Golf fans have a treat in store for tomorrow in Phuket, as three of the Asian Tour’s biggest stars are lined up for an all-Thai final round battle at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open.

Phachara Khongwatmai, Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Rattanon Wannasrichan finished the third round tied on 12 under par, and the three of them will be in the final group for a Sunday shootout in the THB4 million Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Golf tournament.

Phachara (67) was the first to finish after dropping only one shot in his round today, and he was excited at the prospect of doing battle tomorrow.

“For me, I’ll enjoy it,” he said after his round. “We’re all Thai, good friends, we know each other well. Who wins I don’t care but we’ll be happy to play together.

“Of course I’ll try to win but I like to play with good players, tomorrow is going to be fun,” he added.

“Today my game was very good. A solid round, not good iron shots like the first and second rounds but my short game today was the best, it was chipping and putting helped me get to three under.

“If it is like these conditions tomorrow, and the pin positions will be tougher, I think 15 or 16 under may have a chance to win, maybe a play off,” he laughed.

Thailand’s Rattananon Wannasrichan pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Rattanon (69) opened the tournament with a scorching 61 on the first day, but has given up ground since then with the field closing in.

“Today was very tough for me. I couldn’t get the ball in the hole. Just made two birdies, my line and speed were not good,” he revealed after posting his score

“It’s going to be fun for sure,” he said when asked about the prospect of the Sunday shoot out with his friends. “When we stay in Bangkok we often practice together,” he said. “Who’s the better player this week? Me,” he laughed.

Pavit (68) who reeled off a string of pars before he started to pick up strokes on the back nine, said he took time to get going.

“Honestly I didn’t hit my irons very good today so it left me a lot of long birdie putts. Compared to the first two days my irons were not that sharp,” he said after his round.

He too was relishing the prospect of lining up with his two good friends for Sunday’s final round.

“Our mindsets are the same,” he said. “The course is not that difficult this year because the greens are very soft so let’s try to enjoy ourselves. I don’t think about winning because anything can happen, so I will just try to have a good Sunday.

“It’s all about momentum,” he explained. “I started slow today, I made something like 16 pars in a row since yesterday, so not that good, but momentum is key. If you start good, and you have confidence in your putting, you can go low.

“They are all my friends, and I play with them a lot. Anyone can win, anything can happen, so let’s just enjoy ourselves. I know that too much pressure is not good. I’ve won seven times and every time I won, on the final day I enjoyed my round,” he added.

Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Asked about playing the final round in the lead on both tours, he explained: “Sure it’s easier here on the ADT compared to the Asian Tour – the atmosphere, home country, food, people – but you have to perform, otherwise someone else will win.

“Nothing is easy, even on the ADT or Asian Tour, if you don’t perform well on the last day, you’re going to drop,” he added.

Despite the mouth-watering prospect of a final day shootout, it is easy to forget that there is some serious firepower just one or two shots behind.

Naoki Sekito (67) of Japan, who held a share of the lead during the day, is in a share of fourth place on 11 under par alongside Australia’s Douglas Klein (66) and the Thai duo of Itthipat Buranatanyarat (68) and Settee Prakongvech (68), both of who have won Asian tournaments.

In eighth spot, on 10 under par, are Runchanapong Youprayong (65) and Sarut Vongchaisit (65).

One shot further back in 10th place on nine under par are Thailand’s Atriruj Winaicharoenchai (64), Suttijet Kooratanapisan (65) and Chapchai Nirat (70), together with China’s Yanwei Lui (64).

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open, a THB4 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB3 million ADT/All Thailand Partnership was held at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket from May 2-5.

Main Picture: Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan inched his way closer to the Singha Laguna Phuket Open trophy in Phuket today, posting a two under par score of 68 to hold the lead going into the weekend.

Following up on his sensational low round of 61 yesterday, his 68 means he is one shot ahead of compatriot Pavit Tangkamolprasert (66) in the THB4 million Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Golf tournament.

Even with preferred lies being played for the first two rounds, Rattanon found the changing conditions a little harder to deal with in Round Two.

“Today was a little bit windy,” he explained after his round. “The first nine was a little bit tough, my game was the same as yesterday but the ball would not go in.

“For tomorrow I will just try to focus on my putting and control my speed. If I can control my putting I think I can win,” he added.

“If it is windy, it’s very tough on this course, if you don’t hit the fairway it’s difficult to get to the green,” he explained.

In third place, and just two shots behind the leader on nine under par, are the Asian Tour stalwarts from Thailand – Chapchai Nirat (66), Phachara Khongwatmai (65), Settee Prakongvech (64) and Itthipat Buranatanyarat (67) – and relative newcomer Ekpharit Wu (66).

