Rising star Varadan wins ADT Merit title after final event of year postponed
In a big boost for Malaysian golf, Khavish Varadan has been crowned the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit champion earlier than expected after it was confirmed today that the season-ending Aramco Invitational Tournament has been postponed.
The 26-year-old and his fellow ADT members were due to head to Saudi Arabia next month for what was the last remaining event of the season but instability in the region and concerns over player safety have forced its organisers to not proceed with it on the ADT schedule. It was due to be held at Rolling Hills Golf Club from 25-28 November.
It means Varadan wins the Merit list for the first time and becomes only the third Malaysian to do so in the 16-year history of the ADT. His compatriots S. Siva Chandhran and Nicholas Fung won the OOM in 2010 and in 2013 respectively.
Varadan has taken the ADT by storm this year in just his third full season as a professional. He lost the season-opening Selangor Masters in a play-off in February to Singapore’s Nicklaus Chiam. However, he made amends by winning the next event, the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters, after another play-off – against Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand. He also claimed tied second place in the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament later in the year and enjoyed two other top five results.
The Malaysian, who is also playing on the Asian Tour this year having made it through Qualifying School, finished the year with earnings of US$64,883.89 having played in eight of the 14 events on the schedule.
Today’s news will also be welcomed by the other players in the top-10 of the OOM, who have all earned Asian Tour cards for next year: Korean Minhyeok Yang, Sean Ramos from the Philippines, Italian Michele Ortolani, Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong, Indian Pukhraj Gill, Nicklaus Chiam of Singapore, Xu, Andi from China, Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar, and Nathan Han from the United States.
The Egypt Golf Series 14, won by Englishman Ben Jones at the beginning of the month, now stands as the final event of the 2026 ADT’s season.
September 29: It got crowded at the top as four players shared the lead at the halfway stage of the $125,000 Egyptian Golf Series 14.
On Tuesday at the Madinaty Golf Club, overnight leader India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill managed to turn things around with five birdies on his back nine in a round of three-under par 67, but that could only take him to nine-under 131. He was joined at that score by Australia’s Darcy Brereton (66, main picture), Korea’s Minhyeok Yang (64) and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (66).
Malaysia’s Marcus Lim and Korea’s Jaeil Kim both shot identical rounds of 67 to remain one behind the leaders at 132, while Australia’s Deyen Lawson (67), China’s Andi Xu (64), Frenchman Edgar Catherine (65) and England’s Ben Jones (67) were very much in the mix at seven-under total.
The lowest round of the day was by Welshman David Boote (63), who improved to tied 11th place at -6 after a bogey-free round that included seven birdies.
Minhyeok Yang of Korea. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT.
Yang, who recently moved to Thailand with his father to be able to travel more comfortably within Asia, was bogey-free for his round, and hoped the wind would be up for the next two days.
“I played nicely today. My putting was very good, even though I missed a few wedge shots. My swing felt really nice, especially on the back nine,” said Yang, who is fifth in the Order of Merit and wants to seal his Asian Tour card for the next season with a good performance this week.
“I need to keep playing like this because I think the winning score will be around 22-under. It will be lower than last week because all the players were here last week as well, and they know the course conditions, are used to the wind, and can read the green better.
“I want more wind because this course is very wide.”
Like Yang, 32-year-old Brereton is also searching for his first professional win. He is currently 17th in the Order of Merit, and a good week will take him closer to the all-important top-10, which secures a graduation to the Asian Tour.
David Boote of Wales. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
His only mistake on the day was a bogey on the 11th hole, but Brereton was pleased with how he played.
“It’s been a solid couple of days. Didn’t really find myself in too much trouble, so just looking forward to seeing what the next couple of days hold,” said the Melbourne resident.
“I think everything’s just complete. I’m hitting it pretty decent off the tee, hitting the right spots into the greens, holding a few putts between five and 15 feet and chipping it good. So, not much stress on my game. I think I found the rhythm of the course and would like to just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Gill, who shot a 64 on the opening day with three birdies and an eagle in his last six holes, needed to dig deep after a rough start, which saw him finish his front nine (back nine of the course) in two-over.
“I got off to quite a slow start today. I had a pretty easy opening couple of holes, but I was one-over through the first three. I then lost my ball on the 17th hole (his ninth) and made another bogey after making a birdie with my second ball,” said the 28-year-old.
“I think I came back quite well. I was able to stay patient and make five birdies in my closing nine holes. I felt the course conditions overall were slightly easier than yesterday, which is why I am not too surprised by the scores. Nevertheless, I’m quite grateful that I was able to recover from a rough front nine, and still stay in co-lead going into the last two days.”
The Egyptian Golf Series 14, as well as last week’s Egyptian Golf Series 13, are co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation. The Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi are partnering the two tournaments.
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.
China’s Andi Xu produced a spectacular finish of four consecutive birdies to claim his first professional title at The Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura at Gunung Geulis Country Club on Friday.
Xu bounced back from a bogey at the 14th by birdieing each of his remaining four holes, closing with a six-under-par 65 on the West Course to finish the US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event on 18 under.
Australia’s Darcy Brereton applied the pressure all the way to the finish, matching Xu’s 65 and birdieing the 18th to reach 17 under, but the Chinese player responded by converting from five feet at the last to secure a one-stroke victory.
Korea’s Minhyeok Yang had earlier established the clubhouse target after producing the low round of the day, a seven-under 64 that took him to 15 under.
Playing four groups ahead of the final threesome, Yang held the clubhouse lead until the battle between Xu and Brereton developed over the closing holes.
Xu began the final round with a one-shot advantage over Brereton and ADT Order of Merit leader Khavish Varadan and remained unaware of exactly where he stood until reaching the 15th green.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboard until 15, when there was one next to the green,” said Xu. “At that point I was 14 under and I believe I was one behind Darcy.
“I ended up holing the birdie putt from the fringe of the green there and then made a few more putts over the last three to birdie out and win by one.
“On these greens you don’t really know if you’re going to make those 20-footers. I just told myself before every putt, ‘Just hit a good putt. It’s like all the putts you practise. Don’t even think about the score.’ And then they just rolled in.”
Having drawn level with Brereton, Xu birdied the 16th and 17th to take a one-shot advantage to the par-four 18th.
With Brereton alongside him in the final group, Xu opted for caution from the tee while the Australian took the more aggressive route.
“Darcy was 16 under and I was 17 under, so my thought was that I just needed to play it safe. There was no need to take risks,” said Xu.
“I hit four-iron off the tee into the middle of the fairway and Darcy hit driver and had about 50 yards left. I had 130 yards uphill and hit pitching wedge to about five or six feet.
“Darcy hit his chip to about 20 feet and drained the putt. Props to him — he played a great tournament. I just had to step up and make the putt, and thankfully I did.”
Darcy Brereton
Brereton’s birdie briefly drew him level at 17 under, leaving Xu needing to hole his putt to avoid a playoff.
“I thought it was missing right, to be honest,” Xu said. “It was a little high and I was thinking, ‘Please don’t lip out.’ Then it lipped in, so I was very thankful.
“I would not have wanted to go into a playoff after a long tournament!”
The victory was an emotional breakthrough for Xu, who is in his first season competing on the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour and had not won a tournament since his college days.
“It feels great. Honestly, I haven’t felt anything like this in a long time,” he said.
“My last tournament win was in college and to be able to win on a professional stage like this means the world to me.”
Xu said his primary objective this season had been to continue developing his game, but victory in Indonesia has given him another important step towards establishing himself in Asia.
“The main goal for me is to improve my game, but on top of that it would be nice to keep my card,” he said. “I think this win helps with that goal and moves me forward in the rankings.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to play on this tour next year. To have an Asian Tour card would be really beneficial to my game.”
Brereton, who had started the day one behind Xu, made an early bogey at the first but responded with seven birdies and no further dropped shots to push the eventual champion all the way.
Despite narrowly missing out on the title, the Australian was encouraged by his 17-under total.
“I’ve got to be happy with myself. I had a target in mind of about 15 or 16 under for the week, so to get past that was good,” said Brereton.
“I thought it was going to be harder this year with how much firmer and faster the course was. It played a bit more strategically, but I’m pretty happy.
“You can always look at the ones you missed, but I also made some good ones. Andi played great. There wasn’t much more I could have done, I guess.”
Brereton said the result was particularly satisfying after feeling his performances had not been reflected in his results in recent weeks.
“I feel like I’ve been playing well for some time. I cracked a driver a few weeks ago in Taiwan and didn’t realise until last week, so I feel like I’ve been playing well without getting a result.
“It’s good to finally get right up there in the hunt and have a strong finish.”
Minhyeok Yang
Yang finished alone in third on 15 under following his 64, with Italy’s Michele Ortolani fourth on 14 under after a closing 66.
Varadan, who began the final round alongside Xu and Brereton, carded a 69 to finish fifth on 13 under, while Mexico’s Roberto Lebrija and Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar shared sixth at 11 under.
India’s Khalin Joshi, American Nathan Han and England’s Thomas Plumb completed the top 10 at 10 under.
