Asian Development Tour confirms return to Egypt for two events
The Asian Development Tour (ADT) will welcome on board two tournaments in Egypt in the ensuing few weeks – in a major win for the Asian Tour’s feeder circuit.
The Egypt Golf Series events will be played back-to-back from 23-26 September, and 28 September–1 October, at Madinaty Golf Club, Cairo.
Jointly sanctioned with the Egypt Golf Federation, they will help the season come to a thrilling conclusion as the second and third from last events of the season.
Both events will boast lucrative purses of US$125,000.
Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “We have been working hard behind the scenes with our friends at the Egypt Golf Federation to secure the Egypt Golf Series events on the Asian Development Tour and we are delighted to finally confirm them.
“We visited Egypt twice last year and after a successful trip we vowed to return. It’s a new golfing nation that has so much potential and of course two weeks at the award winning Madinaty Golf Club is real treat for our members.”
The tournaments will be followed by the season-ending Aramco Invitational at Rolling Hills Golf Club, to be played from 25-28 November.
Last year saw the Egyptian Open and the Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open staged on the ADT. It marked the first time the tour had visited the country. Niklas Regner [main picture] from Austria won the former, also played at Madinaty, while Indian Karandeep Kochhar claimed the latter, which was staged at Sokhna Golf Club.
Omar Hisham Talaat, Chairman of the Egyptian Golf Federation, said: “We are extremely proud to welcome the Asian Development Tour back to Egypt and to host two consecutive international tournaments at Madinaty Golf Club. Last year demonstrated what Egypt is capable of delivering. We welcomed players from around the world, staged successful international tournaments and showcased not only the quality of our golf courses, but also Egypt as a destination.”
Madinaty, which boasts an 18-hole championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, hosted the International Series Egypt in 2022 on the Asian Tour – when American Andy Ogletree triumphed. The course was so popular with the players that they voted it The Players’ Choice Golf Course of the Year on the Asian Tour.
Indonesian Kevin Akbar capitalised on home advantage and huge local support to become the first player from his country to win the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament today.
He closed with a fine nine-under-par 63 at Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) – his home course in south-west Jakarta – to finish on 25-under and win by two from Singapore’s James Leow and Khavish Varadan from Malaysia.
Like Akbar, Leow charge through on the final day of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event with an equally impressive 62, while Varadan shot 65 – helping to consolidate his lead at the top of the ADT Order of Merit.
Akbar began the day two shots behind the leader Nathan Han from the United States but took control with a blistering six-under-par from nine, thanks to an eagle and four birdies. He went on to birdie 11, 12 and 13, dropped his only shot of the day on 14 before making an up-and-down on the par-five 18th for his eighth birdie of the day.
It’s his second win on the ADT, having won the Indonesian Pro-Am two years ago. His countryman Naraajie Ramadhanputra is the only other Indonesian to win on the ADT, with three titles to his name.
Kevin Akbar.
“It means a lot,” said the 28-year-old. “I mean, I really wanted to win this one, and finally, it came through.
“Super special to win on my home course. I don’t know what to say. I still can’t believe it. And with the big crowds here it means so much. You know, I don’t know why, but I play better when the crowd is huge. So yeah, it helped me a lot today.”
It was an impressive win for a player who turned professional in 2019 and has been playing mainly on the ADT and his local tour. He has played in handful of Asian Tour events, most noticeably tying for seventh in his national open in 2025.
Some content creation also help him today as on his Instagram page all week he was posting about how he wanted to shoot six under on the front nine.
He said: “I made that content as it’s hard to play six under. I don’t know why but today I played six under. You know, I really enjoyed the day.”
He moved into eighth place on the Merit list, ideally positioned as the top-10 at the end of the season earn Asian Tour cards for next year.
For Leow it is yet another encouraging result. Last year he won the Aramco Invitational, the ADT’s season-ender in Saudi Arabia, which helped him finish in fourth place on the Merit list, securing his Asian Tour card for this year.
He stormed through over the closing stages making birdie on 15, 16 and 17 before eagling the last.
