Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 23: Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas clinched his third Asian Development Tour (ADT) title and second win of the season with a three-shot victory at the PGM MIDF ADT Championship on Saturday.

Pannakorn, the 2017 ADT Order of Merit champion, closed with two straight birdies to sign for a two-under-par 70 and a winning total of 14-under 272 at the Kota Seriemas Golf and Country Club located in Nilai.

Local hopeful Leunkwang Kim, who shared the third round lead with Pannakorn, settled for a three-way tie for second place with compatriot M. Sasidaran and Order of Merit leader Naoki Sekito of Japan after he could only muster a 73 to finish on 11-under-par 277.

Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam and Justin De Los Santos of the Philippines both carded matching 71s to finish six shots back in fifth place at the US$54,000 event, which is the third last stop of the 19-event Tour schedule this season.

Pannakorn and Kim got the finale off to a fine start by picking up shot in their opening holes but it was the Thai who edged ahead after Kim fumbled on the second.

Although dropping a shot on hole four, Pannakorn would bounce back later on nine and 11 to open up a three-shot cushion at that point.

Not to be outdone, Kim, who had three blemishes in the first nine, charged back into contention right after the turn by firing five birdies against one bogey to draw level with Pannakorn on 13-under through 15 holes.

Pannakorn, on the other hand, had bogeys on 13 and 15.

But Kim’s hopes of adding a second ADT title to the PGM MNRB ADT Championship in September had immediately gone up in smoke when he squandered three shots over the next two holes, including a double bogey on 16.

With the pressure’s off, a buoyed Pannakorn finished off in style by sinking two back-to-back long birdie putts in the last two holes.

“I’m so happy today. This is the second time I have won this season (after the PGM Johor ADT Championship), and a third overall on the ADT.

“I didn’t play too good in the middle, but it’s okay because I managed to finish strongly.

“When Kim fumbled and I had my lead restored, I knew I had to make the opportunity counts.

“And it’s nice to finish off with two birdies. On 17, it was downhill from about 15 feet and the 18 was even more memorable as I rolled it up the slope from more than 30 feet.

“My ball-striking wasn’t the greatest this week, but I made a lot of good putts. My hot putter made the difference.

A cool US$9,529 winner’s cheque has propelled Pannakorn to second on the Order of Merit, giving him a mathematical chance to become the first ever golfer to top the ADT money list twice.

But it will be a monumental task as Pannakorn must win the remaining two events in the schedule whilst hoping Sekito, who leads by US$20,000, to miss cut in both tournaments.

“Winning the Order of Merit again? Maybe not as Sekito is really too far ahead for me to catch. But if I can win the next tournament, then we’ll see.

“But all that matters to me is to remain in the top seven until the end of the season. Now that I have gone up to second, I think I have a really good chance to secure my Asian Tour card.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 22: Malaysia’s Leunkwang Kim had an ace to thank for lifting him to the top of the leaderboard with overnight leader Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand at the penultimate stage of the PGM MIDF ADT Championship on Friday.

Kim closed his round with an even-par 72 as his hole-in-one on the par-three eight and three birdies made up for his five bogeys at the Kota Seriemas Golf and Country Club.

Pannakorn meanwhile managed a 73 after trading three birdies against four bogeys as both carded a three-day total of 12-under-par 204.

Order of Merit leader Naoki Sekito sits just two shots off the pair with a 69, while Justin De Los Santos (70), Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (70), Gregory Foo (72) and Airil Zahari (73) are five shots away from the joint-leaders.

Kim, who led the first round was grateful for his 159-yard hole-in-one which proved to be the highlight of what he described as an ordinary round.

“I hit that on the soft eight, made a good line and was happy to see it go in. But overall I didn’t do too well, especially with the three bogeys at the end,” said Kim.

Kim started off with a bogey on the third hole, but recovered with a birdie on the fifth hole before his ace on eight.

He overcame his bogey on nine with consecutive birdies on 10 and 11, but three bogeys on 12, 16 and 18 derailed his chances for snatching the outright lead.

“I will stick to my game plan for the final round and hope to improve on my putting,” added Kim.

Overnight leader Pannakorn, who posted rounds of 66 and 65 in the first two days could not build on his lead.

He sank his first birdie on seven, but the back-nine proved his undoing as he committed four bogeys on 11, 15, 16 and 18. But thankfully for him, birdies on 10 and 17 kept him atop the leaderboard.

“I’m not too worried despite my round today. I am still in the lead,” said Pannakorn with a laugh.

“My putting was okay, but I will need to hit it better off the tee in the final round. Kim and I are good friends, so we will be talking a lot on the course tomorrow (Saturday),”added the Thai.

Both men are chasing a second title on the Asian Development Tour this year.