The Asian Development Tour remains in Indonesia next week for the US$150,000 Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament at Damai Indah Golf’s BSD Course, where Brereton will look to carry the momentum from his runner-up finish.
“I’m looking forward to Ciputra next week,” he said. “I love the course and I’m looking forward to it.”
China’s Andi Xu fired a seven-under-par 64 to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the US$125,000 Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura at Gunung Geulis Country Club on Thursday.
Xu, who opened with a 66 on the East Course, moved to 12 under after negotiating the West Course in 64 and will head into Friday’s final round one ahead of Australia’s Darcy Brereton and ADT Order of Merit leader Khavish Varadan of Malaysia.
Brereton followed his opening 65 on the West Course with a 66 on the East, while Varadan added a 65 on the West to his first-round 66 to join the Australian on 11 under.
Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar and Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong share fourth place at 10 under, with Thippong matching Xu’s 64.
Xu’s round contained plenty of scoring opportunities but he said patience on Gunung Geulis’ difficult greens proved just as important as his seven-under score suggested.
“The conditions were tough. Obviously there are a lot of opportunities for birdies, but the greens are really tricky,” said Xu (main picture).
“I actually had two three-putts today, so I just kept my composure, kept hitting good putts and tried to get the speed right.
“The main thing is not to be too aggressive and just keep your pace. The downhill putts are really slippery and you can three-putt very easily, so I was just trying to do the best I could on every shot and not think about the score.”
The 64 represented only a two-shot improvement on his opening round, and Xu felt the difference came primarily on the greens.
“Honestly, I played pretty similarly to yesterday. It was just a matter of how many putts dropped,” he said.
Xu is in his first season competing on the Asian Tour and ADT after playing last year on the PGA Tour of Australasia and said his focus has been on developing his game rather than setting specific targets.
“I’m just trying to improve myself every tournament. I’m not really aiming for a specific score or a specific place,” he said.
“I’m grinding and trying to perfect my game until I’m ready to perform even better on these stages. It’s more about the process rather than trying to finish top five or top 10.”
A victory on Friday would be Xu’s first since his college days three or four years ago and, after struggling with his putting in recent events, he believes his performance this week could represent an important step forward.
“It would be huge. I haven’t won in a while, so it would be a huge boost to my confidence and an affirmation that I’ve been doing the right things,” he said.
“I’ve struggled with my putting in the last few tournaments and this week has been a huge change. I hope I can take this momentum into tomorrow.”
Darcy Brereton
Brereton, meanwhile, has quietly put together two consistent rounds and described his opening 36 holes as largely stress-free.
“It was good. I’ve enjoyed playing here, so it’s been pretty stress-free and pretty enjoyable,” said Brereton. “I hit it well and putted quite nicely. Same as yesterday, it’s been a pretty smooth two days.”
The Australian has particularly good memories of the event after winning the team competition last year and admitted the tournament had been on his radar since the schedule was announced.
“I had this one marked for a while when the schedule came out,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time here last year and in Indonesia as a whole.
“I love coming here. The course is great and everyone has looked after me really well, so you don’t have to twist my arm to come back.”
Brereton plans few changes for Friday’s final round.
“I probably won’t change too much off the tee. I’ll just keep hitting good shots and hopefully keep holing putts,” he said.
Varadan’s 65 was rather less straightforward.
After beginning his round on the back nine and missing a two-foot putt on his opening hole, the Malaysian quickly recovered and transformed his round with birdies at 14 and 15 followed by an eagle at the par-five 16th.
“It was a good round. I got off to a shaky start and missed a two-footer on my first hole, but then things started moving,” said Varadan.
“I birdied 14 and 15 and eagled 16, and that really propelled my round. After that I felt a little better and managed my game. Everything was pretty solid.
“I actually felt like I played better yesterday, but I’m really thankful for the score today and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Khavish Varadan
Varadan has balanced appearances on the Asian Tour with a busy ADT schedule during his first full season as a professional and sees the Development Tour as an important part of his progression.
“I’m still fresh as a professional, so my goal is to play as many competitive rounds as I can,” he said.
“The ADT is really competitive and we play a variety of different golf courses. I want to win on the ADT and win the Order of Merit and build my career from there.”
Behind the leading five, Finlay Mason, Roberto Lebrija and Michele Ortolani share sixth at nine under, while six players are another stroke back at eight under, including first-round leader Ayoub Lguirati.
Lguirati, who equalled the East Course record with an opening 62, slipped back with a one-over 72 on the West Course.
American Nathan Han, who opened with a 64 on the West, also sits at eight under following a 70 on the East.