James Leow.
The former Arizona state college star said: “Yeah, it was really nice. I think I was building a lot of momentum into the final round. It kind of brings back a bit the of Aramco vibes because before the final round there, I was five shots back, and I was in that same exact position today.”
For Varadan it was yet another impressive result. He won the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters in March in a play-off, having lost the season-opening PKNS Selangor Masters in extra time, and has recorded two other top five finished.
He leads the Merit list with winnings of US$64,883, from Italy’s Michele Ortolani, on US$49,718. Like Leow, Varadan also has an Asian Tour card this year having successfully passed through the Qualifying School.
Defending champion Matt Killen from England signed off with a 67 to tie for fourth with overnight leader Han, who fired a 68.
Akbar’s winning total of 25-under matched Killen’s total last year and continued the tournament’s tradition of a different nationality winning every year.
Killen was attempting to become the first player to defend the title since its launch in 2014.
American Nathan Han [main picture] put himself on the threshold of a second victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this year after taking the third-round lead in the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament today.
After a stunning 11-under-par 61 yesterday he was able to back that up today with a 66 to move in front on 18-under.
He is one ahead of an imposing group of players: defending champion Matt Killen from England, his countryman Mason Finlay, and seasoned Asian Tour player Berry Henson from the United States.
Henson returned a joint best of the day 63, along with three other players, while Killen shot 69 and Mason 66 – here at Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course), south-west Jakarta.
Another formidable group of players are another shot back: Andi Xu (63) from China, winner of last week’s Indonesia Pro-Am, Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan (64), the current ADT Order of Merit leader, Canada’s Henry Lee (66), and leading Indonesian Kevin Akbar (66), the joint first-round leader.
It all points to a brilliant final day tomorrow, in the 12th event of the season on the ADT.
Han, who won the Ever Glory ADT Open in Chinese-Taipei two months ago, birdied three of the last five holes to edge ahead.
He was paired in the final group with overnight leaders Killen and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, who returned a 71 and is three behind the leader.
Berry Henson.
Yesterday Han made at staggering nine birdies and an eagle, and he was bogey free. He didn’t quite match that today, but he impressively maintained the momentum, shooting seven birdies and one bogey.
“Definitely, it’s hard to play after an 11-under yesterday, I realised that,” said Han.
“I was playing with really good players today, in the last group, and I knew there were people in front of us who were coming after us, but I am glad I kept my composure and I am proud of the way I played today. Stuck to my game plan.”
He admitted to never being in the lead going into the final round on the ADT and plans to relish the moment.
“To win any event is very special, but it would be really special to win on ADT in the space of two months,” added the 25-year-old, who is currently in 13th place on the Merit list.
He competed in the Asian Tour Qualifying School for the first time at the end of last, for the 2026 season. Although he failed to make the 36-hole cut he has certainly shown his potential on the ADT this year.
By contrast Henson, aged 47, has been playing in the region since 2011. His journey here began on the ADT when he won the Clearwater Masters that year before he claimed Philippine Open on the Asian Tour two weeks later. Remarkably, both victories were wire-to-wire. They remain his two titles in the region, and so he will be pulling out all the stops to make it win number three tomorrow.
“We were just in cruise mode most of the day,” said Henson, who made nine birdies, two of which were chip ins, with six birdies coming on the front half.
“I hit 16 greens which is a big win for me. It gives me massive confidence, and I think that’s my lowest round in Asian Tour history. I think I had 64 before that.”
In 13 years playing on the Asian Tour he has only finished outside the top-50 on the Order of Meri three times, including last year.
“It’s been 2013 since I actually won last, not in Asia. Obviously, I thought about that today through the round. I am in contention now, it’s where I want to be. I have a chance tomorrow, it’s gonna happen sooner or later. I just gotta stick to my process, control what I can control. Whatever happens, happens, and we just gotta keep playing some good golf.”
For Killen, who won by four last year on 25 under, it was his ninth successive sub-70 round on this course. He is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the tournament.
