these types of masks before they become more common on tour. And not because they look weird and creepy (which they do) but based on an unfair competitive advantage.

 

Kim, who wears the face mask to cover her “neck” from getting sunburned, was asked if she gained any advantage by covering up.

 

“I think it might be helpful because with my sunglasses and mask on, no one can really see my face expression,” said Kim through an interpreter.

 

“But that wasn’t my intention.”

 

Of course, masks are compulsory off the golf course, but it would be unfair to ask all players to wear them on the course, especially when the temperatures in Singapore were so high.

 

Kim said she wears it because she has a skin allergy when out in the sun. So, we expect her to arrive at the Siam Country Club’s Old Course in the same mask.

 

What do you think the LPGA tour should do?

Clark & Angeles City and Region

Angeles City is roughly just over a two-hour drive north from Manila’s International Airport, depending on the time of day.

 

Well known for its Clark airport base built for the US in the 60’s, and with one of the longest runways in Asia, it is still in use nowadays, however with limited flights.

 

Weather wise the ideal time to check out Angeles City especially if you plan to take in some golf would be from January until April and November and December, when you will have a warm or hot temperature and limited mediocre rainfall.

 

The highest average temperature in Angeles City is 33°C in April and the lowest is 29°C in January. The weather and climate of Angeles City is suitable for a sun holiday.

 

City Has Grown

 

Angeles is where most people stay, as it started out as a town for the service men to enjoy R & R and the nightlife. Over the years it has grown, and has now sprung up as an exciting city with a large number of excellent hotels, shopping malls and restaurants.

 

Nightlife is still very popular; however, another attraction now is the large number of excellent golf courses all within a short drive.

 

We have listed the courses that we think are the best of the bunch. Most offer an exciting day out, playing in some spectacular locations.

Anvaya Cove Golf Club, Morong Bataan

 

The majority are just a short drive from Angeles, however we have added a couple of gems that are a bit further away West towards the coast as well.

 

Enjoy your time in Angeles. Clark Sunvalley.

Manila

Manila is the capital city of the Philippines, located in South East Asia.

 

Over 7,000 islands make up the country with the largest being Luzon, home Manila. 

 

Thanks to the popularity of the locals along, and with golf vacationers, the country has a fantastic selection of golf courses, especially around Manila.

 

Faldo Course at Eagle Ridge

 

The Philippines are most popular during the dry season, between November and April. Temperatures are high during March and April, so it is best to travel during the cooler months of December to February.

 

Situated on Luzon Island, Manila is a mix of modern skyscrapers and Spanish colonial architecture.  The main airport and entry point to the Philippines is Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

 

The nightlife is varied from great bars and clubs, to casinos and theatres, some showing Broadway shows.

 

There are actually over 70 golf clubs in this region, and we have included in our directory what we think are the top courses near the city.

Intramuros the oldest GC in Manila

Designer: Desmond Muirhead

Holes / Par / Yardage: 18-hole.par 72, 7,100 yards

Established: 60’s then re-opened in 2018

Location: Zambales, Philippines

Distance: 1 hour’s drive West from Angeles City

Description: Opened in the 60s as a US military recreation facility, new owners took over this 18-hole golf course, which came with over half a century of memorable history. It reopened in 2018 to become one of the best courses in the country. Around one hour’s drive from Angeles’s City and on the same route to Anvaya Cove, this championship course was originally designed by Desmond Muirhead.

Phone:   +63 47 250 3765

Website: https://www.subicgolf.com

 

Designer: n/a

Holes / Par / Yardage: 18-hole.par 72, 7,262 yards.

Established: n/a

Location: Angeles, Philippines

Distance: 6 kms from Angeles City

Description: Being just 6kms from Angeles city centre, the Royal Garden Golf and Country Club, has been a popular choice for people staying in this fun city. When you arrive, it becomes apparent what theme and country the designers based the golf course on, which strangely enough is Greece and the Romans. So, lots of sculptures and arches around their 18 holes. It has rolling hills and wide-open fairways gives it a links feel, and it is 7,262 yards runs along an all-weather par-72 championship course.

Phone: +63 45 624 5960

Website: n/a

Designer: Nelson & Haworth

Holes / Par / Yardage: 36-hole.par 72, 6,046-yard & par 70, 6,106 yards.

Established: 1992

Location: Pampanga, Philippines

Distance: 23 minutes from Angeles City

Description: 23 minutes from Angeles City, Mimosa is located in the shadow of Mount Pinatubo, close to the ex-American Clark Air Base. Set against stunning foothill mountains and luscious greens of plants and trees, there are two courses to choose from are the Acacia Lakeview Course a par 72 6,046-yard layout, or their championship course Mountainview, a par 70 running at 6,106 yards.

Phone:  +63 918 908 7035

Website: https://mimosaplusgolf.com/

 

Designer: n/a

Holes / Par / Yardage: 9- hole par 36,3,217-yard,

Established: n/a

Location: Pampanga City, Philippines

Distance: 12kms North from Angeles City

Description: This club is an army course located in Pampanga City, around 12 kms north of Angeles City. It is another short 9-hole public course, which allows for flexibility of playing time and speed of the players. It is a Par 36, 3,217 yards layout, but you can play the holes twice if you have the time.

Phone: +63 45 846 6667

Website: n/a