Johor, Malaysia, March 9: Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand overcame a four-shot deficit to win his second Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the PGM ADT Johor Championship on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Pannakorn had a terrible start as he dropped a shot on the second hole, which distanced him and the overnight leader, Poom Pattaropong of Thailand, to six shots. However, the bogey sharpened Pannakorn’s resolve and he began to attack the pin at the Palm Resort Golf and Country Club.

The strategy worked, as he shot an eagle and five birdies before signing for a 20-under-par 268 total to win the tournament by two shots.

Poom was not able to get his final round going. The three birdies he made were negated by the equal number of bogeys. He had to contend with a tied-second finish along with Japan’s Kazuki Higa.

Higa, on the other hand, was making a charge at the leaders. The one-time ADT winner shot eight birdies and did not drop a single shot on his first 16 holes. However, his tournament unravelled after making a bogey on the 17th.

Malaysia’s Daeng Rahman was also making a sprint to the finish. He traded an eagle and five birdies against a lone bogey to a card six-under-par 30 on his back-nine, which helped him climb from tied-ninth to tied-fourth.

On the victory, Pannakorn said: “The birdie on eight was significant. I missed the green at the par-three hole by about 30 yards, but I managed to chip it in. After that, I was feeling even more confident.”

“I was only focussing on my game. I played very well in the first two rounds and I know that my game is in a good place,” he said, on playing with his friend Poom, who had a four-shot lead at the start of the day.

“It was a good fight with Poom today. I’m sure he will be a champion in the near future.”

With this win, Pannakorn is now aiming to win the ADT Order of Merit for the second time. Previously, he won topped the money list in 2017.

The merit champion, as well as the leading six players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

For more information, visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com

Leading final round scores:

268 – Pannakorn Uthaipas 63 67 72 66

270 – Kazuki Higa 68 69 68 65, Poom Pattaropong 64 67 67 72

272 – Daeng Rahman 68 72 67 65, Joohyung Kim 64 72 70 66

273 – Lloyd Jefferson Go 66 66 71 70

274 – Trevor Simsby 68 67 71 68, Genki Okada 67 69 68 70

275 – Miguel Carballo 70 68 71 66, Ryuichi Oiwa 69 71 67 68

277 – Danny Chia 67 69 75 66, Johnson Poh 67 72 71 67

Johor, Malaysia, March 8: Poom Pattaropong of Thailand moved into the lead after carding a five-under-par 67 in the third round of the PGM ADT Johor Championship on Friday.

The 23-year-old Poom had an eventful day, as he shot an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys for an 18-under-par 198 total at the Palm Resort Golf and Country Club.

He has a four-shot lead going into the final round of the tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM).

In second place is compatriot Pannakorn Uthaipas, who went slightly off the boil as he carded a 72.

Lloyd Jefferson Go of the Philippines (71), and Japan’s Genki Okada (68) as well as Kazuki Higa (68) are in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.

Poom’s eagle on the 16th gave him a mental boost for the final round.

“I hit a pretty good drive and used a nine-iron to get it onto the fringe, 10-feet from the hole. I managed to make an eagle from there. It was a huge confidence booster and it has set me up very nicely for tomorrow,” said Poom, who earned an Asian Tour card via Qualifying School earlier this year.

He added: “I’ll be playing with my good friend, Pannakorn (Uthaipas), and it’ll be great fun. Whatever happens, happens. I’m very satisfied with the state of my game at the moment.”

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

For more information, visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com

Leading third round scores:

198 – Poom Pattaropong 64 67 67

202 – Pannakorn Uthaipas 63 67 72

203 – Lloyd Jefferson Go 66 66 71

204 – Genki Okada 67 69 68

205 – Kazuki Higa 68 69 68

206 – Joohyung Kim 64 72 70, Trevor Simsby 68 67 71, Amir Nazrin 68 67 71

Johor, Malaysia, March 7: Amir Nazrin of Malaysia kept the local hope alive as he shot a five-under-par 67 to finish the second round in tied-second at the weather-disrupted PGM ADT Johor Championship.

The 21-year-old Amir got himself into contention after carding a near-flawless round that is highlighted by six birdies. He dropped only one shot on the par-four 10th before signing for a nine-under-par 135 total at the Palm Resort Golf and Country Club.

Amir is three shots behind the clubhouse leader, Lloyd Jefferson Go of the Philippines, at the RM 225,000 (approximately US$54,000) tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM).

