Seoul: Asian Tour honorary member Y.E Yang believes that he will be able to deliver a performance befitting of his status as Asia’s first Major winner when the fifth edition of the Ballantine’s Championship tees off on Thursday.
Since defeating then-world number one Tiger Woods of the United States for the PGA Championship in 2009, Yang has been consistently credited for putting Asian golf on the world map.
But having missed the cuts in the last two editions of the Ballantine’s Championship, Yang is determined to make amends and provide the cheers to his legion of home fans.
“Whenever I come and play at the Ballantine's Championship, I always want to do well. However, the journey back home has always been bitter,” said Yang.
“I desperately want to win this tournament and I'm sure that all other Korean players will also want to give their best so that a foreign player does not take home the winning trophy again,” said Yang who is aiming to become the first Korean to lift the Ballantine’s Championship trophy since it was inaugurated in 2008.
Yang conceded that his putting let him down and caused him to take the early flight home last year. However, he believes that he has learnt from it and is ready for the challenges this week.
“I found it really hard to sink in those putts last year. I became frustrated and I think it showed in my game. So this year, I’m going to play with more composure and hopefully do better,” said Yang.
Poulter, who also missed the cut at the Ballantine’s Championship last year, is ready to extend his stay as he is riding high on confidence following his best result at the Masters earlier this month.
“Looking back over the last month at how I've played, I would like to take the good form onto the golf course and be able to have a chance to win this golf tournament,” said Poulter, who is ranked 25th in the world.
The colourful Englishman, whose clothing line is the Official Apparel Partner for the Ballantine’s Championship, is confident that he can translate his good fashion sense into impressive results at the Blackstone Golf Club, where he knows that the large galleries will be following him again.
“I'm a good golfer and I’m popular. Koreans like to dress well and obviously for me to be able to bring my clothing line to Korea, wear it and basically showcase it over here, I think people can relate to that,” said Poulter.
Meanwhile Korea’s Kim Kyung-tae is relishing the opportunity of winning another title on home soil after spending most of his time competing on the PGA Tour since 2010.
“I've set very high goals for myself and I've taken on the challenges of achieving them. It’s more like giving myself pressure which has worked well for me,” said Kim.
The 25-year-old Korean swept all before him in the amateur ranks and capped it by winning the double at the Asian Games in Doha in 2006, helping Korea win the team gold medal and lifting the individual honours as well.
Kim, who made his debut on the Asian Tour in 2007, shot into prominence when he won his maiden Asian Tour title at the Maekyung Open in what was only his second event on Tour
“My experiences of playing in Asia have helped to build my confidence. While there are still many things to work on in my game, I feel that I have the potential or the skills to play a good game in the United States,” said Kim who finished tied 44th in his Major debut at the Masters last year.
The €2,205,000 Ballantine’s Championship is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Korea PGA from April 26 to 29 and it boasts a world-class field that includes Australia’s Adam Scott, Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and reigning British Open winner Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland.
Other Asian Tour stars set to feature at the Ballantine’s Championship include China’s Liang Wen-chong who was Asia’s number one in 2007, Singapore’s Mardan Mamat and Korean-American rookie David Lipsky who shot to prominence with his maiden victory at the HANDA Faldo Cambodian Classic and is currently second on the Order of Merit.
By Indian Sports News Network