Nervy Nopparat secures first international win at Angkor
Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool was clearly focused on the task in hand at Angkor Golf Resort today, turning up the heat on the field to take a one shot lead into the final round of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A.
Opening with a run of five pars after a delayed start to Round Three, Tanapat notched up four birdies before adding an eagle in his closing stretch for a six under par 66 in the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event.
Clearly looking to add to his win on the ADT in Jakarta earlier this month, Tanapat leads England’s Matt Killen (68) by a stroke, with Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig (67) one shot further back.
“I’m just trying to focus on my swing mostly,” said Tanapat when asked about his run of form. “Otherwise my mind will blow up sometimes and then think about scores, and think about what’s next.
“What I’ve been doing recently is focus on shot by shot, play whatever is in front of me and do my best, basically,” he added.
Currently fourth in the season-long Order Of Merit rankings, Tanapat will be looking to stave off a challenge from Baig, who is lying second after two wins already this season. The current leader, India’s Rahil Gangee, is not playing this week, and Tanapat will surely overtake the third place holder Liu Yung-hua who is playing in his native Chinese Taipei this week on the Asian Tour.
Ahmad Baig of Pakistan pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.
With the ADT making its debut in Cambodia at the Angkor Golf Resort, Tanapat was full of praise for the tour breaking new ground.
“I’d like to thank the ADT and the R&A for hosting this kind of event,” he said after his round. “The kids in this country can learn and develop a lot from it. The younger generation can see what is in front of them and what they need to do to reach this level,” he added.
Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol (66) holds fourth place at the end of Round Three, ahead of Korea’s Minhyeok Yang (66) and the overnight leaders Joel Stalter of France (72) and India’s Arjun Prasad (72).
In eighth spot, the Thai pair of Poom Pattaropong (67) and first round leader Witchayapat Sinsrang (70) sit on -11 alongside Aman Raj (68) of India and Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung (69).
Following yesterday’s suspension due to bad weather, 42 players had an early start this morning with play restarting at 7am to finish the second round. The cut was made at -2 with 57 players ready for Round Three, which began at 9.45am off two tees.
One of those players still out on the course was Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto, who ending up making the cut on the number. He bounced back to post the low round of the day with nine birdies and just a single dropped shot for a sparkling 64.
“To be honest I’m just really happy to be playing on the weekend because it looked like -2 wasn’t going to make it,” he said after his round.
Kosuke Hamamoto of Thailand pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.
“I had to come out this morning and play a couple of holes to finish the second round. I bogeyed my 17th hole and fell back to two under and thought I was out of it so I’m happy to be playing the weekend and happy I played a great round today.
Starting on hole 10, he made it to nine under par after 15 holes and admitted that he did start thinking about the magic 10 under par score.
“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “It definitely popped into my head because my personal best in a tournament is a 10 under round and I guess I kind of got ahead of myself, lost focus. and bogeyed number seven.”
Play will continue tomorrow for the final round, with the first group off at 8am using two tees. The leading group of Tanapat, Baig and Killen will be teeing off at 9.39am.
The ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A was the ninth event of the year on the ADT schedule, which picks up again in five weeks time with the Ambassador ADT at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Chinese Taipei from November 6-9.
Main picture: Tanapat Pichaikool of Thailand pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.
India’s Arjun Prasad and Joel Stalter of France took advantage of their morning starts at Angkor Golf Resort today, sharing the clubhouse lead on 12 under par after the weather took a turn for the worse.
Lightning and thunder forced the suspension of Round Two of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in the early afternoon, with some of the field only just settling into their rounds.
The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event, making its debut in Cambodia, was already delayed by 20 minutes at the start of the day due to fog, and the inclement weather after lunch meant that play was halted at at 2.29pm.
The round was restarted at 4.30 after the weather cleared, but play was eventually suspended at 5.59pm due to darkness. Play will resume tomorrow when 42 players will complete Round Two.
