Melaka, Malaysia, June 27: Young Korean talent Joohyung Kim signed for his season’s best nine-under-par 63 to take control at the halfway stage of the PGM ADT Championship @ Tiara Melaka on Thursday.

The 17-year-old Korean compiled a two-day total of 12-under-par 132 with his blemish-free round highlighted by nine birdies at the RM 225,000 (US$54,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.

Play was abandoned for the day at 7.15 pm local time due to weather disruptions in the first round that had resulted in a delay of tee times. Kim holds the halfway lead by one shot over American Trevor Simsby (68) in second place while Japan’s Naoki Sekito sits in third place following a 65.

A total of 66 players resumed their second rounds at 7.30am on Friday at the Tiara Melaka Golf and Country Club. The third and penultimate round is scheduled to start at 11am.

Returning this morning to complete the remaining 12 holes in his first round, Kim took advantage of a hot putter to make up for his mediocre long game.

“I wasn’t hitting it very well this morning but I was making a lot of putts inside 12-feet that saved me. I sank a nice 10-footer for birdie on my first hole and ended the round with another great birdie putt on my last hole,” said Kim.

The Korean has been in stellar form this season with four top-10 finishes in his past five ADT appearances. He refuses to get ahead of himself despite being in the lead as he is aware of the tougher challenge ahead.

“I have been in this position a couple of times already this season so it is nothing new to me. There is still so much golf left to play and it is a really tough golf course so anything can happen,” added Kim, who turned professional last year.

Malaysia’s Ben Leong, a one-time Asian Tour winner, traded four birdies against one bogey to take a share of the fifth spot.

“I had to play 29 holes today so I am just glad to be done with my round because today’s conditions were extremely hot and humid. I made a bogey on hole 15 due to a wrong club choice but I recovered right after with a birdie on the approachable par-five hole,” added Leong, who is also a two-time winner on the ADT.

The halfway cut was set at even-par 144 with 56 players advancing to the final two rounds.

Leading second round scores:

132 – Joohyung Kim 69 63

133 – Trevor Simsby 65 68

135 – Naoki Sekito 70 65

136 – Sukree Othman 70 66 , Mardan Mamat 69 67

137 – Nicholas Latimer 70 67, Ben Leong 68 69 , Shahriffuddin Ariffin 70 67

Melaka, Malaysia, June 26: American Trevor Simsby fired a flawless seven-under-par 65 to set the first-round target at the weather-hit PGM ADT Championship @ Tiara Melaka on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old Simsby, who is playing in his first year in Asia, holds a one-shot lead with his bogey-free round highlighted by seven birdies at the RM 225,000 (US$54,000) event.

Play was delayed due to heavy rain with the morning session commencing only at 12.30pm local time. It was later abandoned at 7.10pm due to fading light.

A total of 62 players returned to Tiara Melaka Golf and Country Club to complete their rounds on Thursday at 7.30am with the second round starting at 11.15am.

Simsby, who came through the Asian Tour Qualifying School this year with a tied-16th result, was thrilled to open his campaign on a good note after spending six weeks back home in Carlsbad, California.

“It’s my first tournament since I played in Korea on the Asian Tour in May. I went home after that and played a couple of events to keep my momentum going and I’m happy to play well in my first round back in Asia,” said Simsby, who has already enjoyed three top-10 finishes on the ADT in his rookie season.

“I putted really well today and had really good course management. I was surprised the course was still in playable condition despite how much it rained this morning,” added Simsby.

“The highlight of my round would have to be hole nine. I hit my approach long and it went over the green and into a mud patch. I had to hit a punch shot onto the green from a terrible lie and then sank an eight-footer for birdie,” added the American, who joined the play-for-pay ranks in 2014 and has been plying his trade on the Web.com Tour as well as the PGA LatinoAmerica Tour.

Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto carded a blemish-free 66 to sit in second place while countryman Kasidit Lepkurte posted a 67 to take the third spot.

A group of four players lie a further shot back in fourth place following matching 68s. They include India’s Yuvraj Sandhu, Malaysian duo Ben Leong and Irfan Yusoff as well as Thailand’s Poom Pattaropong.

Kosuke, who is currently placed third on the ADT Order of Merit, relied on his stellar short game to mark his card with six birdies.

“It was a stress-free round with very little mistakes. I was hitting it good and made a couple of good saves. Like on hole 17 I made a good up-and-down from three feet and saved par from there. I ended my round with a 10-foot birdie right after,” said Kosuke, who is born to a Japanese father and Thai mother.

Leading first round scores:

65 – Trevor Simsby

66 – Kosuke Hamamoto

67 – Kasidit Lepkurte

68 – Yuvraj Sandhu , Ben Leong, Irfan Yusoff, Poom Pattaropong

Ends.

Melaka, Malaysia, June 25: Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto will be hoping to bank on his consistent form as he goes in search for his first professional win at the PGM ADT Championship @ Tiara Melaka which gets underway on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old Thai has chalked up three top-10 finishes in his past four Asian Development Tour (ADT) appearances, including a runner-up result on home soil in February. With the 2019 ADT season reaching its turn, Kosuke will be launching another title assault at the RM 225,000 (US$54,000) event.

Kosuke will be part of a promising field that consists of close to the 20 ADT winners who will converge at the Tiara Melaka Golf and Country Club.

They include Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat, who is currently in the driver’s seat on the Merit list, as well as former ADT Order of Merit winners Miguel Carballo of Argentina (2018) and Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand (2017).

Home favorite Ben Leong, the highest-ranked Malaysian in the field, will spearhead the local charge along with two-time Asian Tour winner Danny Chia, at the event which marks the ninth leg on the ADT schedule.

Kosuke, who is born to a Japanese father and Thai mother, remains confident that his first professional win is right around the corner and has set realistic expectations for himself this week.

“This season has been a pretty consistent one for me and I have had a couple of good finishes. I just want to focus on my game and not think too much about a win so that I don’t put too much pressure on myself. A win is right around the corner and I am just being as patient as possible,” added Kosuke.

Currently placed third on the ADT Order of Merit and playing in his rookie season since turning professional in October last year, Kosuke is aware that there is still a long way to go if he wants to remain inside the top-seven on the money list.

“I’m in a great position so far halfway through the ADT season, but we have many events left on the ADT so I have to keep pushing forward.

“The goal is to be in the top seven by the end of the year or somehow finish inside the top-60 on the Asian Tour,” added Kosuke, who came through Asian Tour Qualifying School in his very first attempt this year.

Other notable names in the field that features players from over 16 countries include Japanese duo Naoki Sekito and Shinichi Mizuno, Wang Wei-lun of Chinese Taipei, Korea’s Joohyung Kim as well as Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij.