Chang on the charge to share lead spot
Malaysia’s Ervin Chang showed he’s ready for battle in the final stages with a second consecutive round of 68 to join English teenage amateur Harley Smith at the top of the leader board in the Aramco Invitational Tournament today.
The pair hold the joint lead going into the concluding two rounds in the final Asian Development Tour (ADT) event of the year, and the extra prize money available in the US$250,000 event has thrown the season-long Order of Merit race wide open.
Chang, winner earlier this year of the inaugural Kyi Hla Han Future Champions Award, knows that a victory here would almost guarantee an entry into the Asian Tour for next season.
“My plan for the weekend will be just trying to stay patient, get comfortable and do what I’ve been doing for the first two rounds and hopefully go from there,” he said after his round.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Harley Smith, amateur of England, pictured on Thursday November 30, 2023 during Round Two of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers in the season-long Order of Merit will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
“It definitely feels good (to be in the lead). I’ve been working on my mental game a little bit prior to this week and going in to the weekend tied for the lead right now, I don’t feel too much pressure,” he added.
“I know there are a lot of good players out there so I just have to tell myself to stay calm, stay patient. I actually enjoy playing in the wind a lot, it’s fun.”
The top ten finishers in the OOM after this event at the Rolling Hills Golf Club will be awarded Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season, and with US$45,000 for the winner, a victory here at the richest event on the ADT this season opens up the chance of a card for virtually anyone on the list.
Australia’s Aaron Wilkin (68), winner of the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam in September, is also looking to elevate his game for next season. He sits at seven under for the tournament in solo third spot.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Aaron Wilkin of Australia pictured on Thursday November 30, 2023 during Round Two of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers in the season-long Order of Merit will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
In fourth spot are Sweden’s Erik Jonasson (69) together with the Thai duo of Denwit Boriboonsub (70) and Pattaraphol Khanthacha (69). They are on six under par and will also be looking to challenge for the lead tomorrow.
Tawit Polthai (68) of Thailand lies in solo seventh place a shot further back, followed by a large group at four under par, including the Japanese duo of Shinichi Mizuno (70) and Naoki Sekito (68), who won the OB Golf Championship on the ADT in September.
They share eighth position with Egyptian amateur Issa Abouelela, Chi Quan Truong of Vietnam and the Thai trio of Vanchai Luangnitikul (71), Charng-Tai Sudsom (67) and Tunyapat Sukkoed (72).
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Erik Jonasson of Sweden pictured on Thursday November 30, 2023 during Round Two of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers in the season-long Order of Merit will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Kevin Akbar (70) of Indonesia, who won the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura in August, leads a group on three under in 15th spot, together with Korea’s Minhyeok Yang (74), Berry Henson (71) of the USA, Nopparat Panichphol (71) of Thailand and Malaysia’s Daeng Rahman (70).
No fewer than ten of the 11 tournament winners this year teed it up in Saudia Arabia this week, and with the withdrawal of OOM leader Deyen Lawson due to injury after the first round, six remain in the competition for the final two rounds.
The cut was made at one over par, with 52 of the original 119 starters making it to the final two rounds of the competition.
England’s Harley Smith maintained his overnight lead with a hard-fought one under-par-71 at the Aramco Invitational Tournament in Saudi Arabia today.
The teenage amateur battled the wind to keep his advantage after the early session, although several contenders were able to gain ground, including Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla with a 67, the best score of the morning at the US$250,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.
Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub sits two shots adrift of Smith on six-under after scoring a round of 70, and was later joined by Sweden’s Erik Jonasson, who also found the conditions at the Rolling Hills Golf Club a bit of a challenge.
“”It was a good day,” said Jonasson after his round. “Very tough out there, the wind is howling, so I tried to stay patient and I did it quite well.
“It sounds like a cliche, but I’m just going to take one shot at a time, try to do my best and see where I end up,” he added.
They were followed in the clubhouse standings among the early finishers by Thailand’s Vanchai Luangnitikul and the Japanese pair of Naoki Sekito and Shinichi Mizuno on four under par.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Denwit Boriboonsub of Thailand pictured on Thursday November 30, 2023 during Round Two of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
After his sparkling seven-under round in the afternoon yesterday, the 18-year-old Smith found the conditions similar to when he tackled the course in the morning.
