Indian veteran Rahil Gangee certainly lived up to his billing as one of the star attractions at the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam this week, firing a string of birdies in the closing stretch to post the clubhouse lead and endure an anxious wait to see if he’d done enough to win.

His par on the 18th for a three under 70 (209) was enough to edge out overnight leader Aidric Jose Chan, who needed to par to force a playoff. The young Filipino golfer, who was not even born when Gangee first joined the professional golf ranks, could only manage bogey at the last and saw his chance of a debut win slip away.

India’s Aman Raj (70), one of the strong Indian cohort taking part at the event, shared second place (210) with Chan (74) in the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event at the Legend Da Nang Golf Club on the Nicklaus Course.

Aidric Jose Chan of the Philippines pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

In fourth spot (211) was American Sydney Chung (74), who was unable to capitalise on two fine early rounds, followed by Singapore’s James Leow who posted the low round of the day with 66, enough to move him from 32nd spot overnight to a solo fifth place (213).

“It’s been a gruelling day,” said Gangee after his win, “not because of the golf but because of the heat. It’s been a little bit tough also in the golf. It was a little bit dilly dally in the front nine – even par – I only got it going towards the back especially in the last four holes.

“I was looking to birdie the last hole but that didn’t happen, but I still had a chance to make it,” he added, his optimism fuelled by the fact that he had already won once on the ADT this year, having secured victory at the PKNS Selangor Masters in June. His victory in Vietnam puts him atop the ADT Order of Merit, ahead of Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig.

“This one has to be for my wife,” said Gangee. “She saw me through today. I was a little bit headless in the front nine, a little bit despondent, but she got me through the day today, just really grateful for her to be around on the bag.”

Sydney Chung of the USA pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

Asked after the second round about how he felt being billed as one of the star attractions in the promotional materials for the event, he was surprised yet grateful at being selected as one of the featured players.

“It means the world to me,” he said after posting a -6 yesterday. “How many times does a guy get his face on a poster? It’s great to see my face all over the place, all over town, all over the golf course, at the airport,” he laughed. “So I’m really stoked about that, thanks for that.”

Finishing in sixth place, on five under par (214), were the Thai trio of Sarut Vongchaisit (68), Nopparat Panichphol (71) and Runchanapong Youprayong (73), together with Arjun Sharma of India (69) and Baig (75).

In 11th spot on 215 were Vietnamese amateur Nguyen Tuan Anh (70), Ayoub Lgurati (68) of Morocco, Thailand’s Sarun Sirithon (72) and Jakraphan Premsirigorn (72) and Sean Ramos of the Philippines (67).

The BRG Open Golf Championship was the seventh of 12 ADT events scheduled for 2024, and the tour continues in Indonesia next month, at the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura at the Gunung Geulis Country Club from September 11-13.

Main picture: India’s Rahil Gangee and his wife and caddie Ruhi pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

Aidric Jose Chan of the Philippines proved he was a quick learner at the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam today, capitalising on his first round experience to lead by a single shot going into the final round.

The young golfer, playing for the first time in Vietnam, was able to master the conditions with just a single dropped shot in the second round of the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event, his six-under-par score of 67 putting him ahead of overnight leader Sydney Chung of the USA.

“It’s been a big help playing in the morning and afternoon and seeing how the wind could be tomorrow,” said Chan after his round at the Legend Da Nang Golf Club, Nicklaus Course.

The potential pin placements were also something he studied before the tournament, and so far his game plan has been paying off.

“I thought they were pretty tough,” he said when asked about his hole by hole strategy. “I have been studying them and I think my game plan has been working out well.

Sydney Chung of the USA pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

“There’s a couple of holes I decided to be more aggressive like on hole number eight. I haven’t seen many people hitting driver there but I’ve hit driver on that hole and I think it gives you a bit more of an advantageous spot to go for the flag,” he added.

“Playing in the afternoon is mentally tougher,” he said. “The heat really got to me going into the last few holes. I soaked up with water and looked for the shade, just getting from tree to tree and using the umbrella.”

Chung, who posted a four under par 69, was also happy with his round.

“It was pretty similar to yesterday,” he said. “I drove the ball really well and I feel that’s what helped me to play well today.

“There are some tough holes out here. Tough par fours and gettable par fives, but you’ve got to be in the fairway so I did a good job of that today. I missed a couple of short ones for birdie coming in but other than that it was pretty solid,” he added.

Tied for third on seven under par are Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig (69), already a two-time winner in Vietnam on the ADT this year, and Indan veteran Rahil Gangee.

“It was great today,” said Baig after his round. “I made a few silly mistakes but I still managed my position. I’m looking for my third win to secure my Asian Tour card which would mean a lot,” he added.

Gangee, who improved massively on his first round score and posted a bogey free 67, had clearly done his homework when he turned up for the second round.

“After yesterday it was a bit frustrating because I went back home and counted the number of putts I missed. There were 10, which is way too many for any golfer to be missing.

