A sensational 10-under-par round from Thailand’s Newport Laparojkit saw him secure a commanding lead in the first round of the OB Golf Invitational presented by Sentul Highlands Golf Club in Bogor, Indonesia today, opening up a four shot advantage over the field.

“Honestly, the best I’ve ever played so far,” was his verdict after posting a score of 62, which started from hole 10 in the morning session.

“I didn’t really make any putts the first three holes, just burned the edges, and then I made two consecutive long putts, then a short one on the on the par three on 15 and then chipped in on 17. I just gave myself a lot of opportunities and made them.

The 26-year-old golfer, in his third year on the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour, has been working on his game in order to move up the ranks and it certainly showed how much improvement he’s been able to make off the course.

Thailand’s Sangchai Kaewcharoen pictured in action at the OB Golf Invitational presented by Sentul Highlands on October 4, 2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

“I’ve been working with my Dad a lot with putting and a lot of mental game, and that helped a lot for me to shoot 10 under,” he explained after his round at the US$70,000 ADT event.

As with the rest of the field, the location was a new one for the clubhouse leader as it’s the first time the ADT has been to Sentul Highlands, and Newport was certainly a fan of the debut venue.

“I really like the course, not that I shoot ten under and then say I like the course,” he laughed. “It’s in great condition, the greens are very nice and there’s a lot of good views here so I am enjoying it.

“The driving range is awesome and yesterday I was chipping for two hours because the chipping green was so nice,” he added.

Khalin Joshi of India pictured in action at the OB Golf Invitational presented by Sentul Highlands on October 4, 2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

Sweden’s Filip Lundell, who also started in the morning, was the closest challenger with a first round score of 66, followed by Thailand’s Sangchai Kaewcharoen and India’s Khalin Joshi who shared third place with Justin Quiban of the Philippines with a score of 67.

In sixth place, with a score of 68, are Thailand’s Sarut Vongchaisit and Akinori Tani of Japan.

Rounding out the top 16 of the field with a share of eighth place on 69 are the Thai trio of Puwit Anupansuebsai, Arnond Vongvanij and Pattaraphol Khanthacha, together with top Indonesian scorer Indra Hermawan, Australia’s Deyen Lawson, Andrea Saracino and Michele Ortolani of Italy, Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig and Derek Petersen of South Africa.

The event, played from October 4-6, has attracted a field of 102 players and is the first time the ADT has played at Sentul Highlands, an 18 hole championship course designed by Gary Player and officially opened in 1997. Surrounded by several mountains in the Sentul City estate, the course offers sweeping vistas in nearly every direction.

Japan’s Naoki Sekito endured a nervy finish to win by two shots in the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis today, maintaining his overnight lead and holding off a hard-charging Aaron Wilkin to secure victory with a final tournament score of 199.

“I can’t explain how happy I feel right now,” said Sekito after his round. “The last couple of holes I wasn’t that nervous but my putting wasn’t good today.

“I knew some guy in front of me had finished at nine under so I wanted to go with 11 under to the last hole because I knew that I was going to be so nervous for the last putt.”

Opening with a string of eight pars, Sekito (68) posted his first birdie on the ninth hole, just as Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu had drawn level and was threatening to edge in front.

Playing in the final group, both birdied the 10th but two holes later their fortunes diverged, with Sekito scoring birdie on the par five 12th.

Aaron Wilkin of Australia pictured in action during the OB Golf Championshp at Gunung Geulis Golf Club on September 27, 2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

Wu could only make bogey, the first of five dropped shots he would face in the following four holes, which saw him drop to a share of fifth place in the US$75,000 Asian Development Tour event.

Sekito was also not without a closing stretch wobble on holes 14 and 15, making consecutive bogeys just as Australia’s Wilkin, winner of the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam earlier this month, was posting the lowest score of the day with a flawless, seven-birdie 63.

“Until hole 14 I didn’t miss any greens today, then on 14 I was in the bunker of the left side, my par putt was about 10 feet but I didn’t make it, which was OK because it was a difficult putt.

