Bandar Seri Begawan, March 02:  Reigning Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit champion Pannakorn Uthaipas will lead a host of talented players to the inaugural Richard Mille Brunei Championships next week. 

The burly Thai will be joined by countryman Kiradech Aphibarnrat alongside more than 20 ADT champions at the US$60,000 event played at the Empire Golf and Country Club from March 7 to 10. 

The Richard Mille Brunei Championships is the third stop on the 2018 ADT season. It will offer an opportunity for Bruneian golfers to play against the talented field and promote the country as a golfing destination.

A total of eight local golfers led by Faiz Damit, including five amateurs, will play in the event alongside Hakeem Jefri.

After a successful 2017 ADT season where he won his maiden ADT title and earned a 2018 Asian Tour card, Pannakorn will arrive in Brunei on Tuesday evening and will contend at the Richard Mille Brunei Championship without playing a practice round. 

“I don’t really know what to expect since I have not played in the country before and I will not get to play a practice round. I only return from New Zealand on Monday night and will get to Brunei on Tuesday evening, so we will see what happens,” said Pannakorn.

He broke into the winner’s circle last year at the Taifong Open in Chinese Taipei, and had four top-10 finishes which helped him lift the Order of Merit crown.

“It has been so exciting since I got my Asian Tour card, I am travelling to all these new countries and gaining so much more competitive experience. I am very proud of how far my game has come,” added Pannakorn.

Other notable players in the field include England’s Steve Lewton, Australian Marcus Both, Indonesian George Gandranata, Thailand’s Namchok Tantipokhakul and Panuwat Muenlek and American John Catlin.

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

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

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.

Bandar Seri Begawan, March 5: Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate Miguel Carballo of Argentina is determined to put up a strong showing after travelling across the globe for the Richard Mille Brunei Championships which starts on Wednesday.

Carballo, the only Argentinean to hold an Asian Tour card for the 2018 season, will make his Asian Development Tour (ADT) debut and compete in his first professional event in Asia since 2006 at the US$60,000 event staged at the Empire Golf and Country Club.

The 38-year-old Carballo, who turned professional in 2002, began his journey last Thursday, flying for about 16 hours from Argentina to Istanbul before continuing his journey for another 10 hours to Kuala Lumpur where he stopped for a night before flying to Brunei on Sunday.

“It has been a long journey since I left Argentina on Thursday. It is my first time to this country and even though I did a lot of travelling, I am happy to finally get here and I am happy seeing all these new countries,” said Carballo.

Despite the hectic traveling, Carballo is excited to get his season off to a good start with a strong showing at the inaugural event, which gets underway from March 7 to 10.

Playing on the ADT will be good for me because I feel it gives me more playing opportunities, as compared to when I am back home in Argentina. I will stay in Asia for the next couple of weeks and try to play as many events as I can.

“I will probably be based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as it’s easier to get around,” added Carballo, who previously won on the Challenge Tour and the Web.com Tour in his 16-year professional career.

Carballo will be amongst the talented 120-man field, spearheaded by Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who will challenge for top honours at the Richard Mille Brunei Championships. Reigning ADT Order of Merit champion Pannakorn Uthaipas, as well as Asian Tour winners Marcus Both and Steve Lewton, will also feature in the ADT event.

Both, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour, said: It’s great to be back on a familiar venue. I have played here before on the Asian Tour. This course sets up well for me. It’s not a bombers paradise and you have to think your way around a little.

“There are a lot of dog-leg holes that are right on the yardage where I still use my driver off the tee but it leaves you with a tricky second shot even though you get to cut corners a little. It’s certainly a lot windier here so the wind will play a big factor this week,” said the 37-year-old Australian.

Local prospect Faiz Damit, who used to ply his trade on the Asian Tour and the ADT, is thrilled to play a professional event at home again.

He is excited to play on home soil again and hopes the Richard Mille Brunei Championships will promote his country as a golfing destination.

It’s hard for the local golf scene to grow because we don’t have a lot of golfers and facilities here. This event will bring in more publicity to professional golf in Brunei and encourage the younger generation to take up golf.