“I just tried to keep calm today, made a lot more putts and that’s what made the difference. No blemishes today, no bogeys, which is always amazing for any round, but around this golf course it is even better.

Ekpharit Wu of Thailand pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

“You have got to really think yourself around this golf course because of the greens, the design is such that if you miss them in the wrong places, it just gets that much more difficult to make up and down,” he added.

In fifth position, on six under par, are the Indian duo of Sunhit Bishnol (68) and Aman Raj (69), together with Australia’s Kyle Michel (71).

Rounding out the top ten with a share of eighth spot on five under par are Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong (71) and the day’s low scorer Ekpharit Wu (66), followed by compatriots Itthipat Buranatanyarat (71) and Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (71) in tenth place on four under par.

In 12th position, on three under par, are Lawrence Ting (69) of Chinese Taipei and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (71), Thitipan Pachuaprakong (75), Jakraphan Premsirigorn (72), Nopparat Panichphol (74) and Sarun Sirithon (71).

With the cut set at two over par, 58 golfers will compte in the final round tomorrow, with the first group off at 7am local time. The leading group, comprising Chan, Baig and Chung, will tee off at 8.39am.

Main picture: Aidric Jose Chan of the Philippines pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

Australia’s Lawry Flynn took advantage of an early start to lead the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam, today, his five under par score enough to secure the clubhouse lead as conditions worsened.

He was later joined in first spot by late finishers Sydney Chung of the USA and Thailand’s Thitipan Pachuayprakong, both of whom birdied the final hole to share the lead going into the second day of this 54 hole tournament.

Making his debut on the Asian Development Tour, Flynn also had to contend with windy conditions at the Legend Da Nang Golf Resort on the Nicklaus Course, venue for the US$100,000 ADT event.

“It was a bit of a slow start this morning,” he revealed after his round. “I started off on hole one and made a couple of good pars early on and then the wind really picked up.”

“I got on the par three, the fourth, and I just started a little too far right, missed the green by a long way and didn’t get up and down,” he said.

“I was like, `wow this is going to be a test today`, and then from there, I just made no mistakes.”

“I hit it in all the good spots and putting at the end of the day helped me from that 10–15 foot range, I holed a few coming in and yeah, five under,” he laughed.

Thitipan Pachuayprakong of Thailand pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

After making it through the 2024 Qualifying School of the Asian Tour, Flynn is making his first visit to Vietnam and was full of praise for the course, despite its windy welcome.

This course is tough,” he said. “It’s long, water on every hole and it’s in great condition. It’s a good test for a tournament,” he added.

Thitipan and Chung, friends on and off the course, certainly enjoyed each others company when paired together for the opening round.

“It was a good day for me,” said Thitipan after his round. “Good putting, good driving, playing with a good friend, so it made me very relaxed today,” he added.

Chung also took advantage of the camaraderie, overcoming a shaky start to follow along.

“I didn’t get off to a great start,” he said. “I was two over after five holes. He (Thitipan) was playing really well at the start so I re-evaluated my game plan on how I was going to tackle this course, and honestly I just kind of copied him the whole way from hole six on, and luckily we made some birdies,” he laughed.

“At the start of the round, the first nine holes, it was really tough and blowing really hard. But once we got to around hole 12, the wind actually switched so it made all the holes coming in much easier. By the last three or four holes it had completely died down so we were both able to take advantage of that.”

Sydney Chung of the USA pictured in action at the BRG Open Golf Championship 2024 in Vietnam. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, Nicklaus Course, from August 29-31, 2024. Picture courtesy of Danang Fantasity.

Vietnamese amateur Doan Uy was another of the morning starters to enjoy the weather advantage, his four under par score included two bogeys and he heads a group in fourth spot which includes Aldric Jose Chan of the Philippines, Nopparat Panichphol of Thailand and Australia’s Kyle Michel.

Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig, already a double winner in Vietnam this year after his victory in the Nam A Bank Masters in June and the Lexus Challenge in March, is only two shots back of the leaders and sits in eighth spot alongside Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong.

Six Thai players – Witchayapat Sinsrang, Jakraphon Premsirigorn, ADT All Thailand Partnership winner Kammalas Namuangruk, Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij, Tawit Polthai and itthipat Buranatanyarat – share tenth spot on two under par, alongside Vietnam amateur Nguyen Tuan Anh, India’s Aman Raj, Eric Gallardo of the Philippines and Afif Fathi of malaysia.

All players completed their first round successfully and play will continue as scheduled for day two of the tournament. Play will commence at 6am for the morning wave, with the afternoon groups beginning at 10.40am.

Making his Asian Development Tour debut, Liu Yung-hua overcame a nervy start to his final round to shoot a seven-under 65 and triumph in the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Tangerang today.

Despite two bogeys after seven holes, the 27-year-old Chinese Taipei golfer recovered quickly and reeled off a string of birdies to overtake the overnight leader Vanchai Luangnitikul (69) of Thailand and Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung (68).

