Published on March 18, 2023

Australian Marc Leishman has taken the first round at the LIV Golf Tucson event, while Torque Golf Club are in front in the team competition.

Leishman opened with a six-under-par 65 at The Gallery South Course to grab a one-shot lead over Abraham Ancer, Matthew Wolff and Louis Oosthuizen.

Peter Uihlein, Joaquin Niemann and David Puig are tied for fifth, two shots behind.

Scott Vincent, winner of last year’s International Series Order of Merit on the Asian Tour, started well with a 68, and is tied for eighth.

“I’m enjoying my golf at the moment … Playing with no consequences over the offseason kind of gave me a little bit of confidence with some of the shots I hit and how they turned out,” said the 39-year-old Leishman, who is seeking his 14th career pro victory.

In the team competition, Torque GC leads at 10 under thanks to counting rounds by Niemann, Puig and Sebastian Munoz (69). The Spanish-speaking team is one shot ahead of three teams – Smash GC, Fireballs GC and Iron Heads GC.

Torque comes off its first-ever podium finish, a third place at LIV Golf Mayakoba. The next step for Captain Niemann and his crew is a champagne first-place celebration.

“I’m pretty excited to see what’s going to happen on the weekend,” Niemann said of Torque, the youngest of the 12 LIV Golf League teams.

The youngest player is the 21-year-old Puig, who played collegiately at Arizona State before turning pro last year to become a LIV Golf member. Puig recently played a practice round with Arizona State legend Phil Mickelson and carded 11 birdies. He produced seven on Friday, tying for the most in the field.

“It’s nice to see David playing great,” Niemann said. “… Pretty cool to see him scoring well. The practice rounds, you could tell he was feeling like home.”

As for the affable Leishman, he and his Ripper GC teammates – captained by reigning Open Champion Cameron Smith – are building the type of camaraderie they hope will manifest itself into team trophies. Next month, LIV Golf travels to Australia for the first time, with huge crowds expected for LIV Golf Adelaide.

“It’ll be nice to be able to play in front of home crowds in Adelaide, which is a really cool city,” Leishman said. “They love their sport. Certainly, excited to get down there and just showcase what we’ve got with LIV.”

The immediate focus, of course, will be on the final two rounds of LIV Golf Tucson. Saturday’s tickets have been sold out. Leishman and the players chasing after him hope to feed off their energy.

“I actually holed a nice putt in 16 in front of the Birdie Shack,” Leishman said. “It was nice to make a birdie in front of there and get a nice cheer.”

Published on March 17, 2023

Chikkarangappa S says he is “not a fan” of Delhi Golf Club (DGC) because of its nuances and level of difficulty but that certainly did not show today as he confidently swept into the lead at The DGC Open presented by Mastercard.

The Indian fired a brilliant second-round bogey-free six-under-par 66, on DGC’s enchanting Lodhi Course, to go 10 under and take a healthy three-shot lead over his compatriots Om Prakash Chouhan (68) and Rashid Khan (70), Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong (70), the defending champion, and Sadom Kaewkanjana (67), and England’s Matt Killen (69).

Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, the impressive young Thai golfer beaten by Australian Wade Ormsby in a sudden-death play-off last week at the International Series Thailand, carded a 67 and is one shot further back with countryman Poom Saksansin (66), first-round leader Siddikur Rahman from Bangladesh, who will be disappointed to card a 73 after his 65 yesterday, and Filipino Justin Quiban (71)  – in the Asian Tour’s first visit of the season to the sub-continent.

Chikkarangappa, who started on the back nine, made four birdies on his first nine, birdied his last two, and hit 18 greens in regulation said: “Honestly I am not a fan of this golf course, not a really big fan, but I am just learning how to play every year.”

A top-10 in last week’s International Series Thailand, where he shared the third-round lead with Siddikur, has clearly had a positive effect on a player who has twice finished second on the Asian Tour before.

“I have been putting really well, discussing things with my caddie, and striking the ball really well,” said the Indian, better known as “Chikka”, who has triumphed twice before on the Asian Development Tour, at the TAKE Solutions India Masters in 2014 and 2015.

“I have given a big responsibility to him [his caddie], with no driver in the bag, to hit the most number of fairways, and with that everything will fall in place.”

Nitithorn beat India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu here last year to claim his maiden Asian Tour title and despite not being at his best today he is perfectly placed heading into the weekend of the US$750,000 event.

“I birdied the first but after that my approach shots weren’t so good,” said the Thai golfer.

“I struggled a little bit, bogeyed five, and then a bogey on 10 made me at one over par. After that I came back with birdies on 14, 15 and 18. Yeah struggling, but I am pretty happy to get back to two under. I’ll take that.”

