Asian Tour: Sihwan Kim claims order of merit, as Sarit Suwannarut cruises to emphatic 4-shot win at Indonesian Masters
- Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut brought the Asian Tour season to a memorable end on Sunday at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club
- American Sihwan Kim seals finest season of his 11-year professional career despite finishing 28th
It was hard to tell whose smile was the brightest at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club on Sunday – Sihwan Kim who wrapped up the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, or Sarit Suwannarut after an emphatic four-shot win in the Indonesian Masters.
Sarit’s closing round four-under-par 68 left him 20-under overall in the final International Series event of the year, with India’s Anirban Lahiri second on 16-under, while Taiwan’s Chan Shih-chang and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell finished in a tie for third a shot further back.
Kim’s two-under 70 left him in a tie for 28th, which was enough to seal the finest season of his 11-year professional career.
The American finished the year with US$627,458.33 in earnings, with Bio Kim from Korea ending in second place, having earned US$599,609.49, while Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent was third on US$517,845.
Vincent finished in a group tied for 10th, which also included Scott Hend, and that was enough to secure him the International Series Order of Merit title. Hend had begun the week outside the top 60 and in danger of losing his card, but the US$24,720 he took lifted him to 56.
The weather, which caused numerous delays all week, had a final say on Sunday when lightning stopped play with Sarit having two holes left to play and with a comfortable five-shot lead. Play resumed after about an hour with the rising Thai star able to par his way home.
“I think I almost cried coming down the 18th,” Sarit said. “I just can’t put into words how I feel. I am just happy. I didn’t feel the pressure that much, I was just enjoying my game. I have just enjoyed the whole week.”
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Sihwan Kim’s delight was tempered with relief the season was finally done, and said he couldn’t “wait to get some rest”.
The 34-year-old started the season in brilliant fashion by winning the International Series Thailand in February, which was his maiden professional victory and also the first ever International Series event to be played.
He followed that up by winning the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge, also in Thailand, in April.
A midseason loss of form, when he was battling some swing demons and a stray driver, saw him relinquish top spot on the Order of Merit to Bio Kim but a third-place finish in the International Series Egypt last month saw him regain first place.
“Yeah, right at the start the year I was kind of playing bad, and in Singapore in January I got it done somehow at Sentosa and then just upped my game,” he said.
“Then it just went really cold from there, struggled for about two or three months, and then found something the last month and a half, and I rolled with it.”
Before this year Kim had been a perennial nearly man and had recorded eight top-four results on the Asian Tour since 2018, including two runner-up finishes, and had come close to winning on Europe’s Challenge Tour.
After its inaugural season, the International Series will expand in 2023, and while a full announcement is expected this week, a stop in Oman has been added to the schedule.
The tournament, at Al Mouj Golf in Muscat from February 9 to 12, will be the week after the Saudi International.