“It was solid, ball-striking wise, but a little bit frustrating on the greens. The wind is very strong for the whole field today, pretty much like yesterday,” he said after his round.
“I hit the ball very nice on the front nine, obviously I started on the back nine, but yeah I hit the ball very nice, and just played very solid.
“I took advantage of the par fives, which was nice. Front nine I hit it well, got a bit unfortunate with a couple of lip outs and that, but that’s golf,” he added.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Naoki Sekito of Japan pictured on Thursday November 30, 2023 during Round Two of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
Having played his first two rounds with his coach and caddie David March on the bag, Smith will be on his own for the weekend as his long-time companion has to head back the Rayleigh Club in Essex for a prior coaching engagement.
“Obviously I’d love for him to be here,” said Smith. “He’s a big part of my team and I’ve worked with him for ages, and he’s a good caddie.
“But he has to get back and help out, so I’ll just make sure that everything we’ve worked on this week, I’ll take on board myself for the next couple of days,” he explained.
As the afternoon session gets underway and players start to move up the leaderboard, Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar sits in 10th spot after a two under par round.
They are trailed in 13th spot on two under par by Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (72) of India, Saudi Arabia’s Almulla (67), Malaysia’s Galven Green (69) and Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong (71) and Jakraphan Premsirigorn (72).
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Othman Almulla of Saudi Arabia pictured on Thursday November 30, 2023 during Round Two of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
There is keen competition for places in this season-ending ADT event, as the US$250,000 purse – the richest of the year – means that a good finish can make a huge difference to the final Order of Merit standings.
The top ten finishers in the OOM after this event will gain their cards for the Asian Tour next season.
Current OOM leader Deyen Lawson withdrew from the event overnight due to blisters and muscle pain, so his position at the top of the table is likely to come under threat.
And with nine of the season’s tournament winners still in the field, all eyes will be on the weekend to see how the results pan out.
The early indication for the cut is at three over par, although that is likely to change as the rest of the field complete their rounds. From a starting field of 119 players, the weekend will be for the top 50 and ties after the completion of Round Two.
Teenage English amateur Harley Smith set the back nine ablaze at the Aramco Invitational Tournament in Saudi Arabia today, posting seven birdies in nine holes to take a two shot lead over the rest of the field.
A brace of birdies and bogeys saw the 18-year-old Essex golfer make the turn at even par, but his flawless 29 heading home opened a gap at the top of the leaderboard in the US$250,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event, hosted at the Rolling Hills Golf Club in Dhahran.
Making his first appearance on the ADT, Smith revealed how he’s finally seeing the back of a poor start to his golfing year.
“I struggled at the start of the year,“ he admitted after his round, “but I’ve worked really hard, especially over the last four or five months.
“In the off-season I worked really hard and I am now seeing some good results. It’s nice to [get a score like this] on my first appearance here. The event has been run very well. I’ve just enjoyed it and just enjoyed being out here playing golf again.”
DHAHRAN, SAUDI. ARABIA: Nirun Sae-Ueng of Thailand pictured on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 during Round One of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos/ Asian Development Tour.
“I played very solid. The front nine I was playing really well and hitting the ball really well, but I was only level through nine. I hit loads of good putts that didn’t go in. But I just kept telling myself ‘just keep hitting good shots, keep hitting good putts’ because obviously the wind this afternoon, and the whole day, was very, very strong, so it wasn’t easy,” he explained.
“But then on the back nine I kept hitting those good shots, and finally the putts went in.”
Thailand’s Nirun Sae-Ueng, playing in the afternoon session, edged his way into second place on five under par and he was later joined by Minhyeok Yang of Korea. The pair sit ahead of early leaders Ervin Chang of Malaysia and Thailand’s Tunyapat Sukkoed who held the clubhouse lead on four under par after the morning session.
Chang and Tunyapat were later joined in fourth place by Ayoub Id-Omar of Morocco, Thailand’s Denwit Boriboonsub and Italy’s Edoardo Lipparelli.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI. ARABIA: Ayoub Id-Omar of Morocco pictured on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 during Round One of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos/ Asian Development Tour.
