Taichi Kho is building momentum ahead of the International Series Macau presented by Wynn, and feels more motivated than ever as he competes at Macau Golf and Country Club alongside Major champions, 17 LIV Golfers and the best of the Asian Tour in this week’s field.
The 156-strong field will be competing for the trophy and invaluable International Series Rankings points in the race for a place on the LIV Golf League next season. They will also have their eyes on another prize - the three places up for grabs at this year's The Open Championship come Sunday.
This week’s tournament in Macau is the second of 10 events in the fourth season of The International Series which sees expansion to new destinations such as India, Japan and the Philippines, and returns to familiar venues.
Taichi said: “The International Series has gone from strength to strength, and this, being The Open Qualifying Series, really solidifies the trajectory of where the Asian Tour and The International Series are going.
“I think you see the fields on The International Series getting progressively stronger. You see more and more LIV guys coming to play and I feel like the LIV guys are giving their best stuff when they come to these events on The International Series as well. So again, it’s very motivating, very inspiring.
“A lot of these players that are beside me (Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, John Catlin) are people that I looked up to growing up, so to play alongside them and to compete against them is, I guess, like a dream, like a moment for me, and it's also very motivating.”
The 24-year-old recorded a T8 at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport in the latest Asian Tour event and he is growing in confidence.
Taichi, who narrowly missed out on a spot on the LIV Golf League this season to Lee Chieh-po in the LIV Golf Promotions event, said: “The form feels good. I feel like my game is trending in the right direction and it's really exciting to be here, back in Macau, which is a golf course and tournament I'm quite familiar with.
“So being here is really exciting and to have so many local players this week and the major champions besides us, is very motivating to me, and I'm sure motivating to everyone else too. So it's going to be a great week, and my game feels good, so I can't wait to get started.”
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of 10 elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings leader promotion to the LIV Golf League
