Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 27: Defending champion Shinichi Mizuno of Japan picked up where he left off last year, signing for an opening six-under-par 66 to grab a share of the clubhouse lead with Thai youngster Atiruj Winaicharoenchai at the weather-disrupted PGM Maybank ADT Championship on Wednesday.

The leading duo secured a one-shot advantage over Pakistan’s Hamza Amin, Choo Tze Huang of Singapore and Kwanchai Tannin of Thailand at the US$54,000 event, which is the penultimate leg of the 2019 Asian Development Tour (ADT) schedule this seaon.

Play at the Saujana Golf and Country Club was suspended at 5.15pm local time due to lightning threats before being abandoned for the day an hour later . A total of 38 players will resume their rounds at 7.30am local time on Thursday morning with the second round scheduled to commence at 7.30am as originally planned.

Amir Nazrin was the best local performer of the day following a 68, while Malaysia’s number one and Maybank ambassador Gavin Green is five shots off the pace after carding a 71.

Mizuno came out from the 10th tee with all guns blazing as he fired an eagle on the par-four 11th before gaining three more shots through birdies on the 13th, 17th and 18th to turn in 31.

He traded two more birdies against a lone bogey on his return journey.

“I was kind of nervous returning as the defending champion, but the early eagle on the 11th, my second hole, really got my round going.

“I hit the driver and for the second shot, it was about 145 yards and I hit a nine-iron. It just landed before the pin and went in on the second bounce.

“For the bogey (on the seventh), it was a tough situation. I hit the tee shot which was quite decent but it found a bunker. I kind of accepted that bogey and managed to bounce back with a birdie on the next hole, so it didn’t really affect me,” said Mizuno.

Mizuno is hoping to take advantage of the good start as he seeks to successfully defend a title for the first time in his career.

“It would be nice if I can do it (retaining a title). Even looking back to my junior days, I’ve won tournaments but I have never defended it.

“Obviously, there’s still many rounds left to be played but shooting a 66 is a nice way to start off the week. I intend to continue playing aggressive and keep the birdies coming,” added Mizuno.

Atiruj, 19, was the other player to steal the limelight on the opening day by notching seven birdies, including five in his last six holes.

His only blemish was a double bogey on par-four 14th.

“I have got a lot of confidence playing at Saujana, having captured the Saujana Amateur Championship back in 2016.

“My iron shot and putting made the difference today. Five of my birdies were inside 10 feet, one through chip-in and another from two putts on the par-five.

“I’m very pleased with my round. I’m looking to do well this week I’m preparing for the Asian Tour Q-School next year,” said Atiruj, who turned professional last year.

Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, September 20: The second round of the PGM MNRB ADT Championship has been postponed for a second consecutive day due to continuous haze.

The second round of the RM225,000 (approximately US$54,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event is now expected to tee off at 7.00am local time on Saturday.

“We had to call off the second round at around 1.00pm today (Thursday) because the high Air Pollution Index (API) reading was at 241. We needed it to come to 200 for it to go ahead.

“According to the ADT’s rules and regulations, there has to be a minimum of two rounds for a tournament to be counted. If not, we’ll have to abandon play without a result. But there is slight rain at this moment so we are hoping the skies will clear up,” said Asian Tour Tournament Director Fritz Katzengruber.

According to Fritz, 12.30pm is the latest the second round can tee off in order for play to finish before the sun sets. It will be a four-tee start for all players at the Kelab Golf Sarawak.

The first round of the tournament went ahead on Wednesday, which saw Malaysia’s Daeng Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz open up a comfortable four-shot lead over Korean duo Seung Park and Leunkwang Kim, courtesy of his seven under par-65.

The PGM MNRB ADT Championship is the 14th leg of the ADT schedule this season. The winner will take home a prize purse of US$9,397 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking points. The top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

Ends.

Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, September 19: The second round of the PGM MNRB ADT Championship has been rescheduled to Friday due to worsening haze situation in the local area, tournament officials announced today.

Play at the RM225,000 (approximately US$54,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event could not get underway at 7.30am (local time) as the high Air Pollution Index (API) was in the unhealthy range.

Officials decided to call off the day at 1.00pm, with the second round of the PGM MNRB ADT Championship now set to commence at 7.00am local time on Fridaymorning.

It will be a four-tee start for all players at the Kelab Golf Sarawak.

Asian Tour’s Tournament Director, Fritz Katzengruber said: “The API reading was 269 at 6.00am and it further worsened to 273 at 1.00pm. Those readings are very unhealthy and we have decided to reschedule the second round to Friday morning where it will be a four-tee start, should the situation permits.

“Kuching is surrounded by a number of hot spots and there’s no forecast of rain expected, so things don’t look too positive with the API predicted to be high over the next few days.

“But we will ensure that the conditions are acceptable before we allow the players out on the course. We hope to be able to complete at least two rounds (36 holes) in order to have a result. If we cannot do this by Saturday we will not be able to complete the tournament.”

The first round went ahead smoothly with local star Daeng Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz firinga seven-under-par 65 to open up a commanding four-shot lead over Korea’s Seung Park and compatriot Leunkwang Kim.

The PGM MNRB ADT Championship is the 14th leg of the ADT schedule this season. The winner will take home a prize purse of US$9,397 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking points. The top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

Ends.

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.

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.