Regner showcases his talent with two-shot win in Egyptian Open
November 1: Niklas Regner overcame more than a year in the wilderness behind him to win his first international title when he claimed the US$125,000 Egyptian Open, which made a comeback to the global schedule after a gap of 25 years, by two shots.
The Austrian, who started the final day three shots behind overnight leader Yin Ho Yue of Hong Kong, shot a three-under 67 on a tough scoring day at the Madinaty Golf Club, and that was enough for his first win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
The win moves him to No6 in the ADT Order of Merit and puts him in a great position to secure one of 10 available Asian Tour cards.
Thailand’s Tawit Polthai (70) increased his lead on top of the Order of Merit by finishing tied second at 12-under par 268, where he was joined by his compatriot Poom Pattaropong (69) and Carl Jano Corpus (68) of the Philippines.
Morocco’s Ayoub Lguirati (64) shot the best round of the day, and his reward was a jump to tied fifth place at 269 alongside the English duo of Sam Rook (66) and Matt Killen (67). He was the best placed among all players from the North Africa region.
Niklas Regner of Austria.
After a couple of great seasons on the HotelPlanner Tour when he finished inside the top-10 seven times between 2021 and 2022, Regner lost his card with just four cuts in 2024. He qualified for the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this year. However, when he needed to pull out of an event in Finland in August and discovered he had slipped disc, it looked like 2025 was also going to be a wasted year.
Regner made a quick recovery and was back on the ADT with a slightly tweaked swing, and his patience and persistence paid dividend when he finished tied seventh in the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A less than a fortnight ago.
With his coach, Dominic Angkawidjaja, on his bag this week, the comeback was complete with the Egyptian Open triumph.
“I am so happy about this, especially because this is my first international win,” said the 26-year-old Regner.
“The birdie on the 10th was important. I actually hit the drive too long there and the ball was about four-five yards into the rough. But I hit a very decent approach shot from there to about five feet to a tucked pin.
Tawit Polthai of Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The back nine was playing tough with the wind and also the four par-three holes, so I was happy that I did not make any mistakes there.”
Corpus was tied for the lead going to the 16th hole, but an unfortunate double bogey there from the fairway bunker took him out of the equation and opened the way for Regner.
“My caddie told me that I was leading on the 14th hole, so that kind of changed my mindset a little bit. Before that, I was going for everything. But I probably became more aware of my shots.
“On 16th, I thought I was right of the bunker. I could not get out of it with two tries with my hybrid. My caddie insisted I change my club to four-iron after that.
“Honestly, I wasn’t really down after that. I’m always going to go for it, especially, when I am trying to win an event. So, if I had to do it again, I’d still try to hit a hybrid.”
Tawit, who missed a five-footer for a birdie on the final hole that would have put some pressure on Regner and given him a solo second place. The ADT Order of Merit leader is guaranteed to graduate to the Asian Tour and managed to widen his lead on the top.
“It’s a little bit sad. I could have finished solo second. But the good thing is, I just kept my process all the time. When I made the putt on the 18th, I did not know that a birdie would have taken me to second place,” said the 31-year-old.
“But yes, I am excited that I am one step closer to winning the Order of Merit.”
Ayoub Lguirati of Morocco. Picture by Graham Uden / Asian Tour.
Lguirati did not have the best start to his round, making bogeys on the second and third holes. But he knuckled down after that and made seven birdies and an eagle.
“That was a tough round, a lot of wind today. I started with two early bogeys, so to finish the way I did was solid. I’m very happy,” said Lguirati, who improved to 26th place in the Order of Merit.
“I started the year with an injury in my back, so it was very tough for me mentally. But I work so hard with my team, and now my goal is just to try and finish in the top 10, top five.
“I am really enjoying playing the ADT this year, because I also have El Mehdi Fakori from my country with me. We are always travelling together and sharing everything. And I am so happy that he is also playing well.”
Next week, the Asian Development Tour moves to Sokhna Golf Club for the US$125,000 Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open.
