Hong Kong golfer Taichi Kho ready to impress at Slaley Hall as professional career looms – ‘I’m preparing to win’

Taichi Kho will be part of history this week when the Asian Tour makes its first stop in the UK for the second stage in its International Series.

The Hong Kong golfer is among a handful of amateurs in a strong field at Slaley Hall, and for Kho the tournament marks the start of a busy summer and the final steps in his journey towards turning professional.

Appearances at the British and European amateur championships, and Final Qualifying for The Open, all in June, will be followed by a series of events in the United States, before he begins the process of securing status on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2023.

But first comes the International Series, something Kho earned the right to play in with his performance last year in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai. His runner-up spot after losing a play-off to Keita Nakajima was also his ticket to Open qualifying.

The opportunity to compete in the US$2 million tournament was something Kho said he was “super grateful for” and would not take for granted.

“I think it’s a bit of unfamiliar territory for me because I’ve played most of my golf in the US, being by myself out in Europe for a month, I feel I’m going to learn a lot of valuable skills, and my game is trending in the right direction for the month ahead,” Kho said.

In a field that includes the likes of former US Open winners Graeme McDowell and Michael Campbell, the best golfers in Asia, and teenage star Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat, Kho is not among the favourites to win but his approach to every event this month will remain the same.

“Before each tournament I’ll set mental goals in advance, things I want to focus on, but when I think of those four events coming up, I’m preparing to win those events, I’m going to go there to play my best, and play to win,” he said. “At the end of the day that’s the mentality I feel like I need to have for me to be successful there.”

While Kho faces a summer of high-profile amateur tournaments, he originally planned to turn professional after his last college event before he graduated this year.

A change in circumstances however means he is returning to the University of Notre Dame for one more year, and will do a Master’s in Non-Profit Administration while also chasing his golfing dreams.

“The opportunities I had kind of changed, but having status for 2023 is still a goal that I have and something that I’m working towards,” he said.

The return to South Bend is not just about having more time to work on his game, for Kho, attending a college that counts Olympic medallists and national champions among its number means “the standard is so high here you are never content with yourself and just want to keep pushing”.

“Notre Dame has given me so much,” he said. “The coaching staff here has helped me, not just on the course but off it as well. I was telling my coach that one of the reasons I want to come back is that every time I come back for a year, I look back on it and think ‘I’m a better person now than I was a year ago’.

“In terms of the game as a whole, I feel like I’m a better competitor now than I was at the start of the year. Along with some success here and there, it feeds into my belief that I’m a great golfer, and that’s helped me become a great competitor.”

Kho’s road to this week’s competition in the north of England began last November at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, and if all goes to plan October’s Asia-Pacific tournament at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand, could be one of his last events as an amateur.

“I’m going to do everything I can to play in that event,” he said. “The Hong Kong Golf Association have been incredibly supportive of everything I try to do in my career, and representing Hong Kong is probably one of the biggest honours I can have, and every chance I get an opportunity to do that, I want to.

“I plan to do Korn Ferry Q School after my Fall season ends, so I’ll have to schedule it in a way that I can do both. But playing for Hong Kong is definitely something I want to honour.”