Matt Killen of England was able to finish 15 holes before darkness set in, and he secured a hold on solo third spot at 11 under par with three holes still to play.
Thailand’s Tanapat Pichakool (64), winner of the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura in Indonesia earlier this month, posted the low round of the day with eight under par. He sits in fourth spot after completing his round early.
Meanwhile, secure in the clubhouse, Prasad (67) was pleased with another good round after a strong start yesterday.
“I had a good day today,” he said after posting his score. “Both of the rounds have been pretty solid. I’ve hit the ball really well off the tee and my putting was pretty good. I was able to roll a lot of my birdie putts within 10-12 feet and made some good saves today as well. Those were probably very crucial to get the momentum going,” he added
“Apart from that i had really good playing partners as well. I was playing with Poom (Pattaropong) and Gregory (Foo), they were both fantastic mates to play with. I’ve had a fun two rounds and hopefully I can keep the momentum going.
“This (ADT) is the best pathway to the Asian Tour, so performing well over here would mean a lot. If I can do that this year and get my Asian Tour card for the next season, that would be an overall amazing year,” he added.
“It’s my first time travelling over here and let me tell you the food’s been amazing, the people are great and the golf course is absolutely amazing, I really love playing over here. The track is flawless. great fairways, great greens and even though it’s been raining every single day the fairways are as good as they can be.”
Joel Stalter of France pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.
For Stalter (65), playing in Asia offers him the chance to get his game back on track after 10 years playing as a professional in Europe.
“It’s kind of a new beginning for me, playing in Asia,” he said. “I played mostly in Europe for my whole career.
“I’ve played here in the past and I thought why not give it a shot, kind of a fresh start. I’ve been struggling with my game for the past few years and so far I’ve loved it. I love coming to Asia, I love the places, the organisation and I think the Tour is doing a really great job.
“Sometimes it’s a bit challenging,” he said when asked about the change in cuisine. “I don’t go for street food for sure,” he laughed, “but the rest is OK.
“What’s a bit more difficult is the jet lag and the heat. The heat and the humidity is different, but I like it better than playing in sideways rain and three degrees.
“The courses we play every week so far have been fantastic. Hopefully I can get my game going again but I am really happy about the move.
Even with a share of the clubhouse lead, Stalter was philosophical about the prospect of winning and making progress to the Asian Tour.
“It would mean a lot just winning, without whatever comes after. For me just to prove to myself that I can win again because I have won in Europe and to win on a different continent would mean the world to me.
“I’ve been struggling but I didn’t give up and now I’m back into a position where I can start putting myself in contention again. It’s not going to happen overnight, you know, it’s golf and anything can happen, but the fact that I’m still here and in contention this week, it means a lot to me.”
Overnight leader Witchayapat Sinsrang of Thailand remains out on the course with six holes to play. He is currently in fifth place alongside Galven Green (69) of Malaysia and Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig (65).
Matthew Cheung (70) of Hong Kong and Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono (69) are in eighth spot on eight under par, alongside Malaysia’s Marcus Lim who has three holes to play tomorrow.
Play will resume at 7am tomorrow, and the draw for the third round will be made upon completion of Round Two. Round Three will not start before 9.45am and play will be from two tees, with the leaders playing from the first tee.
Main picture: Arjun Prasad of India pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.
Thailand’s Witchayapat Sinsrang felt quite at home in changing conditions at Angkor Golf Resort today, posting an eight-under-par 64 to take a one shot lead after the first round of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A.
With the Asian Development Tour making its debut in Cambodia with this US$100,000 tournament, the picturesque course designed by Sir Nick Faldo was there to reward accurate players, and Witchayapat took full advantage.
“I hit it good today, “ he said after his round. “My driver was in play and I think I missed like two fairways today. My approach shots were very good and I made a lot of putts,” he added.
“The golf course is in good shape,” he said. “It’s a little wet but it’s OK, I just tried to not hit it too deep and stick it into the ground.”
