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.
October 1: Playing one of his rounds of golf, England’s Ben Jones (main picture) came close to a 59 in the final round of the $125,000 Egyptian Golf Series 14. He finally settled for a 10-under par 60, but that was enough to win his maiden Asian Development Tour title and change the course of his career.
In Thursday’s final round at Madinaty Golf Club, Jones showed his love for the spectacular Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course in New Cairo. It was his second win on the course, having earlier won a MENA Golf Tour event here in 2023. This time, the victory margin was five shots.
Jones started the day two shots behind overnight leaders – India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill and Korea’s Minhyeok Yang – and even though he was 1-under par through five, he had fallen three behind Gill.
It was then that Jones produced two stunning stretches of golf – four birdies in five holes from the sixth to 10th, and then five straight birdies from 13th to 17th. That gave him a chance to shoot a 59 but he missed a makeable birdie putt on the 18th.
Minhyeok Yang of Korea. Picture by Toha Bin Dol/ADT
The win earned him a cheque of $21,875 and lifted him to 17th in the ADT Order of Merit. A solid outing in the season-ending Aramco Invitational in November could lift him inside the top-10, which would guarantee a card on the 2027 Asian Tour season.
Yang (67) started with a crippling triple bogey seven on the opening hole but birdied his last two holes to edge ahead of Gill (68) in solo second place at 17-under 263. Gill, who has played the last two holes really well this week, could not pick up shots and was solo third at 264.
Korea’s Jaeil Kim (65) was fourth at 15-under, while England’s Thomas Plumb (66) and American Carson Herron (67) were tied fifth at 266. Frenchman Alexis Leray (65) and American Brent Ito (66) were tied for seventh place at 13-under 267.
The win for Jones also means the 26-year-old will have to take a critical look at the construction job he has taken on and focused on. It was his first tournament in over two months, and he made the trip to Egypt only because of his track record on Madinaty.
“Considering I haven’t played golf for the last couple of months, to come and get a win is beyond expectation,” said the man from Northampton, who shot an eight-under par 62 last week in the opening round of Egyptian Golf Series 13.
“Obviously, I clearly like it. Even last week, starting off with an eight-under…the course seems to suit my eye, and I have always done well around here.”
Pukhraj Singh Gill of India. Picture courtesy Egyptian Golf Federation.
Jones said he made a conscious decision not to look at leaderboard at any stage, but was aware that he was 10-under as he approached the 18th hole.
“I knew I was 10-under, but to be honest, I was just zoned out and thinking about the job, and I forgot the golf course was par-70. So, I was a little bit annoyed with my putting going on the last, but I didn’t realise that was for a 59,” said Jones.
“I just play every hole to try and hit the best shot I can, and make as many birdies as possible, give myself an opportunity for a birdie anyway. So, that’s why I chose not to look at leaderboards and think about it, or overthink it. Just tried to hit the best shot I can at the time.”
Asked what a win meant to him, Jones said: “It means I play a bit more golf.”
The Egyptian Golf Series 13 and 14 were both co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation. The events were partnered by The Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi.
September 30: India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill and Korea’s Minhyeok Yang both birdied the last two holes of Madinaty Golf Club to edge ahead of a fast-charging American Henry Chung (main picture) and England’s Ben Jones after the penultimate round of the $125,000 Egyptian Golf Series 14.
Overnight joint leaders at nine-under par, Gill and Yang shot identical rounds of five-under par 65 to reach 14-under 196.
Chung, who played the opening round of the tournament blind after landing on Sunday night from Taiwan, found his bearings with the day’s lowest round of 63. He trailed the leaders by one and was ahead of Jones (65) by one.
American Carson Herron, son of four-time PGA Tour winner Tim, also moved into contention in solo fifth place at 11-under following a bogey-free round of 65.
England’s Thomas Plumb (66), China’s Andi Xu (67), Korea’s Jaeil Kim (68), Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (69) and Australian Darcy Brereton (69) were tied sixth at 10-under.
Pukhraj Singh Gill of India. Picture courtesy Egyptian Golf Federation.
Gill, who turned 29 four days ago, is intent on giving himself the best birthday gift possible. The round seemed to be going away from him when he made bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes, but the man from Ludhiana, Punjab, bounced right back with birdies in his last two holes.
Earlier, Gill did the bulk of his scoring from the fourth to ninth holes, making an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole and birdies on the fourth, sixth and ninth.
“It was a quiet birthday, and I am hoping to get the job done tomorrow and then have a big celebration when I go back home to India,” said Gill, who chipped in from 12 yards for his eagle on the fifth hole.
“I got off to a pretty hot start today and was four-under through my first six hole, and I was playing good golf. The two bogeys on the 15th and 16th damaged my round a bit, but I am grateful that I could birdie the last two and limit that damage.”
Yang also made four birdies in five holes from the fifth to ninth, before a bogey on the 10th set him back. He then birdied the last two holes as well.
Chung is currently 29th in the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit and 105th in the Asian Tour Order of Merit, which means he is fighting the battle to a full Asian Tour card on two fronts. He played the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last week and decided to make the trip to Egypt after missing the cut.
Ben Jones of England. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
While Chung is fighting for a card in 2027, Jones is hoping a good finish will help him decide more professional golf next year. The man from Sheffield is now working in a construction business, and will be returning to office on Friday morning after he flies back.
“I was planning to come here only in the scenario where I missed the cut in Taiwan. I missed by one, which was unfortunate, flew out Sunday morning, got to my Airbnb at 11pm and I had a 9:50 morning tee time on Monday,” said Chung.
“If everything went according to plan and I had a great season, I would not be playing on the ADT, but it didn’t. So, I’m kind of bouncing between both Tours. If I am able to get in the top-10 here, it would take a lot of pressure off going into the last couple of events on the Asian Tour, and hopefully, good golf here would lead to good golf there.”
Jones, who was bogey-free for his round, said: “Working on the side has definitely helped my enjoyment levels. When you play week in, week out and sometimes you don’t play as well as you can, then it does get a little bit depressing. So, I’ve definitely enjoyed playing these two weeks, and coming in with very little expectations. Happy to be back playing,” said Jones.
“If I do well here and in the Aramco Invitational, I’d probably give golf a go again. I wouldn’t go back to mixing concrete and bumping slabs around. So, if I had a good finish tomorrow, it would put me in a position where I definitely consider playing more golf again next year.”
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 on the two tournaments.
September 28: India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill (main picture) stormed into the clubhouse with an eagle and two birdies over his last four holes to clinch the opening-round lead in the $125,000 Egyptian Golf Series 14.
On Monday at the Madinaty Golf Club, Gill was one-under after his first 12 holes despite some good golf. A birdie on the par-5 13th kickstarted a superb stretch of holes for the 30-year-old as he birdied the 16th, eagled the 17th and picked up his final shot on the 18th to break the logjam at 5-under and set the marker with a 64.
Malaysia’s Marcus Lim, Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, Korea’s Jaeil Kim and Australian Darcy Brereton were tied for second place at 65 on a day when swirling wind at the Robert Trent Jones-designed course challenged the Asian Development Tour players.
England’s Ben Jones, Aussie Deyen Lawson and American Tim Nielsen were tied for sixth place at 66 on the par-70 layout, which is hosting back-to-back events on the ADT schedule.
Tanapat Pichaikool of Thailand. Picture by Storyline/IGPL..
Gill, who hails from the industrial city of Ludhiana in the northern state of Punjab, has already secured his breakthrough international win at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. He secured a top-10 finish in the Egyptian Golf Series 13 last week and entered the penultimate event on the ADT schedule in 10th place in the Order of Merit.
The top-10 players at the end of Aramco Invitational in the last week of November will graduate to the Asian Tour next season.
The Asian Tour card was a thought in Gill’s mind for a long time after his win, but he says he has now forced himself to forget about that and just focus on the golf in hand.
“I’ve been trying to predict the Order of Merit quite a bit. I thought $33,000 would have been safe. I thought four events ago that, you know,
Marcus Lim of Malaysia. Picture by Toha Bin Dol/ADT
anyone who gets close to about 35 is good. But we’ve had so many new guys playing really good. Like Kevin (Akbar) winning the Ciputra event, and then Sean (Ramos) was due an event, so he made a big jump last week. So, it’s really difficult to predict. I’ve now just been trying to focus on the shots at hand,” said Gill, who is a member of the Indian Golf Premier League back home.
Speaking on his opening round, Gill added: “Pretty solid overall today. I think it helps that we’re playing here for the second week. I was quite good off the tee today. Pretty much hit all the fairways. Stayed patient up until the end of the game, so the finish was pretty good.
