Phuket, Thailand, May 18: Korea’s Joohyung Kim took advantage of his impressive form to card a three-under-par 67 and extend his lead in the penultimate round of the Singha Laguna Phuket Open on Saturday.

The 16-year-old Kim compiled a three-day total of 13-under-par 197 after marking his card with one bogey and four birdies at the THB 2,000,000 (approximately US$63,860) event co-sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT).

Local prospect Suradit Yongcharoenchai, who started the round four shots off the pace, returned with a 64 to move into second place one shot behind Kim while Indonesia’s Danny Masrin sits in third place following a 67 at the award-winning Laguna Golf Phuket.

Kim dropped a shot on hole two but recovered nicely with a birdie on hole three to make the turn in 35. He notched birdies on holes 10, 13 and 16 for an outward 32.

“I had a slow start and was missing a lot of key shots on the first nine holes. I missed it the green left on the second hole and made bogey but I managed to get it back on the next hole with a birdie putt from five feet.

The young Korean relishes the opportunity to be playing in the final group for the first time on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) since he joined the play-for-pay ranks in 2018.

“I told myself to just stay patient and make the turn at even-par because I knew I could get birdies on the back nine. I just wanted to be in the final group tomorrow and I did that. I will try not to think about my scores tomorrow and just try and go low,” added Kim.

Suradit marked his card with one eagle, five birdies, and one bogey to put himself in contention despite battling with a flu.

“I am hitting it good this week and I made a lot of putts today. I had a nice chip-in on hole two from 15 yards that gave me a boost. I also had an eagle on hole 14 after I hit my four-iron to four-feet. I am very happy about my round considering that I feel quite sick still,” said the 20-year-old Thai.

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open is the Tour’s third stop in Thailand this season and is celebrating its third straight edition on the ADT this year.

Leading third round scores:

197 – Joohyung Kim 65 65 67

198 – Suradit Yongcharoenchai 68 66 64

199 – Danny Masrin 63 69 67

200 – Hein Sithu 69 68 63, Pannakorn Uthaipas 70 66 64, Janne Kaske 67 66 67, Chinnarat Phadungsil 68 64 68

Phuket, Thailand, May 17: Korea’s Joohyung Kim fired a flawless five-under-par 65 to take pole position at the halfway stage of the Singha Laguna Phuket Open on Friday.

The 16-year-old Kim holds a two-shot advantage with his two-day total of 10-under-par 130 at the THB 2,000,000 (approximately US$63,860) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event co-sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT).

Thai duo Chinnarat Phadungsil and Sadom Kaewkanjana carded rounds of 64 and 66 respectively to sit in second place with Indonesia’s Danny Masrin (69) at the award-winning Laguna Golf Phuket.

Overnight leader Nattawat Suvajanakorn (71) of Thailand was among five players in tied-fifth while defending champion and countryman Vananyu Rattanaphiboonkij battled to a 74 to sit in tied-89th.

Starting the round three shots off the pace, Kim made a fast charge with three consecutive birdies thanks to his solid iron-play. He went on to grab birdies on holes 13 and 14 before capping off a bogey-free round and move atop the leaderboard.

“It was a really good round today, I started off well with three straight birdies but then it started to get windier in the afternoon and I was scrambling in the middle of my round.

“I am striking my irons well and all my birdies were inside 10-feet. I still feel good about how I played but obviously there is a lot of golf left to play so my position right now doesn’t matter that much,” said the Korean, who only missed three greens.

Chinnarat, a three-time Asian Tour winner, took advantage of his hot putter to trade seven birdies against one bogey and put himself in contention.

“I started out with an easy birdie on the first hole after I hit my nine-iron to three-feet. I was hitting it well all day but I think the biggest difference about my round was that I was putting better,” said the Thai, who only totalled 25 putts.

“I did well in the first nine holes but slowed down towards the back. But I am still very happy with my position and I will stay positive,” added the 30-year-old.

The halfway cut was set at one-under-par 139 with 57 players advancing to the weekend rounds.