Denwit Boriboonsub of Thailand pictured in action during the OB Golf Championshp at Gunung Geulis Golf Club on September 27, 2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

“On 15, I hit a six iron, good shot, less than 15 feet. Actually an easy putt up hill but I hit it too hard, then five feet back I missed. After that I was worried because 16 is one of the difficult holes but I knew I could not change two bogeys so I tried to forget about it,” he explained.

“By the time I hit my tee shot on 16 I had forgotten already, that was the reason I could make birdie on 17,” he added.

Wilkin, who started the day four groups behind the leaders, would have been hoping for a strong performance to repeat his success in Vietnam, but a difficult second day put paid to his chances of outright victory.

He ended the day in a tie for second with Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub (68) on 201 strokes over the three rounds on the Gunung Geulis West Course.

Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij of Thailand pictured in action during the OB Golf Championshp at Gunung Geulis Golf Club on September 27, 2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

In solo fourth spot was Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (64) who finished on 202, followed by compatriots Vanchai Luangnitikul (68) and Wu (70) and China’s Andy Zhang (70) one shot behind on 203.

In eighth spot with 204 strokes were Sarun Sirithon (68) of Thailand, Australia’s Deyen Lawson (69) and Minhyeok Yang (69) of Korea.

Justin Quiban (67) of the Philippines and Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol (67) rounded out the top 12 finishers with a final score of 205.

The next round of the 2023 season takes place from October 4-6 with the OB Golf Invitational presented by Sentual Highlands Golf Club.

The US$ 70,000 event will be played over three rounds at Sentul Highlands and is the eighth event so far this year on the Asian Development Tour.

Tournament leader Naoki Sekita showed the signs of a renewed commitment to the Asian Development Tour today, building on an overnight lead with a three-under-par round of 67 to take top spot into Friday’s final round at the OB Golf Championship.

The young Japanese golfer, winner of the 2019 ADT Order of Merit, posted four birdies with just a single dropped shot to secure a two shot lead over the rest of the field in this US$70,000 ADT event.

China’s Andy Zhang (65) posted the low round of the day with six birdies and a single bogey to secure second spot with Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu (69), who shared the lead after the first day with Sekito at Gunung Geulis on the West Course.

“It was pretty windy in the afternoon and then there were some difficult pin placements,” said Sekito after his round. “I shot six under yesterday, but I’m happy with three under today,” he added.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy tomorrow. I’m leading by two but on this course it’s very easy to lose two shots so I just want to focus on every shot, try not to make any mistakes,” he said.

Ekpharit Wu of Thailand pictured in action during the second round of the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis West Course on September 28, 2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

Winner on the Gunung Geulis East Course in 2019, Sekito has decided to forgo next season on the Japan Golf Tour in favour of playing on the ADT and the Asian Tour.

“This is my first time when I haven’t played Japan Tour Q-School but I’m hoping to play more in Asia this year. There are about the same number of tournaments but the prize money is higher in Asia,” he explained.

“I could have been playing on three tours next year if I went to Japan Tour Q-School, like I did in 20-21. Now I want to pick one tour to play, I played well in Vietnam so now I have the chance to get in the top ten so I made the decision to play here.”

Zhang, who is playing in Asia for the first time this year, is also looking to build his career playing with the ADT.

“It was a pretty challenging round today and yesterday with how how hard the wind was blowing,” said Zhang after his round, “but I just really tried to stay patient because I know how “funky” this course can get and how much slope is on the greens.

“It’s my first season playing ADT, my first season ever playing in Asia in general, and I’ve been loving it,” he explained.

“I’m really glad I had the opportunity this year to do this because it’s a consistent schedule to play with pretty high-level competition. I’m making a lot of progress and feel I’m just getting better as each event goes by.”

Thailand’s Vanchai Luangnitikul (69) leads a group in fourth place on five under par, together with Minhyeok Yang (69) of Korea and Australia’s Deyen Lawson (68).

