Nearly two-and-a-half years after his last appearance on the Asian Tour, golfing phenom Tom Kim is back this week competing in the Link Hong Kong Open with the air of expectancy palpable. 

The Asian Tour is where it all started for the young Korean – particularly in 2019 when he triumphed four times, once on the main tour and three times on the Asian Development Tour at the tender age of 17 – before he became an almost overnight sensation on the global stage with two victories on the PGA Tour in 2022 and another last year.

“This is where I started; I have a lot of my friends here,” said Kim, now aged 22.

The Link Hong Kong Open is well and truly Open for All with The Hong Kong Golf Club set to host the 63^rd edition of the city’s oldest professional sporting event – joining only one other club worldwide as hosts of the same tournament for over six decades, the other being Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters.

The stars of golf are out in support with inspirational New Zealander Ben Campbell set to defend his title from last year. The competition is as fierce as ever with three Major champions flocking to Fanling in 2013 US Open champion and 2015 Hong Kong Open winner Justin Rose, 2018 US Masters winner Patrick Reed, and 2014 US Open winner Martin Kaymer, whose first professional tournament was at the Hong Kong Open in 2006.

Major champions Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel are among 18 LIV Golf stars in the field for International Series Qatar – the penultimate event of the season on both The International Series and the Asian Tour.

The 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel and 2010 Open winner Oosthuizen, both from South Africa, will be joined by Stinger GC team-mates and compatriots Dean Burmester and Branden Grace for the second staging of the event, which takes place at Doha Golf Club from 27-30 November and this year has a $US2.5 million prize purse.