June 20: A fascinating quest that took Michele Ortolani (main image) to unheard-of places across the globe finally fructified in the form of a first international win for the Italian at the inaugural US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Ortolan, who has missed just one cut this season in 10 starts and was runner-up after losing in a playoff at the Singha-SAT ADT Hua Hin Championship, was rewarded for his persistence and consistency. At the par-72 Luisita Golf and Country Club, he shot a final-round three-under-par 69 to reach 16-under total, which eventually proved to be one better than runner-up Ching-hung Su (68) of Chinese Taipei.

Argentina’s Franco Scorzato (69), and Malaysia’s Galven Green (72), were tied third at 14-under.

Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

Sean Ramos and Clyde Mondilla grabbed the two spots to the US$2 million Philippine Open on The International Series as the two leading Filipino golfers.

Ramos (71) was tied fifth at 11-under, his second top-five finish on the ADT this season, while Mondilla (68) was tied 11th at -8. Angelo Que (69, -10, tied 8th) was the second-best Filipino in the field, but he is already exempt to the tournament later in the year.

The front nine gave no hint of who’d pick up the trophy at the end of the day. At the turn, Ortolani, Ching-hung and Scorzato were tied for the lead at 13-under par, with Green just one behind at -12.

The back nine became a neck-and-neck race between Ortolani, playing in the lead group, and Ching-hung, playing one group behind. Both players made three birdies on the back nine, but the crucial difference was the Chinese Taipei player’s bogey on the par-4 14th hole. That was followed by a decisive, if conservative, birdie on the par-five 16th hole by the champion.

Ching-Hung Su of Chinese Taipei. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

The Milan-based Ortolani played several years on the Alps and HotelPlanner Tours in Europe, before deciding to ply his trade in Asia. He secured his ADT playing rights in 2023, and has also been a popular member on the PGT of India Tour. He said he knew in his heart that a win would come soon.

“It’s been a long while, and it’s always special to get that first win,” said Ortolani, who narrowly missed securing his Asian Tour card by a mere US$42 last year after missing the cut in the season-ending Aramco Invitational.

“In my mind, I already believed that I would have won eventually this year, because when you see this consistency, and it’s been since last year. I believe that you just need to do the work. I have learned that positive or negative thoughts are still thoughts that come in your way. I learned to deal with them and how to just stay in my lane.”

Ortolani said he had no idea where he was, or what Ching-Hung was doing, but he would have still played the 16th hole with a 2-iron off the tee and a 5-wood for his second shot. He did that and was left with a 15-footer birdie putt after a chip with a 54-degree wedge.

Sean Ramos (left) and Clyde Mondilla of the Philippines. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

“I had no idea of the scores. But even if I did, I would not have played that hole differently. I would have still played three shots. Probably, I would have had a little more pressure (if he knew the scores), but I tell you I already had a lot of pressure.”

On his journey so far, Ortolani added: “The decision to come to Asia and go to India has been tough, but it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Being in India has taught me a lot about gratitude for the life I get to live, and even playing golf there has taught me a lot. Like I need to put the ball in the fairway, try to make birdies with the wedges.

“So, at first people called me crazy, and now it has worked out. I think it really validates everything I’ve done. Hopefully, it’s only the beginning.”

Despite getting so close to his first win on the ADT, Ching-hung wasn’t disappointed. It was his third consecutive runners-up finish, following back-to-back PGA Tour of Taiwan events earlier this month.

“I feel I’ve performed quite well in all aspects this week. When I teed off today, I didn’t set my sights on winning; I just focused on hitting my shots well,” said Ching-hung.

“I also finished second in two previous Taiwan Tour events, so this second-place finish gives me a lot of confidence. It showed me that I need more patience and hard work to win.”

Ramos, who missed retaining his card on the Asian Tour this year after “missing it by a hair” last year (finished 71st in the Order of Merit with 65 players keeping their cards), was delighted to secure his place in the International Series event later this year.

“Very excited, of course,” said Ramos. “Being able to go back out there and then prove myself, and hopefully play better than I did last year in the last international Series, it would be great. Hopefully, I can get a win or play really well for that week.

“It was a great tournament, almost staged like a major championship. So many people attended that week and so many of my friends talked about it and have started playing golf because of it.”

The Asian Development Tour heads to Thailand next week for the Bangkok Classic.

June 19: On a perfect Moving Day, players with the three lowest rounds of the day moved to the top of the leaderboard in the inaugural US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open, with Malaysia’s Galven Green (main image) grabbing a narrow one-shot advantage after a sensational eight-under-par 64.

At the par-72 Luisita Golf and Country Club, Italian Michele Ortolani had the second-best round of the day – a seven-under 65 – and he climbed to second place at 13-under par total. England’s Thomas Plumb (66), who had the third-best round of the day, was one shot further behind at -12.

Overnight leader, Argentina’s Franco Scorzato, kept himself in the mix with a one-under 71, which was good for a tied fourth place at 11-under with Chinese Taipei’s Ching-hung Su (70) at 11-under.

Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

Two spots for the US$2 million Philippine Open on The International Series later in the year is up for grabs for two leading Filipino golfers, and Sean Ramos, who recently lost the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in a playoff, kept a stranglehold on it with a 67 that moved him to tied sixth place at 10-under, two better than Angelo Que (-7, tied 10th).

Brother of Gavin, one of the finest golfers Malaysia has produced, Green is looking for his first win in an Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) event. He had several top-five finishes on the ADT before this, including a tied third at the 2024 Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura.

Green started the day four shots behind the leader, but enjoyed a good start with birdies in his first two holes, and then made the turn at five-under for the round with an eagle on the ninth hole. He then added three more birdies on the back nine, including the last two holes, to bookend his round perfectly.

“Honestly, it’s just about making the putts out here. If you can hit some greens and make some putts, you would have done well here, and that’s what I did, said Green who hit his mini driver twice to reach the green on the ninth hole and made a 20-footer putt for his eagle.

Thomas Plumb of England. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

“Obviously, there is a lot of golf to play still, and it would be my first international win. So, it will mean a lot, for sure. But it’s a different day and golf is golf. It’s always a different day and you always try your best. You want to win every tournament, but in golf, it is not always the case.”

Like Green and Plumb, Ortolani, a typical journeyman in the game who has cards on the Alps Tour, the PGTI in India and on ADT, is also looking for his first international win.

After finishing his round with back-to-back birdies, he said: “Today was a fantastic Moving Day. I would say, my seven-under was almost flawless, except for a little accident on the 16th (hit into the water) where I ended up making a bogey. But I bounced back very nicely with two birdies on the 17th and 18th, so I’m very happy.

“It feels good. I have been working really hard. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I have been knocking on the door a few times, so I’m very grateful to be in this position. Every time I am in this position, I learn something new and add something to my experience. Hopefully, I can seal the deal tomorrow.”

Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

Ramos, who shot his best round of the tournament so far, made a solitary bogey on the 11th hole, but compensated for that with six birdies.

“I started well with birdies on the first and third holes, and then I got cold. I don’t know why, but for some reason I tend to get cold for long periods on this course. And then made a few birdies from the 10th hole onwards. I three-putted the 11th, which was a little clumsy of me,” said Ramos.

“There obviously is a little bit of pressure (of being the top Filipino player), but I think coming off the playoff in Malaysia, I feel a little bit more experienced of being in contention now.”

Including the visit to the Philippines, the ADT is set to have tournaments in seven countries this season. It will also travel to Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.