Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu made a strong start at the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis Country Club today, posting a six-under-par round of 66 to secure the early clubhouse lead which he shares with Japan’s Naoki Sekito.

A solid driving game and an early eagle helped Wu around the West Course, along with the acquired knowledge of playing the course recently.

“My driver was very good today, easy to make birdies,” he said after his round. “I played here for the first time last month (at The Indonesia Pro-Am Presented by Combiphar & Nomura), so this time I knew a lot more about the course which made it easier to plan.”

“The course knowledge helped me think about what I had to do and helped me focus, so I didn’t worry so much about the penalty areas. I did what I had to do.”

Naoki Sekito of Japan pictured in action during the first round of the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis West Course on September 27,2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

With just 27 putts and one dropped shot today at the US$70,000 Asian Development Tour event, which is being played over 54 holes, Wu knows he is on the right track.

“I think this time the course is better, the grass has grown a bit and the greens are a little bit softer so its possible to be a bit more aggressive. The speed was good which made it easy to putt.

“I’ve been trying to focus on every part of my game,” he said, ” and trying to make the best of what I have. Tomorrow, I’m just going to try to do the same and do my best.”

Sekito joined Wu as the clubhouse leader shortly afterwards. “It was a good round today,” he explained after his round. “I holed some difficult putts, not long putts but some downhill with a lot of break. I played here last month and my putting was really bad so I tried to focus on that today.

“I changed my putter,” he added, going on to explain that his father had helped him overcome a poor run of form. “Last week I played a Japan Tour event and I also putted really bad, my dad was watching and he suggested I change. I didn’t want to but it really worked today.”

Amir Nazrin of Malaysia pictured in action during the first round of the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis West Course on September 27,2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

Sekito, who won on the course on the East Course at the Gunung Geulis Golf Invitational in 2019, said his familiarity with the venue made it easier.

“I feel at home here, having won here before, it gives me a lot of confidence and I feel comfortable. The greens are a bit slower than last month but still difficult, and it’s windy. Playing aggressively here is not good. It’s a short golf course but you need to be very patient and calm down.

Sekito also had a secret source of local knowledge, as his caddy was a Japanese fan living in Indonesia. They met at the Indonesian Open last year and became friends, which led to a chance to caddy in Thailand at Q-School this year.

“He knows my golf well, so he can give me some good advice, plus he knows this course very well so he was able to help me a lot today,” he explained.

Behind the leaders, sitting two strokes off the lead, is a group incorporating the Malaysian duo of Amir Nazrin and Muhammad Danial Faidz, Thailand’s Vanchai Luangnitikul, Minhyeok Yang of Korea, Sweden’s Oscar Zetterwall and Sydney Chung of the USA.

Naraajie Ramadhanputra of Indonesia pictured in action during the first round of the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis West Course on September 27,2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

One shot further back is Indonesia’s rising star Naraajie Ramadhanputra, Australia’s Deyen Lawson and compatriot Aaron Wilkin who won in Vietnam at the BRG Open Golf Championship in Da Nang earlier this month. They are accompanied by Thailand’s Sarun Sirithon and Nattawat Suvajanakorn and Japan’s Shinichi Mizuno.

The three-day tournament continues tomorrow on the West Gourse of Gunung Geulis Country Club with a cut of the top 50 players and ties after the conclusion of play continuing to the final round.