Suteepat completes ADT hattrick and moves to number one on Merit list
New ground will be broken this year when the Asian Development Tour (ADT) visits Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Boasting a prize fund of US$75,000, Golf Saudi-managed Riyadh Golf Club will play host to the inaugural Saudi Open from December 8-10.
As well as highlighting the ADT’s rapid expansion this year, the event is a further sign of the strengthening of ties between the Asian Tour and Golf Saudi.
Last year, Golf Saudi entered a 10-year partnership with the Asian Tour. As a result of that alignment, the US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers has become the opening event on the Asian Tour’s annual calendar.
Majed Al Sorour, Deputy Chairman and CEO for Golf Saudi , said: “We’re delighted to extend and deepen our ties with the Asian Tour, a key strategic partner for us.
Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam currently leads the ADT Order of Merit. Picture by Faizal Rachman / OB Golf.
“We’re especially pleased that Riyadh Golf Club will be the venue for the Saudi Open on the Asian Development Tour.”
Managed by Golf Saudi and playing to a par of 72, the Riyadh Golf Club is 20 minutes from Riyadh city centre. The course, opened in 2005, is characterised by undulating terrain, wide fairways and manicured greens.
Al Sorour said: “Riyadh Golf Club is the go-to recreational and social getaway from the capital with the club providing fun and exciting golf experiences for beginners to established players whether men, women or children.
“Golf Saudi facilitates uptake and participation in golf through the delivery of world-class facilities, operational excellence and the implementation of industry best practice to position the Kingdom as an exceptional golfing nation.
“Combined with grass roots training and educational programmes that introduce people to the game at the earliest opportunity and with the greatest ease, Golf Saudi is committed to delivering a dynamic national development programme that transforms the golfing landscape.”
Of the Saudi Open joining the ADT schedule, Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO, Asian Tour, said: “Providing playing opportunities for our members has always been a prime objective for us. I’m delighted, therefore, that we’re able to further bolster the ADT schedule this year with the addition of the Saudi Open.”
The ADT staged its 10th event of the season at the weekend, the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia. Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai took the title in a nail-biting finish, that saw his compatriot Chonlatit Chuenboonngam tie for second and keep the lead on the ADT’s Order of Merit standings.
The ADT visits Vietnam this week for the first time in its 12-year history, for the BRG Open Golf Championship at BRG Da Nang Golf Resort, from August 31 – September 2.
The ADT has been a springboard to the Asian Tour for dozens of players, including reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Joohyung Kim of Korea – who also recently won the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour – and American John Catlin, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai shot a blistering nine-under-par 63 to come from seven shots back at the start of the final day and win the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course today.
Overnight leader Lloyd Jefferson Go from the Philippines, Malaysian Paul San and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam from Thailand all finished one shot behind – in the 10th event of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
Go came in with a 71, San carded a 68 and Chonlatit finished with a 69, in the US$110,000 event – which is one of the most lucrative ADT events this season.
In a thrilling final day 29-year-old Suteepat, playing in the third from last group, did not look like a player on his way to victory when he slipped further behind the frontrunners with a bogey on two.
However, that proved to be his only dropped shot of the day as from there on in he stormed through the field making birdie after birdie. He made birdies on three, four, six and eight to make the turn in three under, before a stunning second nine saw him make three birdies in a row from 10, followed by a birdie on 15 before two more on 17 and 18.
He finished the tournament with an incredibly impressive total of 21 under that proved to be beyond the reach of the chasing pack, although Go, San and Chonlatit, all playing in the final group, did their best to catch him, all making birdies on the par five 18th.
Suteepat was also helped by the fact that Go made a double on the par-five 13th and San a bogey on 16.
It marks the first time the Thai player, who turned professional in 2017, has won an ADT event; his only other significant win to date was the Tour Championship in China in 2019.
Chonlatit was bidding for back-to-back wins having won last week’s Gunung Geulis Invitational. He had the consolation of keeping top spot on the ADT Order of Merit.
China’s Chen Guxin, who tied for 14th this week, is second, while Suteepat climbed into third.
The ADT heads to Vietnam next week for the inaugural US$75,000 BRG Open Golf Championship at the BRG Da Nang Golf Resort.