“Two of the amateurs playing in this event are my cousins and we grew up practicing together. It’s good to see that they have more opportunities to play since they always ask me for advice about turning professional,” said Faiz.

“This course is all about strategic golf. There are a couple of holes where you just have to hit an iron or a 5-wood off the tee. I have been practicing here a lot but the course will be different since they moved some tee boxes up and they switched the two nines,” he added.

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 five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2018 season.

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

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.

Bandar Seri Begawan, February 23: Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat will lend his star credentials to the inaugural Richard Mille Brunei Championships which gets underway on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in a fortnight.

The 28-year-old Thai, who claimed his third Asian Tour title and fourth European Tour victory in Perth two weeks ago, will return to the Empire Golf and Country Club for the first time in six years when he headlines the US$60,000 ADT event from March 7 to 10.

Kiradech, also a two-time winner on the region’s secondary circuit, expressed his excitement in the tournament, despite having to travel to Brunei from Mexico, where he will be playing the WGC-Mexico Championship next week.

“I played in Brunei a few years back and I am happy to be going back to this golf course again. It is a pleasure to receive an invitation to play in Brunei. It’s an honour although I know I have to travel for about 35 hours from Mexico to Brunei,” said Kiradech.

The big-hitting Thai, who was crowned the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2013, propelled to a career-best 37th place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) following his triumph in Perth.

He lifted the ADT Thongchai Jaidee Foundation trophy for the second time in his career last December before finishing inside top-five at the Asian Tour season-ending Indonesian Masters to break into the world’s top-50 and earn a spot at The Masters this April.

I think it’s always good to help build the secondary Tour which provides opportunities for budding golfers to compete against each other before earning their playing rights on the Asian Tour.

“I am glad I have the opportunity to do so now. This is going to be a great event and I am looking forward to return to the golf course and show my support for the ADT,” added Kiradech, who sits in second place on the latest Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.

Other notable players in the field include reigning ADT Order of Merit champion Pannakorn Uthaipas, four-time ADT winner Panuwat Muenlek, both of Thailand, as well as American John Catlin, Oskar Arvidsson of Sweden and Steve Lewton of England.

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

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

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

Bandar Seri Begawan, March 6: Newly-wed Sattaya Supupramai of Thailand hopes marital bliss will drive him towards a fourth Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory and a first since 2014 when he tees off for the Richard Mille Brunei Championship on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old Sattaya, who tied the knot with sweetheart Mameau last December, is looking to give himself yet another reason to celebrate by winning the US$60,000 ADT event, which gets underway at the Empire Golf and Country Club from March 7 to 10.

Having found new motivation and determination to play well, Sattaya is eager to find his way back into the winner’s circle at the event, which is the Sultanate’s first professional tournament in six years.

“My wife, Mameau, is very supportive of me travelling for golf. Her father plays golf almost every day and she is an avid golfer as well. We got married last December and held the ceremony in Thailand earlier this year. Since then, I realised I am not playing for myself anymore. I have to think about doing well for my family,” said Sattaya.

“I have been working out more and I have put in a lot of work in my game these past couple of weeks. I am trying my best to get back in good form. I hope to be able to play a few events on the Asian Tour and the Japan Tour later this year so these ADT events will help me gain competitive experience and build up momentum for that,” Sattaya added.

Sattaya’s younger brother, Poosit, is also eyeing for glory in the event, which is the third leg of the ADT schedule this season. Poosit broke through on the ADT when he won in Pakistan last November. They are the only brothers to have tasted victory on the ADT.

“Sattaya always tells me to keep it simple and not think too much during a round. We practise based on what we know about the course and the conditions that we foresee but we always make sure our pre-shot routine is the same no matter where we play,” said Poosit.

“I am pretty close to my brother and he always helps me with my mental game. He’s very strong in that aspect and he gives me advice on how to be free of thoughts and just play my game. I am lucky to have someone going through the same thing as me and I want to learn as much as I can from him,” added the 24-year-old Poosit.

