Bogor, Indonesia, March 21: American John Catlin took advantage of his recent run of good form to sign for an opening four-under-par 67, grabbing the lead by one shot at the weather-hit OB Golf Invitational on Wednesday.

Despite tricky scoring conditions at the Gunung Geulis Country Club’s East course, Catlin stayed patient and relied on his accurate mid-iron shots to return with six birdies against two bogeys at the US$ 70,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.

“I just reminded myself to take it one shot at a time today. There’s more of an emphasis on approach shots on the East course. Pins were tough  but being able to hit it to the right spot on the greens helped me make a couple of great birdies. I hit three approaches inside six feet and my putting was good,” said Catlin.

Catlin, who claimed his breakthrough ADT win on the West course of the Gunung Geulis Country Club two years ago, hopes to repeat the magic as he continues to chase for a third victory on the region’s secondary circuit this week.

The 27-year-old Catlin sits atop the current ADT Order of Merit rankings with a haul of US$13,534, thanks to two consecutive runner-up finishes so far this season.

“I’ve had good memories here and it’s important to stay patient and not get ahead of myself. Each shot here takes so much focus and I had to move on pretty quickly so that’s how I got over the bad holes. I misjudged the wind on a few holes which cost me a couple of shots but other than that I played a pretty solid round of golf,” added Catlin.

Local amateur Rifqi Alam snatched the limelight  when he sank an ace with a five-iron from 190 yards on the par-three 16th hole.  He signed for a 68 to share second place with Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate Shohei Hasegawa of Japan.

Starting from the first tee, Rifqi traded one birdie against two bogeys to turn in 36. He bounced back brilliantly with three birdies and an ace before dropping a shot on the last.

“I didn’t know that my ball went in at all since it was an uphill green and I only found out when I walked up the hill and someone told me. I was hitting my irons good all day and I struck the ball really well on the 16th hole for the hole-in-one,” said Rifqi.

Play was suspended at 12.02pm local time on Wednesday due to heavy rain before resuming at 3.30pm. It was later abandoned at 6pm due to fading light.

A total of 61 players resumed their first round at 6.30 am on Thursday with the second round starting at 8.30am.

All ADT events are afforded Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status. The winner of each tournament receives a minimum of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season.

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

Ends.

Leading First Round Scores

67 – John CATLIN (USA) 

68 – Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) , Rifqi ALAM (A) (INA) 

69 – Taejun OH (KOR) , Stephen LINDSKOG (SWE) , Naraajie E. RAMADHAN PUTRA (A) (INA) , Lee SONG (KOR) 

70 – Rinaldi ADIYANDONO (INA) , George GANDRANATA (INA) , Shinichi MIZUNO (JPN) , KOH Deng Shan (SGP) 

71 – Bramantio ADI (INA) , Jeremy WENDELKEN (USA) , Tarik CAN (USA) 

72 – Jeff BURTON (USA) , Mardan MAMAT (SGP) , Jordan IRAWAN (INA) , Jake SHEPHERD (ENG) , Nathan BUZIMKIC (AUS) 

About Asian Development Tour

The Asian Development Tour was launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia. Sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Asian Development Tour will ultimately create a new playing platform for emerging stars from across Asia and around the world. Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School, players will qualify for the Asian Development Tour and enjoy the opportunity to hone their games and talent through a secondary circuit in Asia. Designed in the same structure as the Web.com Tour in America and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf. The Asian Development Tour has been structured to ensure the best opportunities for its members. The leading five players on the Asian Development Tour will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for aspiring professionals. All ADT events receive Official World Golf Ranking points.