Lloyd Jefferson Go from the Philippines opened up a two-shot lead after three rounds of the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament today by shooting his second successive seven-under-par 65 at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course.
The 27 year old impressively moved to 19 under for the tournament – which boasts prizemoney of US$110,000 and is one of the most lucrative events on the Asian Development Tour this season.
Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, who started the day sharing the lead with Go and Malaysian Paul San, is two behind in outright second following a 67.
San shot 68 and is in third place, a further stroke behind.
Go once again dismantled the impressive BSD Course with 10 birdies, including on the opening three holes, and he looked to be heading for a bigger lead before he double-bogeyed number 15. His only other dropped shot came on the fifth.
A professional since 2018, following a stellar amateur career at Seton Hall University in the United States, he is chasing his first victory in the professional game, having spent time playing on the PGA Tour’s in China and Canada.
It promises to be a brilliant final day with in-form Chonlatit hot on his heels. The Thai golfer claimed last week’s Gunung Geulis Invitational and is the current leader of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit.
He put together a solid bogey-free round, made up of five birdies.
India’s Kshitij Naveed Kaul (66) and Sam Gillis from the United States (68) are in fourth, four behind Go.
The round of the day, and indeed the week so far, belonged to Hong Kong’s Shinichi Mizuno who returned an inspired bogey-free 63.
Four birdies on the front and five on the homeward half saw him climb into joint 12th on 10 under, along with China’s Chen Guxin, who is second on the Merit list, and carded a 70.
This week’s event is the 10th tournament of the season on the Asian Development Tour.
Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, winner of last week’s Gunung Geulis Invitational and the current leader of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, continued to show he is the in-form player on Tour at the moment after shooting a five-under-par 67 today to take a share of the second-round lead at the US$110,000 BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament.
Lloyd Jefferson Go from the Philippines and Malaysian Paul San carded rounds of 65 and 66 respectively to join him out in front on 12 under at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course.
American Sam Gillis (66) is one shot further back, while Australia’s Cory Crawford (65), Indian Kshitij Naveed Kaul (66), Singapore’s Koh Dengshan (69), Suttijet Kooratanapisan from Thailand (69), and first-round leader Clyde Mondilla from the Philippines (71) are two strokes further adrift.
Chonlatit, who triumphed by seven shots last week, carded six birdies and dropped just one shot to put himself in perfect position to bid for back-to-back wins at the weekend.
He has worked his way to the top of the Merit list helped by finishing second in the Blue Canyon Open in May, and third in the Indo Masters Invitational the following month.
Lloyd Jefferson Go from the Philippines
Go’s brilliant 65, joint lowest of the day with Crawford, was highlighted by an eagle at the par-five 18th as well as six birdies and only one bogey.
Crawford’s 65 was more of a rollercoaster round which saw him make an amazing 10 birdies, including five on the trot from hole 10 but three bogeys on the front nine spoilt what could have been an incredibly low 18.
Mondilla, a 12-time winner on the domestic circuit in the Philippines looking for his first victory overseas, led after the first day with a 64 but was unable to maintain that momentum today shooting three birdies and two bogeys.
This week’s event is the 10th tournament of the season on the Asian Development Tour.
China’s Chen Guxin, second on the Merit list, added a 69 to his opening 67 and is in a tie for 10th with four other players, just off the lead.
Clyde Mondilla from the Philippines carded a brilliant bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to lead after the first round of the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament today.
Mondilla, a 12-time winner on the domestic circuit in the Philippines looking for his first victory overseas, fired eight birdies at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course – in what is the 10th tournament of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, winner of last week’s Gunung Geulis Invitational and the leader of the ADT Order of Merit, and Abdul Hadi from Singapore carded 65s to sit in second; while another Singaporean Koh Dengshan, Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar, Thailand’s Pisitchai Thippong – the brother of Nitithorn Thippong – and Suttijet Kooratanapisan, and Paul San from Malaysia all shot 66s.
Twenty-eight-year-old Mondilla began his round on the back nine and after making his first birdie of the day on 13 his round soon caught fire with four birdies in the row from 15. He later made further gains on five, seven and eight.