Sweden’s Malcolm Kokocinski, who finished second in Bangladesh in January, will take another shot at glory in Brunei as he continues to chase for his maiden win.

I had a wrist injury in 2016 and I had to be off from competitive golf so I went back to Sweden to recuperate. I felt really good about my swing in Bangladesh and I finished well that week which was a good start to the year.

“I have been practising a lot back in Thailand alongside Asian Tour players like Simon Yates and Berry Henson before coming here. I think this will be a good week for me,” added the 26-year-old Kokocinski, who is based in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat, world number 36th and Asian Tour number one in 2013, will headline the 115-man field at the Richard Mille Brunei Championships this week. Asian Tour winners Marcus Both of Australia and Steve Lewton of England will also feature in the event.

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 five 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.

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

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.

For live scores at the Richard Mille Brunei Championships visit http://golf.scoring.solutions/live1.htm

Bandar Seri Begawan, March 7: Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Danny Masrin of Indonesia overcame their fatigue from long-haul flights to share the opening lead with matching six-under-par 65s at the Richard Mille Brunei Championships on Wednesday.

Kiradech, Asian Tour’s number one in 2013, arrived in Brunei on Tuesday evening after flying from Mexico, where he capped a superb tied-fifth finish at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship on Sunday.

Masrin, on the other hand, flew in to the Sultanate for the US$60,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event on Monday night, after travelling from New Zealand where he played the Asian Tour’s ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open on a sponsor invite.

The 28-year-old Kiradech, highest-ranked Thai in 36th on the latest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), returned with a flawless card highlighted by six birdies to sit atop the leaderboard alongside Masrin, who fired seven birdies against a bogey.

The duo hold a one-shot lead over American John Catlin, Masahiro Kawamura of Japan and Erwan Vieilledent of France at the impressive Empire Golf and Country Club, which is a former venue on the Asian Tour.

Kiradech, who claimed his third Asian Tour victory in Australia last month, played with a set of new clubs, prepared specially by his sponsor but identical to what he has, to cruise to the top of the leaderboard.

“I knew my clubs were unlikely to arrive on time and I did not want to risk it for the tournament so my sponsor brought it over for me. They have the specs of my own clubs so I did not feel much of a difference,” said Kiradech.

“It’s always good to start a tournament with a low score of six under par. I think I am just a little bit tired, having to play in such humid conditions which didn’t make it any easier. I slept at midnight and woke up at 1.30am and again at 4.30am.

“I am not surprised that I did not get a good night’s sleep but I am used to this lifestyle where I have to travel so much. I will try and get more rest tonight because my body feels very tired,” added Kiradech, also a two-time winner on the region’s secondary circuit.

The 25-year-old Masrin, who has been honing his skills on the ADT since 2013, had to work around the late arrival of his golf bag but was thankful that he managed to borrow a set for his practice round on Tuesday.

“It’s never comfortable playing with a different set of clubs on the practice round but I was lucky to get a set of clubs to practice with yesterday. The airline said my golf bag would arrive at 2.30am so I was lucky that it got in on time this morning,” said Masrin.

“This course makes me feel like I’m in Bali, especially with the ocean views that we see from the tee boxes. They say this is the best golf course in Brunei and I can believe it. My caddy held me back on playing too aggressive today which worked out well.

“We had a great game plan going into the round. Obviously, the wind was a little different from what it was in the practice round so we had to adjust a little bit. I played smart golf in the first couple of holes which paid off. I was able to build up momentum into the back nine,” Masrin added.

Catlin, a two-time winner on the ADT, reaped the rewards from having a new putter in his bag, which helped him nail five birdies for a bogey-free round of 67.

“I got a new putter last week in New Zealand and I putted great with it today. I hit the ball pretty solid and gave myself short birdie putts. I chipped well too and that gave me a lot of confidence as I knew that I could get up and down from anywhere,” said Catlin.