“On 17th, I had a great shot off the tee with favourable wind. The crucial one was the second shot. I hit a four-iron from about 250 yards, chased it up to a back flag to about 12 feet, and made it. On 18th, I was able to sink a 15-20 footer. So that was a good finish to the round.”
Tanapat is playing his 10th straight week, but seems to be managing his weary body well after a round of six birdies. Winner of the am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars tournament in Morocco earlier this year, he is 12th in the Order of Merit and also chasing his Asian Tour card.
The Thai star arrived on Sunday from India, where he has been playing on the domestic DP World-PGTI for the past four weeks, and admitted rest was top of mind.
“Lots of positive today. This is my 10th week in a row, so lots of rest and lots of planning to do this week. I am trying to rest as much as possible. Got a little bit of swing change this morning. We have got a fantastic range here in Madinaty, so I can work on my game a little bit before the round,” said Tanapat.
“Today was just a combination of everything coming together. I hit my shot decently well. My putting was on most of the time when I got the chance.”
Lim was bogey-free for 65. The Malaysian, who is still searching for his first win, said: “Tee to green was solid all day. I missed only one green. Missed one green on a par five because I hit the lip of the waste bunker. Left a couple of putts out there, but can’t complain.”
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 in the two tournaments.
September 26: Already having a great year, Filipino Sean Ramos (main picture) turned 2026 into a year to remember by winning his first title as a professional at the $125,000 Egypt Golf Series 13 on Saturday.
At the Robert Trent Jones-designed Madinaty Golf Club in New Cairo, the promising 22-year-old could afford a bogey on his finishing hole and still managed to stay one ahead of a charging August Thor Host.
The Dane matched the lowest round of the day with a seven-under par 63, but his effort, which included back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to set the clubhouse marker at 17-under 263, could only give some anxious moments for Ramos, who shot a 65.
American Brent Ito (64) was solo third at 16-under, while Welshman David Boote and Thai Natipong Srithong matched the lowest round of the day to join Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto (64), England’s Thomas Plumb (64) and Korean Minhyeok Yang (66) in tied fourth place at 265.
The $21,875 winning cheque was a nice bonus, given that Ramos has been focused on regaining his Asian Tour card, which he lost by a few points at the end of the 2025 season. He has already finished second twice this year – in the Ever Glory ADT Open in Taiwan and the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in Malaysia.
Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture by the Egyptian Golf Federation
Ramos is now $12,022 behind Order of Merit leader Khavish Varadan and has the chance to overtake the Malaysian with a top-two finish in Egypt Golf Series 14, which will be played at the same golf course from Monday. Varadan is not playing next week.
Starting the day at 13-under, Ramos dropped a shot early on the second hole, but bounced back well with birdies on the third and fourth. His most productive stretch came from the ninth to 13th holes. He made an eagle on the par-5 ninth, courtesy of a magic fairway bunker shot from 39 yards, and three birdies to take a stranglehold on the title.
“I’m still shaking, actually. I can’t really feel anything right now. I’ve been shaking since the last five holes, I think. But yeah, obviously very happy and thankful that I was able to get my first win internationally,” said Ramos.
“I am very happy because I had lost my Asian Tour card last year by a hair. So yeah, just thankful to be able to compete out there again and show some good golf out there as well.”
On the long par-4 18th hole, Ramos decided to lay up after checking that he held a two-shot advantage over Thor Host. But he pulled a 50-degree wedge shot almost 20 yards left of the green, before making his up-and-down from there.
“Thankfully, a bogey was all I needed, and I was able to do that. The winning putt felt so good. It still doesn’t feel real. I’m just letting it sink in,” he added.
“Hopefully, I just play the golf course the same way I did this week, and hopefully, that would be enough again next week.”
The Egypt Golf Series 13, and next week’s Egypt Golf Series 14, are co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation. The two events are being held in back-to-back weeks at Madinaty Golf Club. The Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi are partnering the two tournaments.
September 25: Overnight joint leaders – England’s Sam Rook and Sean Ramos of the Philippines – could not be separated after their third-round battle in the Egypt Golf Series 13.
On Friday at the spectacular Robert Trent Jones-designed Madinaty Golf Club, both players added rounds of four-under par 66 to reach 13-under 197 total with 18 holes left to play.
Rook reached the total with birdies on his last two holes, while Ramos picked up shots on the tough par-4 16th and 18th.