Poom’s 66, the joint lowest round of the day with Chikkarangappa, was highlighted by an incredible run of five birdies in the last seven holes of the back nine, which was his first half as he started on 10, with his only dropped shot of the day coming on 16. After birdies on one and two he parred his way home.

“I played good, the driving was good,” said Poom, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour with the most recent coming at the 2018 Indonesian Masters, an event he also won in 2016.

“There were some misses but still I played well. Most of the time my birdies were from like six feet or six feet. I hit my irons better today.

“This is my third time at DGC. The conditions are now way better at the new course. But the bushes are still the same, if you get into it it is difficult to come out. The fairway is softer so better conditions.”

Published on March 16, 2023

Siddikur Rahman’s affinity for Delhi Golf Club (DGC) was clearly evident once again today when he took the first-round lead in The DGC Open presented Mastercard at the iconic golfing venue.

Bangladesh’s ace golfer, the winner of India’s national Open here in 2013 who also has 12 other top 10 finishes at DGC on the Asian Tour, fired an imperious seven-under-par 65.

Defending champion Nitithorn Thippong from Thailand, Filipino Justin Quiban and India’s Rashid Khan finished the day in a tie for second after shooting 67s – in the sixth Asian Tour event of the season.

Last week Siddikur, aged 38, shared the third-round lead in the International Series Thailand after firing one of the finest rounds of his 18-year professional career, an eight-under-par 64. He slipped back on the final day finishing in a tie for 27^th but he showed today that he is very much a player in form.

“Last week I played really good, and I am trying to maintain that confidence this week,” he said.

“It was a wonderful day today. I am hitting really, really, good, and putting really good. Especially happy it is a bogey free round.”

He chipped in twice for birdies, on eight and 17, and made seven birdies in total, two on the front, five on the back.

He added: “I have been working on my fitness, my technique, my mental training – so that’s starting to pay off, I can hit any shot I want. It is all starting to work.”

Nicknamed ‘the Tiger of Dhaka’, he is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour (he also won the Brunei Open in 2010). Although relatively subdued over the past four years he showed glimpses of his former self by finishing tied third in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and joint fourth in the Bangladesh Open last year.

Nitithorn, who beat Indian Ajeetesh Sandhu in a sudden-death play-off here last year, made a late rally finishing eagle, birdie.

He started his round on hole 10 and made the turn in two under with birdies on 11 and 15. Another birdie on the first suggested he was settling into his stride, but he made his only bogey of the day on the following hole before his fine finish.

“I holed from about 10 yards for my eagle on my 17^th, the eighth,” said Nitithorn, who also won the International Series Singapore last year to become one of only three players to win twice in 2022.

“I made a really good stroke on that putt, if it hadn’t hit the hole, I think it would have gone a long way past. I was lucky enough it went into the hole.”

The 26 year old, who finished fourth on last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit, has yet to find his form this season but DGC is clearly bringing out the best in him.

“I felt very comfortable before the start and after five or six holes I was already two under,” said the Thai golfer.

“I struggled with my approach shots mid-way through the round, but I managed to get it on the green and hole some putts. Like last year I want to shoot 66 everyday.”

Quiban started with 11 straight pars, then made three birdies in a row, followed by pars on 15 and 16, before two closing birdies.

“Front nine was kind of slow,” said the Filipino, who finished fifth here last year for his best result to date on the Asian Tour.

“But the back nine I was hitting it way closer, my putts started to go in and I had three straight birdies from 12. I got confident with my putting stroke.

“Off the tee was really good, I just never got myself out of position, I always had a good look into the green and stayed aggressive the whole day.  I had a good round on the final day last week in Thailand, and I just feel more confident this week.”

Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines, India’s Varun Chopra and Chikkarangappa S, England’s Matt Killen, and Taichi Kho from Hong Kong all carded 68s.

 

Published on March 15, 2023

If there is ever a tournament in the game to help Rikard Karlberg get his career back on track then it is The DGC Open presented by Mastercard, which starts Thursday at Delhi Golf Club (DGC).

The Swedish golfer, who has slowly been battling back from a debilitating illness that nearly ended his career six years ago, is a two-time winner here on the iconic Indian golf course, with both of those victories coming 13 years ago on the Asian Tour.

“I just want to re-live a lot of great memories,” said Karlberg.

“I’ve been playing for the last couple of years, that’s exactly what I need to, I think, find some form again.”

Karlberg’s career was in steep ascent when he won the SAIL Open in April of 2010 at DGC and then the Hero Honda Indian Open at the same venue in December.

Those two phenomenal displays of golf indicated what a special player Karlberg was, and it was not long after that he became a regular contender on the DP World Tour.

And after winning the Open d’Italia in 2015 more success was expected but two years later his health took a shocking turn for the worse.