October 31: Yin Ho Yue of Hong Kong did all his scoring in the opening nine holes and then parred his way through the back nine for a two-shot lead going into the final round of the US$125,000 Egyptian Open.
Nicknamed Ho ho, the Asian Development Tour rookie shot a four-under par 66 on a day when the Madinaty Golf Club tested the players to reach a 54-hole total of 14-under par 196.
That gave him a two-shot advantage over Thailand’s Order of Merit leader Tawit Polthai (67), and was three ahead of Austria’s Niklas Regner (66), Thailand’s Poom Pattaropong (68) and Morocco’s El Mehdi Fakori (71).
Carl Jano Corpus (65) of the Philippines and Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar (69) were also in the mix four shots adrift of the leader at 10-under.
Promising local amateur Issa Abouelela was the best-placed Egyptian player in the field after shooting the second-lowest round of the day, a 64, that elevated him to tied 12th position. England’s Sam Rook shot 63 for the day’s lowest card.
Tawit Polthai of Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Yue did not have the best start to his round, making a bogey on his opening hole. But once he made a birdie on the third, he added a brace of them on the fifth and sixth holes, and another on the eighth and ninth. The back nine was all pars.
“I think my first birdie of the day was very important. I had a pretty rocky start. I got a little lucky on two, and didn’t hit a great shot on one. I felt like the nerves and the environment got to me a little bit at the start. It was also pretty gusty in the morning, and then, all of a sudden, I made a nice 12-footer on three, and it just shifted the whole momentum,” said the 25-year-old, who is looking for his first win as a professional and improve his ADT Order of Merit position from current 59th.
“I realised I can make putts. I wasn’t really scared of what’s ahead of me. I was kind of excited for it. So that shift in mindset was very helpful.”
On his back nine, Yue said: “Actually, it was a very interesting even-par because I had a lot of birdie looks and a lot of bogey danger, but I was able to find the middle ground. I was happy with that.
“I think tomorrow is gonna be a great experience and challenge. I talked to my coach last night, and our mindset is, let’s treat this as a test, like observe myself and see what I can do and get ready for the future and bigger tournaments. I will just stay really patient and just be excited for whatever comes.
Issa Abouelela of Egypt. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Tawit, winner of the opening event on the ADT schedule this year – the PKNS Selangor Masters – and runner-up at Ciputra Golfpreneur, is assured of graduating to the Asian Tour, but put himself in great position to ensure he went there as the ADT No1.
Ahead of No2 Matt Killen by nearly $20,000, Tawit made five birdies in a stretch of six holes from the fifth to the 10th, and could have closed the gap on Yue if not for bogeys on the 12th and 16th coming in.
“The best birdie today was on the ninth hole where I holed a 30-footer putt,” said Tawit. “I just followed my process todayand that’s what I aim to do tomorrow and just let it happen,”
Madinaty Golf Club member Issa has the pedigree, and he showed it once again by becoming the only player from the host nation to make the cut and now contending for a top spot. He is the son of the legendary Amr Abouelela, winner of seven Pan Arab Championships and 12 Egyptian Opens.
After a round that includes eight birdies and two bogeys, Issa said: “I had a lovely round. Very proud of the way I played today, obviously, after the disappointing first round (72), I had a lot of catching up to do, but I was very happy with how I was able to keep my head down and keep going.
“I missed the cut in Morocco, and it haunted me for a long time, so I was obviously very happy because it means a lot to make the cut in my own country. It just shows that we have the ability as a group of players in Egypt to do some great things.
“Having the Egyptian Open back is great. I was never able to play it because I was so young when it was last played. But obviously, it’s such an honour to have the Egyptian Open back for the new generation and the team. And to see my dad, who has won it several times, being recognised for his contribution to Egyptian golf. I am so proud of him, and my goal is to try and win this event.”
The Asian Development Tour is in Egypt for successive weeks. After the Egyptian Open, it moves to Sokhna Golf Club for the US$125,000 Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open.