Asian Tour veteran Angelo Que (64) of the Philippines had a real adventure out on the course, shooting nine birdies and three bogeys to finish on a two day total of eight under par, leaving him tied for eighth alongside Thailand’s Jakraphan Premsirigorn and Japan’s Naoki Sekito.

“It was a bit of a roller coaster in the beginning,” said Que after his round. “I bogeyed the first hole, birdied the next two, parred the next two and didn’t really make a par after that.

“I’m very happy. I didn’t hit it quite so good but I chipped it really well. Most of my birdies were tap-ins on the par fives, and I saved some pretty good pars along the way,” he added.

The morning conditions were favorable for Que, and he was appreciative of the advantage in playing earlier today. “The course is in great shape, I can’t complain. Conditions are playing somewhat easier today because there was less wind and the greens are rolling nice.

“If you hit good shots here you get rewarded, you just have to be patient out there. There are a lot of birdie holes but do you have to be careful,” he added.

“I played this course last year, found it fun to play. Unfortunately it wasn’t an Asian Tour event but for the ADT its great,” he noted.

“In my experience, the ADT right now is creating really good players,” he said. “The scores are really low, even though its just the ADT. Players are getting better, they are not scared, they are ready and they are hungry. I think it’s great for the ADT and for the Asian Tour,” he added.

In 11th spot, alongside Douglas Klein of Australia and Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Natipong Srithong and Nitithorn Thippong, Liu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei posted the low round of the day with a bogey-free seven under par 63.

“It’s just fairways and greens this week,” said Liu after his round, “even with a mishit shot I managed to make par. My proximity to the hole was much better today, yesterday I had a lot of double breaks and found it really hard to read.”

Play continues tomorrow with 68 players making the cut which was set at one under par. The first rgoups are off at 7.08am local time, with theleadersteng off at 9.10pm

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open, a THB4 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB3 million ADT/All Thailand Partnership was held at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket from May 2-5.

Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan made a determined start to the Singha Laguna Phuket Open today with an opening hole birdie, following it with two more amid a string of pars before an ace on the par three 16th hole from 171 yards with an eight iron.

He proved he had an eye for the cup in his second nine at the THB4 million Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Golf tournament, holing out for an eagle on the par four third hole to cement his early lead with a bogey-free nine under par.

Playing with compatriot Kammalas Namuangruk who triumphed at Red Mountain last week, and Australia’s Aaron Wilkin, who clinched his debut victory on the ADT at the BRG Open Golf Championship in Da Nang in September last year, Rattanon said “It’s a fantastic day for me.

I made a hole in one on 16, which was unbelieveable. That’s my second, the first one was in Samui on the Asian Tour, maybe ten years ago,” he added.

“It was a front left pin today. I tried just to get it on the green but hit a perfect shot with a little cut, wind right to left, and it was heading straight to the hole.

“I thought it would be near but when I walked to the green I could only see two balls, and one in the hole,” he laughed.

After a string of birdies following his eagle, with two holes left Rattanon admitted he was aware of his score and the possibility of posting a 59.

“I tried to make birdie on seven and eight,” he said. “Seven is a long par four, I hit the fairway but I missed the green left in the bunker and could not get it up and down.”

Danthai Boonma, playing in the afternoon wave, made a run at the lead with a string of six birdies mid-round, but a bogey on 14 and the last hole left him three shots back, alongside fellow Thais Itthipat Barunatanyarat, Thanpisit Omsin, Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Suttijet Kooratanapisan and Japan’s Naoki Sekito.

With an afternoon start in Round Two and the prospect of more hot weather, Rattanon plans to stick to his playing strategy but is also enjoying his time on the ADT away from the main Asian Tour.

“The weather is very hot and humid. It was very hot today but luckily we had some wind. I like to play in Thailand on the ADT,” he said. “Lots of friends here but I prepare just the same as on the Asian Tour, and same strategy tomorrow.”

In eighth spot, on five under par, lies an all-Thailand group of Ekpharit Wu, Natipong Srithong, Nitithorn Thippong, Nutdanai Nuangjaknin, Chapchai Nirat and Tunyapat Sukkoed.

Preferred lies are being played for the first two rounds, which rendered Rattanon’s score of 61 being ineligible for a course record at Laguna Phuket, the venue for this week’s tournament.

The Singha Laguna Phuket Open, a THB4 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB3 million ADT/All Thailand Partnership was held at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket from May 2-5.

Main image: Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan pictured in action at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

The Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership ended in dramatic fashion today after Kammalas Namuangruk holed out on the second playoff hole to snatch victory after a close-fought battle with Amarin Kraivixien at Red Mountain Golf Club in Phuket.

Sinking to his knees after the ball rolled in, Kammalas celebrated a brave fight back which saw him come from two shots behind to claim his spot in the play off at the THB3 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Starting the final round tied at 13 under par, the pair battled throughout the day with the lead changing hands on several occasions. Kammalas birdied the opening hole, while Amarin could only make bogey, however within three holes they were back level.

