Noh aims for history at Maekyung Open

Korean young gun Noh Seung-yul will be shooting for a slice of history when he tees off at the 27th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Thursday.

The former Korean amateur number one is amongst the contenders in the US$600,000 Asian Tour event where he hopes to become the youngest winner on the Asian Tour before his 17th birthday which falls on May 29.

Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadungsil holds the honour of being the youngest winner in Asia when he won the Double A International Open on home soil in 2005 at the age of 17 years and five days.

The 16-year-old Noh has been one of the revelations this season where he has already chalked up two runner-up finishes and another top-10 in his rookie season on the Asian Tour.

Noh will return to the Nam Seoul Country Club with a lot of confidence as he played in all four rounds of the Maekyung Open as an amateur last year and finished tied third in the 2006 edition.

For a player his age, Noh is full of confidence and is ready to take on his country’s leading players and the best from the Asian Tour this week.

“My strength is in my mental game. Since I was very young, I’ve been taught that it’s only “me, myself and my golf ball.” I’ve adopted that approach this season and it’s showing with my good start to the year,” said Noh.

The Korean youngster challenged for the title at the inaugural SAIL Open in India before finishing second and repeated the performance at the Asian Tour International in Thailand.

The Gangwondo-based Noh continued to sparkle against some of the best fields and claimed a top-10 in the Volvo China Open, which is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour, two weeks ago.

“I have been enjoying a good ride on the Asian Tour and my aim is to secure full playing rights for next year so I hope to continue my momentum,” added Noh, who is presently ranked 18th on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.

Noh will face an equally determined charge from title holder and compatriot Kim Kyung-tae. The 21-year-old Kim showed some superb form ahead of his defence when he finished runner-up in an event in Japan last weekend.

Other leading Koreans in the field include Lee Sung and Bae Sang-moon, both winners on the Asian Tour last season where Lee lifted the Bangkok Airways Open while Bae won the SK Telecom Open on home soil.

The other Asian stars determined to challenge for glory include former Asian Tour number ones Thaworn Wiratchant and Thongchai Jaidee, both from Thailand, Filipinos Juvic Pagunsan and Artemio Murakami, Singapore’s Mardan Mamat and Malaysia’s Iain Steel.

The 2008 GS Caltex Maekyung Open will be the 11th event on the burgeoning Asian Tour Schedule and the second out of three tournaments to be staged in Korea this season.