Pannakorn won in Malaysia in March, while Kim became the first Malaysian to win a title this year when he triumphed in September.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 21: Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas posted a seven-under-par 65 to open up a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the PGM MIDF ADT Championship on Thursday.

Pannakorn, who fired a 66 in the opening round, continued to show his consistency at the Kota Seriemas Golf and Country Club by marking his card with eight birdies and one bogey for a two-day total of 13-under-par 131.

Overnight leader Leunkwang Kim of Malaysia trails the Thai in second place, while his compatriot Airil Zahari and Singapore’s Gregory Foo are placed in second and third place respectively after the trio ended the day with matching 69s.

Pannakorn has already won in Malaysia in May and is optimistic of another victory after making changes to his back swing.

“My putting has been good, and I’m happy with my consistency. Today I started from the first hole, and I was happy to have started well,” said Pannakorn.

A birdie in the opening hole paved the way for three consecutive ones from the third hole.

But Pannakorn was especially pleased with his birdie putt on the fifth.

“I sank that putt from about 10 yards from left to right, and it was a difficult one especially with the strong wind. That gave me confidence to continue doing well.”

The 29-year-old closed out the front nine with another two birdies. He managed another two after the turn, with one bogey on the 11^th the only blemish.

Pannakorn currently occupies seventh spot on the Order of Merit, which is the cut-off mark for players vying to earn 2020 Asian Tour cards.

While he is confident of his chances of  winning the PGM MIDF ADT Championship, Pannakorn is just enjoying his game at the moment.

“I’m in the same group as Kim who is my good friend, so it’s been nice. I have a good feeling (about winning), but there are still two rounds to go,” he added.

Foo, who trails Pannakorn by six shots , is hoping to close the gap after he traded six birdies against one bogey and a double-bogey five on 16.

“I’ll have to set myself up with the iron, be aggressive and hope to make as many birdies,” said the Singaporean.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 20: Malaysia’s Leunkwang Kim fired a solid nine-under-par 63 to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the US$54,000 PGM MIDF ADT Championship on Wednesday.

Kim’s flawless round included nine birdies at the Kota Seriemas Golf and Country Club, which also marked his best tournament score as a professional.

The 24-year-old leads current Order of Merit (OOM) leader Naoki Sekito (65) by two shots, while Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas (66) trails by the Malaysian leader by three shots.

Malaysian duo Airil Zahari and M. Sasidaran complete the top five with matching 67s.

Kim became the first Malaysian to win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this year when he triumphed in Kuching back in September.

Clinching that first ADT title instilled loads of confidence in him coming into this event.

“I have been playing well, and winning only gave me more confidence. Today I started great with a 15-foot birdie putt on my first hole. That got me going,” said Kim.

Buoyed by that great opener on the 10th, the Malaysian was in imperious form as he reeled off another five birdies, including four consecutive ones from 12th.

He was not able to match the sublime start after the turn, but a further three birdies ensured he would head into the second round in pole position.

“I was struggling a little with my putting the last few days, but today everything seemed to fall into place. The course is also excellent, the greens are made for good putting.”

Kim is also the highest Malaysian on the ADT Order Of Merit at 19^th place, but he is not thinking too far ahead just yet.

“Of course it would be nice for me to finish in the top seven, but there are still three tournaments left. I’m taking it one round at a time,” he said.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 19: Armed with a new back swing and a rise on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit ranking, Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas has set his sights on claiming the PGM MIDF ADT Championship which tees off on Wednesday.

Pannakorn moved up one rung to seventh place on the  Order of Merit, which is the cut-off mark for players vying to earn 2020 Asian Tour cards, after previous leader Joohyung Kim made his Asian Tour breakthrough at the Panasonic Open India on Sunday.  

Kim, who won his third AT title this season in Pakistan last month to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour for the remainder of the season, secured a one-year winner’s exemption on the Asian Tour following his victory.

Having secured his Asian Tour card for 2020, the 17-year-old teen sensation will no longer feature on the ADT Order of Merit as he will not be eligible for any of the remaining ADT events this season.

Pannakorn, who was crowned the ADT Order of Merit champion in 2017, is hoping to work his way back onto the Asian Tour by putting up a noteworthy performance in Malaysia this week.

“Now that Kim is no longer leading the Order of Merit, I have a good chance to qualify for the Asian Tour again.. That is my main goal. If I can hit well with my iron, I believe I have a good chance to win this tournament too,” said Pannakorn.

The 29-year-old has amassed US$19,764 thanks to a victory in Malaysia earlier in March. A good outing at the US$54,000 ADT event, held at the Kota Seriemas Golf and Country Club this week, will further consolidate his position.

“I have changed my grip and back swing, to get my distance back. In the last two years I have been a long hitter, but I have lost my distance and I want to get it back. I feel better, but still not 100 percent. I hope it’s a good week for me,” added Pannakorn.