One of his 12 victories on home soil includes the Philippine Open in 2019. It was not part of the Asian Tour that year, so he’ll be looking to finally register a win on a regional tour this week.
A star of the amateur game, he triumphed in the Philippine Amateur Open in 2010, when he was 16 years old – making him the youngest winner of the event.
Chonlatit Chuenboonngam tasted victory by seven shots last week and is continuing in the same vein this week putting together a fine start with a round made up of eight birdies and just one dropped shot.
Hadi’s 65 consisted of an eagle, six birdies and one bogey.
China’s Chen Guxin, second on the Merit list, having been the first player from his country to win an ADT event earlier this, returned a 67 and is in a tie for 10th.
International tournament golf will return to Vietnam this year when the inaugural BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang is played at BRG Da Nang Golf Resort from 31st August – 2nd September, as event on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
The ground-breaking event, which will offer an overall purse of US$75,000, will mark the first time the ADT has visited Vietnam, which last hosted an Asian Tour tournament in 2015.
“On behalf of the Asian Tour and our feeder circuit the Asian Development Tour, we are thrilled to welcome onboard the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang,” said Ken Kudo, Associate Director, Partnerships, Asian Tour.
“This exciting new addition to the golfing calendar, which will be played on the impressive Nicklaus Course at BRG Da Nang Golf Resort, will play an important role in helping to re-ignite tournament golf in Vietnam, following a difficult three-years caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Nguyễn Xuân Bình – Deputy Director of Danang City Tourism, and Permanent Deputy Chairman – speaks to the audience at the packed press conference.
The tournament will boast a truly international feel with players from across the region competing. A total of 122 ADT members will play alongside 22 players nominated by the Vietnam Golf Association, ensuring an extremely strong line up of the region’s up and coming players.
The BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang will be the 10th stop on this year’s ADT – which got underway in March this year at the Gurugram Challenge in India, following a hiatus of over two years as the result of the pandemic.
Added Kudo: “Importantly, September’s event will play a key role in promoting the city of Da Nang as a tourist and golfing destination and help play a part in boosting the local economy.”
The event will also mark the start of a new partnership for the Asian Tour with VGS Events, under the Asian Development Tour platform, with both sharing the same vision to grow the game of golf in Vietnam through the staging of international tournaments.
The Asian Tour was represented by Ken Kudo, Associate Director, Partnerships, Asian Tour.
The Asian Development Tour (ADT), the Asian Tour’s feeder circuit, will stage six events in Indonesia this year – thanks to the gradual relaxation of restrictions for inbound travelers in the country.
Set to run in a window from early June through to the first week of September, total prize money of over half a million US dollars will be on offer with purses ranging from US$70,000 to US$110,000.
This exciting development will mean that Indonesia will become the biggest destination for the ADT in 2022.
With the addition of the Indonesian tournaments, the ADT schedule is now made up of 12 events, including four which are jointly-sanctioned with the MENA Tour – concluding this week in Phuket under the banner of the ‘Beautiful Thailand Swing’.
Sarun Sirithon is currently second on the Merit list.
The 72-hole Indonesian events will commence on June 8 with the OB Golf Invitational, followed the week after by the Indo Masters Golf Invitational presented by TNE at Imperial Klub Golf. Details of an event to be held in July will be announced later.
Then starting in August a lucrative stretch of tournaments will be held consecutively: the US$100,000 Gunung Guelis Golf Invitational supported by Nomura; the US$110,000 Ciputra Golfpreneur; and, the US$100,000 Combiphar Players Championship at Parahyangan Golf – a member of the Asian Tour Destinations network.
More ADT events this season will be announced in due course.
Unho Park, Director of Tour & Player Affairs, Asian Tour, said: “Providing playing opportunities for our ADT members is our prime objective this season. I’m delighted, therefore, that we’re able to announce these six ADT tournaments in Indonesia”.
“Not only will this enable us to surpass our target of staging at least 12 events this season, but also it gives us a massive boost as we continue to rebuild after such a long and frustrating break … and put together a full schedule for 2023.”