Go, in line for a breakthrough win on the ADT, carded his second consecutive 66. The 24-year-old traded an eagle and five birdies against a lone bogey to end his Thursday on 132.

“I was playing and hitting the ball well going into the tournament. In particular, I’ve been hitting my iron shots very well, so even if the ball is on the rough, I can hit it close to the hole,” he explained.

He added: “Good drives and second shots are key to a good scoring here and in particular, I played my second shots well today. Hitting the fairways is important here, and that will be my strategy going into the next two rounds.”

Ryan Troyer of the United States scored an ace. He achieved the feat on hole two from a distance of 176 yards using his eight iron.

Round two will restart at 7.40am on Friday, with the third round commencing not before 9.50am.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

For more information, visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com

Leading second round scores (incomplete):

132 – LLoyd Jefferson Go 66 66

135 – Amir Nazrin 68 67, Trevor Simsby 68 67,

136 – Danny Chia 67 69

Johor, Malaysia, March 6: Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand set the early pace with a resplendent nine-under-par 63 following the first round of the PGM ADT Johor Championship on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old Pannakorn hit the ground running, shooting four birdies in his opening five holes. He carried the momentum after making the turn at 18, carding five more birdies before signing for a 63 at the Palm Resort Golf and Country Club.

Compatriot Poom Pattaropong is just a shot behind in tied-second. Like Pannakorn, he enjoyed a bogey-free round at the RM 225,000 (approximately US$54,000) tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM).

Joining Poom on 64 is Korea’s Joohyung Kim and Malaysia’s Kenneth Tobuse. Defending champion Johnson Poh of Singapore is four shots off the lead, in tied-eighth.

Pannakorn credited his excellent round to his good ball striking and big-game mindset.

“I was hitting my driver and irons very well, and I found almost all the fairways today. In fact, I missed about three or four short birdie putts. If I had made those, my good round would have been even better!” he said.

Pannakorn won the 2017 ADT Order of Merit and earned an Asian Tour card for the 2018 season. He was not able to retain his card after finishing in 100th place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, but the experience of playing on Asia’s premier circuit has put him in good stead.

He added: “I learned a lot from playing on the Asian Tour last year. I’ve been practising very hard in the last three months and working on every aspect of my game. I’m feeling very confident this year.”

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

For more information on the ADT, visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com

Leading first round scores:

63 – Pannakorn Uthaipas

64 – Poom Pattaropong , Joohyung Kim , Kenneth Tobuse

66 – Shintaro Kai , Seungjae Maeng , Lloyd Jefferson Go

67 – Choo Tze Huang , Genki Okada , Johnson Poh , Ryusei Yokota , Marc Ong , Danny Chia

68 – Shinichi Mizuno , Elki Kow , Atthaphon Sriboonkaew , Jesse Yap , Kazuki Higa , Amir Nazrin , Trevor Simsby , Daeng Rahman

Johor, Malaysia, March 5: Singapore’s Johnson Poh is banking on his good early season form and positive vibes from last year’s tournament as he tees up for the PGM ADT Johor Championship which tees off tomorrow.

The 27-year-old Poh shot his lowest four-round score ever at the 2018 edition of the tournament to win his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title.

The Singaporean carded a 21-under-par 267 total for a two-shot victory at the Palm Resort Golf and Country Club, which will also be the host venue for this year’s PGM ADT Johor Championship.

“I’m very excited to be back as the defending champion! I have many great memories from last year. The task this year is to try to recreate those shots I played, and also to create more great shots!” said a confident Poh ahead of the RM225,000 (approximately US$58,000) event, co-sanctioned by the ADT and the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM)

He added: “I’ve gone to play a round there last month. The course hasn’t changed much from last year; only the greens are a little firmer due to the dry season recently. Hitting to the right spots is the key to playing well for this course as some pins can be quite tricky.”

Poh went on to finish the season in 13th place on the 2018 ADT Order of Merit, coming agonisingly close to snatching on one of the seven Asian Tour cards on offer. The Singaporean hopes to do better this season.

“I have had a great start to 2019 by playing well at the SMBC Singapore Open (the Asian Tour season opener), and I am aiming to ride that momentum into Johor. It was a great breakthrough last year at this event. I am looking forward to even more success this year!”

Poh’s title ambitions will be put to test by the likes of ADT Order of Merit champions Miguel Carballo of Argentina (2018) and Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand (2017), as well as ADT winners Shinichi Mizuno of Japan and Sam Gillis of the United States.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

For more information on the ADT, visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com

Ends.