Pannakorn became only the second Thai golfer to do lift the ADT Order of Merit crown after Pavit Tangkamolprasert did so in 2014.

“If I can play well in these two events coming up on the ADT, I will feel more comfortable heading into the season-ending Taifong Open in Chinese Taipei,” added Pannakorn, who won the Taifong Open in 2017.

The Thai is expected to face resistance from defending champion Sam Gillis, who is only two rungs below him on the Merit rankings.

New Order of Merit leader Naoki Sekito of Japan will be among the frontrunners for the title, along with his countryman Ryuichi Oiwa and Sweden’s Oscar Zetterwell.

Ends.

Lahore, Pakistan, October 20: Korea’s Joohyung Kim stamped his class by capturing his third Asian Development Tour (ADT) title this season with a dominant wire-to-wire victory at the US$80,000 Raya Pakistan Open on Sunday.

The 17-year-old Korean, who started his final round with a commanding 11-shot lead ensured he would become only the third player in the ADT history to win three times in a single season when he signed off with a one-over-par 73 to clinch the title by nine shots.

Only Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand have achieved the feat when they won three times in a single season on the ADT in 2014.

With his latest  victory, Kim is also assured of his immediate playing rights on the Asian Tour for the remainder of the 2019 season.

Pakistan’s Muhammad Shabbir finished in second place after posting a 67, while Fiji’s Sam Lee came in third courtesy of his final round 68.

Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang settled for fourth placed after signing for a 74 while  American Sam Gillis took fifth place by posting a 71.

Kim got off to a shaky start with a bogey on the second hole. He recovered quickly by firing two birdies on the third and sixth holes before dropping another shot on nine.

The Korean made further gains with birdies on 10 and 12 but dropped another three shots on holes 13, 14 and 17 before closing with a par on 18 for a winning total of 17-under-par 271.

“I know I had a big lead, but golf is a game that is not over until you have played the last hole. There were some tough pins out there and I made some mistakes, so fortunately that big lead helped,” said Kim, who had won in Malaysia and Indonesia earlier this season.

It was a well-deserved victory for Kim as it had been a physically demanding week where the young Korean had to play 28 holes on Saturday while trying to maintain his focus and composure on the final day at the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club.

“I lost a lot of energy after that 28 holes. Today I got off to a shaky start, but I told myself to hang in there and finish as strongly as I can.

“Moving to Thailand last year, where I’m based at now helped me to develop my game a lot. There are a lot of good golfers there and playing with them has made me better. But I still have a lot to learn,” said Kim, who cements his position as the Order of Merit leader with his accumulated earnings of US$59,444.47 on the money list.

Lahore, Pakistan, October 19: Korea’s Joohyung Kim opened up a commanding 11-shot lead after posting a solid  four-under-par 68 in  the penultimate round of the US$80,000 Raya Pakistan Open on Saturday.

Kim, who did not manage to complete his second round on Friday due to weather delays, returned to complete his remaining 10 holes and sign for a low round 64 to seize the outright halfway lead by four at the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club.

The 17-year-old prodigy continued to pull away from his closest rivals when he traded six birdies against two bogeys for a three-day total of 18-under-par 198,  putting himself in pole position for an all-important third victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this season.

A third win this season will help him gain immediate playing rights on the Asian Tour for the remainder of the 2019 season. Only Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand have achieved the feat when they won three times in a single season on the ADT in 2014.

Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang battled to a 69 to take second place while Pakistan’s Muhammad Munir sits a further three shots back in third following a 71.

Kim, who had emerged victorious in Malaysia and Indonesia earlier this season,  just wanted to get enough rest after playing 28 holes on Saturday.

“I am tired but  will make sure I rest well ahead of the final round on Sunday. I was just tagging along on the first nine holes (third round), and trying to stay in the moment. Thankfully I got a big momentum going after that,” said Kim.

“I’ve put myself in a good  position  for the final round, but I still need a low score tomorrow,” he added.

Kim took a while to get going with two bogeys in the sixth and ninth hole. But he went on a good run after the turn with four birdies, including three in the final four holes.

Lahore, Pakistan, October 18: Japan’s Nari Gamma shot a commendable four-under-par 68 to  take the halfway clubhouse lead at the weather-hit US$80,000 Raya Pakistan Open on Friday.

Gamma, who held a share of the opening round lead after carding a 66, fired six birdies against two bogeys to stay atop the leaderboard with a two-day total of 10-under-par 134 at the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club.

Local prospect  Muhammad Munir and Singapore’s Mitchell Slorach moved into third place on matching 141 after posting rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.

Overnight co-leader Joohyung Kim of Korea is one of the 48 players, who will return to complete their second rounds at 7.30am local time on Saturday. Play was halted for two hours and 40 minutes due to lightning threats at the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club.