Matt Killen’s penchant for Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) was plain to see once more today after he carded a second-round six-under-par 66 to keep the lead in the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament on 14-under.
The Englishman is the defending champion and was joined in front by Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, who fired a 64 – in the 12th leg of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
American Nathan Han shot a brilliant 61 to climb into sole possession of third, two behind the frontrunners, while his compatriot Tim Nielsen and England’s Finlay Mason are another shot back. Nielson fired a 65 and Mason fired a 68.
Indonesian Kevin Akbar, the joint first-round leader with Killen, came in with a 70, and is tied sixth, one shot further behind.
Impressive Killen will be the man to beat going into the final two rounds. Today’s round was his eighth successive round in the 60s on the acclaimed BSD Course. He tied for 16th here in 2024, bettering 70 over the last two rounds, and last year carded rounds of 66, 65, 64, and 68 to win by four shots on 25-under.
Tanapat Pichaikool.
He said: “Felt good. Steady day today, felt simpler than yesterday. The weather conditions were a bit friendlier.
“I didn’t hole many putts though. I hit a lot of putts that didn’t go in. A few shaved the hole. Hopefully they go in over the next few days.”
Like Tanapat he was bogey free and made his move on the first nine, registering four birdies.
“There are some tougher pins out there on the second nine. Some of them are harder to hit close to. My iron shots weren’t quite as good. Overall, I am in and around where I want to be,” he added.
He finished second in the Bangkok Classic in June and is in pursuit of his second title on the ADT. A third placed finish on last year’s ADT Order of Merit, helped by winning this week’s event, means he currently has a full Asian Tour card this year, as the top-10 receive cards.
Tanapat notched five birdies on the front nine to make his move. He won the IGPL Morocco Rising Stars in May and is currently in ninth place on the ADT Order of Merit.
“Interesting round,” he said. “The golf course is in fantastic condition, especially the greens, which helped my game more than it should have. This course really excites me.”
He played a practice round with Mr Budiarsa Sastrawinata, the President Director of Damai Indah Golf this week, and said he got, “some great information about the course from the right man.”
Nathan Han.
The Thai golfer first made a name for himself on the ADT in 2024, when he won twice and finished second on the Merit list.
He said: “I love coming to Indonesia. I always enjoy playing golf here, and of course, I always seem to play well in Indonesia for some reason. The food and everything here is very similar to Thailand.”
Han fired the best round of the week so far, thanks to nine birdies and an eagle. He started on the back nine, when there was little indication of what was about to come, sitting three under after eight.
However, an eagle on the par-five 18th provided the spark that he needed. He proceeded to birdie six holes on the next nine, including four in a row from the third.
“Got off to a slow start,” he said. “It’s small margins, I just made more putts today and I hit the ball a little bit close to the hole. I got some lucky breaks go my way. Yeah, it turned into a 10-shot difference from yesterday. I feel great, that was my goal to climb up to top of the leaderboard.”
He won the Ever Glory ADT Open in Chinese-Taipei in July and is presently 13th on the Merit list.
Indonesian golf fans got just what they wanted on the opening day of the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament today when Kevin Akbar [main picture], one of the country’s leading players, fired a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 at Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) to share the lead with England’s Matt Killen – the defending champion.
Akbar, inspired by playing on his home course, made eight birdies, including five in the last seven on the second nine, while Killen, who won at this venue last year with a stunning winning total of 25-under, picked up where he left off with another fine round consisting of nine birdies and one bogey.
They lead the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event by one from Canadian Henry Lee and another Englishman Finlay Mason, after they returned 65s.
India’s Khalin Joshi and Tanapat Pichaikool from Thailand are next best placed following 66s, in the US$150,000 event which is one of the Tour’s most lucrative.
Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan, the ADT Order of Merit leader, shot a 71 and has work to do sitting in a tie for 48th.
Akbar has triumphed once before on the ADT at the Indonesian Pro-Am in 2023. He tied for sixth in that event last week, where China’s Andi Xu marched to victory.
