Relieved Lee ends long drought after convincing four-stroke victory
Richard T. Lee finally ended his long and frustrating seven-year wait for a third victory on the Asian Tour today when he recorded a fine four-shot wire-to-wire win at the BNI Indonesian Masters.
After dozens of opportunities to win again following his success at the 2017 Shinhan Donghae Open he was relieved to prevail here at Royale Jakarta Golf Club after firing a closing two-under-par 70 for a four-round total of 23-under.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chang Wei-lun and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand secured second place, after both carding 64s.
Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent finished fourth, a shot further back, following a 67.
Richard T. Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Lee was six in front at the start of day and in cruise control after lying seven ahead at the turn. A one-and-a-half-hour weather delay, which began when he was on hole 10 failed to unsettle him, before an unexpected double-bogey on the 16th, where he took two to get out of a greenside bunker and missed a six-foot bogey putt, led momentarily to some uncertainty. It meant his lead was cut to four over Chang, who was in the clubhouse, but he steadied the ship with a brave five-foot putt for par on the next hole followed by a par on the last.
“It’s been a while,” said an elated Lee, who turned 33 last Tuesday.
“The last one was 2017 and it was at one of the courses that I like to play on. This is one of the courses that I really like to play as well. I had a good finish here last year and had a good chance to win it. I think I know the course pretty well, and I feel like I can defend my trophy next year.
“I just switched putters, I think, three weeks ago and it’s really working. I mean, it’s built my confidence up a lot, and I think if I just maintain that putting, I think I’ll play pretty well in the next few events.”
The victory continued a brilliant run of form as he tied for second in last week’s International Series Thailand, finished joint ninth in the Black Mountain Championship, and came home in equal 10th at the Yeangder TPC.
Richard T. Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He was also third in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May and has eight top 15 finishes in 11 starts this season.
He added: “I did feel pressure. I haven’t been in last group for a while and playing with two-time US Masters Bubba Watson also added to it. When I doubled 16 I told myself to pull things together and finish well.”
It is Lee’s first victory on The International Series, as this week’s event is the seventh of 10th stops on the Series – the multi-million-dollar tournaments that earns The International Series Rankings winner a place on the ensuing season’s LIV Golf League.
Lee is now very much in contention to achieve that after moving to second place on both The International Series Rankings and the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
American John Catlin, who closed with a 69 here and tied for sixth, leads both rankings.
For Lee it is all a lifetime away for a player who played in the 2007 US Open as a 16-year-old, shot an opening round 79, was forced to withdraw due to a wrist injury, and turned professional straight after that week. It wasn’t until 2013 that he surfaced on the Asian Tour, finishing second at Qualifying School, before winning for the first time at the following year’s Solaire Open in the Philippines.
Chang Wei-lun. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He becomes the fourth player to win from start to finish this season. Catlin was the first at the Saudi Open presented by PIF, before Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai did so at the Yeangder TPC and his countryman Rattanon Wannasrichan at the SJM Macao Open, later in the year.
For Lee’s Malaysian caddie Eddy the victory meant a double celebration as his brother Agus was on the bag for Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po when he claimed last weekend’s International Series Thailand.
Chang and Phachara both enjoyed far away their best performances of the season. For Chang it is particularly important as he was 97th on the Asian Tour Merit list.
“I did better than I expected,” said Chang, who moved up into 27th on the Merit list.
“My goal was to finish inside top-10, top-five would be a bonus but now I should be inside top-three! Wasn’t even thinking of catching Richard as I know he has a good game and is leading by so much. Very happy with the way I played. To be honest, the pressure of keeping my card coming into this week was quite big as I don’t have many events left to play. But I told myself to stay focused and keep working hard. I’m glad it paid off. Seeing Lee Chieh-po win last week was a huge motivation as well.”
Said Phachara: “You know, starting on 11 under today and then I just went to play, made a lot of birdies, and made a lot of long putts. Now my golf is coming back to basics.”
The Asian Tour heads to the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open the week after next, where Suteepat will attempt to defend his title. The US$400,000 event tees off at Taifong Golf Club on November 17.
Four more events remain on the Asian Tour this season, and three on The International Series. The PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers is the final event of the year.
Canadian Richard T. Lee’s quest for his first win on the Asian Tour in seven years gained momentum today when he opened up a six-stroke lead at the BNI Indonesian Masters.
