Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 25: Sukree Othman of Malaysia carded an opening four-under-par 68 to grab a share of the lead with France’s Erwan Vieilledent, Finland’s Janne Kaske and Thailand’s Tawit Polthai at the PGM Northport Championship on Wednesday.

The 41-year-old Sukree enjoyed a bogey-free round, highlighted by birdies on holes eight, 10, 11 and 16. He has a one-shot lead over the rest of the field at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.

Seven players, including Asian Development Tour (ADT) champions Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij of Thailand, Martin Dive of Australia and Mathiam Keyser of South Africa shared fifth place at the RM225,000 (approximately US$58,000) event.

Sukree attributed his good round to his accurate drives and calmness under pressure.

“I managed to keep my ball on the fairway most of the time today. The greens were quite firm, so you’ll need some spin for the ball to stay on them. It’s a lot more difficult if you approach from the rough,” explained Sukree.

He added: “The seventh hole was quite pivotal for me. I drove into the trees on the left, but I managed to hit it within 10 yards of the green from that bad position and eventually made an up-and-down from there. That was quite satisfying and it’ll give me a good momentum into the second round.”

Vieilledent had a round of two halves. He carded two eagles on his opening nine holes but made the turn even-par. The Frenchman then closed the round solidly, as he made four birdies and did not drop a shot.

“I ended the first nine even par, but I was very positive as I was playing well. I remained patient on my back nine and was rewarded with birdies. I hit it very well off the tee and I was comfortable with the wedge, which made it easier for me to post a low score,” said Vieilledent.

The PGM Northport Championship is the 10th leg on the ADT’s 2018 schedule. All ADT events are afforded Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status. The winner of each tournament receives a minimum of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

The leading seven players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season.

Leading round one scores

68 – Tawit POLTHAI (THA) , Sukree OTHMAN (MAS) , Erwan VIEILLEDENT (FRA) , Janne KASKE (FIN) 

69 – Kemarol BAHARIN (MAS) , Annop TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) , Varanyu RATTANAPHIBOONKIJ (THA) , Martin DIVE (AUS) , Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) , Mathiam KEYSER (RSA) , Cody O’TOOLE (USA) 

70 – Kenneth TOBUSE (MAS) , Josh SALAH (USA) 

71 – Akhmal TARMIZEE (MAS) , S. Siva Chandhran (MAS) , Chanat SAKULPOLPHAISAN (THA) , CHOO Tze Huang (SGP) , Amir NAZRIN (MAS) , KHOR Kheng Hwai (MAS) , Brett MUNSON (USA) , Pisitchai THIPPONG (THA) , Jesse SCHUTTE (USA) , Shariffuddin ARIFFIN (MAS) , KOH Deng Shan (SGP) , Shakhawat SOHEL (BAN) 

72 – Joshua HO (A) (SGP) , Naoki SEKITO (JPN) , Samarth DWIVEDI (IND) , Jonathan WOO (SGP) , Galven Kendall GREEN (A) (MAS) , Scott BARR (AUS) , R. Nachimuthu (MAS) , Daeng Abdul Rahman (MAS) , Fajar Win NURYANTO (INA) 

73 – S. Murthy (MAS) , Muhammad Syakir ADLI AZMI (MAS) , M. Sasidaran (MAS) , Shaifubari MUDA (MAS) , Kimmin CHUL (KOR) , Phanuvich ONCHU (THA) , Hyukchul SHIN (KOR) , Aaerishna SHAHSTHY (A) (MAS) , Airil Rizman ZAHARI (MAS) 

Ends.

About Asian Development Tour

The Asian Development Tour was launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia. Sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Asian Development Tour will ultimately create a new playing platform for emerging stars from across Asia and around the world. Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School, players will qualify for the Asian Development Tour and enjoy the opportunity to hone their games and talent through a secondary circuit in Asia. Designed in the same structure as the Web.com Tour in America and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf. The Asian Development Tour has been structured to ensure the best opportunities for its members. The leading five players on the Asian Development Tour will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for aspiring professionals. All ADT events receive Official World Golf Ranking points.