First-round runner-up Tim Nielsen followed his opening 63 with a 75 and is four under, eight shots behind Xu.
The cut fell at three under, with 50 professionals advancing to Friday’s final round on the West Course. Play begins at 7am with a two-tee start.
The three-day tournament features a professional stroke-play competition alongside a separate team event pairing each professional with an amateur.
Lu Wei-chih holed out from the rough for eagle at the first playoff hole to defeat fellow Chinese Taipei players Wang Wei-hsuan and Shapiyate Mako and capture the US$120,000 HCT ADT Open after a thrilling finish at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club on Friday.
The three players finished tied on 15-under-par 273 after Wang posted the clubhouse lead with a brilliant seven-under-par 65, before Lu and Mako both birdied the 72nd hole to force extra holes.
Returning to the par-five 18th for the playoff, Mako’s approach came up short of the green before he chipped close with his third shot. Wang reached the green in three and faced a birdie putt from around seven feet.
Lu, meanwhile, missed the green to the right with his approach, leaving himself about 24 yards away in the rough. He then produced the defining moment of the tournament, pitching the ball onto the green and watching it roll straight into the cup for a remarkable walk-off eagle and the title.
“I was just trying to make birdies and play shot by shot. I kept it very simple,” Lu said.
“That eagle chip-in in the playoff was a surprise. It’s not an easy shot because it’s difficult to stop the ball on these greens. I was only trying to get it close. I didn’t expect it to go in.”
Lu celebrated the victory with his son, who has been carrying his bag throughout the week.
“We couldn’t believe it went in,” he said. “I don’t think I could do it again if you asked me to play that shot a hundred times.”
The victory completed a dramatic turnaround after Lu appeared to have surrendered control of the tournament during the final round.
Beginning the day with a four-shot advantage, the overnight leader stumbled early with a costly double bogey at the par-five fifth as the chasing pack closed in.
“I didn’t actually start well today and a lot of players were really chasing me,” he said. “The double bogey was costly and my mindset changed from there. I knew I might not be leading anymore.”
Rather than becoming defensive, Lu said he decided to attack.
“I told myself to play more aggressively and commit to the shots,” he said. “I’m glad I made the playoff and gave myself another chance.”
Wang looked destined to lift the trophy after producing the day’s best round of seven-under-par 65.
Playing in the 15th group, he birdied four of his opening five holes and turned in five-under-par 31. Despite a costly double bogey at the par-three 15th, he birdied the closing hole to post the clubhouse target at 15-under.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all,” Wang said. “I just focused on every shot.”
Mako, who had struggled with dizziness during Thursday’s third round, recovered with a composed bogey-free 68. Playing alongside Lu in the final group, he birdied the 18th to earn his place in the playoff before narrowly missing out on the title.
Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei with wife Zhuang Hui Jun and son Lu I-hsien pictured with the winner’s trophy following his victory in the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei. The US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event is being played from July 21-24, 2026
Lu said the victory carried special significance after battling back from serious illness.
“This win gives me a new direction on how to move forward in my career,” he said. “It’s been quite a long journey since I fell sick, but I’ve come to accept it and face it. I worked my way back to the golf course.”
He said the unwavering support of his sponsors helped him through the toughest period of his career.
“I have no reason to give up. My sponsors never gave up on me, so I had no reason to give up on myself.”
Lu said rebuilding his strength had taken time, particularly with the demands of playing in hot conditions.
“It took a lot of effort to get my body back to where it should be,” he said. “I knew I had to work on my stamina. It’s very important when you play in weather like this.”
He also paid tribute to his wife for helping him return to professional golf.
“She has always been considerate and caring about my health and has supported our family,” he said. “Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to come back and play golf.”
Despite claiming one of the most memorable victories of his career, Lu said he remains focused on taking his career one step at a time as he attempts to regain his Asian Tour card after losing it four years ago.
“I haven’t been able to keep my Asian Tour card over the last four years,” he said. “This is my first ADT win and I hope I can play my way back to the Asian Tour.”
“I’ll play the rest of the ADT events this season and hopefully earn my card for next year so I don’t have to go back to Qualifying School.”
“I just want to get a little bit better every day, even if it’s only a small step,” he said.
Chan Chia-han finished fourth on 14-under-par 274 after closing with a six-under-par 66, while Hsieh Ting-wei was fifth on 13-under following another 66.
Another highlight came from Korea’s Jaeil Kim, who recorded the tournament’s third hole-in-one when he aced the 173-yard par-three 12th with a six-iron during his final-round 70.
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.
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