Staff WriterTaichi Kho won the International Series Morocco with the sort of finish that makes golf look less like a sport and more like a private argument with the nervous system, holding off Bubba Watson by one shot to claim his first International Series title and second Asian Tour victory.
The 25-year-old from Hong Kong finished on 19-under par at the US$2 million International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco, banking a US$360,000 winner’s cheque and moving to No. 2 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, behind Australia’s Travis Smyth.
He also climbed to No. 3 in The International Series Ranking, which is rather useful if one enjoys upward mobility and large trophies.
This was not a casual stroll through North Africa. Kho made just three bogeys in four days on a difficult golf course, which is the golfing equivalent of walking through a rainstorm in suede shoes and arriving dry.
Kho Finds The Birdie That Mattered Most
Kho began the final round chasing overnight leader Watson, the two-time Masters champion whose swing has spent years looking as if it was assembled in a shed during a lightning storm and somehow became art.
By the 10th hole, Kho was four-under for the day, with five birdies and sole possession of the lead. The problem was not getting into the fight. It was finding the final punch.
That came at the par-five 18th. Watson, who had drawn level with a bunker birdie at the 17th, pulled his second shot from the fairway towards the LED screen and could not save himself from there. Kho, meanwhile, produced the birdie he had been hunting, and the title followed.
Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, unless you happen to be the bloke in the other corner wearing green jackets in his memory.
A Timely Answer After Playoff Pain
The win arrived only a week after Kho had lost in a playoff on the Japan Golf Tour. Golf has a nasty habit of returning emotional invoices with interest, so his reaction in Morocco was understandable. Misty-eyed, relieved and newly decorated, he had earned the moment the hard way.
“It’s been a long year. It’s had a lot of hardships and a bit of adversity. Through it all, I think I really grew as a person. I realised the work I put in surpasses any results,” said Kho.
“Golf’s a funny game. It really gives and takes, and I was very fortunate the last couple of weeks to be on the good side of it. I just have a lot of gratitude towards the game itself, the people around me, the people who make it possible.”
Kho’s career already has a historic shine. In 2023, he won Hong Kong’s first-ever gold medal in golf at the Hangzhou Games. This, though, felt different. Medals carry national pride. Professional wins carry rent, ranking points and the deep satisfaction of proving your nerve still answers when called.
Beating Bubba Watson Made It Personal
The sporting significance was obvious enough. The emotional texture came from the man he beat.
Watson was not merely another name on the leaderboard. For Kho, he was part of childhood television furniture: the left-hander in green at Augusta, carving absurd shapes through pine trees and making the impossible look suspiciously pre-planned.
“I was so pumped up on the golf course. I think playing with Bubba is like a dream come true. I remember watching him win two Masters when I was a little kid. For me to be going neck and neck with him for five hours today, the child inside me was jumping up and down,” said Kho, who said he did not think of the victory until he birdied the last hole.
“I didn’t even think of winning until the last putt dropped! Golf is a really psychological game, and I think one thing that I continue to learn is that a lot of thoughts are going to go through your mind, whether they’re good or bad, and it’s my ability to be able to play freely and play to my instincts through those thoughts. That is what really made the difference for me.
“My last four-footer winning putt felt like a truly impossible putt. I did not know how it was going to break. The putt felt so long, and the hole felt so small, but there was a part of me that knew I had the ability to be free in that situation. That’s what really helped me hit a good putt. It’s a real mental battle out there, but I’m really glad to get that done.”
There it is, the horrible little truth of the game. From outside the ropes, four feet looks like a polite formality. From inside the player’s skull, with a title on the end of it, it becomes a bridge made of dental floss.
Watson Misses Out But Sees The Bigger Picture
Watson closed with a 70 and finished one shot behind. He missed out on a first title since the 2018 Travelers Championship, but his week in Morocco was far from some ceremonial appearance by a famous name.
“I played great. I played as well as I could. Taichi beat me by one, and it was great to see a young player like that perform so well. It shows the game of golf is in a great spot, and it was fun to watch how well he played today,” said the 47-year-old Captain of the RangeGoats GC on LIV Golf.
“He actually told me after the round that he used to watch me growing up, so that was pretty special.
“I told him he’s a great player. If he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s going to have a great career.”
There was generosity in that, and perhaps a touch of time’s wicked sense of humour. One day you are the boy watching Bubba win the Masters. The next, you are the man taking him down the last in Morocco.
Thai Pair Share Third As Smylie Charges Late
Behind Kho and Watson, Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Jazz Janewattananond finished tied third on 15-under. Suteepat signed for a 69 but was hurt by a bogey-bogey finish, while Jazz carded 72 and also dropped a shot at the last.
Jazz, winner of the inaugural International Series Morocco in November 2022 and the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, was left with the particular irritation of knowing the week had been close but not quite obedient.
“I made too many mistakes today. Last hole stung a little bit, because I lost a lot of money on the last hole, but it is what it is, you know. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” said the Thai star, winner of the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit crown.
“I think the game is close. The momentum needs to be better. Swing and everything else is on the right track. So, excited to see what I have for the rest of the year. My goal for this year is to win more than once, because it’s close. I can feel it. I just need a little bit more momentum. I need to learn how to win again, and then once I get it done, I think the second one should be easier.”
Australia’s Elvis Smylie produced the late fireworks, making six birdies in his final seven holes for a 66. That moved him into a tie for fifth at 14-under alongside South Africa’s Ian Snyman, Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent and Japan’s Takanori Konishi.
Asian Tour Heads For A Break
International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco brought the Asian Tour’s three-week stay in Morocco to a close. The circuit now pauses before returning at the Yeangder Taiwan Open in September.
Kho, however, will not be in much of a rush to move on from this one. Some victories are efficient. Some are lucrative. Some are important. This was all three, with a little boyhood wonder tucked into the scorecard for good measure.
He arrived in Morocco chasing a title. He left having beaten a hero, climbed the rankings and proved that the last four feet can be the longest walk in golf.