October 30: Morocco’s rookie pro El Mehdi Fakori made two eagles in his last six holes to snatch the lead and raise hopes of a first-ever winner from the Northern African region on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
The 25-year-old Fakori shot an eight-under par 62, the low round of the tournament so far, following his opening round 66 to reach 12-under 128 at the halfway stage of the US$125,000 Egyptian Open.
That gave Faklori a two-shot lead over another 25-year-old, Yin Ho Yue of Hong Kong, who shot a 64 playing in the morning groups.
Three Thai players – Poom Pattaropong (66), Tawit Polthai (63) and Sangchai Kaewcharoen (67) – and Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar (67) were tied third at nine-under. England’s Finlay Mason (67) was solo seventh at 8-under.
Fakori turned professional last year after playing a crucial role by finishing second individually in the Pan Arab Championship, which helped Morocco win the overall title. He is now showing his immense potential at the professional level.
Tawit Polthai of Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
On Thursday at the Madinaty Golf Club in Cairo, Fakori was two-under after the first eight holes, but caught fire with back-to-back birdies on the ninth and 10th.
He got his first eagle on the 596-yard par-five 13th hole in the conventional way – reaching the green with a driver and three-wood second shot from 264 yards, before making a 20-footer putt.
But it was the one on the 351-yard, par-four 18th that delighted him more. Fakori smashed a drive into the greenside bunker, and then nonchalantly holed his bunker shot.
“It was a very good round. I was focussed on my routine. I hit 11 out of 12 fairways, and 16 out of 18 greens in regulation. I was just thinking fairway-green, fairway-green on every hole and two putt. Just keep going with any birdie. But I also putted well (total 25 putts),” said Fakori.
“This is my first year as a professional and I have learned a lot playing on the ADT and in countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. Of course, these conditions here in Egypt are close to what we have back at home, but I think I am benefiting more from my experience.”
Poom Pattaropong of Thailand. Photo by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
Hue, who is lovingly called ‘Ho Ho’, made a single birdie on the par-five fifth hole on his front nine, but made his way up the leaderboard with five birdies on the back nine.
“I just stayed really patient out there, just kind of the cliche stuff. I let the ball do its thing and focused on the process. I did a really good job of staying level-headed,” said Hue, who was part of University of Oregon’s men’s team and has his father on his bag this week.
“I felt pretty confident coming into this week. I had a week off last week, so I did some good practice and found some confidence in the swing and also found a new putter. So, a lot of changes, but I feel confident overall.”
The Asian Development Tour is in Egypt for successive weeks. After the Egyptian Open, it moves to Sokhna Golf Club for the US$125,000 Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open.
October 29: It wasn’t the start Sangchai Kaewcharoen wanted on his birthday, but he certainly won’t mind the end as the Thai raced to joint lead at the end of the opening round with a fast-finishing Kevin Akbar of Indonesia and England’s Matt Killen in the US$125,000 Egyptian Open.
At Madinaty Golf Club in Cairo, Sangchai spent a sleepless night because of a bout of food poisoning, but nine birdies in a round of six-under par 64 ensured it was a good day as he turned 27.
Akbar joined him late in the day, shooting five-under par for his last six holes, which included an eagle on the par-five fifth hole. Killen birdied the last to make it a three-way tie at the top.
India’s Karandeep Kochhar, England’s Finlay Mason, the Italian duo of Michele Ortolani and Luca Galliano, Austrian Niklas Regner and Thailand’s Poom Pattaropong were all in tied fourth place, one shot behind the leaders.
Sangchai Kaewcharoen of Thailand. Picture by Kaikungwon Duanjumroon/Asian Tour.
Morocco’s rookie pro El Mehdi Fakori was the best player from the region with a four-under round, that lifted him to tied 10th place alongside five other players.
Akbar and Sangchai are currently 51st and 52nd in the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit. Killen is second, and almost assured of graduating to the Asian Tour next season.