He was full of praise for the course and surrounds.
“I like the area,” he said. “My dad was born near the border with Thailand which is similar to here so I really like it here.”
Marcus Lim of Malaysia pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.
Also giving the course the respect it deserved was Malaysia’s Marcus Lim, who shared second place alongside India’s Arjun Prasad and Sweden’s Erik Jonasson with all three posting bogey-free rounds of seven-under 65.
They were joined on seven under by Matt Killen of England and Thailand’s Tawit Polthai.
“I had a good start,” said Lim after finishing. “I birdied the first couple of holes then from three to nine it was kind of scrambled around but I caught fire on the back nine which was good.
“My good shots were good and my bad shots were still in play so I think that was the key,” he added.
“I made a lot of putts on the back nine which was nice and I’m happy with the way i started.”
In seventh place, on six-under-par, Sarut Vongchaisit of Thailand shared the spot with Malaysia’s Galven Green and Matthew Cheung of Hong Kong, another two of the 15 players who posted blemish-free cards for the day.
In tenth spot, with five birdies each, were Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono and Joel Stalter of France. They were joined by Vanchai Luangnitikul of Thailand, Indonesia’s Kevin Akbar, Arno Bartholemow of South Africa and the Philippine amateur Carl Jano Corpus.
Round One of the four-day tournament was completed on schedule today and play will continue for Round Two tomorrow with the first groups starting at 6.40am from two tees. The afternoon wave will get underway at 11.05 am.
Witchayapat Sinsrang of Thailand, pictured in action at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A. The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Angkor Golf Resort in Cambodia from September 25-28, 2024.
Korea’s Lion Park racked up another personal achievement at the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura today, notching a hole in one to pair with his albatross yesterday.
Posting a six under par 65 on the West course at Gunung Geulis in Bogor, Indonesia, he shares the lead after the second round with Sweden’s Filip Lundell in a day that was affected by a brief rain stoppage.
Holing out from 197 yards on the third hole, Park revealed after his round that this may have been his fifth tournament ace, but he was as excited as ever seeing the ball roll into the hole.
“I hit the five iron, it landed in the middle of the green and rolled into the hole,” he said. “I dropped my club, high-fived my team, I was really happy,” he added.
Lundell, making a return visit to the highland resort, added a 66 to his opening round 65 yesterday in the US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event, which is being played on the West and East courses
“It’s been wonderful so far,” he said after his round. “This is my second year playing the ADT events here and I’m becoming used to the courses now. My previous experience has really helped me this week as we are playing both of them.
“The course is playing very different from last year, we have received less rain so you can get closer to the pins but you do have to be on the correct side of the hole,” he explained.
“I’m not firing at too many pins out here,” he said. “You can hit a lot of good shots going for the pin but you can end up in a really poor position as well
Filip Lundell of Sweden pictured in action at the the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura in Bogor, Indonesia. The US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Gunung Geulis Country Club from September 11-13, 2024.
“With the experience I have had in the past few years you have just got to be aggressive to your spots and then obviously make your putts. It’s easier putting uphill than downhill here so that helps a lot.
“Being a lefty some holes are really setting up good for me, and some holes are less, just like any other course. I’m looking forward to the challenge tomorrow. I like both courses pretty much equally, East and West, and it’s going to be a fun day. I am looking forward to it.”
Trailing by a single shot in a share of third place are Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (64) and Malaysia’s Galven Green (64).
Low round of the day was posted by India’s Sunhit Bishnol, with a flawless nine-under-par 62, marked by two great stretches of golf.
“It was a really great round today, shot nine under,” he said after his round. “The highlight of my round was I had five consecutive birdies and then four consecutive birdies,” he added.
“I made some great putts and the ball striking was on point. The best part was I didn’t drop a single shot so I’m really happy with the bogey-free round,” he said.
