Ace Rattanon sparkles on opening day at Singha Laguna Phuket Open
The Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership ended in dramatic fashion today after Kammalas Namuangruk holed out on the second playoff hole to snatch victory after a close-fought battle with Amarin Kraivixien at Red Mountain Golf Club in Phuket.
Sinking to his knees after the ball rolled in, Kammalas celebrated a brave fight back which saw him come from two shots behind to claim his spot in the play off at the THB3 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Starting the final round tied at 13 under par, the pair battled throughout the day with the lead changing hands on several occasions. Kammalas birdied the opening hole, while Amarin could only make bogey, however within three holes they were back level.
Amarin, with a birdie on the sixth hole, again took the lead which he held until the ninth, when a bogey allowed Kammalas back in and they made the turn paired at 14 under par.
Both players parred the first four holes of the back nine, then Amarin edged ahead with birdies on holes 14 and 16 to take the lead by two shots heading into the last.
A dramatic finish for Kammalas on the final hole – holing a 10-foot putt for eagle while Amarin could only make par – meant both players finished tied with a score of 69 and the tournament was to be decided by a playoff.
Kammalas was excited by his win, and the way in which he managed to fight back and put himself in contention made him confident about his progress within Asian golf.
“I’m proud of myself, “ he said after the prize-giving ceremony. “I started with two birdies but then there was nothing good until 18 when I made eagle putt for play off, and then to chip in for the win, nothing else to say.
“I did not think I was going to win, but I focused on every shot. I was very nervous but I’m feeling good for the year. I think it’s given me a good opportunity now to play more on the ADT and next year hopefully on the Asian Tour,” he added.
Amarin Kraivixien of Thailand, pictured in action during the final round of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Amarin, who was stricken with a fever after the second round, nearly pulled out of the tournament at the start of Round Three but was determined to see things through.
“This has already exceeded my expectations,” he said after the play off. “It helps to keep things in perspective.
“I made too many mistakes today, I thought I played solidly enough to win but unfortunately Kammalas did better than me. There was nothing else I could do, with two eagles in three holes, but hats off to him, he deserved it.
“I have nothing to complain about, “ he added. “I’m happy with what I accomplished this week and looking forward to building momentum going forward.”
The Thai duo of Tawit Polthai (68) and Waris Manthorn (70) tied for third place and 13 under par, while Hong Kong’s Leon D’Souza (64) posted the low round of the day to head a group in fith place that included Thailand’s Natipong Srithong (67), Kosuke Hamamoto (68) and Itthipat Buranatanyarat (68).
Chi Huang (69) of Chinese Taipei finished in ninth spot alongside Panuphol Pittayarat (66) and Sangchai Kaewcharoen (66).
Angelo Que (68) of the Philippines held solo 12th spot, followed by Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai (71) in 13th and the Thai duo of Weerawish Narkprachar (67) and Thanyakon Khronpha (68) rounding out the top 15.
The ADT All Thailand Partnership tournament is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB4 million Singha Laguna Phuket Open being held at Laguna Golf Phuket from May 9-12.
Main picture: Kammalas Namuangruk of Thailand, pictured in action during the final round of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Amarin Kraivixien made great strides up the leaderboard with a 65 today to vault into a shared lead going into the final round of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership in Phuket.
Amarin, who shared the low round of the day with Natipong Srithong at Red Mountain Golf Course, holds the joint lead with compatriot Kammalas Namuangruk (66).
“I was surprised with my round today,” he said after finishing up. “I had a fever last night. Felt better this morning but really wasn’t expecting much. I just wanted to keep myself cool with a cold towel.”
As the THB3 million tournament heads into its final day on the ADT’s first visit to the Phuket course, the narrow fairways and sloping greens required extra attention from players.
“My concentration level today was exceptional, I think that helped a lot,” Amarin explained after his bogey-free round.
“I holed a 30-footer for birdie on the first and that gave me a good momentum into the round. Made a couple of six footers for pars too. Not dropping a shot out there kept me going and I’m really pleased with the way I played today.”
Kammalas, with two dropped shots on the back nine, had to fight to keep pace after holding the early lead during the day.
“I putted really well today,” he explained. “I got excited after starting the round with four straight birdies and just kept it going out there.
“It started raining after I made the turn and I lost a bit of momentum but happy to still cap a good round to grab a share of the lead.”
Kammalas Namuangruk of Thailand, pictured in action during Round Three of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
In third place on 12 under, Waris Manthorn (68) of Thailand holds a two shot advantage over fellow Thai Tawit Polthai (67)in fourth.
Chi Huang (67)of Chinese Taipei shares fifth spot with Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat (66) and overnight leader Kosuke Hamamoto (72).
In eighth place are Thailand’s Natipong Sirithong (65) and Poosit Supupramai (69), followed by Angelo Que (67) of the Philippines in 10th spot on seven under par.