Sangchai started on the 10th tee and his round included four birdies in a row from the 16th hole to the first, and six birdies in eight holes from the 14th to the third.
“I did not drive that ball that well today, but my approach shots were good, and I made a lot of putts. I made three bogeys, and all of them came after I missed the fairways,” said Sangchai, winner of the 2023 OB Golf Invitational Presented by Sentul Highlands Golf Club on the ADT.
“It’s my birthday today, but I was up all night dealing with food poisoning. Hopefully, I am better tomorrow and continue to play like this.”
Akbar continued his good form from previous week’s ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in the Philippines, where he finished tied seventh. He was one-under par through 12 holes, before going on a tear, coming in with four birdies and an eagle.
Matt Killen of England. Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Asian Tour
“Played really good today. Striking the ball pretty good and holed some important putts too,” said the 27-year-old, winner of one ADT title in 2023.
“The eagle on fifth hole was the highlight. Hit my driver on the fairway. I hit my second shot just on the green, with the pin middle-left. I was trying to get it close first, but luckily, it just rolled in.
“I like the golf course, which is in great shape. I like this type of grass, which is pretty similar to some of the courses we have back home in Indonesia.”
Killen, winner of Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament earlier this year, made a bright start and reached six-under through 12 holes. However, he needed a birdie on the last to maintain that score after dropping his second shot of the day on the par-three 15th hole.
Kochhar, who is hoping to regain his full card on the Asian Tour through ADT this year, was one of four bogey-free rounds of the day.
“Obviously, going bogey-free is always a good thing. I would say it was quite a stress-free round because I hit all 18 greens in regulation and made a couple of really good lag putts from 40–50-foot range,” said Kochhar, who is ranked 19th in the Order of Merit.
The Asian Development Tour is in Egypt for successive weeks. After the Egyptian Open, it moves to Sokhna Golf Club for the US$125,000 Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open.
Carl Jano Corpus followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Aidric Chan, and became the second Filipino champion in the two weeks the Asian Development Tour has been in Morocco.
The 23-year-old Corpus, who turned pro at the start of the year, won the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts in only his fifth start on the ADT and sixth as a professional. It came a week after Chan won the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Samanah Golf Club.
It also meant that the two cousins will be staying back in the country to take part in next week’s US$2 million International Series Morocco. Corpus, tied ninth at Samanah, topped the aggregate money list from the two back-to-back ADT events, with Chan in second place.
On Sunday at the Kyle Phillips-designed golf course, Corpus edged Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech by one shot after a bogey-free round of seven-under par 65. Settee, the overnight joint leader, also shot a bogey-free round, but his 66 needed at least one more red number on the card to have any chance of stopping the promising Filipino star.
Settee Prakongvech of Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The San Jose State University alumni finished on 25-under with Settee on 24-under. While it became a two-man battle towards the end, they had to overcome the initial challenge posed by Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente. The 2024 Latin American Amateur Championship winner broke the course record held by another Mexican – Fernando Lira at the LET Golf Q School event – and Corpus on Saturday. The 11-under 61 gave him solo third place at 22-under.
American Charles Porter (64), Filipino Justin Quiban (65), Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig (66), Malaysia’s Marcus Lim (66) and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (69) were tied for fourth place at 19-under.
Corpus and Settee both started the final round at 18-under, and it was the 23-year-old Filipino who made the first move with three successive birdies from the second to fourth holes. The 30-year-old Thai then responded with four straight birdies from the sixth to ninth holes, and both players made the turn at 23-under.
On the back nine, Corpus edged ahead with a birdie on the 11th, but Settee caught up once again with a birdie on the par-5 13th. The two players were now locked at 24-under par.
Corpus may have missed his birdie on the 13th, but he delivered what proved to be the knock-out blow on the next par-5 16th hole. He made the birdie as Settee missed his, and that proved to be the difference in the end.