Lopburi, Thailand, February 17: Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana had a magical ace to thank for helping him win his maiden victory by five shots following a two-under-par 68 in the final round of the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019 on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Thai holed out from 175 yards on hole two after sweetly striking his seven-iron for his first hole-in-one of his professional career at the 13th Military Circle Golf Course, the venue where tournament host Thongchai Jaidee grew up playing on.

Thai-Japanese Kosuke Hamamoto signed for a 65 to take second place while Korea’s Soomin Lee posted a 69 to sit in third place at the ฿4million (approximately US$123,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event jointly sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour.

With his four-day total of 14-under-par 266, Sadom took home a winner’s prize purse of US$22,372 and earned six Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, in only his third event since joining the play-for-pay ranks in December last year.

Sadom, who came through Asian Tour Qualifying School in January after finishing in tied-13th, was delighted to find success so early on in his career.

“I am very happy to win on the ADT. I was very excited to start the round today and then the hole-in-one came out of nowhere. I just wanted to hit the green and make par but that was a nice surprise and I got really lucky,” said Sadom.

The young Thai, who marked his card with one double-bogey, one bogey, three birdies and an ace, credited his ability to stay composed despite almost losing the lead towards the middle of the round.

“I was looking at the scores and Soomin (Lee) was only one shot behind after hole 12 when I dropped a shot and he made birdie. I told myself I needed to make more birdies and I did. After hole 13 and 14 I was more confident,” added Sadom, who propelled to the top of the ADT Order of Merit courtesy of his victory.

Lee, a one-time European Tour winner, took pride in his performance this week despite struggling towards the end of his final round.

“I played well all week and was playing well until hole 17 when I three-putted for double-bogey and hole 18 where I hit my tee shot into the hazard. But I am excited with the progress I have made in my game this week,” said the 25-year-old.

Playing in his first ADT event on an invitation spot, Lee was impressed with the talent on the region’s secondary circuit and tipped his hat off to his playing partner Sadom.

“I gave it my best today but Sadom was just too good of a player. I am happy that he won because he did play really well,” added the Korean.

The Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019 was inaugurated in 2015 with the intention of providing more playing opportunities for the region’s rising stars as well as to draw attention to Thongchai’s charitable foundation.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

Leading final round scores:

266 – Sadom Kaewkanjana 67 67 64 68

271 – Kosuke Hamamoto 69 65 72 65

272 – Soomin Lee 66 66 71 69

273 – Pavit Tangkamolprasert 72 67 67 67

Full results and OOM click here.

Ends.

Lopburi, Thailand, February 16: Young Thai Sadom Kaewkanjana fired a commendable six-under-par 64 to grab the lead in the third round of the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019 on Saturday.

Chasing for his maiden victory this week, the 20-year-old Thai traded seven birdies against one bogey to lead by five shots on a 12-under-par 198 total at the 13th Military Circle Golf Course, the venue where tournament host Thongchai Jaidee grew up playing on.

Korea’s Soomin Lee struggled to a 71 to share second place with Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadungsil and American Seungjae Maeng who signed for matching 66s at the ฿4million (approximately US$123,000) event.

The in-form Sadom made a fast charge with four birdies in his opening five holes before making the turn in 31. He grabbed birdies on holes 10, 12 and 16 before dropping his first shot of the day on hole 17 for an inward 33.

“My putting helped me a lot today. I made three birdies in a row on holes from hole three because I was rolling in 15-footers,” said Sadom, who only needed 25 putts.

Coming off a tied-fourth finish on his local circuit last week, Sadom was pleased to carry over the momentum to shoot his personal-best round in only his second ADT tournament since turning professional at the end of last year.

“This will be the first time I am playing in the final group on the final day in an ADT event. Honestly, I will just be following the same game plan. My sister and my parents have been coming out to watch me and I want to do them proud tomorrow,” added the Thai.

The 24-year-old Maeng, who came through Asian Tour Qualifying School this year after finishing in tied-30th, credited his conservative approach off the tee which led him to only miss five greens and surge into contention.

“It was a solid round today where I didn’t make any mistakes. I played really conservative off the tee which worked out well. I was also hitting my irons well especially with my three, four and five-irons so every birdie I had today was inside eight feet,” said the American, who traded five birdies against one bogey.

“Towards the end of last year, I made a few swing changes and from there on I stuck to it. This is my second event of the year and I am confident in how my game is looking. I will just stick to this game plan and see what happens,” said Maeng, who has not had a top-10 finish on the ADT since the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation in 2017 where he finished in tied-sixth.

The Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019, jointly-sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour and the ADT, was inaugurated in 2015 with the intention of providing more playing opportunities for the region’s rising stars as well as to draw attention to Thongchai’s charitable foundation.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

Leading third round scores:

198 – Sadom Kaewkanjana 67 67 64

203 – Seungjae Maeng 69 68 66, Chinnarat Phadungsil 66 71 66, Soomin Lee 66 66 71

204 – Krittin Sunthornnon 72 68 64

205 – Trevor Simsby 70 69 66, Kazuki Higa 64 67 74

Lopburi, Thailand, February 15: Japan’s Kazuki Higa signed for a three-under-par 67 to stay ahead of the chasing pack at the halfway stage of the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019 on Friday.

The 23-year-old Higa compiled a two-day total of nine-under-par 131 to hold a one-shot advantage over Soomin Lee of Korea (66) in second place at the ฿4million (approximately US$123,000) event.

Local prospect Sadom Kaewkanjana posted a 67 to share the third spot on a 134 total with countrymen Kosuke Hamamoto (65) while Itthipat Buranatanyarat (69) and Natthapong Niyomchon (70) took tied-fifth at the 13th Military Circle Golf Course, the venue where tournament host Thongchai Jaidee grew up playing on.

Higa, who claimed his maiden ADT victory in Bangladesh last year, was happy to put up another decent round despite struggling with a cold putter. He dropped his first shot of the tournament on hole 11 but would recover quickly with a birdie on hole 12.

“My putting wasn’t very good today and my round would have been even better if I rolled in more putts,” said the Japanese, who totalled 30 putts in the second round.

The Okinawa native found some momentum in his back nine where he grabbed birdies on holes one, three, six and seven before dropping another shot on his last hole.

“I am striking my irons well which is helping me stay of trouble on this course. I played better on the second nine and hit it close on a lot of holes. Hole nine is a very tough hole so I am happy to take a bogey and walk away,” added Higa.

The 25-year-old Lee, a one-time European Tour winner, had his solid iron-play to thank for in his second round where he traded six birdies against two bogeys.

“I am striking my irons well and most of my birdies were tap-ins. I started with two birdies in a row on hole 10 and 11 and both of them were inside five-feet. I hit every green on the front nine and didn’t make too many mistakes,” said the Korean.

Playing on an invitational spot this week, Lee hopes to carry his consistent momentum into the weekend rounds.

“I got an invitation from Thongchai to play in the event this week so I decided to play this week since I train in Thailand over the winter season and my home is just an hour away from this golf course. I just hope I can continue this pace into the weekend,” said Lee, who resides in Seoul.

The halfway cut was set at two-over-par 142 with 57 players advancing to the weekend rounds.

The Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019, jointly-sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour and the ADT, was inaugurated in 2015 with the intention of providing more playing opportunities for the region’s rising stars as well as to draw attention to Thongchai’s charitable foundation.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

Leading second round scores:

131 – Kazuki Higa 64 67

132 – Soomin Lee 66 66

134 – Sadom Kaewkanjana 67 67, Kosuke Hamamoto 69 65

136 – Itthipat Buranatanyarat 67 69, Natthapong Niyomchon 66 70

137 – Udorn Duangdecha 69 68, Janne Kaske 68 69, Chinnarat Phadungsil 66 71, Seungjae Maeng 69 68

Lopburi, Thailand, February 14: Japan’s Kazuki Higa took the clubhouse lead with a brilliant six-under-par 64 thanks to an early birdie blitz in the weather-hit opening round of the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019 on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Higa made a fast start with five consecutive birdies in his opening six holes to take the clubhouse lead at the ฿4million (approximately US$123,000) event hosted by Thai veteran star Thongchai Jaidee.

Countrymen Chinnarat Phadungsil and Natthapong Niyomchon signed for matching 66s to trail by two shots at the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event staged at the 13th Military Circle Golf Course.

Starting on the first, Higa reeled in birdies from holes two to six to make the turn in 30. He grabbed another birdie on hole 10 and eight pars on his way home for a 34 in his back nine.

“I started out very well and was on a roll. My tee shots were very accurate off the tee which helped on this course since the fairways are so narrow.

“I was honestly just very lucky today. I haven’t been putting well since the start of the year. I couldn’t get the putts rolling in the second nine but I just stayed out of trouble,” said Higa, who totalled 26 putts.

