GS CALTEX MAEKYUNG OPEN 

The GS Caltex Maekyung Open is celebrating its 45th edition this week at Namseoul Country Club, south of Seoul. The tournament was established in 1982 and has generally been staged at Namseoul Country Club, which has hosted the event for the majority of its history. This week marks the Asian Tour’s first visit to Korea in the 2026 season. 

DANNY LEE. It’s been a rough 2026 thus far for Lee. He’s yet to finish better than T32 across six starts this season. Lee was born in Incheon, South Korea, and returns to his homeland this week. 

MINKYU KIM. Kim became the youngest winner in Challenge Tour history in 2018 at just 17 years and 64 days old, and has since gone on to collect seven professional victories including two Kolon Korea Opens on the Asian Tour. Kim will be playing in front of a home crowd at Namseoul and is coming off his best result of the 2026 LIV Golf season in Mexico City (T22). 

THE CROWNS 

The Crowns is an event on the Japan Tour played on Nagoya Golf Club’s Wagō Course in Tōgō, Aichi, Japan. Founded in 1960, it has been an event on the Japan Golf Tour schedule since the tour’s inaugural season in 1973. Wago measures a modest 6,545 yards and is one of the shortest courses on any major professional tour. Accuracy and short game will be the key this week. 

YOSUKE ASAJI. This is Asaji’s turf. The 32-year-old is the defending champion at the event and in addition to The Crowns, has three more victories on the JGTO in his career. After a modest start to his first LIV Golf season, Asaji returns home as one of the favorites to contend. 

PLAYER NEWS 

Tom McKibbin made the biggest move in the season-long individual points race at LIV Golf Mexico City, jumping 13 spots from 38th to 25th.

LIV Golf announced it will return to Club de Golf Chapultepec for LIV Golf Mexico City 2027. 

Smash GC has been rebranded as OKGC, with captain Talor Gooch anchoring the league’s first team named after a U.S. state. 

Caleb Surratt said he has been encouraging more Legion XIII participation in The International Series, specifically mentioning conversations with teammate McKibbin about playing more events on the circuit.

Nielsen Sports South Africa data shows the landmark event at Steyn City attracted a live unique audience of 186,771 viewers, while capturing over 90% of SuperSport’s golf viewership during the tournament window, underlining its dominance among local audiences.