Ramos saves the best for last to join Rook on top at Madinaty
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.
American Nathan Han [main picture] put himself on the threshold of a second victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this year after taking the third-round lead in the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament today.
After a stunning 11-under-par 61 yesterday he was able to back that up today with a 66 to move in front on 18-under.
He is one ahead of an imposing group of players: defending champion Matt Killen from England, his countryman Mason Finlay, and seasoned Asian Tour player Berry Henson from the United States.
Henson returned a joint best of the day 63, along with three other players, while Killen shot 69 and Mason 66 – here at Damai Indah Golf (BSD Course), south-west Jakarta.
Another formidable group of players are another shot back: Andi Xu (63) from China, winner of last week’s Indonesia Pro-Am, Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan (64), the current ADT Order of Merit leader, Canada’s Henry Lee (66), and leading Indonesian Kevin Akbar (66), the joint first-round leader.
It all points to a brilliant final day tomorrow, in the 12th event of the season on the ADT.
Han, who won the Ever Glory ADT Open in Chinese-Taipei two months ago, birdied three of the last five holes to edge ahead.
He was paired in the final group with overnight leaders Killen and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, who returned a 71 and is three behind the leader.
Berry Henson.
Yesterday Han made at staggering nine birdies and an eagle, and he was bogey free. He didn’t quite match that today, but he impressively maintained the momentum, shooting seven birdies and one bogey.
“Definitely, it’s hard to play after an 11-under yesterday, I realised that,” said Han.
“I was playing with really good players today, in the last group, and I knew there were people in front of us who were coming after us, but I am glad I kept my composure and I am proud of the way I played today. Stuck to my game plan.”
He admitted to never being in the lead going into the final round on the ADT and plans to relish the moment.
“To win any event is very special, but it would be really special to win on ADT in the space of two months,” added the 25-year-old, who is currently in 13th place on the Merit list.
He competed in the Asian Tour Qualifying School for the first time at the end of last, for the 2026 season. Although he failed to make the 36-hole cut he has certainly shown his potential on the ADT this year.
By contrast Henson, aged 47, has been playing in the region since 2011. His journey here began on the ADT when he won the Clearwater Masters that year before he claimed Philippine Open on the Asian Tour two weeks later. Remarkably, both victories were wire-to-wire. They remain his two titles in the region, and so he will be pulling out all the stops to make it win number three tomorrow.
“We were just in cruise mode most of the day,” said Henson, who made nine birdies, two of which were chip ins, with six birdies coming on the front half.
“I hit 16 greens which is a big win for me. It gives me massive confidence, and I think that’s my lowest round in Asian Tour history. I think I had 64 before that.”
In 13 years playing on the Asian Tour he has only finished outside the top-50 on the Order of Meri three times, including last year.
“It’s been 2013 since I actually won last, not in Asia. Obviously, I thought about that today through the round. I am in contention now, it’s where I want to be. I have a chance tomorrow, it’s gonna happen sooner or later. I just gotta stick to my process, control what I can control. Whatever happens, happens, and we just gotta keep playing some good golf.”
For Killen, who won by four last year on 25 under, it was his ninth successive sub-70 round on this course. He is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the tournament.
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.
Nathan Han of the USA birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Sean Ramos of the Philippines and win the Ever Glory ADT Open after Typhoon Bavi forced tournament officials to reduce the championship to 54 holes.
Han carded a seven-under-par 65 in Friday’s third and final round at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club to finish tied on 16-under-par alongside Ramos and Korea’s Minhyeok Yang. After officials announced the tournament would conclude after three rounds because of the approaching typhoon, Han emerged victorious with a birdie on the opening extra hole.
Yang joined Han after matching the American’s seven-under 65, while Ramos closed with a five-under 67 to complete the three-way tie on 16 under.
The Tournament Committee reduced the event to 54 holes after forecasts indicated Typhoon Bavi would affect the venue from Friday evening and throughout Saturday, making it impossible to guarantee completion of the scheduled final round. Under the revised conditions, a playoff was held immediately after regulation play to determine the champion.
Han’s victory capped an impressive week of consistency. Following opening rounds of 67 and 68, the American produced one of the day’s best rounds, highlighted by an eagle at the par-five eighth and five birdies before sealing the title in the playoff.
“I flew,” said Han. “I started off with a birdie on the first and played good golf until the eighth, where I made eagle. I hit a really good drive and a really good iron shot to about four feet. That really kick-started my round and gave me a lot of confidence.”
Playing alongside Yang, the pair fed off each other’s good form throughout the day.
“It was fun. We were definitely going band for band and we both knew it,” Han said. “We were cheering each other on. I was happy to see him make putts and he was happy to see me make putts. It was just really good vibes in the group.”
