Stellar cast set for Selangor clash
India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill had a early start this morning to finish off his first round following yesterday’s weather delay, but he took full advantage of the morning conditions to fashion a two shot lead at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters.
Closing out his first round with a 64, he went on to post a three-under par 69 to finish the day at eleven under in the US$85,000 Asian Development Tour event, which is being held from June 12-14 at Royal Long An Golf & Villas near Ho Chi Minh city.
Gill leads the field from Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono (67) in solo second on nine under, ahead of Thailand’s Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng (67) in third place on eight under par.
“I feel very good, very pleased with myself,” said Gill after his round. “I kept on striding from what I built up yesterday. I didn’t get as lucky as I did yesterday with a couple of bad shots and I had to suffer a few bogeys but I made a good comeback, I had five birdies on the card and finished with a birdie as well.
“I think the wind here is a constant regardless of what time you are teeing off. We did have a slightly calmer front nine today in the morning so I was able to capitalise on that a little bit,” he added.
Singapore’s Koh Deng Shan (68) is showing a return to form with another sub par round to share fourth spot with Australia’s Todd Sinnott (69) and Malaysia’s Galven Green (69).
In seventh place, on six under, Liu Yung-hua (68) of Chinese Taipei improved on his round one score to sit alongside Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Anh Minh, Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig and Jakraphon Premsirigorn of Thailand, all of whom posted a 69 today to match their first round scores.
Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono pictured in action during Round Two of the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters. The US$85,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at Royal Long An Golf & Villas from June 12-14, 2024. Picture courtesy Vietnam Golf Association
Thammasack Bouahom (67) of Laos was one of the early finishers today and was pleased with the early conditions after hitting 17 out of 18 greens.
“I hit it a lot better today, definitely better off the tee which gave me a lot of opportunities to go at the flag. Also, I didn’t make a bogey today, just hitting a lot of greens so that made a difference,” he said.
“Yesterday afternoon was really windy for sure, but this morning was calm for the first 10-12 holes so that made it lot easier. The greens were rolling really, really nice today, so definitely easier in the morning. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, and I hope to make some more putts,” he added.
Thammasack sits in a group now six off the lead going into the final round of this three day tournament, including Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong who posted the low round of the day with a seven under par 65.
Runchanapong, who scored seven birdies in an error-free round, made a dramatic recovery from his first round score of 74, revealing an adjustment overnight to his putting technique made all the difference.
“Yesterday I thought I was putting well but i didn’t make any putts,” he said after his round. “I made some adjustments after the round and today I felt more relaxed putting and made a few more.”
Also sharing 11th place are the Thai duo of Nopparat Panichphol and Natipong Srithong, Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin and Paul San, Sunhit Bishnol of India, Australia’s Jared Edwards, Ben Jones of England, Liu Yanwei of China and Indonesia’s Rory Hie.
All players completed their rounds today and with the cut set at one under par, a total of 52 players will battle it out for honours with play set to resume at 6.40 am and the last groups teeing off at 8am local time (GMT +7).
Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool edged his way into the lead at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters, posting a six under par 66 just before play was stopped in Round One at 5.28pm due to the threat of lightning.
Seven groups remain out on the course in the US$85,000 Asian Development Tour event, which is being held from June 12-14 at Royal Long An Golf & Villas, a championship course designed by Sir Nick Faldo on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh.
Tanapat posted seven birdies to secure his position, the only blemish on his card coming with a bogey on the par thee ninth hole, his last of the day. He holds a one shot advantage over compatriot Natipong Srithong and Korea’s Park Sang-ho.
“I putted very well today, said Tanapat after posting his score. “Some makeable long putts definitely helped my round. My ball striking was good but today it was windy so you couldn’t get the ball close enough, thankfully my putting solved that problem
“The course was set up great,” he enthused. “It’s a good challenge on some of the long par fours and the par fives so I’m just going to try to do the same thing tomorrow,” he added.
Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Anh Minh pictured in action during Round One of the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters. The US$85,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at Royal Long An Golf & Villas from June 12-14, 2024. Picture courtesy Vietnam Golf Association
Park, who held the clubhouse lead for most of the day, took advantage of some local knowledge and a turn of form to open up his lead.
“I missed only one green today and made a very good birdie putt, it wasn’t short. I putted very well today which was kind of lucky. I don’t usually putt like that,” he said after his round.
A former Korean PGA Tour player who moved to Vietnam eight years ago, Park is a regular at the Nam A Bank tournament and welcomed its elevation to the ADT this year.
“I’ve played here the last few years on the local tour but this year it is an ADT event so the setup was very tough for me.
“I used to play on the Korean tour but I don’t play on any other tours now, just some local events here. I’m glad I had the chance to play with the ADT here,” he added, “it’s been fun.”
