Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho ‘soaks it all in’ with LIV Golf Promotions event opportunity
- Hongkonger among field at Abu Dhabi Golf Club vying for three spots to play on Saudi Arabia-backed circuit next season
- New format for promotions event means it’s ‘really anybody’s game’, says Kho
The first round of the LIV Golf Promotions event gets under way on Friday, and for Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho it represents the “opportunity to play in one of the best tours in the world”.
Despite being in his rookie year as a professional, Kho’s performances on the Asian Tour, and its International Series in particular, have earned him a spot in the three-day, four-round event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
It would be easy for the 23-year-old to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of securing one of the three spots with LIV Golf up for grabs this week, but Kho said playing in the series had been “one of the biggest accelerators for my growth this year”.
A significant aspect of that has been the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Cameron Smith, Patrick Reed and Graeme McDowell, all of whom Kho has found himself paired with over the past eight months.
“Being able to play world-class golf first-hand has been a real learning curve for me, and I feel like I’ve been able to progress my game from just soaking all of it in,” Kho said.
“I only have great things to say about LIV, and just to have the opportunity to potentially play in the league next year is a real dream come true. Hopefully I can make most of this week, and yeah, playing a full season on LIV will be really great.”
But grabbing the chance to play alongside the likes of major winners Smith and Brooks Koepka on a regular basis is only part of what’s driving Kho this week.
Hong Kong is on the LIV schedule for 2024, and competing in front of family and friends was something the Hongkonger called an “extra motivator”.
“I think myself and pretty much the entire golfing scene in Hong Kong is super excited for LIV Golf Hong Kong,” he said. “To play in front of my friends and family, my hometown crowd would be really great in that kind of atmosphere.”
Not that Kho is getting ahead of himself. In keeping with LIV’s revolutionary approach to the game, the format over the next three days is not something players are used to.
Only the top 20 and ties from the 60 players in the first round will progress to the second, where scores will be reset and they will be joined by players who were exempted from the opening 18 holes.
The second round will follow the same format, with two rounds on the last day to decide who gets the spots on one of the LIV teams next year.
“I think it will be easy to get overexcited early and try to play a little bit too aggressive, but I think it will be a really fun challenge, I’m really looking forward to it, and I think it also levels out the playing field in a big way,” Kho said.
“It’s really anybody’s game. If you have a good round or a good day, the opportunity is right there. I think it’s a revolutionary format, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