Panat Bodhidatta (67), Sangchai Kaewcharoen (70) Panuphol Pittayarat (73) and first round leader Warun Ieamgaew (71) are an all-Thai group sharing 11th place.
Thailand’s Kenny Lem, who made the cut on the number after Friday’s round, had the bonus of a hole-in-one on the third hole, jarring his eight iron from 155 yards.
The ADT / All Thailand Partnership tournament, a co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB4 million Singha Laguna Phuket Open being held at Laguna Golf Phuket from May 9-12.
Play continues for the final day at Red Mountain, with the first flight off at 7.10am local time and the leading group of Waris, Kammalas and Amarin teeing off at 8.50am.
Main picture: Amarin Kraivixien of Thailand, pictured in action during Round Three of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong recovered well from a difficult start in the wind-affected first round of the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam today, bouncing back to end the day with a one shot lead at five under par.
His compatriot Itthipat Buranatanyarat sits at four under par, with Japan’s Leo Oyo in solo third on three under par. Thailand’s Sangchai Kaewcharoen and Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig are one shot further back in the opening tournament of the Asian Development Tour season.
The US$85,00O event, held at The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram, was beset by high winds in the morning, and players had to adjust their games accordingly.
“I feel good because it is my first time here and there was a lot of wind today,” said Itthipat after his round. “I practiced yesterday and I still didn’t know how to play in these conditions but this morning on the range I worked out how to get the ball under the wind,” he explained.
Itthipat Buranatanyarat
Leader Runchanapong was able to overcome an early wobble and used the recovery momentum to build his round.
“I didn’t start off very well,” he said. “I doubled my fourth hole of the day but on the next par fives I was able to capitalise, I had a birdie and an eagle so I was able to get my round going.
“Off the tee was my strength today, plus I made a couple of putts. You have to keep it on the fairway here, and keep the ball pretty low because the wind is blowing out there,” he added.
In sixth place, on one under par, are Thailand’s Natipong Srithong and Ekpharit Wu, Paul San of Malaysia, French amateur Jean Francois Peron, Peter Wilson of Australia and Korea’s Lion Park.
Chiu Han-ting of Chinese Taipei leads a group in 12th place on even par, together with Tanapat Pichaikool and Jakraphan Premsirigorn of Thailand, Malaysia’s Amir Nazrin and Akinori Tani of Japan.
Some of the afternoon wave were still out on the course when play was stopped at 6.10pm due to poor light. A total of 16 players are yet to complete their first round and play will resume for them at 6.50am. Round Two will start as expected at 6.45am.
The Lexus Challenge, which is now in its fourth year, is jointly sanctioned by the ADT and the Vietnam Golf Association and is the opening event in what is expected to be one of the strongest schedules in the history of the ADT.
Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub clinched the Aramco Invitational Tournament in Saudi Arabia today, beating England’s William Harrold in a playoff at Rolling Hills Golf Club after the pair were tied for the lead after 72 holes.
The win for Denwit, who overcame a poor start to force himself back into contention in the final round, was also enough to clinch victory in the season-long Order of Merit table and be the first to claim an Asian Tour card for next season.
And the boosted prize money at the US$250,000 Asian Development Tour event meant that Harrold, who began the day in 21st place on the OOM list, was also successful in securing his card for next year, eventually finishing in fourth spot.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: (L-R) – William Harrold, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Naoki Sekito, Ervin Chang, Denwit Boriboonsub, Pattaraphol Khanthacha, Ho Yu-cheng, Charng-Tai Sudsom and Aaron Wilkin who received Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Australia’s Deyen Lawson, the OOM leader coming into the tournament, was forced to retire due to injury after the first round, but his accumulated prize money meant he hung on to second spot and will also be teeing it up on the Asian Tour next year.
Ho Yu-cheng of Chinese Taipei, winner of the PKNS Selangor Masters in early November, may have missed the cut in this event but the win in Malaysia and other results through the season were enough to to secure third place on the OOM list and lock in the prized Asian Tour card for 2024.
Australia’s Aaron Wilkin, who won the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam in August, was in contention throughout the tournament but could only manage a one under par 71 today. Nonetheless, it proved good enough for fifth place in the OOM table and a place on the Asian Tour for next year. He tied for fourth spot in the tournament today with Minhyeok Yang (67) of Korea.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Dewit Boriboonsub of Thailand pictured on Saturday December 2, 2023 with the ADT Order of Merit trophy and the Aramco Invitational trophy after the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Former ADT OOM champion Naoki Sekito of Japan clinched sixth spot in the list having played 11 of the 12 ADT events this year, and Thailand’s Charng-Tai Sudsom, who played every event, was also rewarded for his consistency with seventh place on the list and guaranteed starts on the Asian Tour for 2024.