For Chang, the winner earlier this year of the inaugural Kyi Hla Han Future Champions Award, a good performance this week could hoist him into contention for the coveted Asian Tour cards to be awarded to the top ten finishers.
“The round started off pretty well,” said Chang after his round. “Then I got some momentum towards the end of the front nine. I had a few good birdies and a good recovery putt as well,” he added.
“I’m feeling pretty happy about the round today, but definitely lots of room to improve. It was a lot of improvement from last year, and hopefully I can do the same again tomorrow,” he said.
The is the 12th and season-ending tournament in the 2023 season and the race for the 2024 tour cards could not be more wide open.
There has been a different winner at each of the eleven events so far this year and, with the sole exception of Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto, all the tournament victors are in Saudi Arabia and ready to fight for their future.
Aaron Wilkin of Australia, who won the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam in August, is in eighth place on three under par, together with Thailand’s Pattaraphol Khanthacha, who won the Singha Pattaya Open in July. They share the spot with Vanchai Luangnitikul of Thailand and Sweden’s Erik Jonasson.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Yuvraj Singh Sandhu of India pictured on Tuesday November 28, 2023 during the Pro-am event ahead of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers in the season-long Order of Merit will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Development Tour.
In 13th place, one shot further back on two under par, sits India’s Yuvraj Singha Sandhu, winner of the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia in August. He shares the position with the Japanese duo of Masaru Tani and Naoki Sekito, who won the OB Golf Championship in Indonesia in September, alongside Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn, Berry Henson of the USA and Japan’s Shinichi Mizuno.
Other tournament winners who are in contention include Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar, winner of the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura in August who sits in 19th on one under par. Thailand’s Sangchai Kaewcharoen, winner of the OB Golf Invitational presented by Sentul Highlands Golf Club in October, lies one shot further back on even par and in a share of 30th place.
The field of 119 players will be cut to the top 50 and ties after two days, with the tournament concluding on Saturday.
Malaysia’s Ervin Chang posted an impressive first-round score of four-under-par 68 to take the mid-day lead alongside Thailand’s Tanyapat Sukkoed at the Aramco Invitational Tournament in Saudi Arabia today, with the pair on four-under-par after the morning play.
Chang, the winner earlier this year of the inaugural Kyi Hla Han Future Champions Award, coupled six birdies with two bogeys to match Tanyapat.
Although Chang sits down the leaderboard in this season’s Order of Merit, a good performance at this final Asian Development Tour event could hoist him into contention for the coveted Asian Tour cards to be awarded to the top 10 finishers in the OOM.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Tunyapat Sukkoed of Thailand pictured on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 during Round One of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers in the season-long Order of Merit will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos/ Asian Development Tour.
“The round started off pretty well,” said Chan, “then I kind of got into some momentum towards the end of the front nine. I had a few good birdies and a good recovery putt as well,” he added.
“I’m feeling pretty happy about the round today, but definitely lots of room to improve. It was a lot of improvement from last year, and hopefully I can do the same again tomorrow,” he said.
The US$250,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) event, hosted at the Rolling Hills Golf Club in Dharhan, is the 12th and season-ending tournament in the 2023 season and the race for the 2024 Tour cards could not be more wide open.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Aaron Wilkin of Australia pictured on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 during Round One of the Aramco Invitational Tournament. The US$ 250,000 event is part of the Asian Development Tour and is held at the Rolling Hills Golf Club, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The top 10 finishers in the season-long Order of Merit will receive Asian Tour cards for the 2024 season. Picture by Paul Lakatos/ Asian Development Tour.
There has been a different victor at each of the 11 events so far this year and, with the sole exception of Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto, all the winners are in Saudi Arabia and ready to fight for their future.
Aaron Wilkin of Australia, who won the BRG Open Golf Championship in Vietnam in August, shares third spot just one shot back of the leader, together with Thailand’s Pattaraphol Khanthacha, who won the Singha Pattaya Open in July.
With the afternoon starters now out on the course, a large group is forming in fifth spot on two under, alongside early finishers Masaru Tani of Japan and Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol.
The field of 120 players will be cut after two days, with the tournament concluding on Saturday.