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open is the Tour’s third stop in Thailand this season and is celebrating its third straight edition on the ADT this year.

Leading second round scores:

130 – Joohyung Kim 65 65

132 – Chinnarat Phadungsil 68 64, Sadom Kaewkanjana 66 66, Danny Masrin 63 69

133 – Nattawat Suvajanakorn 62 71, Janne Kaske 67 66, Miguel Carballo 65 68, Jack Murdoch 66 67, Tawan Phongphun 66 67

134 – Poom Pattaropong 67 67, Tarik Can 66 68, Piya Swangarunporn 65 69, Nitithorn Thippong 63 71, Suradit Yongcharoenchai 68 66

Phuket, Thailand, May 16: Thailand’s Nattawat Suvajanakorn recorded a stunning eight-under-par 62 to seize the first-round lead at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Nattawat opened up a one-shot lead with his bogey-free round highlighted by six birdies and one eagle at the THB 2,000,000 (approximately US$63,860) event co-sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT).

Indonesia’s Danny Masrin and Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong trail a shot behind in second place following matching 63s while Tirawat Kaewsiribandit carded a 64 to take fourth place at the award-winning Laguna Golf Phuket.

Defending champion Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij of Thailand posted a 70 to lurk eight shots off the pace in tied-55th.

Nattawat, who claimed his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title in Malaysia in 2017, rode on a hot putter to navigate around the greens in only 24 putts.

“I putted really well today and made a lot of long putts. I started off well with birdies on holes two and three which gave me a lot of confidence and I made a 20-foot putt for birdie on hole 17 ,” said the Thai,

He notched birdies on holes two, three, seven and 13 before striking his five-wood to four feet on hole 14 and rolling in his putt for eagle.

“On hole 14, I hit a really great shot from the rough on the left side of the fairway. It landed four feet from the pin and I made an eagle. Overall, I am happy with my round today,” added the Thai, who grabbed two more birdies on his way home.

Starting from the 11th tee, Masrin had a slow start with eight consecutive pars before finding some momentum in the back nine to mark his card with five birdies and an eagle.

“I was scrambling on the first eight holes and couldn’t get the speed of the greens right, then I made the turn and made three straight birdies to get some momentum going.

“I started to get the feel of the greens on the back nine and made some good putts. On hole seven I hit a great shot from 210 yards to the green and then a 15-footer for eagle. It was a pretty good day and I just have to keep with the speed of the greens for the next three rounds,” said the 26-year-old Indonesian, who is chasing his maiden ADT victory this week.

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open is the Tour’s third stop in Thailand this season and is celebrating its third straight edition on the ADT this year.

Leading first round scores:

62 – Nattawat Suvajanakorn

63 – Danny Masrin , Nitithorn Thippong

64 – Tirawat Kaewsiribandit

65 – Piya Swangarunporn , Kammalas Namuangruk , Miguel Carballo , Joohyung Kim , Kosuke Hamamoto

Ends.

Phuket, Thailand, May 14: Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij will be looking to reprise top form when he returns to his familiar stomping ground in bid for a successful title defence at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open, which starts on Thursday.

The 22-year-old Thai broke through in style last year after completing an impressive wire-to-wire victory to claim his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title by six shots at the award-winning Laguna Golf Phuket.

Despite being sidelined by a back injury for close to three months since January, Varanyu remains optimistic as he looks to bank on the positive vibes to repeat his strong finish in 2018 at the THB 2,000,000 (approximately US$63,860) event, co-sanctioned by the ADT and the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT).

A stellar 144-men field, which features more than 30 ADT winners including Order of Merit champions Miguel Carballo of Argentina and Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas, is set to converge at the event, which is celebrating its third consecutive edition on the ADT this season.

Varanyu enjoyed a career-best season yet on the region’s secondary circuit in 2018, claiming two wins in a span of six months to finish in third place on the Order of Merit which helped him secure his Asian Tour card for 2019. He became the only player to win twice on the ADT in 2018.

“I am very excited to be back playing on this course again. The course layout suits my game and I putt really well on these greens.  My goal for this week is to get a good finish and hopefully retain my title,” said Varanyu, who turned professional in 2015.

The talented Thai, however, struggled to carry his superb form into 2019 as he had to battle against an acute hot disc which forced him into a three-month layoff from competitive golf in January.

“I didn’t have a good start to the season because of my back injury. It took me around three months since January to heal and I couldn’t play golf. I missed the cut in my first Asian Tour event in Bangladesh and then in Korea,” added Varanyu, who is hopeful of shaking off the rust by putting up a fine showing this week.

Other notable names in the field include Suttijet Kooratanapisan of Thailand, who recorded the first ever 59 on the ADT and the Asian Tour at the Laguna Golf Phuket two years ago, compatriots Pavit Tangkamolprasert, a six-time ADT winner and Order of Merit leader Itthipat Burantanyarat.

Jakarta, Indonesia, May 9: Malaysia’s Amir Nazrin continued his impressive form to sign for a five-under-par 67 and hold a two-shot lead in the penultimate round of the OB Golf Invitational on Thursday.

The 21-year-old Amir marked his card with one eagle, six birdies, one bogey and one double-bogey to compile a three-day total of 14-under-par 202 at the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event staged at the highly-acclaimed Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-lun, who held a share of the overnight lead, posted a 70 to take second place while Indonesian duo George Gandranata (68) and Rory Hie (71) and Japan’s Hayato Yoshida (68) sit in third place at the US$65,000 event.

Amir made a fast charge with an eagle on hole two followed by birdies on holes four, six and nine for an outward 31. He stumbled with a double-bogey after the turn when his tee shot landed in the sand bunker but recovered nicely with birdies on holes 11 and 12.

“I made a wrong decision on hole 10 and hit my three-wood off the tee which left me with a bad lie in the fairway bunker. But I told myself to take the double bogey and move on and I managed to birdie the next two holes,” said Amir.

The young Malaysian knows he will have a battle in his hands tomorrow as he stays on course for his maiden ADT victory.

“I wasn’t thinking about my score at all. My irons were solid and I just made a lot of putts. I know it will be tough tomorrow but I just want to keep my focus and hope for the best,” added Amir, who dropped a shot on hole 17 before rolling in an 18-foot birdie putt on the last for an inward 36.

The 25-year-old Wang, who returned in the morning to finish four holes in his second round, admitted he battled with fatigue in his back nine despite getting off to a hot start with three consecutive birdies.

“I started out with three straight birdies and was feeling very confident. However, I started to feel really tired after the turn and could not keep up the momentum.

“I woke up at 4.30am this morning to finish four more holes and then had to wait two hours before I started my third round. I just need to rest up, stay focused and try again tomorrow,” added the Chinese Taipei player, who last tasted success on the ADT in 2017 with his breakthrough on home soil.

The OB Golf Invitational is the Tour’s first stop in Indonesia this season and is celebrating its second edition on the ADT schedule this year.

Leading third round scores:

202 – Amir Nazrin 68 67 67

204 – Wang Wei-lun 67 67 70

205 – Hayato Yoshida 68 69 68, George Gandranata 68 69 68, Rory Hie 68 66 71

206 – Seung Park 71 67 68

Ends.

Jakarta, Indonesia, May 8: Indonesia’s Rory Hie brought the local cheers when he fired a superb six-under-par 66 to seize the halfway lead with Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-lun at the weather-disrupted OB Golf Invitational on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old Hie returned with a flawless card highlighted by six birdies to sit atop the leaderboard with Wang (67) on a two-day total of 10-under-par 134 at the US$65,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.

Danny Masrin, the highest-ranked Indonesian, also put up a strong charge as he matched the day’s efforts of Hie to trail by one shot in third place with Malaysia’s Amir Nazrin (67) at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club, which is a regular host venue of the Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour.

The highlight of the day however belonged to American Troix Tonkham who produced an ace on hole four using his seven-iron from 156 yards. He signed for an eventual 69 to settle eight shots off the lead.

Play was first suspended at 1.59pm local time due to lightning threats before resuming at 4.30pm. It was later abandoned at 5.42pm due to the fading light. A total of 36 players resumed their rounds at 6.45am on Thursday with the third round scheduled to start at 9.15am.

Hie, who started the round two shots off the pace, took advantage of his sharp iron play as he only missed one green-in-regulation in his solid round of 66.

“I hit it really good today and made some key putts. I made a good birdie on hole five from the rough and rolled in a 14-foot putt.

“I was able to stay focused the entire round and keep my composure. When I made the turn, I saw I was only one shot behind so I told myself I needed to make a couple more birdies and I did,” said the 30-year-old Indonesian.

Masrin, 26, was pleased to find some momentum with his friend Teddy on the bag. He nailed six birdies en route to his blemish-free round.

“It was a pretty easy-going round. I hit a lot of greens today and only missed one fairway. I was able to capitalize on the par-five holes and hit three of four of them in two shots.

“The key for my round today was the tempo of my swing. With Teddy on the bag today he really helped me get a good rhythm going. It was overall a pretty stress-free day and I managed to end the round with two birdies,” said Masrin, who found 13 fairways and only missed one green.

The halfway cut was set at three-over-par 147 with 56 players advancing to the final two rounds.

The OB Golf Invitational is the Tour’s first stop in Indonesia this season and is celebrating its second edition on the ADT schedule this year.

Leading second round scores:

134 – Rory Hie 68 66, Wang Wei-lun 67 67

Ends.

Jakarta, Indonesia, May 7: England’s Matt Killen fired a six-under-par 66 to take the lead in the opening round of the OB Golf Invitational on Tuesday.

Three players trail one shot behind in second place following matching 67s at the US$65,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event. They include American Jeremy Wendelken, Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-lun and Thailand’s Worrasorn Suwanpanang.

Local prospects George Gandranata, Rory Hie, Jordan Irawan and Peter Gunawan were among 11 players tied for the fifth spot following their rounds of 68 at the highly-acclaimed Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Play was suspended at 3.15pm local time due to lightning threats and resumed at 4.30pm. However, it was later abandoned at 6.03pm due to fading light. Three players resumed their first round at 7am on Wednesday morning with the second round starting as scheduled.

Starting from the 10th hole, Killen notched birdies on holes 12, 14, 15 and 17 to make the turn in 32. He went on to grab a birdie on hole three before dropping a shot on hole five after failing to make his par-save from nine feet.

“I putted really solid today and made some key putts. No complaints about today with seven birdies on the scorecard. My only mistake was on hole five but it is a very tough hole with a tricky pin position,” said Killen, who recovered with two birdies on his way home for an inward 34.

“The highlight of my round would have to be hole 17. It is a long par-four hole and I hit my four-iron from 220 yards to about four-feet and made that downhill putt,” added the Englishman, who is eyeing his maiden ADT victory this week.

Wendelken, who also started on the 10th hole, opened with a fantastic birdie after chipping in from the fringe. He went on to grab birdies on holes 12, 15, and five before wrapping up a bogey-free round with a 15-foot putt for birdie.

“I drove it really well off the tees today and gave myself a lot of chances, it was a pretty solid round. My wedge game was good too and I chipped in on my first hole which gave me some momentum,” said Wendelken, who was accurate off the tees and only missed two fairways.

“This course is pretty forgiving off the tees and a lot of the tees were pushed forward today. I like this course and it really suits my game,” added the American, who earned his Tour card at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January.

The OB Golf Invitational is the Tour’s first stop in Indonesia this season and is celebrating its second edition on the ADT schedule this year.

Leading first round scores (incomplete):

66 – Matt Killen

67 – Jeremy Wendelken , Wang Wei-lun , Worrasorn Suwanpanang

68 – Sorachut Hansapiban , Jordan Irawan , Justin De Los Santos , Brian Jung , Joshua Shou , Peter Gunawan , Amir Nazrin , George Gandranata , Rory Hie , Hayato Yoshida , Joohyung Kim

Ends.