HONG KONG, April 30 - Defending champion Kim Kyung-tae of Korea will return to a happy hunting ground when booming OneAsia makes its much-anticipated season debut in his homeland at next week’s 31st GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship.

The world number 48 has won the tournament twice at the hilly Namseoul Golf & Country Club and was runner-up to compatriot Kim Dae-hyun in 2010 when the celebrated event joined OneAsia.

His commanding eight-shot victory last year, thanks to four rounds in the sixties, catapulted him up the rankings and he eventually finished second in the money list behind Andre Stolz of Australia.

Kim, the 2010 Japan Tour number one, excelled in his four outings on OneAsia last season with victory in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, second place in the SK Telecom Open, joint 29th in the Kolon Korea Open and tied sixth in the Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola for total prize money of U.S. $327,178.

Before making a late bid for Order of Merit honours at the Australian PGA Championship, Kim starred for The Internationals in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne where he teamed up with Y.E. Yang to down the fancied U.S. pairing of Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson in four-ball play.

He backed up that effort with a one-up victory over Webb Simpson, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour last season, in the singles.

Like the Masters, the 31st GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship presents a Green Jacket to the winner and if Kim wants to add to his wardrobe after victories in 2007 and 2011 he will have to see off the challenges of a host of OneAsia winners in the quality field.

Australia’s Nick Cullen, who won the season-opening Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open, countryman Kim Felton (2010 Midea China Classic), Kim Bi-o of Korea (2011 Nanshan China Masters) and Kiwi Michael Hendry (2010 Indonesia Open) feature in the line-up from May 10-13.

Known as the “People’s Tournament”, the GS Caltex Maekyung Open drew more than 40,000 people to Namseoul Golf & Country Club for its 30th edition last year and organisers are hoping that total will be surpassed next week.

Previous winners of the title include world number 32 Bae Sang-moon (2009), Mark Calcavecchia (2004) and 2004 British Open winner Todd Hamilton who claimed the title in 1992.

“The tournament is an amazing event with a long and proud history, and holds a special place in the golfing calendar for all Korean fans,” said OneAsia Commissioner and Chairman Sang Y. Chun.

“The crowds exceeded all expectations last year, and this combined with year-on-year growth in domestic television ratings, and an international audience of more than 400 million people in more than 40 countries as part of the OneAsia schedule, means this event will continue to go from strength to strength."

The 31st GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship is the third stop on OneAsia 2012 schedule. Following Cullen’s win at the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open, Branden Grace of South Africa triumphed at the Volvo China Open, an event co-sanctioned with the European Tour.