Park added: “The ADT has been a springboard to the Asian Tour for dozens of players, including our reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Joohyung Kim of Korea and American John Catlin, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour”.
“We’re all excited to see which players will take up the baton this year and secure themselves spots on the Asian Tour in 2023.”
The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on next year’s Asian Tour.
Following a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ADT resumed last month with the inaugural Gurugram Challenge at the Classic Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of New Delhi, a co-sanctioned event with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). Victory went to American Dodge Kemmer.
Dodge Kemmer claimed the Gurugram Classic in India.
Chen Guxin currently leads the Order of Merit, helped by winning the Blue Canyon Classic last week; in doing so, he became the first player from China to win on the Tour.
The Boonchu Ruangkit Championship, won by Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert in January 2020, will be counted on the current ADT season having been played before the COVID-19 pandemic suspension.
2020-2022 ADT Schedule:
Boonchu Ruangkit Championship
Jan 23 – 26, 2020 US$119,000 Rancho Charnvee Resort & CC
Won by Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA)
Gurugram Challenge
Mar 29 – Apr 1 US$75,000 Classic Golf & CC
Won by Dodge Kemmer (USA)
Laguna Phuket Challenge
May 3-5 US$75,000 Laguna Golf Phuket
Won by Tom Sloman (ENG)
Laguna Phuket Cup
May 8-10 US$75,000 Laguna Golf Phuket
Won by Sarun Sirithon (THA)
Blue Canyon Classic
May 13-15 US$75,000 Blue Canyon CC
Won by Chen Guxin (CHN)
Blue Canyon Open
May 18-20 US$75,000 Blue Canyon CC
OB Golf Invitational
Jun 7-10 US$70,000 Damai Indah Golf BSD
Indo Masters Golf Invitational presented by TNE
Jun 15-18 US$70,000 Imperial Klub Golf
Event TBC
Jul 20-23 TBC Royale Jakarta
Gunung Geulis Golf Invitational supported by Nomura
Aug 17-20 US$100,000 Gunung Geulis CC
Ciputra Golfpreneur
Aug 24-27 US$110,000 Damai Indah Golf BSD
Combiphar Players Championship
Aug 31 – Sep 3 US$100,000 Parahyangan Golf
American Dodge Kemmer claimed his first title in Asia after a decade of trying when he won the US$75,000 Gurugram Challenge today – an event jointly sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India.
He shot a fine final round six-under-par 66 (his third 66 in a row) at Classic Golf & Country Club, just outside New Delhi, to impressively finish 23 under and beat Thailand’s Chanat Sakulpolaphaisan by three shots. Chanat closed with a 68, while India’s Arjun Bhati was two shots further back in third after shooting 66.
Indonesian Rory Hie, the leader after each of the first three days, carded a disappointing 73 to tie for fourth, six behind Kemmer, with Indian Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (67) and England’s Joshua Grenville-Wood (68).
Kemmer, aged 34, started the final round one behind Hie, but played flawless golf to win, carding four birdies on the front and two on the back.
Dodge Kemmer of the USA (Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour).
His success ratified his decision to stay on for the event after last week’s The DGC Open presented by Mastercard, where he finished joint 49th.
“It was a great decision!” said Kemmer.
“I like being in India, it was an easy choice. Obviously, a win is always good and good for the confidence and gets me in a good place on the ADT list in case I need that to stay on the Asian Tour next year.”
The American, a graduate of the prestigious Stanford University like current Asian Tour number one Sihwan Kim from the United Sates, turned professional in 2010 and made it through the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2012. His best finish on the Asian Tour came in the 2017 Bashundhara Bangladesh Open while he has also three top-five ADT finishes to his name.
He added: “I saw on the forecast it was going to be windy and I noticed a lot of the pins yesterday and they were definitely the hardest of the week so I didn’t have a number in mind or expectations but I knew that scores would probably be higher, just with the wind and the pins, and so probably played a little more conservative if anything into the greens and that definitely paid off as I didn’t have any bogeys, which is a great way to have a final round.”
Hie had been favourite to add this week’s trophy to his 2019 Classic Golf & Country Club International Championship win on the Asian Tour at the same venue but never recovered from a double bogey seven on the par-five third.
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