Kennedy eyes another shot at glory at Golf Partner Pro-Am tournament

Australia's Brad Kennedy aims to make up for last year's heartbreak at the Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament as the ¥60,000,000 event kicks off tomorrow in Ibaraki Prefecture.

At Toride Kokusai Golf Club 12 months ago, Kennedy settled for a share of fourth place after two late bogeys shattered his hopes of joining a four-way playoff, which was eventually won by Shugo Imahira.

This was one of several near-misses endured by Kennedy last season as he pursued his fourth JGTO victory.

Kennedy's last triumph came at the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup in July 2018.

However, Kennedy remains confident and determined to achieve his next success, boasting an impressive record with only one missed cut and seven top-10 finishes last season, including three within the top four.

While his initial appearances this year were not stellar, he secured a respectable tied-12th finish at the Kansai Open.

“My goal is to return to the winner’s circle again this season and I’ve been putting a lot of hard work towards that. Hopefully, the results will show very soon,” said Kennedy.

Thailand's Gunn Charoenkul, making his maiden appearance, is another international competitor to watch out for as events on the JGTO resumes after taking a two-event break.

The Thai earned a spot in the 136-man field this week due to his top-10 finish in last year's tournament, despite struggling to find playing opportunities with his conditional status. Gunn has demonstrated his abilities on the Asian Tour, notably finishing as runner-up at the International Series Qatar.

American Han Lee, currently ranked 12th among international players in the JGTO Money Rankings, will also compete this week, alongside familiar faces Todd Baek, Juvic Pagunsan, Brendan Jones, and Song Young-han.

Defending champion Imahira, together with rising star Taiga Semikawa, winner of the Kansai Open, and seasoned veteran Yuta Ikeda, who shot an impressive 59 in last year's opening round, will lead the local challenge.

Imahira aims to secure back-to-back victories and become the first multiple winner of the season, just as he did last year by prevailing over Tomohiro Kondo and Tomoharu Otsuki in the tie-breaker.

Returning for its third year, the Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament promises another enjoyable and entertaining week.

Following a similar format to the iconic PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which originated in 1937, it is the only JGTO tournament where professionals and amateurs compete together.

The tournament will feature 300 amateurs who qualified through 30 sites across Japan earlier this year.

While the amateurs do not compete directly against the professionals, they have a unique opportunity to receive valuable guidance and tips from the JGTO stars they team up with.

While mentoring their amateur playing partners, JGTO professionals will compete among themselves for the prize money and valuable Official World Golf Ranking points.

Ends.