Indonesia’s Naraajie Ramadhanputra was crowned champion at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open today, the overnight leader being confirmed as the winner after the event was cut to 54 holes due to inclement weather.

Naraajie, winner of two ADT events in 2022, started the day well and was already extending his lead when the tournament organizers suspended play at 11.32am local time due to rain and a lightning storm.

“Unfortunately we have had to cancel play for today due to the threat of lightning,” said Tournament Director Phutthisarn Sricharuviphat. “We stopped play at 11.32 and although we waited to see if the weather would improve, by the time we reached 3.15pm the committee judged there would not be enough time remaining for players to prepare and resume play so the tournament was cut to 54 holes.”

Second place was secured by Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, who was three shots back at -12, followed by his compatriot Poom Saksansin in third on -11. Wocheng Ye of China, Australia’s Jack Murdoch and Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong, Itthipat Buranatanyarat and Nopparat Panichphol finished in a group in fourth place on -10.

Ekpharit Wu and Atiruj Winaicharoenchai of Thailand shared ninth spot on -9, one stroke ahead of compatriots Kosuke Yamamoto and Sirapob Yapala in a tie for 11th.

Weerawish Narkprachar had the most to regret about the poor weather. The Thai player made a scorching start to the final round, reeling off a string of seven birdies on the back nine, making the turn in 30 and added two more birdies without dropping any shots before play was suspended.

Naraajie had a chance to reflect on his improved form as he waited to see if play would resume.

“It’s a shame play was stopped early but the weather was not good. I started the day pretty well, birdied the first hole and the fourth, so I had good momentum but there was a lot of rain and wind out there,” he said.

“It’s nice to finally get my game together this week. I’ve been playing on the Asian Tour since January but I haven’t made any cuts so it’s good to have my A game back.

“I haven’t really made any changes to my game, but I’ve been doing a lot of meditation lately. Stepping up to the Asian Tour, which is the biggest in Asia, is quite a jump. There are a lot of really good players so I needed to upgrade and grow myself to be a better player.

“I feel I’ve got some momentum going after this week so I’m just looking to keep going and keep improving on and off the course. I have a couple of local tournaments coming up and then the next ADT tournament in July so I’m really looking forward to it.

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open, which is jointly sanctioned with the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT), offered prize money of THB4 million (approximately US$117,000). The next tournament on the ADT schedule is the inaugural ADT – All Thailand Partnership Trophy at Phoenix Gold Golf & Country Club, Chonburi, from July 6-9.

The Singha Pattaya Open will be played from July 13-16, the week after the Partnership Trophy and the first time this event is included on the ADT schedule. One of the most established events on the ATGT, the event has been won a record four times by Thailand’s Prom Meesawat.

Naraajie Ramadhanputra (Photo courtesy All Thailand Golf Tour)