SEOUL – PGA Tour stars KJ Choi, who turned 40 on Wednesday, and Kevin Na headline this week's SK Telecom Open as each aims to secure their first OneAsia title.

Choi played down the significance of his birthday on May 19 as the seven-time PGA Tour winner aims for a record fourth victory in the SK Telecom Open, which is again being held at the Sky 72 Golf Club near Incheon International Airport.

"I've been receiving birthday presents and flowers from many people, which is nice, but it's not really a special occasion for me. In Korean culture, I think my birthday will be sometime in June, but I've yet to figure out exactly when," said Choi, who finished joint fourth at the Masters last month.

Park No-seok won three of the first four editions of the SK Telecom Open after it was launched in 1997 and Choi matched his tally two years ago when he won for the third time after earlier victories in 2003 and 2005.

Choi, who tied for sixth last year, was in a relaxed mood as he played a practice round with 2007 champion Bae Sang-moon and Kim Dae-hyun, both of whom he hosted at his home in Texas last December.

Mentor to the young ones

Embracing his role as a mentor to Korea's young stars, Choi offered high hopes for 23-year-old Bae, winner of the last two Korean Tour Order of Merit titles, and Kim, the big-hitting 22-year-old who secured his first OneAsia win at this month's GS Caltex Maekyung Open.

"Both Sang-moon and Dae-hyun visited me in Texas and we spent some good time practising together. They have no problem with hitting the ball far and straight. They're flexible and well conditioned for golf because they started young," said Choi, the current world number 37.

"However, I'm trying to pass on some advice on focus and technical skills, such as bunker play. I'm trying to give them more confidence. Lots of people can hit a ball well, so it will be the mental game that will make the difference."

Na, the world number 46, is another star draw as he makes his first tournament appearance in Korea since finishing joint sixth at the Shinhan Donghae Open in October 2005.

"It's definitely important for me to play well this week. I've finished second and had a few top 10s in Korea, but I've never won here," said the 26-year-old American, who was born in Seoul.

"It's great to come back as I have family and friends in Seoul and my brother moved back here three months ago. If I play to my potential, I should be in contention this week."

Na was joint runner-up to Ernie Els at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and is among the favourites this week after an impressive 2009 when he finished 19th on the PGA Tour money list following two third-place finishes and nine top-10s.

'Came together'

"I've been on the PGA Tour for seven years now, but it all came together last year for a variety of reasons," said Na, who lives in Las Vegas.

"My putting improved and I generally played better at the weekend and kept my momentum going. My game's coming along nicely."

Other competitors who have flown in from the US include Australian Jamie Arnold from the Nationwide Tour and Chinese amateur Han Ren, who recently completed his third year of a golf scholarship at Indiana University.

Arnold, 26, is the elder brother of OneAsia regular Scott Arnold, who finished joint third at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open and was the world's number one amateur before turning pro last year.

"I've got a week off, so it was a good opportunity to come over here and see how I go," said Jamie Arnold, who's competing in his first season on the Nationwide Tour.

"It's good my brother's here and it's nice to come back and play in Asia when I can, as it might help me get more spots in future OneAsia events."

Park Sang-hyun, 27, is the defending champion after his breakthrough win at last year's SK Telecom Open, one of two Korean Tour victories last year that helped him finish a career-high fifth on the Order of Merit.

Simon Yates, winner in 2004, is another former champion in this week's field after the Thailand-based Scot secured a release from the Asian Tour.

The SK Telecom Open will be broadcast domestically on SBS on all four days, as well as internationally across OneAsia's comprehensive TV platform.

In 2010, OneAsia will stage 11 tournaments, ultimately seeking to provide players in Asia with an alternative pathway to the PGA Tour and the European Tour.

China's Liang Wenchong won the season-opening Luxehills Chengdu Open before Koreans Y.E. Yang and Kim Dae-hyun won the Volvo China Open and GS Caltex Maekyung Open respectively. — Malaysian Mirror