The closing birdies gave the duo a two-shot breathing space at the top of the leaderboard over Korea’s Minhyeok Yang, who shot the day’s best round of 64, and American Nathan Han (67).
Italian Michele Ortolani (65), who is second in the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit behind Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan, made a determined move with a bogey-free round of 65, which elevated him to within three shots of the leaders at 10-under. American Brent Ito (67) and Denmark’s August Thor Host (67) were giving Ortolani company at that score in tied fifth place.
Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture courtesy Egyptian Golf Federation
Both Rook, who is currently 80th in the Order of Merit, and Ramos, who is 12th with two runner-up finishes this year, are searching for their first professional victories.
Rook started with a bogey on the first, but like Friday when he opened with a double bogey, he knuckled down after that. A bogey on the 14th hole was his only other dropped shot of the day.
“I am feeling good, to be fair. I was a little bit nervous this morning, but I’ve not been in that position before, so I guess it’s expected,” said the 25-year-old from Sheffield.
“I am driving it pretty nice and I’m hitting my irons well. Chipping it good and putting well. So, pretty good overall.
“If I win my first ADT title tomorrow, it would mean the world. I’m trying not to think about that. Kind of just keep playing, and if that’s the end result, then great. And sure, we will have a great night out in Cairo on Saturday night.”
In-form Ortolani needs $15,165 to take over as the Order of Merit, which means he will have to win on Saturday to have that chance.
Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Joki Escandor/Asian Development Tour
“My round was pretty steady. I’d say very consistent. Yesterday afternoon, I had a huge grind with Eduardo (his caddie) to try and fix up the swing, because I was struggling. And today, I’m glad that the work paid off,” said the winner of the DigiPlus Philippines ADT Open.
“I think I made all key putts probably to save par today, especially on hole 12 where I could have easily made a three-putt, and again on the 13th. Other than that, I was hitting every green and two-putting.
“I think some players underestimated this course because it looks wide, but you need to strike the ball pretty well, especially on the par threes, and there are so many of them.
“Regardless of chasing down Khavish, I will just try and play my best iron game as I can and try to hole putts tomorrow and see if I can win. Otherwise, stacking points is very important to try and stay as up as possible.”
Egypt Golf Series 13, co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation, is the first of back-to-back Asian Development Tour events at Madinaty Golf Club. The tournament is also partnered by the Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi.
September 24: Sean Ramos of the Philippines (main image) and England’s Sam Rook moved to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of Egypt Golf Series 13.
In Thursday’s second round at the spectacular Robert Trent Jones-designed Madinaty Golf Club, Ramos added a six-under par 64 to his opening 67, while Rook overcame a double-bogey start for 65, as the duo totalled nine-under par 131.
That gave them a one-shot advantage going into the final 36 holes over American Nathan Han, who shot the day’s best round of 63, and Korea’s Jaeil Kim (68).
Four players were tied for fifth place at 133 – Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto (64) and Weerawish Narkprachar (64), alongside Denmark’s August Thor Host (68) and Brent Ito (66) of the US.
Overnight leader Ben Jones of England slumped to a 72 with just one birdie, but was in a group of seven players at 134.
Sam Rook of England. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
Ramos, who is 12th on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit and seeking to make a decisive push for his Asian Tour card, started from the tenth tee and was one-under through 13 holes. On the third hole, his 12th, it was a shank that woke him up as he made the bulk of his scoring with four birdies over his last five holes.
“I started off pretty cold today, I’d say. I was hitting it good, but I couldn’t make any putts. So, I was just trying to be patient. Surprisingly, I started to play better after I shanked my second shot on the third into the fairway bunker. Fortunately, I saved far, and then made a bunch of birdies,” said Ramos, who has had three top-fives this season on the ADT, including runner-up finishes in the Ever Glory ADT Open and the ADT Players Championship presented by the R&A.
Rook has had a very average season on the ADT so far and Thursday’s round laid the platform for an exciting end-of-the-year charge for the 25-year-old from Sheffield. Apart from the double-bogey start, he did not put a foot wrong.
“It was a weird one, started with a double. I hit in the water left off the tee when I thought I could carry the water. So, just had to take my medicine. I did not miss a green from then on in,” said Rook, whose best finish on the ADT is a tied fifth at the Egyptian Open on the same Madinaty course last year.
“I’ve hit it really nice off the tee, and my iron play has been good. I made four twos today, which is on them par 3s, and they are all pretty tough. I actually changed putters last night, and that kind of worked today. So can’t complain.”
