Labuan, Malaysia, August 13: Indonesia’s George Gandranata believes the ‘home’ comforts of Malaysia will help him to do well as he gets ready for this week’s PGM Labuan Championship.

The RM225,000 (approximately US$58,000) event on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) will get underway on Wednesday with players from more than 10 countries vying for top honours at the Labuan International Golf Club.

Gandranata is seeking his first ADT win since 2016 and is hopeful of achieving a good result in a country where he claimed his career breakthrough.

“I could decide between playing in Taiwan or Malaysia this week and it was an easy decision for me when it came down to where I wanted to play.

“I love Malaysia and it’s really like home to me. We share a lot of similarities and I’ve done well here before. So I’m feeling really happy here although it’s my first time in Labuan,” said the 32-year-old.

Gandranata won his first ADT title in Langkawi, Malaysia in 2016. He made the cut at two consecutive events earlier in the season before posting a top-five finish on home soil in March.

“I don’t like to put too much pressure on myself and I want to go into the week without any expectations. I treat this event like another tournament and hopefully I can do well.

“With the ADT rewarding the top seven players on the final Order of Merit with playing rights on the Asian Tour in 2019, there’s really added motivation to do well,” said the Indonesian.

Other contenders expected to challenge for the PGM Labuan Championship include Singapore’s Johnson Poh, Bangladeshi Shakhawat Sohel and Argentina’s Miguel Carballo.

The PGM Labuan Championship takes place concurrently with the Taifong Open which will tee off at the Taifong Golf Course in Chinese Taipei this week.

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.

Ends.