Amarin, with a birdie on the sixth hole, again took the lead which he held until the ninth, when a bogey allowed Kammalas back in and they made the turn paired at 14 under par.

Both players parred the first four holes of the back nine, then Amarin edged ahead with birdies on holes 14 and 16 to take the lead by two shots heading into the last.

A dramatic finish for Kammalas on the final hole – holing a 10-foot putt for eagle while Amarin could only make par – meant both players finished tied with a score of 69 and the tournament was to be decided by a playoff.

Kammalas was excited by his win, and the way in which he managed to fight back and put himself in contention made him confident about his progress within Asian golf.

“I’m proud of myself, “ he said after the prize-giving ceremony. “I started with two birdies but then there was nothing good until 18 when I made eagle putt for play off, and then to chip in for the win, nothing else to say.

“I did not think I was going to win, but I focused on every shot. I was very nervous but I’m feeling good for the year. I think it’s given me a good opportunity now to play more on the ADT and next year hopefully on the Asian Tour,” he added.

Amarin Kraivixien of Thailand, pictured in action during the final round of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Amarin, who was stricken with a fever after the second round, nearly pulled out of the tournament at the start of Round Three but was determined to see things through.

“This has already exceeded my expectations,” he said after the play off. “It helps to keep things in perspective.

“I made too many mistakes today, I thought I played solidly enough to win but unfortunately Kammalas did better than me. There was nothing else I could do, with two eagles in three holes, but hats off to him, he deserved it.

“I have nothing to complain about, “ he added. “I’m happy with what I accomplished this week and looking forward to building momentum going forward.”

The Thai duo of Tawit Polthai (68) and Waris Manthorn (70) tied for third place and 13 under par, while Hong Kong’s Leon D’Souza (64) posted the low round of the day to head a group in fith place that included Thailand’s Natipong Srithong (67), Kosuke Hamamoto (68) and Itthipat Buranatanyarat (68).

Chi Huang (69) of Chinese Taipei finished in ninth spot alongside Panuphol Pittayarat (66) and Sangchai Kaewcharoen (66).

Angelo Que (68) of the Philippines held solo 12th spot, followed by Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai (71) in 13th and the Thai duo of Weerawish Narkprachar (67) and Thanyakon Khronpha (68) rounding out the top 15.

The ADT All Thailand Partnership tournament is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB4 million Singha Laguna Phuket Open being held at Laguna Golf Phuket from May 9-12.

Main picture: Kammalas Namuangruk of Thailand, pictured in action during the final round of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Amarin Kraivixien made great strides up the leaderboard with a 65 today to vault into a shared lead going into the final round of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership in Phuket.

Amarin, who shared the low round of the day with Natipong Srithong at Red Mountain Golf Course, holds the joint lead with compatriot Kammalas Namuangruk (66).

“I was surprised with my round today,” he said after finishing up. “I had a fever last night. Felt better this morning but really wasn’t expecting much. I just wanted to keep myself cool with a cold towel.”

As the THB3 million tournament heads into its final day on the ADT’s first visit to the Phuket course, the narrow fairways and sloping greens required extra attention from players.

“My concentration level today was exceptional, I think that helped a lot,” Amarin explained after his bogey-free round.

“I holed a 30-footer for birdie on the first and that gave me a good momentum into the round. Made a couple of six footers for pars too. Not dropping a shot out there kept me going and I’m really pleased with the way I played today.”

Kammalas, with two dropped shots on the back nine, had to fight to keep pace after holding the early lead during the day.

“I putted really well today,” he explained. “I got excited after starting the round with four straight birdies and just kept it going out there.

“It started raining after I made the turn and I lost a bit of momentum but happy to still cap a good round to grab a share of the lead.”

Kammalas Namuangruk of Thailand, pictured in action during Round Three of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

In third place on 12 under, Waris Manthorn (68) of Thailand holds a two shot advantage over fellow Thai Tawit Polthai (67)in fourth.

Chi Huang (67)of Chinese Taipei shares fifth spot with Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat (66) and overnight leader Kosuke Hamamoto (72).

In eighth place are Thailand’s Natipong Sirithong (65) and Poosit Supupramai (69), followed by Angelo Que (67) of the Philippines in 10th spot on seven under par.

Panat Bodhidatta (67), Sangchai Kaewcharoen (70) Panuphol Pittayarat (73) and first round leader Warun Ieamgaew (71) are an all-Thai group sharing 11th place.

Thailand’s Kenny Lem, who made the cut on the number after Friday’s round, had the bonus of a hole-in-one on the third hole, jarring his eight iron from 155 yards.