Santiago De la Fuente of Mexico. Picture by Vachira Kalong/Asian Tour
“I started thinking about it yesterday as soon as I finished my round that I could win this thing. And ever since, I have been feeling a lot of pressure on myself. I kept thinking what can I do for tomorrow? Honestly, I haven’t been in this position before. To get it done, it’s such a different experience. It’s something that I hope I can feel again in the near future,” said Corpus, who was 23-under for his last 57 holes with two eagles, 20 birdies and just one bogey.
“I am a champion. That’s something that’s not going to be taken away from me, something that I have until the rest of my life. I am definitely excited about the opportunity to play in an International Series event. It is all about getting the opportunity to play in bigger events, to showcase my talent and to showcase the support that I have back at home, and also here in Morocco with my mom. I am happy to have the opportunity to showcase the hard work that I put in to get here.”
Leading by one on the 18th hole, Corpus hit a great drive and then hit his second to 35 feet. His first putt left him a putt of less than two feet for the win.
“I was shaking at that point. It was like an earthquake because I just could not keep my putter stable. I am glad it went in,” added Corpus.
De la Fuente started his final round with eight birdies in the first nine holes. He cooled down on the back nine, but picked up three more shots to get into Al Maaden Golf Resorts’ history book.
“I played great and hit some very good shots out there. To achieve the course record here at Al Maaden is very unique for me,” said De la Fuente, who secured his best finish as a professional.
The Asian Development Tour takes a break after this and returns with the US$150,000 Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia’s Damai Indah Golf course from August 20-23.
Watching his cousin brother Aidric Chan win two Asian Development Tour titles this year has been inspirational for Carl Jano Corpus, and the Filipino youngster served notice of his own immense potential by sensationally grabbing a share of the lead on day three of the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts.
The San Jose State University star, who turned professional earlier this year and turns 24 next month, shot a sparkling round of 10-under par 62 at the Kyle Phillips-designed golf course on Saturday. Corpus made a bogey during the round, but more than made up for that solitary mistake with one eagle and nine birdies.
At 18-under par aggregate, Corpus was joined at the top of the leaderboard by overnight co-leader Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech, who shot a bogey-free 65.
Australia’s Darcy Brereton (64), Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (66) and American Ryoto Furuya (66) were tied for third place at 16-under, two shots behind the leaders.
Settee Prakongvech of Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I didn’t really try anything different today,” said Corpus, who completed the front nine in 29. “Since I was in college, we’ve been focusing on our routines, just focusing on the target. I didn’t think about anything else but to give myself a good opportunity to score. That’s what I did the whole day. And I holed a lot of putts today. The hole looked pretty big to me today, and I could see the breaks.”
The sole bogey on the 11th was more of a mental mistake, where after hitting his drive left, Corpus said he was hoping to get a free relief, but did not get it.
“I just told myself that I was playing well and would not have been seven-under if not for that. I went to the next hole trying to make a birdie again and managed to do just that – holing a 20-footer on the tough par-3,” Corpus added.
Chan, winner of last week’s Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Samanah Golf Club and Lexus Challenge in Vietnam in March, is the son of his maternal aunt and the two have virtually grown up together. They lived in the same compound in Manila, had the same coach and even went to the same school. For more than a decade and half, they have been trying to beat each other.
“When I saw Aidrich win Lexus, coming from behind as well, it was so inspiring for me because I have seen him work and put in the effort. That made me check out the small things that I could do to get to get better every single day.
One of those things that I saw with Adrich was his chipping…it was tremendous. It wasn’t like that last year. And then he really put in the hard work, and that inspired me to put in the work as well. I worked especially on my putting, and it was good to see some of that pay off today.”
Settee, looking for his second win on the ADT, made three birdies on the front nine and four on the back.
“It was another good day. Like yesterday, my irons and putter were working well again,” said the 30-year-old from Chonburi.
The champion this week will almost be assured to get one of two invitations up for grabs for the US$2 million International Series Morocco, which will be played from July 3-6.
The two leading players from an aggregate money list from the two Morocco ADT events (not otherwise exempt) will earn the invitations. Chan, winner last week, leads that list, and will be joined by Corpus, if he can pull it off on Sunday.
Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech, playing just a group behind overnight leader Varun Chopra, shot a brilliant round of nine-under par 63 to catch up with the American on top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts.
A former champion on the Asian Development Tour, Settee made a bogey on the 18th hole – his ninth – but eight birdies and an eagle were good enough to elevate him to 11-under aggregate at the Kyle Phillips-designed golf course and tied for lead with the rock-solid Chopra, who has managed to keep bogeys out of his card for a second straight day in a round of 69.
Japan’s Ryoto Furuya (63), Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente (69), England’s Ben Jones (67), Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (68) were tied third at 10-under par, while England’s Sam Broadhurst (68) and Sweden’s Filip Lundell (69) were tied seventh one shot further back.
The cut fell at three-under par 141 and 57 players, including two amateurs, made it to the weekend.
Settee, the promising 30-year-old from Chonburi, has won five times in professional circuits, and all his triumphs have come in his home country. But he has now put himself in a great position going into what promises to be a hot weekend.
“I hit my irons really well today and my putting was very good. I made a few long putts, and I made an eagle, which always helps,” said Settee after his round.
“It was a perfectly played hole (the par-5 fourth). I hit a driver right down the middle, then cut a six-iron to the middle of the green and made the putt from 12 feet.”
Varun Chopra of the USA. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Chopra, who made so many birdies in his opening round of 64 on Thursday that he could not decide which was his favourite one, picked up only three shots on Friday.
The 24-year-old American, who also co-led the tournament at Samanah at the halfway stage last week, stayed patient after making just one regulation birdie on the par-5 16th and 13 pars after starting from the 10th tee. He was then rewarded with two birdies in his last four holes, including a holed bunker shot on the sixth and a very pleasing closing one on his final hole.
The tall Chopra, who was a very good basketball player in his school days, said: “It was a pretty slow day for me, but I stayed in it and managed to shoot a good score. I had a few birdie chances and did not get them. I made a lot of pars – 15 of them.
“So, I just tried to stay positive and told myself that I was doing all the right things.”
The champion this week will almost be assured to get one of two invitations up for grabs for the US$2 million International Series Morocco, which will be played from July 3-6. The two leading players from an aggregate money list from the two Morocco ADT events (not otherwise exempt) will earn the invitations. Philippines’ Aidric Chan, winner last week, leads that list with India’s Karandeep Kochhar in second place.
Red-hot Varun Chopra was close to a breakthrough win last week at Samanah Golf Club, and he continued his brilliant form in the weather-interrupted opening round of the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts, shooting a bogey-free eight-under par 64.
The 24-year-old American, who co-led the tournament at the halfway stage last week with impeccable rounds of 67 and 66, slipped to tied ninth after a forgettable third-round 74. It was disappointing, but Chopra showed on Thursday that it had made no dent in his confidence.
Overcoming the hot conditions in the afternoon round, Chopra’s 64 was one better than Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente, who is trying to kickstart his professional career. The 23-year-old, who played the Masters, the US Open and the Open Championship last year as a reward for winning the 2024 Latin American Amateur Championship, put together an impressive round of 65 that included two eagles.
Moroccan amateur Reda El Hali led the local challenge with a superb, bogey-free effort of six-under 66. He was joined in tied third place by Sweden’s Filip Lundell, England’s Sam Rook, Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig, and the Thai duo of Tanapat Pichaikool and Suttinon Panyo.
Play was suspended at 6:08 p.m. local time due to a lightning threat and sandstorms. Round 1 will commence at 7:20 a.m. on Friday, with Round 2 to start as scheduled at 7:45 a.m.
Santiago De la Fuente of Mexico. Picture by Kaikungwon Duanjumroon/Asian Tour
Chopra was eight-under par through 14 holes and finished with four straight pars. Even though he made a bunch of birdies, the Northwestern University alumni said his par saves were more memorable.
“I got off to a good start and was five-under on the front nine. I made a lot of good par saves. On the par-threes, I missed a couple of greens and my short game was pretty good. And then on the last hole as well, made a good up-and-down for par. So, it was good that I kept the round together,” said Chopra.
“I drove it pretty well, and I made some good clutch putts to save pars. To be honest, I had so many birdies, but I remember the pars more for some reason. It just feels like they were more important.
“Like, on the third hole, I missed the green on the par-three and was in the back bunker. I hit it to about 15-20 feet from the pin and made the putt. Those were kind of nice momentum pars. I feel like those were big. All the birdies were on par-fives and sort of regulation birdies.
“I learned a lot last week. The third round wasn’t great for me. I felt like I played well the other three days. I learned a lot from that Saturday, like how to mentally approach it a bit better.”
De la Fuente eagled two of the par-5s – the fourth and 13th – chipping in from 15 yards on both holes. His only bogey of the day came on the par-4 10th hole, and he closed with a birdie on the 18th.
“It was a good round. I hit it pretty solid. Then got lucky with a few chip-ins on par-fives, which helped me make the two eagles. I finished strong with a good birdie. I always found myself in the right position. I made just one mistake, and it cost me a bogey,” said De la Fuente.
The champion this week will almost be assured to get one of two invitations up for grabs for the US$2 million International Series Morocco, which will be played from July 3-6. The two leading players from an aggregate money list from the two Morocco ADT events (not otherwise exempt) will earn the invitations. Philippines’ Aidric Chan, winner last week, leads that list with India’s Karandeep Kochhar in second place.
A solid seven-under par 65 final round vaulted promising Filipino star Aidric Chan to a one-shot win in the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech, and also to the top of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit.
It was the second win of the season for the 21-year-old Chan following his triumph in the Lexus Challenge in March. The win almost guarantees that he’d be one of the graduates to the Asian Tour next season. Chan also booked himself one of the two places available in next month’s US$2 million International Series Morocco through a special money list from the two Morocco ADT events.
At the Jack Nicklaus-designed Samanah Golf Club on Sunday, Chan started the final round two shots behind overnight leader, Italy’s Luca Cianchetti, at 11-under par, and finished on 18-under par total. That was good enough to edge India’s Karandeep Kochhar, who shot a bogey-free 65, by one shot.
The victory was worth US$21,875 for Chan, who represented the University of Arizona Wildcats in the US during his college years. It pushed him past Thailand’s Tawit Polthai as the ADT Order of Merit leader with season’s earnings of US$38,352.17.
England’s Finlay Manson also came home with a round of 65, which lifted him to solo third place at 16-under, while Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (68) and England’s Sam Broadhurst (69) were tied fourth a shot further behind.
A final-hole bogey denied Morocco’s Ayoub Lguirati (71) a deserving top-10 finish, but the 31-year-old was still the leading player from his home country at 11-under and tied 13th place.
Aidric Chan of the Philippines. Picture courtesy RMGF
Cianchetti needed early birdies to protect his slender one-shot lead, but he could only make two in the front nine and gave away that advantage with two bogeys. A double on 11th, followed by another dropped shot on the 12th, paved the way for those following him to take control. One-third into the final round for the leaders, it was a tight leaderboard with six players on top at -13.
Chan took control on the back nine, especially on the stretch of five holes between the 12th and 16th, where he made four birdies. He then made two gutsy pars on the closing holes.
“You know, I couldn’t be any more grateful for being in this position,” said the 21-year-old from Manila. “I started the day with a birdie. My wedges instantly clicked in for me. I did bogey the second hole, but today, I felt that every time I was holding a wedge, I was getting it to the flag and then making a putt. That felt really good.”
On the possibility that he’d graduate to the Asian Tour next season, Chan added: “I’m feeling a big relief. The weight is off my back. Players like me, we really aim to play on a higher stage every time.