Despite a close fought battle with the lead changing hole by hole, Liu (266) finished with a two shot advantage over Cheung and Vanchai (268) on Damai Indah Golf’s BSD course outside the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

Vanchai needed to chip in for eagle on the last hole to force Liu to make a birdie, his shot almost went in but ultimately went long and he could only par out. Liu made birdie to secure the win.

Ekpharit Wu (271) of Thailand finished in solo fourth place, followed by his compatriot Kammalas Namuangruk (273).

Thailand’s Tirawat Kaewsribandit (275) shared sixth spot in the US$140,000 ADT event with Minhyeok Yang of Korea and defending champion Yuvraj Singh Sandhu of India.

Runchanapong Youprayong of Thailand posted the low score of the day with his eight-under 64 netting him a share of ninth spot on 276, alongside Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono, Malaysia’s Ervin Chang, and Thai compatriots Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij and Chanat Sakulpolpaisan.

Runchanapong made a few adjustments to his game after a disappointing start to the tournament, finally getting to grips with the course after three opening scores in the 70s.

“I went with a little bit something new today,” said Runchanapong after his round. “I was originally hitting my irons kind of low with these firm greens so my shots weren’t holding on. I decided to hit it a little higher today, which meant I was hitting it close and making a lot of putts.

“For the first couple of rounds the wind was stronger,” he said, “but I felt some some of the pins were more attackable today so there will be a couple more low scores.”

Indonesian amateur Jonathan Hartono battled hard to maintain momentum in the final round, posting a two-under 70 to share 14th spot on 277 with India’s Khalin Joshi who finished the day with even par.

Japan’s Naoki Sekito finished strongly with a 67 to end the day tied for 16th on 278 with Singapore’s james Leow and the English pair of Matt Killen and Ben Jones.

Panuaphol Pittayarat and Witchayapat Sinsrang of Thailand, Australia’s Douglas Klin and Filip Lundell of Sweden rounded out the top 20 tied on 279 strokes after the four round tournament.

The Asian Development Tour heads to Vietnam next week for its seventh tournament of 2024, the BRG Open Golf Championship at the Legend Da Nang Golf resort, a three round event on the Nicklaus course.

Main picture: Liu Yung-hua of Chinese Taipei pictured with the winner’s trophy at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament. The US$140,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held from August 21-24 at the Damai Indah Golf BSD course in Tangerang, Indonesia. Picture courtesy of Damai Indah Golf.

Organisers of the BRG Open Golf Championship have followed through on their commitment to the tournament by confirming today the third edition of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event will be staged in Vietnam next month.

The BRG Open prize purse now stands at US$100,000, with 25% of the fund coming from tournament partner SeABank.

Returning to the Legend Da Nang Golf Resort, the event’s home since its launch in 2022, it will be played over the Nicklaus Course from August 29-31 as the seventh stop on the ADT circuit and third time this year that the ADT has visited the emerging golf market of Vietnam.

“The Asian Development Tour is over-the-moon to see the BRG Open Golf Championship become a regular event on our schedule, and we thank title sponsor BRG Group, along with partner SeABank and supporting organizers Da Nang Tourism, for ensuring the return of one of our pillar events,” said Ken Kudo, General Manager, Asian Development Tour.

“Two years ago, the BRG Open Golf Championship became the first tournament in Vietnam sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour. The event played a very important role in our entry to Vietnam and is seen the most significant step that opened the door into this emerging market.”

“This pioneering golf tournament is very popular with our players and is always hotly contested here on the Nicklaus Course at Legend Da Nang Golf Resort. We have had great winners and exciting finishes here in the past and we expect to see another talented young champion lift the trophy at the end of the coming tournament week.”

Said Mark Reeves, General Deputy Director at BRG Group: “The BRG Open Golf Championship that we both sponsor and host here in Da Nang is a key component of our strategy to support the City to establish itself as a leading golf tourism destination.”

“The event also serves as a solid platform to inspire Vietnamese golfers and allows them to measure themselves against top talent in the region as they consider a career in the professional game.

Again, this year we are excited to see players from many countries come here to Da Nang to test themselves over the Nicklaus Course – arguably the best tournament course in the country today.”

On behalf of our Group chairman Madame Nguyen Thi Nga I can say: “We are very proud of our involvement in this tournament and our association with the Asian Tour that gives us an opportunity to showcase the very best of what Vietnam has to offer today.”

The tournament will boast a strong international field of 144 players from across the region, including 110 ADT members who will play alongside 20 professionals and elite amateurs nominated by the Vietnam Golf Association plus 14 invites.

Australia’s Aaron Wilkin triumphed last year, succeeding China’s Chen Guxin.

The impressive Da Nang City venue – a member of Asian Tour Destinations – boasts two 18-hole courses, one designed by Jack Nicklaus and the other by Greg Norman.

The Nicklaus Course will be used for the BRG Open Golf Championship.