Suttinon Panyo played consistent golf as he led from wire-to-wire to win the prestigious Toyota Tour Championship co-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour, by a comfortable three strokes over India’s Khalin Joshi at Saujana Golf & Country Club here today.
The 20-year-old Suttinon, ranked ninth in Thailand, was never threatened by flight mates Joshi and Malaysia’s Galven Green, whose two-over 74 dropped him to joint fourth at eight- under 280, alongside Newport Laparojkit of Thailand and fellow Malaysian Paul San.
Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng finished alone in third three strokes behind Joshi, at 279.
India’s Khalin Joshi pictured during the final round of the Toyota Tour Championship at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia on November 18, 2023. Photo by Ali Mufti / Toyota Tour
Suttinon, who aced the second hole dubbed the “monster” during yesterday’s third round, carded a two-under 70 on Saujana’s Palm Course, to add to the 67, 69 and 67 rounds he had had earlier.
After receiving his trophy from UMW Toyota Motor deputy chairman Takashi Obata, Suttinon declared he will compete in the ADT season-ending Aramco Saudi Invitational starting in 11 days, in a bid to solidify his position on the ADT Order of Merit.
After today’s victory, Suttinon jumped 26 spots in the ADT Order of Merit and is now ranked ninth. The top 10 finishers in the ADT Order of Merit will gain Asian Tour cards.
Newport Laparojkit of Thailand pictured during the final round of the Toyota Tour Championship at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia on November 18, 2023. Photo by Ali Mufti / Toyota Tour
“I’m very happy with my game,” said the Chiang Mai-born Suttinon. “I kept it simple and went for the pin whenever I was in a good position. This course is in superb condition and it allowed us to hit good, clean shots and make birdie putts.
“I’m very thankful to my family for their support and I hope to improve my overall game over the next few years,” he added.
For his win, Suttinon takes home RM61,250 plus a RM3,000 bonus for his hole-in-one. There was a second hole-in-one by Laparojkit this morning at the 190-yard fifth hole. The Thai used a five-iron for his achievement.
Both San and Green will also be heading to Saudi for the Aramco event, as will Ervin Chang who missed the cut at Saujana. They are ranked 22nd, 24th and 25th respectively on the ADT OOM.
Malaysia’s Paul San pictured during the final round of the Toyota Tour Championship at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia on November 18, 2023. Photo by Ali Mufti / Toyota Tour
The Toyota Tour Championship is the final leg of the Toyota Tour organised by the PGM and delivered by MSTGolf Group.
Meanwhile 21-year-old Malcolm Ting who turned pro after competing in the Asia Pacific Amateur Championships in Melbourne recently, will be heading to Thailand next month for the final stage qualifying for the All-Thailand Tour.
He had a commendable week at Saujana, finishing in joint 28th at one-under 287, with fellow Malaysian veteran Khor Kheng Hwai, Sydney Chung of the United States and Saptak Talwar of India.
“I just couldn’t putt this whole week,” said Ting. “I played solid from tee to green but just couldn’t find the hole. I can’t tell if it was my putting or the putter, but it’s something that I can work on.” Ting is bent on playing more ADT events and intends to gain an Asian Tour card.
Another Malaysian who played exceptionally well was Shaifubari Muda, the resident professional and golf ambassador for Saujana GCC. At 52 years old, he was the oldest player to make the cut and he ended up one-over 289 after carding rounds of 72, 73, 73 and 71.
Withchyanon Chotirunrungrueng of Thailand, American Jeremy Wendelken and Khalin Joshi of India were the clubhouse leaders at five-under 139 when play was discontinued due to a heavy thunderstorm in the second round of the Toyota Tour Championship jointly sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour at the Saujana Golf & Country Club here today.
The Malaysians who were on the leaderboard and had finished were Khor Kheng Hwai at four-under 140 and Paul San a stroke back. Malcolm Ting and Danial Faidz sat at 143 and will make the cut which is projected at one-over 145.
A total of 51 players will resume their round at 7.15 in the morning including overnight leader Suttinon Panyo of Thailand who was at nine under with six holes to play and Malaysia’s Galven Green at eight under also with six to go.