The ADT / All Thailand Partnership tournament, a co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB4 million Singha Laguna Phuket Open being held at Laguna Golf Phuket from May 9-12.

Play continues for the final day at Red Mountain, with the first flight off at 7.10am local time and the leading group of Waris, Kammalas and Amarin teeing off at 8.50am.

Main picture: Amarin Kraivixien of Thailand, pictured in action during Round Three of the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour.

Defending champion Kosuke Hamamoto made a bold statement of intent to retain his title with a six under par 65 at Red Mountain Golf Club in Phuket today, marching up the leaderboard to sit one shot clear of the field.

His seven birdie round with just one dropped shot sees him leading into the weekend ahead of compatriot Waris Manathorn (67) in second place.

Fellow Thais Kammalas Namuangruk (69) and Panuphol Pittayarat (66) lie one shot further back on eight under par, followed by Amarin Kraivixien (66) to complete a Thailand sweep of the top positions.

With the Red Mountain course making its debut in the THB3 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, Kosuke has a slight advantage over the field, having played this course before.

“It’s a very good course, in good condition and with nice views,” he said after his round. “I never really thought we would have a tournament here but that they made it happen so I’m grateful to compete.

“They used to be my sponsor here and I played here a couple of times during Covid with Sadom (Kaewkanjana) and Itthipat (Buranatanyapat),” he said.

“To be honest, coming to a different golf course this year kind of takes the pressure off in my opinion, because everyone is seeing this course for the first time.”

William Harrold of England is the only non-Thai player in the top ten, posting a second 68 to match his first day score to share sixth place with Poosit Supupramai (66), Runchanapong Youprayong (68), Tawit Polthai (65) and overnight leader Warun Ieamgaew (73).

Low round of the day went to Thai stalwart Itthipat Buranatanyarat who posted a seven-under-par 64 today to make up for his unfortunate 74 yesterday, where he started the tournament with an eight on the opening par four hole.

“It was a big hurdle for me,” he said after his round. “I just had to stick to my plan, get the ball on the fairway, find the green. Seven birdies today so it’s not so bad,” he added.

In 11th place on five under par, were Thailand’s Sangchai Kaewcharoen, Huang Chi of Chinese Taipei and Isaac Lam of Hongkong.

One shot further back were Chiu Han-ting of Chinese Taipei, together with the Thai quartet of Chayodorn Chanjaruphong, Itthipat, Thanpisit Omsin and Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij.

The ADT All Thailand Partnership tournament, a THB3 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB4 million Singha Laguna Phuket Open being held at Laguna Golf Phuket from May 9-12.

Main photo: Kosuke Hamamoto of Thailand pictured in action at the ADT All Thailand Partnership tournament at Red Mountain Golf Course, Phuket, Thailand. Picture courtesy of the All Thailand Golf Tour / Asian Tour.

Thailand’s Warun Ieamgaew got the tournament off to a fine start when the Asian Development Tour / All Thailand Partnership teed off today, posting a new course record on eight under par to set the pace for the first day at Red Mountain Golf Course in Phuket.

With eight birdies and an otherwise unblemished card, Warun opened his scoring with a birdie on the tenth hole and did not let up for the rest of his round.

“Today my game was going pretty well,” he said after posting his score. “No mistakes and when I did miss the green, I was able to get up and down.

“It’s my first time at Red Mountain, the course is pretty challenging. It’s a narrow layout with fast sloping greens which makes it more exciting.

“I’m really happy to have the chance to set the record for this course. I’ve been focussing on my putting and iron shots and I’m hoping to make some international events this year and improve my game,” he added.

Compatriot Pawin Ingkhapradit, another of the morning starters, also had a bogey-free round, posting five birdies in his front nine for a six under par 65 to take solo second place.

In third spot, at five under par, Chinese Taipei duo Chi Huang and Han-ting Chiu were joined by Thailand’s Waris Manthorn and Kammalas Namuangruk.

One shot further back was an all-Thailand group of Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij, Sarun Sirithon, Thanyakon Khrongpha, Witchayapat Sinsrang and last year’s winner of the event Kosuke Hamamoto.

In a share of 12th place on three under par were international players William Harrold and Joe Heraty of England, Hong Kong’s Leon D’Souza, Khalin Joshi of India, Australia’s Douglas Klein and the Thai contingent of Panuwat Bulsombath, Panuphol Pittayarat, Jaturon Duangphaichoom, Runchanapong Youprayong and Thanapisit Omsin.

The ADT All Thailand Partnership tournament, a THB3 million co-sanctioned event by the Asian Development Tour and the All Thailand Golf Tour, is one of two ADT events scheduled for May, with the THB4 million Singha Laguna Phuket Open being held at Laguna Golf Phuket from May 9-12.