Egypt Golf Series 13, co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation, is the first of back-to-back Asian Development Tour events at Madinaty Golf Club. The tournament is also partnered by the Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi.
September 23: England’s Ben Jones, whose only professional win came at a 2023 Mena Golf Tour event at Madinaty Golf Club, showed his love for the spectacular Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course in New Cairo once again as he opened a two-shot lead in the Egypt Golf Series 13.
In Wednesday’s opening round, the man from Northampton shot eight birdies and did not give back a single shot to the golf course in a round of eight-under par 62.
Pakistan’s Aadam Syed and Korean Jaeil Kim were chasing Jones at 64, while Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Salhab, Laos’ Thammasack Bouahom, Denmark’s August Thor Host and the Indonesian duo of Jonathan Wijono and Kevin Akbar made for an eclectic group a further shot behind at 65.
The 26-year-old Jones started from the 10th tee and reached 6-under through 10 holes, thanks to a particularly productive stretch of holes from the 15th to first, where he made four birdies, including three straight gains from the 17th to the first hole. On his back nine, he picked up further shots on the fifth and seventh.
“I really enjoyed being out on the course again, and everything just went smoothly today,” said Jones.
“I’ve played the golf course quite a few times now. I’ve had some success around here before, and then we played here early in the year when I finished fourth. So, I don’t know really, but I just seem to always play okay around here.”
Aadam Syed of Pakistan. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour
“I started on the 10th and I birdied the first hole, which was a nice little settler. And then just kept hitting good shots. Didn’t hole everything that I looked at, but it was rolling well today. Five-under for my first nine, and the front nine seemed quite easy from there on. I actually missed a couple coming in, so I felt my ball striking was really very good today.”
Syed, who is hoping to follow in the footsteps of countryman Ahmed Baig and graduate to the main tour, made a solitary bogey on the long par-4 16th hole. However, the UK-based player made amends with birdies on the 17th and 18th for his 64.
“It was really good today. I drove the ball well and putted well, which always helps. I could have been a little bit better with my irons, but overall, very happy,” said the 25-year-old resident of Hayes, who is currently 86th in the Order of Merit.
“The birdie on the 17th felt very good after the bogey on the 16th. I barely carried the water with my three-wood second shot and then made a good up-and-down.
“Ahmed’s absolutely an influence. He played the ADT a couple of years ago and had a great year and got himself promoted. That kind of brought the pathway to light and showed that it was possible. It was very inspiring to see him and how he’s moving on and progressing with his game. The ADT helped him develop into the player he is. So, I thought, why not give it a go for myself?”
Faisal Salhab of Saudi Arabia.
Kim, who finished sixth in Indonesia last month and tied 11th in ADT HCT Open, said he felt lucky with his bogey-free round.
“I hit my irons and putted well, but I feel a little bit lucky. I made two long putts for par on the fourth and 16th holes. They must be about 10 feet,” said Kim, who is hoping to improve this week from his 25th place in the ADT Order of Merit.
“The best birdie of the day was the one I made on the 10th hole. I hit my wedge from 77 yards for a tap-in birdie.”
Salhab was delighted his form was trending in the right direction, especially before the season-ending Aramco Invitational in his home country.
“I’ve always believed that I have a good game. It’s just starting to come out. I am learning how to play golf and not just think about the swing. Grant, my coach, has been fantastic and we are doing a lot of good work with other members of my team. And it’s good for all of us to see some good results.
“I’m really looking forward to Aramco Invitational. I look forward to it every year. The thought process is just do whatever I can, do what I can control, play as well as I can. Aramco is a big event, and there’s a lot of points and money. I really want to earn a card and play on the ADT, and that’s the goal.”
Egypt Golf Series 13, co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation, is the first of back-to-back Asian Development Tour events at Madinaty Golf Club.
Matt Killen’s penchant for Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) was plain to see once more today after he carded a second-round six-under-par 66 to keep the lead in the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament on 14-under.
The Englishman is the defending champion and was joined in front by Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, who fired a 64 – in the 12th leg of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
American Nathan Han shot a brilliant 61 to climb into sole possession of third, two behind the frontrunners, while his compatriot Tim Nielsen and England’s Finlay Mason are another shot back. Nielson fired a 65 and Mason fired a 68.
Indonesian Kevin Akbar, the joint first-round leader with Killen, came in with a 70, and is tied sixth, one shot further behind.
Impressive Killen will be the man to beat going into the final two rounds. Today’s round was his eighth successive round in the 60s on the acclaimed BSD Course. He tied for 16th here in 2024, bettering 70 over the last two rounds, and last year carded rounds of 66, 65, 64, and 68 to win by four shots on 25-under.
Tanapat Pichaikool.
He said: “Felt good. Steady day today, felt simpler than yesterday. The weather conditions were a bit friendlier.
“I didn’t hole many putts though. I hit a lot of putts that didn’t go in. A few shaved the hole. Hopefully they go in over the next few days.”
Like Tanapat he was bogey free and made his move on the first nine, registering four birdies.
“There are some tougher pins out there on the second nine. Some of them are harder to hit close to. My iron shots weren’t quite as good. Overall, I am in and around where I want to be,” he added.
He finished second in the Bangkok Classic in June and is in pursuit of his second title on the ADT. A third placed finish on last year’s ADT Order of Merit, helped by winning this week’s event, means he currently has a full Asian Tour card this year, as the top-10 receive cards.
Tanapat notched five birdies on the front nine to make his move. He won the IGPL Morocco Rising Stars in May and is currently in ninth place on the ADT Order of Merit.
“Interesting round,” he said. “The golf course is in fantastic condition, especially the greens, which helped my game more than it should have. This course really excites me.”
He played a practice round with Mr Budiarsa Sastrawinata, the President Director of Damai Indah Golf this week, and said he got, “some great information about the course from the right man.”
Nathan Han.
The Thai golfer first made a name for himself on the ADT in 2024, when he won twice and finished second on the Merit list.
He said: “I love coming to Indonesia. I always enjoy playing golf here, and of course, I always seem to play well in Indonesia for some reason. The food and everything here is very similar to Thailand.”
Han fired the best round of the week so far, thanks to nine birdies and an eagle. He started on the back nine, when there was little indication of what was about to come, sitting three under after eight.
However, an eagle on the par-five 18th provided the spark that he needed. He proceeded to birdie six holes on the next nine, including four in a row from the third.
“Got off to a slow start,” he said. “It’s small margins, I just made more putts today and I hit the ball a little bit close to the hole. I got some lucky breaks go my way. Yeah, it turned into a 10-shot difference from yesterday. I feel great, that was my goal to climb up to top of the leaderboard.”
He won the Ever Glory ADT Open in Chinese-Taipei in July and is presently 13th on the Merit list.
Indonesian golf fans got just what they wanted on the opening day of the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament today when Kevin Akbar [main picture], one of the country’s leading players, fired a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 at Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course) to share the lead with England’s Matt Killen – the defending champion.
Akbar, inspired by playing on his home course, made eight birdies, including five in the last seven on the second nine, while Killen, who won at this venue last year with a stunning winning total of 25-under, picked up where he left off with another fine round consisting of nine birdies and one bogey.
They lead the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event by one from Canadian Henry Lee and another Englishman Finlay Mason, after they returned 65s.
India’s Khalin Joshi and Tanapat Pichaikool from Thailand are next best placed following 66s, in the US$150,000 event which is one of the Tour’s most lucrative.
Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan, the ADT Order of Merit leader, shot a 71 and has work to do sitting in a tie for 48th.
Akbar has triumphed once before on the ADT at the Indonesian Pro-Am in 2023. He tied for sixth in that event last week, where China’s Andi Xu marched to victory.
“Last week was good preparation and today feels pretty amazing,” said Akbar.
“Actually, this is my personal best at BSD. Everything went well. I will take it. I know the course a little bit more than others. I know where to miss, I know the greens.”
Matt Killen.
He is currently 46th on the Merit list, while Killen sits in 14th place – so both are in need of strong weeks in order to close in on the top-10 which secures them Asian Tour cards for next year.
Said Killen: “It was tough. I know the score doesn’t show that, but the wind was really tough out there, it was changing every 10 seconds.
“It was tough to judge, but I did it pretty well and holed a couple of putts when I needed to. It felt stressful and stress free at the same time.
“It’s great being back. I knew I would feel great when I got here, it’s a lovely course. We will see what happens.”
Last week’s champion Xu returned a 70.
This week marks the ADT’s second visit of the season to Indonesia, it is the 11th edition of the tournament, and the 12th stop of the season. Remarkably, a different nationality has won every edition of the tournament.
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