“Last week was good preparation and today feels pretty amazing,” said Akbar.
“Actually, this is my personal best at BSD. Everything went well. I will take it. I know the course a little bit more than others. I know where to miss, I know the greens.”
Matt Killen.
He is currently 46th on the Merit list, while Killen sits in 14th place – so both are in need of strong weeks in order to close in on the top-10 which secures them Asian Tour cards for next year.
Said Killen: “It was tough. I know the score doesn’t show that, but the wind was really tough out there, it was changing every 10 seconds.
“It was tough to judge, but I did it pretty well and holed a couple of putts when I needed to. It felt stressful and stress free at the same time.
“It’s great being back. I knew I would feel great when I got here, it’s a lovely course. We will see what happens.”
Last week’s champion Xu returned a 70.
This week marks the ADT’s second visit of the season to Indonesia, it is the 11th edition of the tournament, and the 12th stop of the season. Remarkably, a different nationality has won every edition of the tournament.
The Asian Development Tour (ADT) will return to the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament next month with great enthusiasm for what is the tour’s longest running tournament.
Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) will once again play host to the popular event, which will be played from 26-29 August and mark the ADT’s second visit of the season to Indonesia.
Twelve months ago England’s Matt Killen claimed the title at what was the 10th edition of the event, and another strong field is fully expected to compete for the title this year.
The victory helped Killen secure his Asian Tour card by finishing in the top-10 on the ADT Order of Merit, and with this year’s Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament the 12th stop of the season competitors will be look to follow in the Englishman’s footsteps.
Total prizemoney for the event is US$150,000 – which is the same as last year.
“We will arrive at the wonderful Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) deep into our season, at full speed and excited for the week ahead,” said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT.
“Once again, we are indebted to the Ciputra Group and Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) for their incredible commitment and support – which has ensured that the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament leads the way in terms of longevity and indeed prestige.”
First played in 2014, the tournament has one of the most impressive lists of past champions. As well as Killen, a host of famous names are inscribed on the trophy including Tom Kim, Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Miguel Carballo. They all went on to win on the main tour shortly after winning the Ciputra event.
Remarkably, a different nationality has won every edition of the tournament – so all eyes will be on to see if that continues this year.
Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan has been the in-form player on the ADT this year and currently leads the merit list. He claimed the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters in March and also lost the PKNS Selangor Masters in a sudden-death play-off against Nicklaus Chiam from Singapore.
The Asian Development Tour (ADT) announced today that the inaugural DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open has been added to its schedule – ensuring a first visit of the year to one of its most important countries.
The US$100,000 tournament will be played at Luisita Golf and Country Club from 17-20 June and will be the sixth event of the season. The tournament aims to elevate Filipino golfers from local talent to national pride by providing elite playing opportunities in the DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open.
The golf club, located in Tarlac City, in Central Luzon, hosted the ADT’s most recent event in the Philippines: the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A last year.
“The Asian Development Tour is delighted to welcome a new event on to our calendar, which now boasts 13 tournaments – with furthers additions likely,” said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT.
“The Philippines is such a big contributor to Asian golf, with great players and great golf courses, so it was important to make sure we returned there this season. We thank Luisita Golf and Country Club for hosting one of our events for the second successive season and we thank DigiPlus for becoming title sponsor.”
In a big plus for the tournament, the leading two Filipino golfers will earn exemptions into the Philippine Open on The International Series later in the year.
Said Jasper Vicencio, from Digiplus: “DigiPlus is excited to be playing an important role in golf in the Philippines and on the Asian Development Tour this year. DigiPlus remains dedicated to advancing sports development in the Philippines. It was proven last year when Miguel Tabuena championed the International Series Philippines. Hence, DigiPlus supported Miguel completely. Without a doubt, the DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open will make a big impact on both as we look to provide elite-level playing opportunities locally and regionally.”
The tournament will feature 132 players, with 82 from the ADT, 30 National Golf Association of the Philippines players, six from the national team, and fourteen invites.