Sarun Sirithon (69) of Thailand sits in solo seventh place, followed by Malaysia’s Ervin Chang (69) and the Thai duo of Nattawat Suvajanakorn (70) and Denwit Boriboonsub (68).

In 11th spot on two under par are Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanphiboonkij (70), Nopparat Panichphol (67) and Thanpisit Omsin (68), alongside Hanbo Lee (69) of South Africa, Justin Quiban (70) of the Philippines and Australia’s Aaron Wilkin (71), winner of the BRG Open Championship in Vietnam last month.

The cut was made after two rounds at +4, leaving 59 players to battle it out for the honours in the final day of the tournament on Friday, with the first groups off the tee at 6.31am

Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu made a strong start at the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis Country Club today, posting a six-under-par round of 66 to secure the early clubhouse lead which he shares with Japan’s Naoki Sekito.

A solid driving game and an early eagle helped Wu around the West Course, along with the acquired knowledge of playing the course recently.

“My driver was very good today, easy to make birdies,” he said after his round. “I played here for the first time last month (at The Indonesia Pro-Am Presented by Combiphar & Nomura), so this time I knew a lot more about the course which made it easier to plan.”

“The course knowledge helped me think about what I had to do and helped me focus, so I didn’t worry so much about the penalty areas. I did what I had to do.”

Naoki Sekito of Japan pictured in action during the first round of the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis West Course on September 27,2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

With just 27 putts and one dropped shot today at the US$70,000 Asian Development Tour event, which is being played over 54 holes, Wu knows he is on the right track.

“I think this time the course is better, the grass has grown a bit and the greens are a little bit softer so its possible to be a bit more aggressive. The speed was good which made it easy to putt.

“I’ve been trying to focus on every part of my game,” he said, ” and trying to make the best of what I have. Tomorrow, I’m just going to try to do the same and do my best.”

Sekito joined Wu as the clubhouse leader shortly afterwards. “It was a good round today,” he explained after his round. “I holed some difficult putts, not long putts but some downhill with a lot of break. I played here last month and my putting was really bad so I tried to focus on that today.

“I changed my putter,” he added, going on to explain that his father had helped him overcome a poor run of form. “Last week I played a Japan Tour event and I also putted really bad, my dad was watching and he suggested I change. I didn’t want to but it really worked today.”

Amir Nazrin of Malaysia pictured in action during the first round of the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis West Course on September 27,2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

Sekito, who won on the course on the East Course at the Gunung Geulis Golf Invitational in 2019, said his familiarity with the venue made it easier.

“I feel at home here, having won here before, it gives me a lot of confidence and I feel comfortable. The greens are a bit slower than last month but still difficult, and it’s windy. Playing aggressively here is not good. It’s a short golf course but you need to be very patient and calm down.

Sekito also had a secret source of local knowledge, as his caddy was a Japanese fan living in Indonesia. They met at the Indonesian Open last year and became friends, which led to a chance to caddy in Thailand at Q-School this year.

“He knows my golf well, so he can give me some good advice, plus he knows this course very well so he was able to help me a lot today,” he explained.

Behind the leaders, sitting two strokes off the lead, is a group incorporating the Malaysian duo of Amir Nazrin and Muhammad Danial Faidz, Thailand’s Vanchai Luangnitikul, Minhyeok Yang of Korea, Sweden’s Oscar Zetterwall and Sydney Chung of the USA.

Naraajie Ramadhanputra of Indonesia pictured in action during the first round of the OB Golf Championship at Gunung Geulis West Course on September 27,2023. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf

One shot further back is Indonesia’s rising star Naraajie Ramadhanputra, Australia’s Deyen Lawson and compatriot Aaron Wilkin who won in Vietnam at the BRG Open Golf Championship in Da Nang earlier this month. They are accompanied by Thailand’s Sarun Sirithon and Nattawat Suvajanakorn and Japan’s Shinichi Mizuno.

The three-day tournament continues tomorrow on the West Gourse of Gunung Geulis Country Club with a cut of the top 50 players and ties after the conclusion of play continuing to the final round.

Australia’s Aaron Wilkin shot a scintillating bogey-free round to win the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam today, posting the lowest score of the day to smash a seven shot deficit and seize victory.

Overnight leader Deyen Lawson was unable to capitalise on his advantage in the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event and posted a one-over-par 73 to finish in solo second, one shot behind Wilkin on 207.

Saptak Talwar (68) of India and Naoki Sekito (74) of Japan were three shots further back in third place on 210.

Deyen Lawson of Australia pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang 2023. Picture courtesy BRG Golf Resort Da Nang.

Starting in the third from last group, Wilkin knew he was a long way back from the leaders but trusted his game and hoped the last few holes on the Nicklaus Course at Da Nang Golf Resort would play into his hands.

“I’m a little bit nervous at the moment,” he said after posting his score and waiting for the remaining golfers to complete their rounds.

“It was bit tricky, I haven’t seen the scores yet but there were a few tough pins and the wind was swirling there a little bit, so yeah I’ll take seven under.”

“I think I was seven back after yesterday. I knew I had to go low, but I didn’t think it was out of my reach. I was hoping it would be a tough finish which would maybe bring a few of them back.

Joe Heraty of England pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang 2023. Picture courtesy BRG Golf Resort Da Nang.

“I played to my game plan. It doesn’t always go the way you map it out but today it did, so I’m pretty happy with that,” said Wilkin, adding that his putting was key to his low score.

“I’ve been struggling with my putting and I’ve been waiting for a day when they all go in. They didn’t all go in today but they pretty much did. I had some good par saves and then I holed the putt on the last which was probably a bit lucky, I was nervous and my hands were shaking,” he added.

First round leader, England’s Joe Heraty (74) was one who was caught out by the tricky final holes on the Nicklaus Course. Three dropped shots in the final five holes added to his woes and he finished in a group in fifth on five under with Malaysia’s Galven Green (72) and Tunyapat Sukkoed (69) of Thailand.

Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Anh Minh pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang 2023. Picture courtesy BRG Golf Resort Da Nang.

Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Anh Minh posted a final round 68 to compensate for his two opening rounds on par. The talented youngster, who scored a bronze medal in the Men’s Indivdual event at this year’s SEA Games, finished in solo eighth place.

In ninth place, on three under, were Thailand’s Pisitchai Thippong (68), Sangchai Kaewcharoen (68) and Thanpisit Omsin (71), together with Paul San (67) of Malaysia, Ireland’s Kevin Phelan (75) and Naraajie Ramadhanputra (70) of Indonesia.

Australia’s Deyen Lawson staked a claim to the tournament going into the final round of the BRG Open Golf Championship today, posting a six under par 66 to secure a two shot lead over the field.

His bogey-free round (66) put him at -10 after two rounds, ahead of Japan’s Naoki Sekito (68) and Justin Quiban (66) of the Philippines, and has set him up well going into the weekend at the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event.

“All parts of my game were pretty solid,” he said after his round. “It’s a demanding course so I felt my course management was quite good.

“The course is in great condition and it’s a great layout. It was quite warm out there and staying hydrated is very important,” he added.

“I hit a solid 4 iron into the last hole that I was very happy about to finish and set up a two putt birdie. Tomorrow is no different to any other day, I’ll just go and play and stick to my process and have fun,” he said.

Sekito had a problematic start, despite a birdie on the first hole. He dropped four shots on holes three and four but was able to recover with four birdies and an eagle on the par five 18th to take a share of second with Quiban.

Justin Quiban of the Philippines pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang 2023. Picture courtesy BRG Golf Resort Da Nang.

Overnight leader Joe Heraty (70) of England dropped a couple of shots on his front nine, but a mix of five birdies against another two bogeys coming in was enough to keep him in solo fourth on seven under par.

In fifth spot, Ireland’s Kevin Phelan (70) sits on six under, followed by Malaysia’s Galven Green (69) and Andy Zhang (68) of China who share sixth place on five under par.

Samarth Dwivedi (70) of India posted a second round of two under par to secure solo eighth, followed by Aaron Wilkin (68) of Australia on three under par in ninth place.

The group in tenth spot on two under par includes Daniel Core (72) of Canada, Jack Murdoch (69) of Australia, the Indian duo of Khalin Joshi (69) and Saptak Talwar (69), and Thailand’s Thanpisit Osmin (68), Tunyapat Sukkoed (70) and Nopparat Panichphol (74).

Recently bolstered by the additional sponsorship provided by Vietnam’s SeABank, the BRG Open Golf Championship is in its second year on the Asian Development Tour, and there are plans to include more future events in an emerging golf market.

Play continues tomorrow on the challenging Nicklaus course, one of the longest tracks in Asia and the first true Florida-style bulkhead course in Southeast Asia.

The tournament boasts a diverse international field of 144 players from across the region, including 99 ADT members who play alongside 20 professionals nominated by the Vietnam Golf Association. A total of 56 players made the cut, which fell at +2.

England’s Joe Heraty set the early pace at the BRG Open Golf Championship yesterday, posting a first round score of 67 to secure a single shot lead on the Nicklaus course.

Kade McBride of Australia and Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol were the early clubhouse leaders from the morning wave, finishing on four under par.

They were later joined by Ireland’s Kevin Phelan, Australia’s Deyen Lawson, Saksit Jairak of Thailand and Naoki Sekito of Japan as the first day concluded at the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event.

Despite a couple of dropped shots, with seven birdies on his card Heraty was feeling upbeat after posting his score.

“It was good, obviously feel like I could have had more but it’s a question of being patient, hitting good shots at the right times and not being too aggressive to some of those pins. There’s a few sneaky pins out there so overall I feel pretty good,” he said after his round.

“The wind picked up in the middle of the round which made a few tee shots and approach shots a bit tricky.

“I just tried to play a bit smart really, nothing too fancy. The greens were good. They felt a bit quicker (than the practice round) but they really are immaculate, if you roll your putt on line, you know whether its going to go in or not,” he added.

Nattawat Suvajanakorn of Thailand pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang 2023. Picture courtesy BRG Golf Resort Da Nang.

Buoyed by a strong start, and even though this is his first visit to Vietnam and the Da Nang Golf Resort, Heraty has a clear idea of how he hopes to continue tomorrow.

“I plan to just keep playing aggressively conservative, that’s the only way to do it around here. You can’t try to hit the wonder shot on every hole, so just keep the mistakes off the card, and hole some more putts,” he explained.

Heading a group in eighth place was India’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, winner of last week’s BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur tournament and the current leader of the 2023 Order of Merit. He shares the spot on three under par with Thailand’s Thanpisit Omsin.

On two under par, in 10th place, are India’s Samarth Dwivedi, Malaysia’s Amir Nazrin and Galven Green, Justin Quiban of the Philippines, Sweden’s Filip Lundell, Daniel Core of Canada and the Thai trio of Jakraphan Premsirigorn, Amarin Kraivixien and Worrasorn Suwanpanang.

Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Anh Minh, winner of the Bronze Medal in the Men’s Individual event at this year’s SEA Games, pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang 2023. Picture courtesy BRG Golf Resort Da Nang.

Vietnam’s top finisher after Round One was Nguyen Nhat Long with a share of 19th place, and the talented Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Anh Minh, winner of the Bronze Medal in the Men’s Individual competition at the 2023 SEA Games, finished on even par in a share of 27th.

Recently bolstered by the additional sponsorship provided by Vietnam’s SeABank, the BRG Open Golf Championship is in its second year on the Asian Development Tour, and there are plans to include more future events in an emerging golf market.

Play continues tomorrow on the challenging Nicklaus course, one of the longest tracks in Asia and the first true Florida-style bulkhead course in Southeast Asia.

The tournament boasts a diverse international field of 144 players from across the region, including 99 ADT members who play alongside 20 professionals nominated by the Vietnam Golf Association.

This year’s BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang will be an even more enticing playing opportunity for players on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) as organisers announced today that the event’s prize money will be increased to US$100,000 – up from US$75,000 last year.

SeABank, the tournament’s newest partner, have facilitated this by topping up the purse with US$25,000 – ensuring there will be plenty to play for when the tournament tees off at Da Nang Golf Resort on August 31 until September 2.

The BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang was inaugurated last year – marking the first time the ADT had visited Vietnam.

Said Ken Kudo, Associate Director, Partnerships, Asian Tour: “More positive news today regarding the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang! The tournament is deserving of an increased purse, even though it is in its infancy, and this is indicative of our plans to help build it into an even bigger tournament.”

The event, which was so warmly welcomed and praised by competitors on the ADT last year, is the ADT’s only stop in Vietnam, although plans are afoot for more visits to the emerging golf nation.

A spokesperson from SeABank, the popular retail and commercial bank based in Hanoi now with 2.6 million customers, said: “Following the huge success of last year’s BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang, SeABank leaders wanted to get in on the action and partner with the tournament, as golf is becoming more and more popular with our customer base. Getting on board during the growth of both this international standard event, and the game, echoes our strategy to become ‘SeABank – the golfers bank’ for Vietnam.”

China’s Chen Guxin won the tournament last year, appropriately on Vietnam’s National Day, after beating Lloyd Jefferson Go of the Philippines in a sudden-death play-off.

Said Kudo, at a press conference a few weeks ago to unveil this year’s edition: “Importantly, this year’s event will play a key role in promoting the city of Da Nang as a tourist and golfing destination. It is also part of the Da Nang Golf Tourism Festival and will act as a platform to inspire young Vietnamese golfers to purse professional golf as a career.”

“The country enjoyed great success at the SEA Games this year, with Le Khanh Hung winning gold and Nguyen Anh Minh bronze in the men’s individual event. Their performances helped Vietnam claim silver in the team competition, and we are confident the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang will build on this momentum.”

The tournament will boast a diverse international field of 144 players from across the region, including 99 ADT members who will play alongside 20 professionals nominated by the Vietnam Golf Association.

India’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu took advantage of a hot putter to win by four shots in the final round of the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur tournament on the BSD course at Damai Indah Golf today.

Playing in the penultimate group at the US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event, he posted a bogey-free round of 65 to finish on 23 under par as his rival contenders fell by the wayside.

Overnight leader Ho Yu-cheng was only able to manage par in the final day, finishing in solo second at 19 under par (269). Also playing in the final group were Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn (71) who finished in a tie for third place on 18 under and India’s Samarth Dwivedi (72) who slid back to eighth spot (272).

Ho Yu-cheng of Chinese Taipei pictured in action at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf.

Sharing the honours in third place with a final score of 270 were Malaysian duo Ervin Chang (65) and Amir Nazrin (68), England’s William Harrold (69) and Witchayapat Sinsrang (68) of Thailand.

Sandhu revealed after his round that while he was enjoying his first international victory, he wasn’t expecting to win as he was in the penultimate group of the day.

“It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said. “Until the 14th or 15th hole I honestly didn’t even know if I was even co-leading or something, but then I made birdie on 15, and then on 16, and I thought, you know maybe I might have a chance, so why not push a little bit harder.

“I was only looking at the board that was with my group and I had no clue what the scores were in back or ahead, but as I walked up to the 18th green and saw I had a lead, I wasn’t expecting that for sure.

“I had some nerves going into Day Three but today felt a little more comfortable I guess. I spoke to my parents this morning and everybody was like, ‘it’s a different country but it’s the same golf, so you might as well just go play and play freely, hit it shot by shot’.”

“That’s exactly what I was telling myself with every single shot. Just keep it simple and let’s see what happens at the end of the day. I guess it worked,” he laughed.

“Yesterday I had about 18 GIRs and today also I had about 18 GIRs so I would say that the approaches were pretty much there but yesterday the putter was a little cold. Today the putter went hot at just the right time.”