The talented Japanese first burst onto the scene with a maiden wire-to-wire victory on the ADT in Bangladesh in his very first attempt. He went on to notch five top-10 results in his rookie year but would narrowly miss out on his Asian Tour card after finishing eighth on the ADT Merit ranks.

“I am very happy to have opened with a low round, I missed the cut at the last ADT event because I wasn’t confident in my swing. But if I stay out of trouble and continue with the same game plan I know it will be a good week,” added Higa.

Chinnarat credited Thongchai’s course advice he received at the start of the week to his opening round where he traded six birdies against two bogeys.

“This course is very difficult. Before this week I spoke to Thongchai and he gave me advice on how to play some of the holes, since he grew up playing on this course.

“If you are not strategic with where you place your tee shots you might end up in a tight spot. Like on hole eight where I made bogey, I hit a good drive but it bounced right and I was blocked by a tree,” said the three-time Asian Tour winner.

Play was first suspended at 4.32pm local time due to lightning threats before it was later abandoned for the day at 6.30 pm due to fading light.

A total of 54 players will resume their first round at 6.45 am local time on Friday with the second round starting at 6.45am local time as scheduled.

The Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019, jointly-sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour and the ADT, was inaugurated in 2015 with the intention of providing more playing opportunities for the region’s rising stars as well as to draw attention to Thongchai’s charitable foundation.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

Leading first round scores (incomplete)

64 -Kazuki Higa

66 – Natthapong Niyomchon , Chinnarat Phadungsil

Lopburi, Thailand, February 13: Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat is feeling confident as he goes after back-to-back titles on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) at the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019 which starts on Thursday.

Having claimed his third ADT victory at the season-opening Boonchu Ruangkit Championship in January, just two weeks after securing his Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School, the 25-year-old Thai is eyeing for more glory this week.

The popular event, hosted by Thai star Thongchai Jaidee, will offer a prize purse of ฿4million (approximately US$123,000) and will be held at the 13th Military Circle Golf Course in Thongchai’s hometown of Lopburi, which is hosting an international event for the first time.

Itthipat will spearhead the local charge alongside former ADT Order of Merit champions Pannakorn Uthaipas and Pavit Tangkamolprasert, as well as veterans Boonchu Ruangkit and Thaworn Wiratchant.

Reigning Order of Merit champion Miguel Carballo of Argentina, Tour winners Kazuki Higa of Japan, American Sam Gillis and Wang Wei-lun of Chinese Taipei will all feature in the cosmopolitan 156-man field from 19 countries.

Itthipat, who missed out on his Asian Tour card by just two rungs after finishing ninth on the 2018 Merit rankings, made up for the disappointment when he regained his playing rights at the Asian Tour Qualifying School where he came in third following a grueling 90-hole battle.

“I was struggling for a bit the last couple of years. But now that I have won again on the ADT, I feel really confident heading into the new season on the Asian Tour.

“I don’t think there is added pressure of performing well again after a win because I just need to stick to my routine. Everything else is an added bonus,” said the amiable Thai.

Itthipat, who turned professional in 2014, started plying his trade on the ADT in 2015, where he claimed his breakthrough victory in the Philippines which was only his sixth start on the region’s secondary circuit that year.

He went on to secure a second ADT victory at the season-opener in Singapore in 2016 before finishing fourth on the money list that year to earn his Asian Tour card for the first time.

“After playing on the ADT for so many years, I think I have become more mature in the mental aspect of my game. I used to be so focused on results and now, I just try not to overthink,” added Itthipat.

Thongchai, Thailand’s number one Golf Ambassador who has been helping to promote international awareness of the Kingdom as a world-class golf destination, is thrilled to be hosting the fourth edition of his event on the course which he started playing since he was 16.

The 49-year-old hopes to share the rich history of his hometown and at the same time bring attention to his charitable foundation which was formed in 2009 to give back to the underprivileged.

“The whole town will be wearing traditional costumes and I think it is a great opportunity to share my culture with the players by encouraging them to wear the traditional costumes during the welcome dinner and at the pro-am tournament,” said Thongchai, the only player to have won the Asian Tour Order of Merit on three occasions – 2001, 2004 and 2009.

The Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019 will also be held in conjunction with the King Narai Reign fair, a 10-day event organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in Lopburi to pay homage to King Narai the Great, who lived from 1580–1655.

During his reign, King Narai turned Lopburi province as well as Thailand into the centre of culture, religion and diplomatic relations.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive a minimum of six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

Ends.