Eighth on the OOM is India’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, followed by Thailand’s Pattaraphol Khanthacha, and rounding out the top ten finishers was Malaysia’s Ervin Chang, who played solidly all week and a fine third place in the tournament today was enough to secure the final sport on the OOM qualifiers list.
For Chang, his elevation to the top tier of Asian Golf for next year is testament to his determination and desire to improve.
Having turned professional in 2021 after winning an individual gold medal at the SEA Games, he has repaid the faith of the officials who picked him this year as the first recipient of the inaugural Kyi Hla Han Future Champions Award.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: William Harrold of England pictured on Saturday December 2, 2023 during Round Four of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Vietnam’s Chi Quan Truong made his best finish on the ADT this year, his final round score of 70 was enough to secure him solo sixth spot and while it may have been his best single payout of the season, it was not enough to move him far enough up the table.
Thailand’s Sarun Sirithon shot a bogey-free seven under par round of 65 to lift himself up the leaderboard, overcoming a poor start to the tournament to force himself into contention on the final day. He finished in a tie for seventh place alongside Japan’s Shinichi Mizuno (68) and fellow Thais Charng-Tai (67) and Pattaraphol (69).
Also tied for the low score of the day with 65 were Thai compatriots Amarin Kraivixien, who finished on nine under par in 11th spot, and Puwit Anupansuebsai on eight under par in a tie for 18th.
Joining Amarin in 11th place were India’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (67), Berry Henson (69) of the USA, early tournament leader Harley Smith (70) of England, Sweden’s Calle Strandberg (70), Naoki Sekito (72) of Japan and Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol (68).
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: (L-R) Caddie John Paul Scallon of Ireland celebrates an eagle shot made by William Harrold of England on Saturday December 2, 2023 during Round Four of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub took advantage of a late slip up by Malaysia’s Ervin Chang to seize the initiative in today’s Aramco Invitational Tournament, posting a six under par 66 to grab a share of the lead.
Chang (68), who started the day leading alongside English amateur Harley Smith, had been enjoying a comfortable advantage over the field until the 16th hole, where an unfortunate double bogey slowed his charge.
“Overall I was pretty happy with the ball striking today,“ said Chang after his round, “but I definitely need to work on the putting a little bit more.
“I made a double on 16 and that kind of set me back a little bit. That was very frustrating and I wasn’t able to birdie the par five 17 but then I had a good birdie on 18 which gives me a little bit more confidence and some momentum going into the final round.”.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Ervin Chang of Malaysia pictured on Friday December 1, 2023 during Round Three of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Australia’s Aaron Wilkin (68), who won the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam in August, is another of the year’s tournament winners eyeing up the chance to win an Asian Tour card for next year.
“Today wasn’t too bad,” he said after turning in his card. “A little bit of a shaky start but mostly positive. I’m optimistic I can have a good round tomorrow.
“There’s a lot on the line,” he added, “but I’m just going to go out there, try to freewheel it and hopefully get it done.”
Following the conclusion of the US$250,000 season-ending Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournament, the top ten finishers in the ADT Order of Merit will earn the right to tee it up on the lucrative Asian Tour circuit in 2024.
Deyen Lawson of Australia, the current OOM leader with season-long winnings of US$50,381, was forced to withdraw through injury after the first round this week, and with first prize being worth US$45,000, the field is wide open for anyone who posts a good finish.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Aaron Wilkin of Australia pictured on Friday December 1, 2023 during Round Three of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
As Denwit explained after his round, everyone will have their eyes on the prize tomorrow.
“A win for me could be a life-changing experience, being on the Asian Tour next year, and (hopefully) as the Order of Merit winner.”
England’s William Harrold posted the low score of the day with an eight under par 66 to grab third place, only a single dropped shott marred an otherwise perfect round.
Chi Quan Truong (67) of Vietnam joined Japan’s Naoki Sekito (67) in fifth spot on nine under par, with the Japanese golfer rescuing an otherwise difficult finish to his round with an eagle on the par four 18th.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: William Harrold of England pictured on Friday December 1, 2023 during Round Three of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Teenage Essex golfer Smith, who set the early pace to the tournament with a blistering seven under par in Round One, was unable to sustain his momentum and slipped to seventh place with a disappointing 73.
He ended the day sharing the place on seven under par with Sweden’s Calle Strandberg (67), Minhyeok Yang (68) of Korea, England’s Luke Joy (65) and Pattaraphol Khanthacha (71) of Thailand.
Asian Tour stalwart Berry Henson (69) of the USA, India’s Khalin Joshi (66) and Shinichi Mizuno of Japan round out the top 15 on six under par.
Play for the fourth and final round begins tomorrow at 8am local time, with the final group teeing off at 9.39am.
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