India’s Arjun Prasad and Joel Stalter of France took advantage of their morning starts at Angkor Golf Resort today, sharing the clubhouse lead on 12 under par after the weather took a turn for the worse.

Lightning and thunder forced the suspension of Round Two of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in the early afternoon, with some of the field only just settling into their rounds.

The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event, making its debut in Cambodia, was already delayed by 20 minutes at the start of the day due to fog, and the inclement weather after lunch meant that play was halted at at 2.29pm.

The round was restarted at 4.30 after the weather cleared, but play was eventually suspended at 5.59pm due to darkness. Play will resume tomorrow when 42 players will complete Round Two.

Matt Killen of England was able to finish 15 holes before darkness set in, and he secured a hold on solo third spot at 11 under par with three holes still to play.

Thailand’s Tanapat Pichakool (64), winner of the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura in Indonesia earlier this month, posted the low round of the day with eight under par. He sits in fourth spot after completing his round early.

Meanwhile, secure in the clubhouse, Prasad (67) was pleased with another good round after a strong start yesterday.

“I had a good day today,” he said after posting his score. “Both of the rounds have been pretty solid. I’ve hit the ball really well off the tee and my putting was pretty good. I was able to roll a lot of my birdie putts within 10-12 feet and made some good saves today as well. Those were probably very crucial to get the momentum going,” he added

“Apart from that i had really good playing partners as well. I was playing with Poom (Pattaropong) and Gregory (Foo), they were both fantastic mates to play with. I’ve had a fun two rounds and hopefully I can keep the momentum going.

“This (ADT) is the best pathway to the Asian Tour, so performing well over here would mean a lot. If I can do that this year and get my Asian Tour card for the next season, that would be an overall amazing year,” he added.

“It’s my first time travelling over here and let me tell you the food’s been amazing, the people are great and the golf course is absolutely amazing, I really love playing over here. The track is flawless. great fairways, great greens and even though it’s been raining every single day the fairways are as good as they can be.”

Joel Stalter of France pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.

For Stalter (65), playing in Asia offers him the chance to get his game back on track after 10 years playing as a professional in Europe.

“It’s kind of a new beginning for me, playing in Asia,” he said. “I played mostly in Europe for my whole career.

“I’ve played here in the past and I thought why not give it a shot, kind of a fresh start. I’ve been struggling with my game for the past few years and so far I’ve loved it. I love coming to Asia, I love the places, the organisation and I think the Tour is doing a really great job.

“Sometimes it’s a bit challenging,” he said when asked about the change in cuisine. “I don’t go for street food for sure,” he laughed, “but the rest is OK.

“What’s a bit more difficult is the jet lag and the heat. The heat and the humidity is different, but I like it better than playing in sideways rain and three degrees.

“The courses we play every week so far have been fantastic. Hopefully I can get my game going again but I am really happy about the move.

Even with a share of the clubhouse lead, Stalter was philosophical about the prospect of winning and making progress to the Asian Tour.

“It would mean a lot just winning, without whatever comes after. For me just to prove to myself that I can win again because I have won in Europe and to win on a different continent would mean the world to me.

“I’ve been struggling but I didn’t give up and now I’m back into a position where I can start putting myself in contention again. It’s not going to happen overnight, you know, it’s golf and anything can happen, but the fact that I’m still here and in contention this week, it means a lot to me.”

Overnight leader Witchayapat Sinsrang of Thailand remains out on the course with six holes to play. He is currently in fifth place alongside Galven Green (69) of Malaysia and Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig (65).

Matthew Cheung (70) of Hong Kong and Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono (69) are in eighth spot on eight under par, alongside Malaysia’s Marcus Lim who has three holes to play tomorrow.

Play will resume at 7am tomorrow, and the draw for the third round will be made upon completion of Round Two. Round Three will not start before 9.45am and play will be from two tees, with the leaders playing from the first tee.

Main picture: Arjun Prasad of India pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.