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

Leading first round scores:

65 – Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) , Danny MASRIN (INA)

66 – John CATLIN (USA) , Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) , Erwan VIEILLEDENT (FRA)

67 – Steve LEWTON (ENG) , Thanpisit OMSIN (THA) , Lee SONG (KOR)

68 – Chonlatit CHUENBOONNGAM (THA) , Sattaya SUPUPRAMAI (THA) , Itthipat BURANATANYARAT (THA) , Nitithorn THIPPONG (THA) , Shinichi MIZUNO (JPN) , Greg MOSS (USA) , Annop TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) , Marcus BOTH (AUS)

69 – Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) , Ye Htet AUNG (MYN) , Poom PATTAROPONG (THA)

70 – Junya KAMESHIRO (JPN) , KOH Deng Shan (SGP) , Kasidit LEPKURTE (THA) , Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) , Nattawat SUVAJANAKORN (THA) , Sangpil YOON (KOR) , Oskar ARVIDSSON (SWE) , CHOO Tze Huang (SGP) , Philip MATSSON (THA) , Joshua Andrew WIRAWAN (INA)

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.

Bandar Seri Begawan, March 7: Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Danny Masrin of Indonesia overcame their fatigue from long-haul flights to share the opening lead with matching six-under-par 65s at the Richard Mille Brunei Championships on Wednesday.

Kiradech, Asian Tour’s number one in 2013, arrived in Brunei on Tuesday evening after flying from Mexico, where he capped a superb tied-fifth finish at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship on Sunday.

Masrin, on the other hand, flew in to the Sultanate for the US$60,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event on Monday night, after travelling from New Zealand where he played the Asian Tour’s ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open on a sponsor invite.

The 28-year-old Kiradech, highest-ranked Thai in 36th on the latest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), returned with a flawless card highlighted by six birdies to sit atop the leaderboard alongside Masrin, who fired seven birdies against a bogey.

The duo holds a one-shot lead over American John Catlin, Masahiro Kawamura of Japan and Erwan Vieilledent of France at the impressive Empire Golf and Country Club, which is a former venue on the Asian Tour.

Kiradech, who claimed his third Asian Tour victory in Australia last month, played with a set of new clubs, prepared specially by his sponsor but identical to what he has, to cruise to the top of the leaderboard.

“I knew my clubs were unlikely to arrive on time and I did not want to risk it for the tournament so my sponsor brought it over for me. They have the specs of my own clubs so I did not feel much of a difference,” said Kiradech.

“It’s always good to start a tournament with a low score of six under par. I think I am just a little bit tired, having to play in such humid conditions which didn’t make it any easier. I slept at midnight and woke up at 1.30am and again at 4.30am.

“I am not surprised that I did not get a good night’s sleep but I am used to this lifestyle where I have to travel so much. I will try and get more rest tonight because my body feels very tired,” added Kiradech, also a two-time winner on the region’s secondary circuit.

The 25-year-old Masrin, who has been honing his skills on the ADT since 2013, had to work around the late arrival of his golf bag but was thankful that he managed to borrow a set for his practice round on Tuesday.

“It’s never comfortable playing with a different set of clubs on the practice round but I was lucky to get a set of clubs to practice with yesterday. The airline said my golf bag would arrive at 2.30am so I was lucky that it got in on time this morning,” said Masrin.

“This course makes me feel like I’m in Bali, especially with the ocean views that we see from the tee boxes. They say this is the best golf course in Brunei and I can believe it. My caddy held me back on playing too aggressive today which worked out well.

“We had a great game plan going into the round. Obviously, the wind was a little different from what it was in the practice round so we had to adjust a little bit. I played smart golf in the first couple of holes which paid off. I was able to build up momentum into the back nine,” Masrin added.

Catlin, a two-time winner on the ADT, reaped the rewards from having a new putter in his bag, which helped him nail five birdies for a bogey-free round of 67.

“I got a new putter last week in New Zealand and I putted great with it today. I hit the ball pretty solid and gave myself short birdie putts. I chipped well too and that gave me a lot of confidence as I knew that I could get up and down from anywhere,” said Catlin.