“To be honest, I am surprised to keep a low score despite the tough conditions today. My aim was to keep the pace of my putting. The delay also helped me improve my iron game on the soft greens,” said Gamma.

“The front nine was a bit tricky from the fairways, but I’m pleased to score a couple of birdies on the back nine.”

Gamma, who  turned professional two years ago, did not start well after mixing two birdies with two bogeys in the opening nine holes.

But bad weather proved a good omen for the Japanese, who fired four birdies after the turn to lead for the second consecutive day.

Gamma also reserved praise for the local golfers in this Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.

“Some of them are really good, and I expect a tough competition until Sunday. Just hoping to keep a low score in the next two days.”

Pakistan’s Aadil Jehangir fired a hole-in-one on the par-three 17^th hole for what is the is 21^st ace in his career.

“Well, I have only shot four aces in professional tournaments, but I have to say this one was the most special. It only had one bounce before going in! I am pleased and it gives me some boost for the rest of the tournament.”

Lahore, Pakistan, October 17: Korean Joohyung Kim showed great resolve of winning the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit when he fired a six-under-par 66 to grab a share of the first round lead with Japan’s Nari Gamma at the US$80,000 Raya Pakistan Open on Thursday.

The 17-year-old, buoyed after taking over top spot of the money list recently, bounced back superbly from an opening bogey to fire seven birdies to share the day’s honour with Gamma at the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club.

The duo are two shots ahead of Sweden’s Oscar Zetterwall, whose flawless 68 comprised of four birdies which all came on the front nine.

The local contingent showed they are certainly no pushovers with as many as seven of them, including amateur Zohaib Asif and seasoned campaigner Muhammad Munir bunched in fourth place alongside one-time ADT champion Sam Gillis of the United States.

“I kept it in position today, hitting the fairways and lots of greens to set up plenty of birdie opportunities. And of course, what mattered most was to make the them count,” said Kim.

Kim started on the back foot when he bogeyed the par-four first hole. But he was undeterred.

Kim responded almost immediately with two successive birdies before making further gain on eight to turn in 34.

On his return inward-nine, Kim powered his way to four more birdies including a sublime 30-footer on 14.

“I made a good long putt on 14, it was from about 30 feet.  That birdie which came on the toughest hole of this course really got my momentum going as I finished off nicely with another couple more on 16 and 17.  

“I’m happy with how I’ve played today and hopefully this good form continues for the rest of the week,” he added.

For Gamma, it was certainly a day to savour as it is the first time he made it to the top of the leaderboard since turning professional two years ago.

Playing in the afternoon group, he matched Kim’s effort by marking his bogey-free scorecard with six birdies, including three in his last five holes.

“This is the first time I lead or co-lead in a tournament as a professional, I’m very happy!

“I missed the green only on one hole, so my iron play was pretty good today. I’m loving the golf course and the condition is great. So, hopefully i can have a good round tmorrow again” said the Japanese.

Lahore, Pakistan, October 16: Joohyung Kim of Korea is determined to extend his lead on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit with another commanding performance at the Raya Pakistan Open which starts on Thursday.

The in-form 17-year-old had just dethroned Japan’s Naoki Sekito as the Merit leader thanks to a solid tied-fifth finish at the Combiphar Players Championship in Indonesia a fortnight ago.

With his eyes now set on becoming the youngest-ever ADT Order of Merit champion, Kim is targeting another grandstand finish at the US$80,000 tournament, which is the fourth last event on the region’s secondary circuit.

Kim stressed the importance of taking advantage of the absence of his closest rivals especially Sekito and Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat, ranked second and third on the money list respectively,

“It’s a pretty important week here because we don’t have lot of events left and a lot of the rivals are not here.

“A good week here can give me a bit of breathing space, but the plan is just try the best I can and hope for the best,” said Kim, who boast two victories in his last six ADT starts.

Besides the Merit charge, Kim will certainly tee off at the Defence Raya Golf Club with an added motivation knowing that he is just one title shy of an immediate Asian Tour promotion.

“I’m just trying to play the best that I can and I would say that goes for every week. But without a doubt if I play my A game I know I have chance to be up there,” said the winner of PGM ADT Tiara Melaka and Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament.

Kim has heaped praise on the organisers for reviving the Pakistan Open after a lapse of 10 years, adding that it augurs well for the golf development in the country.

The Pakistan Open, which was inaugurated in 1967, had previously featured twice on the Asian Tour schedule in 2006 and 2007.

“It is my first time in Pakistan and it’s a good experience for me to come to a country I’ve never been to and play.

“I have no doubt that the event is going to generate a positive impact. This is no ordinary tournament, it is a national Open, which the people of Pakistan can be proud of!

“I’m hoping that all of us who are competing this week can play a big role in helping to grow the sport in this country. I’m absolutely honoured to be playing here this week,” said the Korean.