Lee, who has led the tournament since day one, carded a third-round six-under-par 66 to move to 21-under here at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig is in sole possession of second, following a 65, while Bubba Watson from the United States is one stroke further back, after shooting the same score.
Watson aced the par-three 11th with a wedge before Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand, playing in the group ahead, holed his wedge on the same hole moments later.
After yesterday’s poor finish, when he made a bogey and a double on the last two to cut his lead from six to three, Lee clearly used that as motivation today and bounced back with a bogey free round sprinkled with six birdies. He also made brilliant up and downs for pars on the 15th and 16th to stay in control.
Ahmad Baig. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He was also not distracted when play was stopped at 1.01pm local time because of lightning and rain when he was on the 15th. Played resumed at 3.25pm.
“It was a very clean scorecard today,” said Lee.
“During the break I just had a few talks with my friends in Indonesia and they calmed me down pretty well, so I made a few more birdies out there. It looks to be pretty good tomorrow for another good round.”
He opened with a birdie today after stiffing his second shot.
He added: “Oh, I felt kind of, I mean you go bogey and then double on the last two holes [yesterday], you just don’t feel very good. But coming out to the range today, I felt like I was hitting it as well as how I was hitting it in the first round. So, yeah, hitting it that close and almost going in, it just felt great.”
Since his most recent win, the 2017 Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea, the Canadian has been in contention on many occasions, including seven top three finishes including tying for second in last week’s International Series Thailand.
Also, just before the global pandemic stopped play on Tour for nearly two years he also lost in sudden-death play-off at the Sarawak Championship in 2019.
Bubba Watson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Baig continues to play the best golf of his career. The big-hitting Pakistani, currently in second place on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit with two wins this year, was in second place going into the final round of the International Series Thailand last Sunday. He tied for 31st and will be looking to improve on that tomorrow.
He said: “I’m just trying to keep doing what I am doing right now. I think my putter is very hot this week, so let’s see tomorrow.”
He was also bogey free today, revealing he can “reach all the par fives in two here.”
Watson will try and claim his first title in six years tomorrow, off the back of a brilliant round today featuring that ace and five birdies.
“It was a perfect pitching wedge,” said Watson after his ace.
“We couldn’t see it. I didn’t believe them [when people said it was in the hole], you know, because you didn’t really hear like, a roar that kept going, you know, like, that’s a big deal, right? A hole in one. So, I just didn’t believe them, but they gave me high fives, and I still didn’t believe it until I got the ball out of the hole.”
Each hole in one this week will see a house donated to a local family in need through the Habitat Humanity Indonesia charity. Watson and Phachara’s aces will make two families very happy soon, while the American very kindly said he would also personally donate another house.
Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Added the 45-year-old: “The game of golf has helped tremendously around the world through all the charities that golf has brought to the table, so to be a part of that, it’s very special. It’s an honour. There’ll be a couple families that will be helped out.”
American John Catlin (68), Kieran Vincent (69) from Zimbabwe, and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (71) are tied for fourth eight behind Lee.
Richard T. Lee opened up a three-shot lead after two-rounds of the BNI Indonesian Masters today after another birdie bonanza – surprisingly tarnished by a bogey, double-bogey finish.
The Canadian, the leader at the start of the day following a first-round 10-under-par 62, carded a 67 for a tournament total of 15-under-par, and leads from second-placed Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand, who shot a 69.
India’s Rashid Khan and Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe are joint third, two strokes further back, after they both shot their second successive 67s – in the US$2 million Asian Tour event that is part of The International Series.
Lee was in complete control and had a six-stroke lead over Jazz with two to play, after putting together another stunning round – highlighted by seven birdies in eight holes starting from the eighth – but let his pursuers back in with a fumble at the end. He pushed his tee-shot right on the penultimate hole, lost his ball and made a bogey, before finding water with his third on the last enroute to a seven.
Jazz Janewattananond. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
It was not part of the script for a player who finished joint second last week after a final round 62 at the International Series Thailand, before picking up where he left off this week.
“Pretty good,” said in-form Lee – with seven top-15 finishes this year and due a win.
“I mean, everything was, I felt like I had full control of my golf ball, definitely on my iron shots. Just the last two holes kind of gave me a little hiccup for tomorrow, but I’m gonna change that around and play well tomorrow as well.