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com 

Leading first round scores:

65 – Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) , Danny MASRIN (INA)

66 – John CATLIN (USA) , Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) , Erwan VIEILLEDENT (FRA)

67 – Steve LEWTON (ENG) , Thanpisit OMSIN (THA) , Lee SONG (KOR)

68 – Chonlatit CHUENBOONNGAM (THA) , Sattaya SUPUPRAMAI (THA) , Itthipat BURANATANYARAT (THA) , Nitithorn THIPPONG (THA) , Shinichi MIZUNO (JPN) , Greg MOSS (USA) , Annop TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) , Marcus BOTH (AUS)

69 – Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) , Ye Htet AUNG (MYN) , Poom PATTAROPONG (THA)

70 – Junya KAMESHIRO (JPN) , KOH Deng Shan (SGP) , Kasidit LEPKURTE (THA) , Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) , Nattawat SUVAJANAKORN (THA) , Sangpil YOON (KOR) , Oskar ARVIDSSON (SWE) , CHOO Tze Huang (SGP) , Philip MATSSON (THA) , Joshua Andrew WIRAWAN (INA)

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.

Bandar Seri Begawan, March 8: Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat continued to take control of the Richard Mille Brunei Championship by carding a second round seven-under-par 64 at the Empire Hotel and Country Club after play was suspended due to darkness on Thursday.

Starting on the 10th hole, the three-time Asian Tour winner traded eight birdies against one bogey on his very last hole, to lead by four after compiling a two-day total of 13-under-par 129 at the US$ 60,000 ADT event that was delayed by 90 minutes in the morning due to lightning threats.

Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat, who returned on Friday morning to finish his second round, carded an impressive 64 to trail the overnight leader by three shots. American John Catlin carded a flawless 67 to take third place on his own and keep up his hopes of playing alongside Kiradech in the final two rounds.

Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura and Korea’s Lee Song are tied for fourth on matching 134 total while overnight co-leader Danny Masrin of Indonesia slipped to a share of sixth place following a 70.

A total of 21 players returned at 7am to complete their second rounds on Friday with round three starting at 8.45am.

Kiradech, the world number 36, who shared the overnight lead with Masrin was once again in command.

“I feel really comfortable around this golf course. The only mistake I made was on my last hole which was the only bogey I made all day. I just rolled the ball a little bit too hard with the line I took. I hit it firmly into the right lip of the hole, but if I had just hit it straight, it would have been the right speed.

Despite having a new caddy on his bag after his original one fell sick due to severe dehydration, the 28-year-old was still able to strike a formidable partnership with his new bag man.

“Thankfully Adam was able to caddy for me if not I would not have been able to make it through. Adam, the Callaway Golf Tour Representative, helped me with distances and helped me a lot on reading my putts. But I think his motivational support was what helped me the most.

“Especially on the last four holes, I told him I didn’t have any energy to hit balls and I was so unmotivated. He told me to calm down and enjoy the game and we just talked about other stuff to keep my mind off it,” said Kiradech.

The long-hitting Thai, who is also the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, also took advantage of the benign conditions where he continued his assault on the shorter Par-five holes.

“The course was easier compared to yesterday but you still have to be hitting it good and staying on the fairway to be shooting low. I made a lot of putts today, with the rain, greens were slower and softer, but I adjusted pretty quickly. For a while, I didn’t think I would made any more birdies on my second nine and then I chipped in from hole five to turn it around,“ said Kiradech, who enjoyed a tied-fifth finish at the WGC-Mexico Championship last week.

Catlin will relish the opportunity of playing alongside Kiradech, who is the highest ranked player in the field this week, after putting himself into the mix at the Richard Mille Brunei Championship.

“In the middle part of the round I just could not get anything going. I think I missed five greens in a row starting from hole eight. I saw that Kiradech was six shots ahead of me before I even started. But I came into this tournament wanting to play with him, so I grinded a little harder today.” said the two-time ADT winner.

The cut was set at one-over with 43 players progressing into the final two rounds.

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

Leading scores after round 2 of the Richard Mille Brunei Championships being played at the par 71, 6982 Yards Empire Golf and Country Club course (am – denotes amateur):

129 – Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 65 64

Ends.

About the 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.