Green, who has yet to make bogey, notched four birdies today on holes 4, 5, 7 and 9. Suttinon meanwhile bogeyed the second hole but played five-under over his next seven holes.
Paul San of Malaysia pictured during the Toyota Tour Championship tournament at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
(Photo by Ali Mufti / Toyota Tour)
San finished with a commendable three-under today and thanked the 16th hole. “I struggled all day yesterday and sat at three-over after 15 holes. I had missed the cut at the Selangor Masters and didn’t want a repeat here.
“I then birdied the par 3 16th and that got me going. The 17th is a short but tricky par 4 downhill with water hazard on the left. I took dead aim with the driver, landed the ball about 12 feet from the pin and converted for eagle,” recalled San.
He said those last three holes yesterday was a turning point and he went into today’s round full of energy and confidence.
“My short game helped me a lot today and I missed quite a number of birdie putts.”
Daeng Abdul Rahman, who was joint second overnight at four-under 68, shot a disastrous seven-over 79 to lie in joint 53rd position at three-over and in danger of missing the cut.
Ervin Chang,a pre-tournament favourite who finished fourth in last week’s Selangor Masters, will miss the cut when he shot a 77 today to add to yesterday’s 7
Thailand’s Suttinon Panyo carded a splendid five-under 67 to take the lead after the first round of the Toyota Tour Championship by one stroke at the Saujana Golf & Country Club here today.
Lying second are six players bunched at four-under including in-form Malaysians Galven Green and Daeng Abdul Rahman, winners of the last two events on the domestic Toyota Tour. They both shot four-under 68s but felt they could have gone lower.
Backed by good weather and benign greens, Suttinon, 20 who is ranked ninth in Thailand, bagged seven birdies against two bogeys and is looking towards a good run here in order to jump into the top 10 of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, where he is currently ranked 35th.
“I love this course. The condition is excellent and it’s set up so well for my game as I like to hit fades off the tee,” said Suttinon who hails from Chiang Mai. “My overall game was good but I could have sank more putss.” Suttinon, joint 10th in last week’s Selangor Masters, said he will compete in the final ADT event – the Aramco Saudi Invitational in two weeks if he wins here.
“If I don’t win, then I’d rather participate in two or three events on my home tour and then prepare for the Asian Tour first stage of qualifying school,” he added. The top 10 on the ADT OOM after the Saudi event will earn cards into the Asian Tour.
Malaysia’s Galven Green pictured during round 1 of the Toyota Championship (ADT) tournament at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia on November 15, 2023. (Photo by Ali Mufti / Toyota Tour)
Galven, who won the Alphard Cup last month, was visibly happy with his game which was bogey-free today. “I’m hitting the ball well from tee to green, but I left a few putts out there. It’s still early days but we’ll see how it goes.”
Daeng was sitting at five-under going into the par five last hole. “I messed up my third shot which ended up way left of the green and couldn’t get up and down. Otherwise, I’m playing solid and my game seems to have improved after winning the Camry Cup at Forest City last month.”
Daeng Abdul Rahman of Malaysia pictured during round 1 of the Toyota Championship (ADT) tournament at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia on November 15, 2023.(Photo by Ali Mufti / Toyota Tour)
A further stroke back in joint 8th position are Kemarol Baharin of Malaysia, Oscar Zetterwall of Sweden and Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng of Thailand. Current ADT OOM leader
Deyen Lawson shot a two-under 70 while Selangor Masters winner Ho Yu-Cheng ended up with a 71 and is in joint 19th.
The Selangor Masters and Toyota Tour Championship are co-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour and Toyota Tour, the latter which is organised by the Professional Golf Malaysia and delivered by the MSTGolf Group.
Golf fans at Saujana will be able to enjoy a “mini fan zone” experience as Puma are promoting its latest line of golf shoes and while TaylorMade are organising chipping and putting competitions on the practice green.
There is no admission fee to watch the Toyota Tour Championship. Spectators will also be treated to complimentary merchandise items.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for four Malaysian professionals – Ervin Chang, Paul San, Galven Green and Amir Nazrin – when the Toyota Tour Championship tees off at the Palm Course of the Saujana Golf & Country Club here tomorrow.