Han also credited the support of his father, who was on the bag throughout the week.
“My dad was a great help. Tensions are always high in a tournament and I definitely got frustrated at times, both with myself and with him, but he handled it really well. He kept me even and it was great having him there as my support system.”
Wang Wei-hsuan of Chinese Taipei celebrates with wife and caddie Cindy Zhou after his Hole In One on hole 13 in the final round of the Ever Glory ADT Open at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club on Friday, July 10, 2026.
Yang matched Han’s seven-under 65 with a spectacular round featuring nine birdies before a costly double bogey on the 15th denied him the outright lead and ultimately forced the playoff.
“My putting was really nice today,” said Yang. “My driver gave me a little bit of trouble, but I tried my best with my chipping and putting. I made a lot of long birdie putts.”
Asked how he felt about the prospect of a playoff, the Korean smiled before replying:
“Hungry. I feel a little bit of pressure, but I’ll just try my best.”
Ramos, who started the day one shot behind overnight leader Huang Yi-tseng, carded a composed five-under-par 67. Birdies at the third, 11th, 13th, 15th and 16th outweighed his only dropped shot at the second as he earned his place in the playoff before eventually finishing runner-up.
Chinese Taipei duo Shapiyate Mako and Chan Shih-chang shared fourth place on 15 under after rounds of 66 and 68 respectively.
A further three players finished tied for sixth on 14 under: Hong Kong’s Hoho Yue (66), Italy’s Michele Ortolani (68) and overnight leader Huang Yi-tseng, whose challenge faded with a closing 70.
Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan produced one of the highlights of the final day, recording a hole-in-one at the par-three 13th after earlier making eagle at the par-five eighth during a four-under-par 68. He shared ninth place on 13 under alongside Malaysia’s Marcus Lim (67) and Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai (68).
Chinese Taipei’s Shen Wei-cheng fired a seven-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the US$100,000 Ever Glory ADT Open at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club on Wednesday.
The Asian Development Tour event, being played from 8-11 July, saw the home favourite finish one stroke clear of the Philippines’ Sean Ramos and Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung, who both opened with rounds of 66.
A group of six players share fourth place on five-under-par 67: Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Yu-cheng, Americans Nathan Han, Carson Herron and Shotaro Ban, and Malaysians Justin Chan and Shahriffuddin Ariffin.
Starting from the 10th tee in the afternoon wave, Shen quickly found his rhythm, making birdies on the 10th and 11th before adding further gains on the first, second, third, fifth, eighth and ninth holes. His only blemish came with a bogey on the sixth.
The home favourite was delighted with his opening round and credited a strong iron game and solid putting for his position at the top of the leaderboard.
“Bogey-free is always nice when you’re playing a difficult golf course like this,” said Shen. “I hit a lot of nice iron shots and holed a couple of good putts out there, so I’m very happy with my game.”
Playing in Taiwan once again also brought back good memories.
“I’ve had a lot of good finishes in Taiwan, so I guess the golf courses just suit me out here,” he said.
Sean Ramos of the Philippines pictured in action during Round One of the Ever Glory ADT Open at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
One shot back, Ramos produced one of the grittier rounds of the day despite struggling from the tee. Beginning on the first hole in the afternoon wave, the Filipino opened with birdies on the second, third and fourth before consecutive bogeys on the fifth and sixth briefly stalled his momentum. He responded with birdies on the seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th and 17th to sign for a six-under 66.
“I’m very happy with my round today considering how bad I drove it,” said Ramos. “I think I only hit, at most, five fairways today. So being able to shoot 66 was really good. I did everything well today except the driver.”
Despite frequently missing the fairways, Ramos kept himself out of serious trouble.
“Thankfully, I wasn’t driving it well enough to hit the fairway, but not bad enough to go out of bounds or into the hazards,” he said. “I was able to judge my rough second shots pretty well today and I just had to make some putts.”
Cheung also posted a flawless six-under 66. Starting from the first tee in the afternoon, he made birdies on the third, seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th and 15th without dropping a shot.
Among those tied for fourth, Han continued his consistent form with a bogey-free 67. The American, who started from the first tee in the morning, birdied the first, eighth, ninth, 12th and 13th holes.
“It felt great,” said Han. “I got off to a little bit of a slow start, then I locked in and made a couple of birdies. I put myself in a good position for the next two or three rounds.”
Matthew Cheung of Hong Kong pictured in action during Round One of the Ever Glory ADT Open at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Herron’s round was one of the most eventful of the day. Starting from the first tee in the morning, he mixed two eagles, three birdies and three bogeys in a five-under 67. After birdies on the first and fourth and a bogey on the seventh, he eagled the par-five eighth before adding another eagle on the par-five 12th. Birdies on the 15th and 18th offset bogeys on the 16th and 17th.
Hsu matched 67 after beginning on the 10th tee in the morning, making birdies on the 10th, 14th, 17th, 18th and sixth holes without dropping a shot.
Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin enjoyed a flying start with an eagle on the opening par-five first hole before adding birdies on the 14th, 17th and 18th in an otherwise blemish-free round of 67.
Ban recovered impressively from an early setback. After opening with a birdie on the second, the American bogeyed the fourth and sixth before responding with birdies on the eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th. A bogey on the 14th saw him finish alongside the group on five under.
The second round continues on Thursday at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club, with Shen aiming to build on his one-shot advantage as the field chases the halfway lead.
May 28: Hoho Yue made a birdie on his final hole to edge ahead by one shot in the US$160,000 am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026, which is being played at the stunning Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort and is co-sanctioned with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL).
In Thursday’s opening round, the Hong Kong player made a sensational eagle on the par-5 seventh hole – where his second shot from 260 yards lipped out for an albatross – and six birdies to finish on six-under par 66.
One behind Hoho at five-under par were American Nathan Han and Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong. An eclectic group of four players – Sven Maurits of the Netherlands, Argentina’s Franco Scorzato, Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung and Spaniard Agusti Quinquilla Madalena – were tied for fourth place at 68.
India’s Raghav Chugh, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Trishul Chinnappa and Sudhir Sharma were the best placed among the IGPL players at three-under 69, while Ayoub Id-Omar was the best among the local Moroccan players, tied 17th at two-under 70.
Yue, 26, played for the University of Oregon while pursuing college in the US. He had five top-10 finishes in different tours, including the Egyptian Open on the ADT, last year, and is looking to get his first win as a professional.
Playing in the afternoon session when the wind picked up compared to the morning tee times, Yue started with a birdie but quickly gave up the gain on the very next hole.
“It was good. It was a long day, and I knew the golf course was going to play hard. I woke up this morning, and I could feel the wind walking out. I knew it was going to be a grind and I had zero expectations. I knew I was just trying to go out there and stay as present as I could, which I did very well,” said Hoho.
Nathan Han of the United States. Picture courtesy: IGPL
“I started off the day with some fears. I was like, ‘Oh, the wind’s blowing in a tougher direction. The course is playing a lot tougher than it played during the practice rounds’. But I knew it would take a bit of momentum and a couple of good shots to get it going. Fortunately. I got hot pretty early, so I just felt like I had nothing to lose. I just had to pedal down the whole day.”
On the eagle on the seventh hole, he added: “Oh yeah, that was pretty sick. My whole group was pretty surprised to see that. The wind was blowing left to right very strong, and I just hit it a left, let the wind take it, and it was my day. The ball ended up lipping out from 260 yards and I made the five-feet putt.”
American Han, who is playing only his second recognised professional tournament, got off to a blistering start. The 25-year-old from New York, who played for Pepperdine University in NCAA Division I competition until last season, showed his class after getting fast off the block with six birdies in his first eight holes. He then ran into trouble on the 18th hole to make a double bogey seven on the par-5 hole, completely against the run of play. He was solid on his back nine for two birdies and a solitary bogey to finish on five-under-par 67.
“I started at 8:05am and I was feeling good, the body was feeling good. I didn’t do anything special, just stuck to my game plan. I hit drives the way I wanted it to, hit some good iron shots, and made a lot of putts,” said Han
“I was six-under through eight, but unfortunately doubled the 18th, my ninth hole of the day. I hit it into the ice plants and would advise that never hit it out of the ice plants if you’re in there. But I did not falter after that, and I just kept the momentum going. I’m happy with how I finished.”
Runchanapong Youprayong of Thailand. Picture courtesy: IGPL
Runchanapong, who finished second in the opening event of the schedule and is currently fourth in the ADT Order of Merit, was solid through the day, except for a solitary bogey on the par-5 14th hole, which was his fifth hole of the round having started from the 10th tee.
“I started off well until I made a bogey on the par five, and then kind of picked myself up again and made a few more birdies. I just hung tight into the round with all the wind going on, but overall it was solid,” said the Thai star.
“It’s fun playing in a place like this. Every time I make a good swing or a bad shot, I can still look out at the views and see the ocean and stuff. It’s very beautiful out here.”
This week is the fifth stop of the 2026 season on the ADT. Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, will also host next week’s am green IGPL Bharath Classic. The International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco, will bring the exciting North African adventure to a conclusion in three weeks.
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