Thai Kiradech and seven other Asian stars in FedEx Cup play-offs
NEW YORK: Eight of Asia’s most talented golfers, including Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, have qualified for the FedEx Cup play-offs, earning a shot at winning the PGA Tour’s biggest prize which comes with a bumper US$15 million bonus payday.
Kiradech, who finished tied for third at the WGC-Mexico Championship for his best result this season, will start the play-offs in 76th position on the FedEx Cup points list in his first full year on the PGA Tour.
The 30-year-old is the first Thai to have earned a PGA Tour card.
South Korea’s Im Sung-Jae enters this week’s Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey as the highest ranked Asian in 23rd position on the points list following his seventh top 10 of the season at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday.
Four other Koreans — Kang Sung, Kim Si-Woo, An Byeong-Hun and KH Lee — have also made their way into the three-leg FedEx Cup play-offs by virtue of being in the top-125 of the points list.
Kang, who won the AT&T Byron Nelson in May for his maiden PGA Tour title, starts the week in 29th position, followed by Kim in 45th place after he finished fifth at the Wyndham Championship.
An will enter the play-offs in solid form as well after finishing third on Sunday where he challenged for his first PGA Tour win. His third top 10 of the season moved him up from 82nd to 57th position on the points list while Lee will start the play-offs in 104th position.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama will begin the week in 30th place while Taiwan CT Pan, victorious at the RBC Heritage in April, is four rungs below.
The top-70 after the Northern Trust, which begins tomorrow, will qualify for next week’s BMW Championship before the top 30 make it to the play-offs finale, the Tour Championship, where the winner will bag $15 million.
An, a former US Amateur champion, was disappointed to finish third in his chase for a first PGA Tour win when he led or co-led on all three days before being overtaken by winner JT Poston who shot a closing 62 at the Wyndham Championship.
“Yeah, it was disappointing, especially the last couple of holes,” said An, who is playing in his third full season on the PGA Tour where he finished 42nd in the final FedEx Cup standings last year.
“The play-offs are where my focus needs to be right now.”
Im has proven himself on the game’s biggest stage where he has also become part of the conversation to make the International Team for the Presidents Cup against the United States in Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia in December.
Amongst those who failed the make the top 125 included India’s Anirban Lahiri (178th) and Korean duo Kim Whee (190th) and Bae Sang-Moon (205th).