The 72-hole tournament is the final leg of the exciting Toyota Tour and is co-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour. It carries a prize pool of RM350,000 with Saturday’s winner to receive RM61,250 (US$13,032).
Chang, San, Green and Amir are currently ranked 18th (US$13,000), 28th (US$10,424), 30th (US$9,447) and 32nd (US$9,447) respectively in the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit. An outright win would catapault any of them into the top 10 with just one more leg to go at the Saudi Aramco Invitational on Nov 29 – Dec 2. The top 10 on the ADT OOM after the Saudi Aramco will earn playing rights on the Asian Tour next season.
Deyen Lawson of Australia is the current leadre of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit after finishing joint second in the PKNS Selangor Masters. Picture by Paul Lakatos / Asian Tour.
Leading the OOM currently is Australian Deyen Lawson who has earned US$50,381.67 so far after finishing joint second in the PKNS Selangor Masters last week. Chinese Taipei’s Ho Yu-Cheng vaulted up the OOM into second place after his one-stroke victory at Seri Selangor Golf Club. Lying 10th in the OOM is Indonesia’s Naraajie Ramadhanputra with US$19,694. Chang, the best Malaysian finisher at the Selangor Master ended up tied for 8th and is now US$6,000 behind the Indonesian.
There is a second option for Malaysians to be able to compete on the Asian Tour – by finishing among the top six in the Toyota Tour OOM. These six could get invitations to play on Asian Tour events on a country-exemption basis.
Chang, with RM131,688 is the leading money earner on the burgeoning Toyota Tour that is organised by the Professional Golf Malaysia and delivered by MST Golf Group. Lying second is Danny Chia with RM83,870, Paul San (RM83,354), Galven Green (RM70,194) and Nicholas Fung in fifth place with RM65,914.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s leading professional Ahmad Baig is looking forward to a better showing at Saujana after missing the cut last week. He practised nine holes this morning and declared that “it’s a great golf course. The drainage must be good because the fairways and rough are not soggy despite the very wet weather. The greens are in excellent condition and rolling very smooth.”
Veteran Malaysian Kemarol Baharin agreed that the course was in great condition. He said his target would be to finish among the top five and strengthen his position on the Toyota Tour OOM where he is currently in eighth spot.
A total of 71 Malaysian professionals and five amateurs will compete for the Toyota Tour Championship with 68 other international players led by Lawson and Yu-Cheng. The Par 5 13th hole and the Par 4 14th hole will play as a par four and par five respectively this week.
Golf fans are in for a treat at Saujana as there will be a mini fan zone at the clubhouse whereby Puma will be promoting its latest golf shoes while TaylorMade are organising chipping and putting competitions on the practice green.
There is no admission fee to watch the Toyota Tour Championship. Spectators will also be treated to complimentary merchandise items.
Ho Yu-Cheng of Chinese Taipei is on track to land his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title as he carded a third round 66 to open up a four-shot lead at the PKNS Selangor Masters.
The 25-year-old was in superb form as he nailed four birdies in a flawless outing at the challenging Seri Selangor Golf Club, set up as a par-70 course for the USD175,000 tournament which is co-sanctioned with the domestic Toyota Tour.
Ho tops the leaderboard with a 54-hole total of six-under-par 204 (68, 70, 66), four ahead of Japan’s Naoki Sekito who signed in a solid 68. Malaysia’s Daeng Rahman lies third on even-par 210 after a third round 70.
“My driving was good today and I found most of the fairways, which allowed me to set up good birdie chances with my second shots. All my birdies were from inside nine feet,” said Ho.
“I’ll just play my own game tomorrow and try to keep to the same strategy. Let’s see how the final result is,” he added.
Playing in his rookie season on the ADT, Ho is currently in 10th place on the Order of Merit and a win would secure his Asian Tour card for 2024 as one of the top-10 in the final standings. He came close to winning in August at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia, holding the 54-hole lead and eventually settling for second place.
“This is my first year playing on the ADT and it’s been a good experience. I’ve learnt a lot from playing in the ADT tournaments,” noted Ho, who has won multiple times on his domestic circuit.
Three-time ADT winner Sekito, 26, relied on a sharp short game to keep himself in the hunt.