The visit to the Philippines means the ADT is set to have tournaments in seven countries this season, as it will also journey to Chinese-Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.
The ADT has enjoyed an action-packed season so far, with four events having been played.
Singapore’s Nicklaus Chiam currently leads the Order of Merit helped by victory in the season-opening PKNS Selangor Masters. He won that event in a sudden-death play-off, which has been the case in the other three events.
Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan was victorious in the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters, Amarin Kraivixien from Thailand won the Singha-SAT ADT Hua Hin Championship and Indian Pukhraj Singh Gill triumphed in ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. Varadan is second on the Order of Merit, having also featured in the play-off with Chiam.
Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool won the am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars event at the weekend.
Main picture: Sean Ramos, the leading Filipino golfer on the ADT Order of Merit in 10th place.
The Asian Tour’s evolving partnership with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) will take an important step forward this year when two tournaments are held in consecutive weeks at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, El Jadida, Morocco.
The Am Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026 will initiate what will be an exciting stretch of tournaments in the North African nation and will be played from 28-31 May. It will be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the IGPL.
The following week the US$500,000 Bharath Classic will tee-off from 4-7 June and will be sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the IGPL. Last year during the maiden season of the exciting new Indian franchise the event was played in Ahmedabad, but the event now moves to a new home in Casablanca to optimise player movements.
The International Series Morocco will then conclude an exciting three-week swing at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red Course) from 11-14 June.
“This is an exciting development for both the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer our members three successive weeks of playing opportunities in Morocco, where golf continues to make such great progress through the leadership of the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation and Hassan II Golf Trophy Association.
“It is the result of our emerging relationship with the IGPL, whom we know are working hard to help grow the game in India and beyond through new initiatives. We thank IGPL for adding a new event for the ADT as well as the flexibly in rescheduling and relocating the Bharath Classic for us on the Asian Tour.”
The top two players not otherwise exempt who finish in the top 10 at the Am Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026 will earn invites to the Bharath Classic – which was won last year by Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai.
The ADT tournament will offer prizemoney of the US$160,000 and builds on the Tour’s maiden visit to Morocco last year for two Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech tournaments, won by Aidric Chan [main picture] and Carl Jano Corpus from the Philippines.
Today’s announcement follows soon after The International Series and the IGPL unveiled a new collaboration that will see India’s top-ranked players from the League gain access to the Series and the LIV Golf Promotions event.
The maiden staging of the Ever Glory ADT Open will commence an exciting new three-event swing in Chinese-Taipei on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this July – the Asian Tour’s secondary Tour confirmed today.
The US$100,000 event will be played at Tong Hwa Golf & Country Club, in New Taipei City, from 8–11 July, marking the circuit’s first appearance of the season in one of the region’s golfing strongholds.
It will be followed in successive weeks by the Ambassador ADT Open and the HCT ADT Open – marking the first time the ADT will have staged three events in a row there.
The event has come to fruition thanks to the support of the Ever Glory Construction Group, who is title sponsoring a golf event for the first time.
“This marks a major milestone in Ever Glory Construction’s involvement in professional golf,” said Hsieh Chien-kuo, Chairman, Every Glory Construction.
“We firmly believe in golf’s values of discipline, precision, and consistency. They align strongly with our core business management principles.
“We are confident the tournament will make a positive impact on golf in Chinese-Taipei. We want to create greater playing opportunities for home grown players and help them to benefit from the pathway that the Asian Development Tour provides to the Asian Tour. The Ever Glory ADT Open will also strengthen our integration with international golf.”
The field size will be 144 players, with 68 from the ADT and 64 PGA of Taiwan professionals. There will be six invites from the ADT and six from the promoter.
Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “The launch of the Ever Glory ADT Open is tremendous news for our Tour and members. It means we now have three tournaments in a row in Chinese-Taipei – which is an ideal scenario for our members to benefit from.
“Staging tournaments in Chinese-Taipei is always a great experience, and we are truly grateful to Every Glory Construction, the PGA of Taiwan and Tong Hwa Golf & Country Club for their vision and support.”
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