Singapore: SMBC Singapore Open champion Song Young-han will return to the award-winning Serapong Course to defend his title next year.
The US$1 million tournament, jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), will be played from January 19-22 at Sentosa Golf Club, a Golf Course Facility member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
Korean Song defeated American superstar Jordan Spieth by one shot in January this year to claim Singapore’s national Open and his first win as a professional.
Song said: “I tend to enjoy new situations. When I turned professional and participated in my first tournament, I tried to just enjoy the moment.
“Having won the SMBC Singapore Open it will allow me to start the new season as a defending champion and I think it will put me in a great frame of mind.”
It has been a brilliant year for the 25-year-old who currently lies in fourth place on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation Money List and 10th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
He finished second in the Mitsui Sumitomo Taiheiyo Masters a week ago, lost in a play-of at the Honma Tour World Cup and was third in the Japan PGA Championship.
“I think I am having a good season actually, but my money ranking has slipped down a little from fourth place in July,” he added.
“I try to control my mind by focusing on every tournament and every round and then the good results come. The season is near the end but I don’t think about that, I don’t get ahead of myself.”
Song came closest to winning his second tournament in Japan in October before being pipped by Japan’s Yuta Ikeda in a marathon play-off.
Ikeda drew level with Song at the Honma Tour World Cup with a birdie on the 17th hole on Sunday and the duo were still locked together when darkness fell after four play-off holes.
The pair returned on Monday and Ikeda eventually prevailed after five more holes of sudden-death.
It was a touch of ‘déjà vu’ for Song as he claimed the SMBC Singapore Open with unflappable play over the closing holes of the tournament in a Monday finish.
He sank a testing 10-footer for par at the 16th then parred the last two holes for a one-under 70 and a total of 12-under 272, one ahead of Spieth.
Three-time champion Adam Scott of Australia and Spaniard Sergio Garcia have also confirmed their participation in the SMBC Singapore Open, which will be celebrating its 51st anniversary.