Japan’s Naoki Sekito pictured in action at the 2023 PKNS Selangor Masters. Picture courtesy of PKNS Selangor Masters
“You can lose a lot of shots easily on this golf course, so although I may be four shots back, I’m still in a good position. If I keep playing like I have the past two days, I think I have a chance to win,” said Sekito, who won the OB Golf Championship in Indonesia in late September for his third ADT title.
Second round leader Rory Hie fell back with a round of 77 and is eight shots off the pace. However, the popular Indonesian ace believes he still has a chance if he posts a low score tomorrow.
“I feel like I didn’t play that badly today. It’s just that kind of course where it’s so easy to make mistakes. It was one of those days that you know you’re going to have,” said Hie.
“I still feel like I have a chance if I shoot anywhere around five-under tomorrow. Anything can happen on this golf course, so we’ll see how it goes,” added the 35-year-old, who has one Asian Tour title to his name at the 2019 Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship in India.
Daeng was satisfied with his consistent play so far with rounds of 71, 69 and 70, putting him in contention for his first ADT victory.
“I’m quite happy with the results, although it could have been better. My putting hasn’t really been on point, and I missed a lot of short putts for birdie,” said the 23-year-old.
Daeng has won four times on the Toyota Tour, including the 2015 Danau Closed as a 15-year-old amateur and this year’s Camry Cup. He credited swing changes made under the guidance of former LPGA Tour player Lim Siew Ai, now an elite coach, for his return to form after a poor start to the year.
Malaysia’s Daeng Rahman pictured in action at the 2023 PKNS Selangor Masters. Picture courtesy of PKNS Selangor Masters
“I started the year really badly and was struggling with my swing and confidence. I made a lot of changes to my game and the last few tournaments have been positive for me, and I’m getting my confidence back. Siew Ai helped a lot,” said Daeng,
Malaysia’s rising star Ervin Chang kept up his daily improvement with a superb, bogey-free 66. The 25-year-old is in tied fourth position on one-over par 211 (76, 69, 66) with the Thai duo of Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij and Poosit Supupramai, the first round leader.
“I’m playing better each day, although I’m still struggling with my tee shots. Today I was hitting my irons and wedges well, and my putting was superb. I just felt good out there and I made some really good par saves. Hopefully I can continue to do that,” said Chang, who turned professional in 2022 and has chalked up one pro win at this year’s Mirai Cup on the Toyota Tour.
Currently in 27th position on the ADT Order of Merit, Chang will be gunning for a strong finish tomorrow but noted that he will have to stay patient.
“There’s always a chance to go low but Seri Selangor is a course where anything can happen. You can play here a thousand times and it still challenges you. You just have to be patient out there,” said Chang.
Daeng and Chang will have extra incentive as the organizers will be awarding the best Malaysian finisher with an additional RM10,000 on top of the tournament prize money.
Malaysian number one Gavin Green was among those who missed the halfway cut of six-over-par following the conclusion of the second round this morning, adding a 79 to his opening 69. A total of 13 Malaysians progressed to the final 36 holes.
The final round commences at 7.22am tomorrow with the leader flight of Ho, Sekito and Daeng teeing off at 8.50am.
The PKNS Selangor Masters is the first stop of the closing three-event stretch on this year’s ADT and is also the penultimate tournament of the 2023 Toyota Tour. With the lucrative prize money on offer, the tournament will play a pivotal role in determining the top 10 players on the ADT’s final Order of Merit who will earn Asian Tour cards for 2024.
Since its inception in 2007, the Selangor Masters has seen two Malaysian winners in Ben Leong, who won the second edition in 2008, and Shahriffuddin Ariffin who was triumphant last year. Both Leong and Shahriffuddin are competing in this week’s Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour.
The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) is the title sponsor for the second year running, while the event promoter is PKNS Golf Management Services Sdn Bhd.
Crafted by Australian architect Ross Watson, the Seri Selangor course opened for play in 1998 as Malaysia’s first genuine public facility and provides an enthralling golf experience with its strategic design and speedy greens.
Main picture: Ho Yu-cheng of Chinese Taipei pictured in action at the 2023 PKNS Selangor Masters. Picture courtesy of PKNS Selangor Masters
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