Bishnol shares fifth place with compatriot and overnight leader Pukhraj Singh Gill (70), Thammasack Bouahom (65) of Laos and the Thai duo of Ekpharit Wu (66) and Chanat Sakulpolphaisan (67).
In tenth spot, Indonesia’s highest ranked player Rory Hie (69) sits on seven under par alongside Witchayapat Sinsrang (69) and Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung (68).
After two days of shotgun starts brought on by the inclement weather, the final day tomorrow will be played on the West course in a traditional staggered start.
India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill showed he was settling in to his rookie year on the Asian Development Tour, posting a seven under par 64 to claim an early lead at the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura.
Singh Gill posted seven birdies with no dropped shots on the West course at the Gunung Geulis Country Club in Bogor, securing a one shot advantage going into the second day of the Pro-Am tournament.
He leads Sweden’s Filip Lundell, Paul San of Malaysia and Thailand’s Kammalas Namuangruk who share second place on six under par in the US$125,000 ADT event.
“It’s as close as it gets to a flawless round,” said Singh Gill after his round. “Seven birdies, no blemishes on the card. It was quite an intimidating track in the practice round so I am quite happy that I played the way I have today.”
Kammalas Namuangruk of Thailand pictured in action at the the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura in Bogor, Indonesia. The US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Gunung Geulis Country Club from September 11-13, 2024.
Round one was completed as scheduled, despite the threat of rain earlier in the week. With the forecast projecting bad weather, the event organisers switched to a shotgun start for the first two rounds of the 54 hole event.
“We don’t play shotguns too often now so it was nice for a change,” Singh Gill added. “It’s good that we’ve been able to complete the round with the weather and with all the rain. It’s kind of fun, and it’s nice playing with the Ams for a change.”
In fifth place, on five under par, China’s Cao Senshou sits alongside Rory Hie, the leading Indonesian player after the first round, Witchayapat Sinsrang of Thailand, and Korea’s Lion Park, who made a personal record with his first ever albatross.
Playing the par five eighth hole on the East course, he holed out from some distance, only realising when he checked the hole after being unable to find his ball.
“I hit driver over the cart path,” he explained after his round. “Not a really good shot, but not bad. I go to the ball, it was in the rough, 156 metres left to the pin and I hit the seven iron.
Paul San of Malaysia pictured in action at the the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura in Bogor, Indonesia. The US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Gunung Geulis Country Club from September 11-13, 2024.
“When I got to the green, the fore caddie didn’t see the ball, but there was a pitchmark on the green. I thought it was over the green but there’s no ball, so I checked the hole,” he laughed.
“The first albatross of my life,” he added.
In ninth place, another true international grouping lies just three shots off the lead, including Thailand’s Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij, Chanat Sakulpolphaisan, Sarut Vongchaisit and Jaturobn Duangphaichoom.
They are joined by Chi Quan Truong of Vietnam, Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung, Shinich Mizun of Japan, Malaysia’s Nasrullah Zulkifli and Saptak Talwar of India.
With more than 20 countries represented in today’s field, the ADT demonstrates the attraction it continues to provide for the best up and coming golfers looking to play in Asia, as demonstrated by debutant Singh Gill.
Filip Lundell of Sweden pictured in action at the the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura in Bogor, Indonesia. The US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Gunung Geulis Country Club from September 11-13, 2024.
“It’s been pretty good,” he said when asked how he was finding life on the ADT. “A lot of learning, some fun tracks, and a nice international field to compete with.
“I’m very excited to keep learning and I’ve had some good fun so far,” he added.
With weather projections improving, the players and their amateur partners will switch courses for tomorrow, still with a shotgun start. The final round will be played on the West course on Friday following a cut currently projected at the top 50 and ties.
Main picture: Pukhraj Singh Gill of India pictured in action at the the Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar and Nomura in Bogor, Indonesia. The US$125,000 Asian Development Tour event is being held at the Gunung Geulis Country Club from September 11-13, 2024.
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