Amir Nazrin of Malaysia pictured in action at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf.

With his first victory outside of India, this win will give him more opportunities to expand his golfing career.

“I’m flying to Vietnam tomorrow and then let’s see. I would love to tee it up on the Asian Tour at Yeangder or wherever. That’s the plan, to get on the Asian Tour, so I’ll be calling my coaches and we will see what we can do.”

Ireland’s Kevin Phelan (67) shared ninth spot on 15 under par (273) with Singapore’s James Leow (68) and in 11th place (274) were Thailand’s Sarut Vongchaisit (64), England’s Joe Heraty (66) and Minhyeok Yang (67) of Korea.

Thailand’s Sarun Sirithon (70) finished in solo 14th with a finishing score of 275.

The Asian Development Tour tees it up once again next week at the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang. The US$75,000 event is being played at the Da Nang Golf Course (Nicklaus Course) from August 31 until September 2.

Joint overnight leader Ho Yu-cheng of Chinese Taipei continued to press home the advantage at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur tournament at Damai Indah Golf today, posting a six-under-par 66 to take a two stroke lead into the final round.

Even though he started the day feeling slightly under the weather, he was still able to post a round with eight birdies and open a slight gap on the rest of the field.

“I think my round was pretty good today,” he said after posting his score. “I had a stomach ache yesterday and I didn’t eat anything this morning so I think I played pretty well considering. I’m feeling better now but I need to rest so I can focus on my game tomorrow.”

Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn remains in contention after a round of 67 at the BSD course. The first round leader at the US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event, he is two shots back in solo second.

Jakraphan Premsirigorn of Thailand pictured in action at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf.

In joint third spot are the two young Indian contenders, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (69) who held the joint overnight lead with Ho, and Samarth Dwivedi.

Dwivedi may have missed the cut last week but he has been building momentum at Damai Indah with a 71 in the first round, a 68 yesterday and today, the low round of the tournament so far with a nine-under-par 63.

“I think I’ve hit 14 fairways out of 14 and 18 greens today so it was just a ball striking clinic,” he said after his round. “I’ve been hitting it well even from last week and actually for the last couple of months. I was just struggling to make some putts.

“I was doing a lot of block practice, so I kind of lost a little bit of creativity there. This week I stopped doing any of my putting drills so I was just putting with one ball on the green and trying to visualize it more.

Samarth Dwivedi of India pictured in action at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament at Damai Indah Golf, BSD Course. Picture by Yulius Martinus / OB Golf.

“I ended up holing some putts today. Believe it or not in today’s nine under, I missed three putts from inside five feet.

“You know if you had told me before the first round after missing the cut by one last week that I’d be at 16 under after three days, I’d have happily taken it,” he added.

Dwivedi will play in the final group on Saturday with Ho and Jakraphan, and although he welcomed the opportunity to go one on one with the leaders, he was looking forward to a round with his compatriot Yuvraj.

“I’m looking forward to the last round, but I don’t think it’ll be anything different. I was hoping I’d have a familiar face with me tomorrow with Yuvraj, we’d have some great banter and have fun and hopefully make a few putts.

“The Indians that are representing this week and last week are all multiple winners and they have all accomplished a lot and I feel they’re like at the level where you are not really trying to beat the other person but you are trying to beat the golf course.

“So there is like a great camaraderie between us and we all want each other to play well and we want to push each other,” he added.

England’s William Harrold also posted a low score today, his 64 with nine birdies and just the one dropped shot securing him solo fifth spot on -15.

Thailand’s Witchayapat Sinsrang (66) and Amir Nazrin (69) of Malaysia share sixth spot on -14 while the group in eight spot on -11 includes Thailand’s Tunyapat Sukkoed (67) and Sarun Sirithon (69), James Leow (66) of Singapore, Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig (68), Ervin Chang (69) of Malysaia and Huang Chi (69) of Chinese Taipei.

The final round of the tournament starts on Saturday at 6.30 local time with groups of three teeing off from split tees. The last group is away at 8.09am.