SINGAPORE – What a finale at the Singapore Open presented by The Financial Times! Korea's Jeongwoo Ham secured a wire-to-wire victory, edging out runner-up Cameron John from Australia by two strokes. Ham closed his final round with a three-under-par 68, triumphing with a total of 16-under-par. John played a 66 in his final round. Fireballs GC star Josele Ballester also showcased his talent on the greens of The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club. He finished the tournament with an impressive five-under-par 66, which was one of the best rounds on Sunday, featuring six birdies and just one bogey. Ballester finished in a strong tied-third place (T3), but was unable to catch eventual winner Jeongwoo Ham, ending the tournament seven strokes behind Ham. He shared third place with Jazz Janewattananond (68) from Thailand and Tomohiro Ishizaka (70) from Japan. Qualification for this year's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale was a significant talking point all week. The event in Singapore is part of the Open Qualifying Series, with the two leading players, not otherwise exempt, securing their berths in golf's oldest Major. Ham and John claimed the two spots. Other LIV Golf players who had a successful week in Singapore included Caleb Surratt of Legion XIII (T9), Wild Card entrant Björn Hellgren (T9), Luis Masaveu of Fireballs GC (T12), and Peter Uihlein of RangeGoats GC (T17).
Pure Drama Amidst Lightning and Thunder
The Korean's performance stands as one of the most impressive in the 57-year history of Singapore's National Open, considering that a spot in golf's oldest Major and valuable points for the International Series Rankings were on the line. It was an eventful Sunday. After the first three days were marked by oppressive heat and high humidity, the skies darkened, and at 11:47 AM local time, play was suspended for just over three and a half hours due to lightning risk. Ham started the day with a four-shot lead over John, and at the suspension, they had completed seven holes, with the Korean holding a three-shot lead. When play resumed at 3:30 PM local time, Ham seamlessly resumed his play, sinking a 10-foot putt for par on the eighth hole, which helped settle his nerves and was typical of his putting performance all week. He had another tricky 4-foot putt for par on the next hole, which he also sank. John then put Ham under pressure with a series of long birdie putts. The Australian sank a 25-foot putt for birdie on the ninth hole, leaving Ham with a two-shot lead and nine holes left to play. Ham narrowly missed a birdie on the 10th hole, before John reduced the lead to a s-
