Carlos Pigem faces his last chance this week to retain his Asian Tour card. The golfer from Lleida is currently ranked 91st in the Asian circuit’s order of merit and needs to break into the top 65 to secure a full year in 2025 without having to return to qualifying school.
To achieve this, he will need to deliver a strong performance at the Link Hong Kong Open, which starts this Thursday and will be his last tournament of the season. There are still two more championships to complete the calendar, an International Series in Qatar and the PIF Saudi International, two events in which the Spaniard is not initially included, mainly due to the large number of LIV Golf players participating.
Thus, Pigem is playing for high stakes this week in Hong Kong. The calculations are not very complicated. He will approximately need a top 10 finish to give himself a chance of ending up among the top 65. Naturally, the higher he finishes, the better his chances. If he finishes outside the top 10, there are no more calculations to be made, as the numbers won’t add up for him.
The tournament is held at the legendary Hong Kong Golf Club, which celebrated its 135th anniversary this week with the presence of Gary Player. It is an International Series, so it offers more points, which is very positive given Pigem’s situation, but at the same time, it features a stronger field of players, making it more challenging to finish at the top.
Among the players in Hong Kong, the most notable are Tom Kim, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Anirban Lahiri, Martin Kaymer, Matt Jones, and the Spaniard Eugenio López Chacarra. It is particularly noteworthy that Matt Jones is playing here this week instead of at the BMW Australian PGA Championship in his homeland. This is likely related to his contract and obligations incurred by signing with LIV Golf.
Pigem recently made the cut last week in Taiwan, earning some valuable points, although slightly less than he would have hoped for. His best result this season has been a 28th place, achieved on two occasions. The task, therefore, is not easy, but it wouldn’t be the first time Pigem delivers his best performance in situations of utmost necessity.