“I actually changed my putter two weeks ago in the first Thailand event, and I found something with that putter, and it’s definitely built more confidence towards my game and I think it’s working pretty well.
“I feel like I just set up the club, and just hit it. I mean, it’s so much easier to set up with this putter than the blade putter that I’ve been using, so yeah, I think the putter is working pretty well.”
Jazz triumphed in this event in 2019 – the year he won four times on the Asian Tour and claimed the Order of Merit title – and looks to have found some form entering the weekend after a far from satisfactory season.
He finished joint 12th in last week for his best result of the season and feels he has been helped his cause by switching to a broomstick putter.
Rashid Khan. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“So last week, I was playing a Pro-Am with my playing partner,” explained Jazz, “and I was using a short putter on the practice round and on the Pro-Am day. And one of the amateurs, who is actually my friend, was using a broomstick putter and I had a little match with him, and I couldn’t hole any putts that day.
“We got three holes to go, and I just took his putter, and I putted with it for like the last three holes, and I’m like, maybe I need to go back to a broomstick. And that’s how I changed and how I got my best finish of the year, so I have to say thanks to him.”
Khan has been enduring one of his worst seasons but said something clicked with his swing two weeks ago at the Black Mountain Championship.
“I have been really struggling this year,’ said the Indian, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour but a decade ago, when he won the SAIL-SBI Open and the Chiangmai Golf Classic in the same season.
“I was looking for something I could play with on the golf course. I was looking for something and it finally clicked when I was playing Black Mountain. After that it was all good.
“There were a lot of things I was working on so I can’t really say. I wasn’t holding the grip properly; I couldn’t feel my club on the backswing. I am now really surprised how well I am hitting the ball. Sometimes you make a few changes, they click, and you start playing well.”
Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He spent last week practicing in Bangkok as he forgot to enter the International Series Thailand, which was also the case for the Black Mountain Championship but, luckily, he received an invite.
The Indian has also registered six second place finishes on the Asian Tour, four of those on home soil.
Asian Tour and International Series number one John Catlin from the United States fired a 66 and is in a large group in joint fifth, six behind Lee,
Defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar from India returned a 71 and is three under, which was the cut mark.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond backed up his opening-round nine-under-par 63 with a 69 today to take the lead mid-way through Friday, on 12-under, here at the BNI Indonesian Masters at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
India’s Rashid Khan and Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe are joint second, two strokes back, after they both shot their second successive 67s – in the US$2 million Asian Tour event that is part of The International Series.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chang Wei-lun fired a 66 and is a shot further back with Angelo Que from the Philippines, after a 69.
Canadian Richard T. Lee, the overnight leader following a 62, is playing in the afternoon session.
Rashid Khan. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Jazz triumphed in this event in 2019 – the year he won four-times on the Asian Tour and claimed the Order of Merit title – and looks to have found some form entering the weekend after a far from satisfactory season.
He finished joint 12th in the International Series Thailand last week for his best result of the season and feels he has been helped in his cause by switching to a broomstick putter.
“So last week, I was playing a Pro-Am with my playing partner,” explained Jazz, “and I was using a short putter on the practice round and on the Pro-Am day. And one of the amateurs, who is actually my friend, was using a broomstick putter and I had a little match with him, and I couldn’t hole any putts that day.
“We got three holes to go, and I just took his putter, and I putted with it for like the last three holes, and I’m like, maybe I need to go back to a broomstick. And that’s how I changed and how I got my best finish of the year, so I have to say thanks to him.”
Khan has been enduring one of his worst seasons but said something clicked with his swing two weeks ago at the Black Mountain Championship.
“I have been really struggling this year,’ said the Indian, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour but a decade ago, when he won the SAIL-SBI Open and the Chiangmai Golf Classic in the same season.
Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I was looking for something I could play with on the golf course. I was looking for something and it finally clicked when I was playing Black Mountain. After that it was all good.
“There were a lot of things I was working on so I can’t really say. I wasn’t holding the grip properly; I couldn’t feel my club on the backswing. I am now really surprised how well I am hitting the ball. Sometimes you make a few changes, they click, and you start playing well.”
He spent last week practicing in Bangkok as he forgot to enter the International Series Thailand, which was also the case for the Black Mountain Championship but luckily he received an invite, although he missed the cut.
Defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar from India returned a 71 and is three under, with the halfway cut looking like being two under.
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