Hong Kong golfer Taichi Kho ready to impress at Slaley Hall as professional career looms – ‘I’m preparing to win’
- Kho faces a summer of high-profile amateur tournaments, but is looking to make his mark on the pro tour and secure status on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour
- ‘I’m a better competitor now than I was at the start of the year,’ the Hongkonger said. ‘My game is trending in the right direction’
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.
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.