“So, I’m really happy that I was able to close this out and save myself a trip to the Q-School. I’m really excited for what comes ahead. I don’t know what the future holds, but I will stay focused on my goals.”
Karandeep Kochhar of India. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Kochhar, who lost his Asian Tour card in 2024 after struggling with his form, was delighted with the way he played, even though he missed the title by one shot.
A glorious 40-foot putt for birdie on the 17th hole brought Kochhar into the frame, but he was left with another 40-footer birdie attempt on the last to match Chan, which stopped short.
“I think the bogeys yesterday (69) on the 17th and 18th cost me this week, but that’s fine,” said the Chandigarh-based golfer. “The game is trending in the right direction. I don’t play the ADT much, but considering this finish, I’m going to play more on the Tour in the second half of the season.”
The Asian Development Tour will remain in Morocco and move some 20 kilometres northwards to Al Maaden Golf Resorts for its back-to-back event in Marrakech.
Hailing from the city that has given the world some of the finest supercars, including Ferrari, Italian Luca Cianchetti is hoping for a fast finish and win his first title on the Asian Development Tour after he grabbed a one-shot lead going into the final round of the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech, the first of the two back-to-back ADT events being played in the country.
The 30-year-old Modena native is no stranger to success, having won the 2016 European Amateur Championship and then three titles on the Alps Tour. However, if he gets it done at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Samanah Golf Club on Sunday, it will be the biggest professional win in the career of the promising Italian.
Playing one group behind the leaders, Cianchetti birdied the last for a third-round five-under par 67, which was good for a 13-under par total and one ahead of England’s Sam Broadhurst, who closed with six birdies in his last seven holes to card the day’s best round of 64 and move to 12-under total.
Local hero and overnight leader Ayoub Lguirati seemed to be on course to remain on top of the leaderboard after 54 holes, but two late bogeys saw him slip to tied third place at 11-under with an even-par round.
Joining Lguirati was another Italian Michele Ortolani, who has made a name traveling all parts of the world and playing in far-flung tours, including India’s PGTI Tour. Ortolani shot a 65 and was joined by Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij and the Philippines’ Aidric Chan, who both shot rounds of 69.
Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Playing in his first season on the ADT, Cianchetti is hoping to get his Asian Tour card, and Sunday could be a big step for him.
“I started off nicely with some good drives that I could take advantage off, because I was hitting it really close on the greens. I was just so-so on the back nine, but I kept my patience and made a nice eagle on the 12th. Made a little mistake on 17 with a bogey, but I made a good recovery with a very good birdie on the 18th,” said Cianchetti, who qualified for the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
“I was looking at the leaderboard, but I tried to get as many chances as possible during the round, and I’m happy with how I capitalised on them. I was just trying to play my game. It has worked the last three days, so I hope it will work again tomorrow.”
Broadhurst, son of European legend Paul, missed a chance of winning his first ADT title at the Lexus Challenge earlier this year in Vietnam, where two bogeys on the back nine denied him glory.
“Today was kind of cooler to start the day. The ball wasn’t going as far as it has been all week, which, I guess, suited me a bit better. I really struggled yesterday trying to hit the right number as it kept flying too far,” said the 28-year-old, who was on the bag of his father when he won the 2016 Senior Open Championship.
“I feel like I learned a lot from the Lexus Challenge. I was too much engrossed in the final group. I didn’t really know where I was until the 18th, and then got told I needed a birdie. Obviously, missed that short one, which is annoying. I kind of felt like I turned it into a match play. And you just can’t do that. You have just got to stay the moment really and concentrate on your own game. Doesn’t really matter who you’re playing, or what your partners are doing.”
Apart from the winner’s cheque, the champion this week will almost be assured one of the two invitations up for grabs for the US$2 million International Series Morocco, which will be played from July 3-6. The two leading players from an aggregate money list from the two Morocco ADT events (not otherwise exempt) will earn the invitations.
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