Of those players who finished their rounds, Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono shares fourth place on four under par with Australia’s Todd Sinnot and the Malysian duo of Galven Green and Paul San.
Singapore’s Koh Deng Shan sits in eight spot on three under par, together with Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn and Witchaynon Chothirunrungrueng, Liu Yanwei of China, Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Anh Minh and Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig who currently leads the ADT Order of Merit.
Round One will resume tomorrow morning at 6.30am and Round Two will continue as scheduled.
The Yeangder Group are reinforcing their commitment to the development of professional golf in Chinese-Taipei by launching their very first event on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), called the Ambassador ADT.
To be played at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club (main picture) from November 7-10, the event will boast prizemoney of US$100,000, and will be sanctioned by the local PGA.
It is part of a three-year commitment by the Yeangder Group, who are the promoter of the Yeangder TPC – one of Chinese-Taipei’s most prominent events on the Asian Tour.
Its Chairman Emmet Hsu, who is also on the Asian Tour’s Board of Directors, said: “Presently, three Asian Tour events are staged in Chinese-Taipei, including the Yeangder TPC. This is excellent for golf in our country, but we also want to create even more playing opportunities for Chinese-Taipei’s rising stars which is why the ADT is the perfect platform for growth.”
Ho Yu-cheng’s success is an example of how the ADT can launch careers. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The ADT focuses on cultivating the next generation of Asia’s golfers and we saw this last year when Chinese-Taipei’s Ho Yu-cheng won the PKNS Selangor Masters. That helped him finish in the top-10 on the ADT Order of Merit which earned him his Asian Tour card. The ADT provides a pathway to propel the careers of the region’s up-and-coming players and we would like to be a part of this.”
Hsu’s son Bryan has recently started to participate in and organise tournaments – providing further impetus for the Yeangder Group to help the development of the game in a country that has produced so many of the region’s finest players.
The Ambassador ADT will feature a field of 126 players, 66 coming from the ADT, 56 from the local PGA, plus four invites.
Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “Last year the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open was elevated from the ADT to the Asian Tour with great success. It also meant there were no ADT events in Chinese-Taipei, so we are delighted that the Yeangder Group have now seized the opportunity to fill the void with the Ambassador ADT, as part of a multi-year deal.”
As one of the season-ending events on the ADT, the event will play a decisive role in helping to shape the final Order of Merit and determine who finishes in the top-10 to secure passage onto the 2025 Asian Tour season.
Hsin Feng Golf Country Club is 27-hole golfing complex located in Hsinchu city in Northern Chinese-Taipei.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert held his nerve with a magnificent lag putt on the last hole of the Singha Laguna Phuket Open today, holding off a determined group of contenders to win by a single shot for his eighth victory on the Asian Development Tour
Five players finished in a share of second place at the THB4 million ADT / All Thailand Golf tournament, including Phachara Khongwatmai (68) and Rattanon Wannasrichan (68) who shared the final group with Pavit.
Also tied for second were Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (64), Sarut Vongchaisit (66) and Itthipat Buranatanyarat (67), all of whom were determined to try to spoil Pavit’s party.
“It was a little bit tight on the leaderboard, yeah,” said Pavit (67) after his round. “As I said before, anyone could have won it today in these kind of conditions but I had a good start.
“I made a big mistake on seven with a double bogey but the turning point for me was nine, 10 and 11. I managed to recover fast which kept me in contention.
“On 14 I had a chance to lead outright with an eagle putt but I three-putted which let the guys back into contention,” he revealed. “Even if I had birdied it might have got it done but nothing is easy in the final round.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert (L) and Phachara Khongwatmai pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
“It was very tight on 14 under par, maybe five or six guys at that point. I tried to make birdie on 17, that was close, if I had made that one, maybe it’s done.
“Credit to the putt on the last though, that was the shot of the week for me. It was a long putt, up and down but I got it close so it was an easy par.
“It would have been very easy to three putt from that spot – it must have been almost 20 yards – but I was able to get it to two feet from the hole. If I had three putted and Phachara makes his, it would have been very different,” he laughed.
Billed as a Sunday shootout between three close friends, it was Pavit who made the first break after three holes, posting three straight birdies before the other two were each able to claw one back on the sixth hole.
Pavit’s two stroke lead was short-lived though, his double bogey on the seventh dropped him back to one under and tied with Phachara. Rattanon was a stroke further back after making bogey on the same hole.
Phachara and Pavit extended their lead with matching birdies on the ninth, making the turn two shots ahead of Rattanon, who could only post par.
On the back nine, Pavit tightened his grip with another two birdies, and although Phachara was initially able to keep pace, his progress stalled on the par four 13th where he dropped two shots.
Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
They did not have the day to themselves however, with Varanyu among those making a determined attempt to catch the leaders.
Starting the day four shots off the lead, he made the turn at two under before turning up the heat with a hole-out eagle on the par four 10th. Two further birdies saw him finish the day on six under with a share of second place.
Sarut was also not sitting back and watching the show. Three front nine birdies gave him a look at the leaders although he was unable to complete his charge, a late bogey dropping him back out of contention.
In seventh place, on 13 under, China’s Yanwei Liu (66) was joined by Pawin Inghapradit (65), while in ninth spot a shot further back, honours were shared by Angelo Que (64) of the Philippines, Kenny Lem (64), Poosit Suprapramai (65), Chapchai Nirat (67), Atiruj Winaicharoenchai (67), Runchanapong Youprayong (68), Sette Prakongvech (69) and Australia’s Douglas Klein.
For champion Pavit, his next stop on the schedule is the 66th Kolon Korea Open at Woo Jeong Hills from June 20, while the ADT will be teeing it up a week prior to that on June 12 at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An.
All players from Thailand unless otherwise stated.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Golf fans have a treat in store for tomorrow in Phuket, as three of the Asian Tour’s biggest stars are lined up for an all-Thai final round battle at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open.
Phachara Khongwatmai, Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Rattanon Wannasrichan finished the third round tied on 12 under par, and the three of them will be in the final group for a Sunday shootout in the THB4 million Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Golf tournament.
Phachara (67) was the first to finish after dropping only one shot in his round today, and he was excited at the prospect of doing battle tomorrow.
“For me, I’ll enjoy it,” he said after his round. “We’re all Thai, good friends, we know each other well. Who wins I don’t care but we’ll be happy to play together.
“Of course I’ll try to win but I like to play with good players, tomorrow is going to be fun,” he added.
“Today my game was very good. A solid round, not good iron shots like the first and second rounds but my short game today was the best, it was chipping and putting helped me get to three under.
“If it is like these conditions tomorrow, and the pin positions will be tougher, I think 15 or 16 under may have a chance to win, maybe a play off,” he laughed.
Thailand’s Rattananon Wannasrichan pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Rattanon (69) opened the tournament with a scorching 61 on the first day, but has given up ground since then with the field closing in.
“Today was very tough for me. I couldn’t get the ball in the hole. Just made two birdies, my line and speed were not good,” he revealed after posting his score
“It’s going to be fun for sure,” he said when asked about the prospect of the Sunday shoot out with his friends. “When we stay in Bangkok we often practice together,” he said. “Who’s the better player this week? Me,” he laughed.
Pavit (68) who reeled off a string of pars before he started to pick up strokes on the back nine, said he took time to get going.
“Honestly I didn’t hit my irons very good today so it left me a lot of long birdie putts. Compared to the first two days my irons were not that sharp,” he said after his round.
He too was relishing the prospect of lining up with his two good friends for Sunday’s final round.
“Our mindsets are the same,” he said. “The course is not that difficult this year because the greens are very soft so let’s try to enjoy ourselves. I don’t think about winning because anything can happen, so I will just try to have a good Sunday.
“It’s all about momentum,” he explained. “I started slow today, I made something like 16 pars in a row since yesterday, so not that good, but momentum is key. If you start good, and you have confidence in your putting, you can go low.
“They are all my friends, and I play with them a lot. Anyone can win, anything can happen, so let’s just enjoy ourselves. I know that too much pressure is not good. I’ve won seven times and every time I won, on the final day I enjoyed my round,” he added.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Asked about playing the final round in the lead on both tours, he explained: “Sure it’s easier here on the ADT compared to the Asian Tour – the atmosphere, home country, food, people – but you have to perform, otherwise someone else will win.
“Nothing is easy, even on the ADT or Asian Tour, if you don’t perform well on the last day, you’re going to drop,” he added.
Despite the mouth-watering prospect of a final day shootout, it is easy to forget that there is some serious firepower just one or two shots behind.
Naoki Sekito (67) of Japan, who held a share of the lead during the day, is in a share of fourth place on 11 under par alongside Australia’s Douglas Klein (66) and the Thai duo of Itthipat Buranatanyarat (68) and Settee Prakongvech (68), both of who have won Asian tournaments.
In eighth spot, on 10 under par, are Runchanapong Youprayong (65) and Sarut Vongchaisit (65).
One shot further back in 10th place on nine under par are Thailand’s Atriruj Winaicharoenchai (64), Suttijet Kooratanapisan (65) and Chapchai Nirat (70), together with China’s Yanwei Lui (64).
The Singha Laguna Phuket Open, a THB4 million 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 THB3 million ADT/All Thailand Partnership was held at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket from May 2-5.
Main Picture: Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.
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.
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