“It was in the middle of 2017 I got an infection,” he explains.

“I didn’t really play that good in the beginning of the year. 2016 was my best year thus far, I was in the top 70 in the world, and from there you want to go into the top 50. So, I worked very hard but that infection … I should have probably rested it, but I couldn’t, you know.

“So, I was just full of antibiotics, paracetamol and ibuprofen to take away that fever and everything, but then I relapsed. It was like constant fever for 100 days, like three months, and in the end, I basically passed out and then I couldn’t get out of bed for six months. And that was just because I didn’t listen to the body. I listened more to what I wanted to achieve with this game, and that was a proper lesson for me.”

Remarkably and to the loss of European golf and his many friends and admirers on the Asian Tour it wasn’t until 2019 that he was able to play again, and only by 2021 did he feel 100%.

He admits that the relief and excitement at being back and fully fit then saw him try to do too much with his game, which also didn’t help his progress.

“I tried a little bit too much of the new stuff, and that kind of made me lose my confidence. Made me, you know, make this game a little bit too complicated. And, so for the last four months I’ve been working hard on just making it simple again,” said Karlberg.

The 36 year old has also recruited the services of the same caddie, Pramod, who helped him to victory in 2010.

“I remember like it was yesterday, we did a practice round and I missed a lot of putts and then he stepped in, showed me the lines,” said the Swede.

“And it made me so comfortable on the greens, so I putted extremely well. And second, of course, is that you need to be straight here. And I think, you know, I kind of like the framing of this being tight between the trees.

“It just frames everything and makes it easier for me to see the shot, so instead of maybe getting scared it kind of makes it easier for me. Through the course of my career maybe one of my weakest links has been the driver, and here it’s not about that. You don’t really need to hit that club if you don’t want to. So, if you put all those things together, that’s what has been the magic ingredient for me.”

Hopefully the DGC specialist can find some more magic this week so he can finish a career that started with so much promise.

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By Joy Chakravarty, Contributing Editor, Asian Tour

Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, such a dominant player on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) in 2022, comes to this week’s The DGC Open presented by Mastercard at Delhi Golf Club (DGC) under very different circumstances compared to last year. And he has a feeling it could lead to an even better result than his tied sixth finish in the inaugural edition last season.

Last year, the 26-year-old Chandigarh star was coming off an incredible victory on the PGTI Tour, having won the previous week at Tollygunge Club in Kolkata – making up a three-shot deficit against leader Viraj Madappa over the last three holes.

Sandhu then started The DGC Open presented by Mastercard with a disappointing three-over-par 75, but a closing 67 ensured he finished inside the top 10.

“I’m excited and I’m nervous at the same time, because I know that the game is in the right place,” said Sandhu, who finished tied 25^th in the Hero Indian Open last month but has yet to reproduce the kind of form that saw him win five PGTI titles in 2022 and finish second on the Order of Merit, something that earned him a country exemption to play on the Asian Tour.

“It is the Delhi Golf Club. You have got to put yourself in that position to even be in contention. It’s a golf course where you need to be at 100 percent with every single shot.

“I have always found DGC a course where you have to let go of your ego. You can’t overpower this course. You have to respect it, no matter what. I always come here with that mindset that if I respect the golf course, somehow the course will respect me back.”

Even though Sandhu was in better form last year, he said he made a cardinal mistake at the DGC. He was overconfident.

“Last year, I had just won Tolly before coming to the DGC. It was a most unexpected and thrilling win, and one of my best ever,” said Sandhu, who is now ranked 407^th in the OWGR.

“When I reached DGC, everybody was like congratulating me and saying ‘well played’. I went into the tournament playing good golf and I had this feeling that I was going to have another good week. But that’s something you can’t do at DGC. It obviously showed me my place after the first three days.

“On the last day, I lowered my expectations, started respecting the golf course, and suddenly it started giving me back. I birdied the 12^th, eagled the 14^th, birdied 15^th, made a bogey on 17^th and then made a birdie the next hole again. It was a very casual round in terms of the mindset.

“I know I have not had big finishes this season, so I’ve already lowered my expectations, which is a good thing. This is the best mindset to enter DGC with.”

Sandhu, who was involved in a record six-hole play-off at DGC against his current room mate Arjun Prasad during the 2017 Northern India Amateur, said he felt confident he would be able to lift his game despite his recent run of form.

“I feel my game is not that consistent, but I feel sharp enough to win, or score better, this year. I know that if my body and my mind are both aligned in that same week, I will have a pretty good chance at winning like I did at some of the events last year where I won by eight and nine shots,” said Sandhu.

“I’m not looking for consistency in the sense that I want to push as hard as I can. And I have accepted the fact that when I push hard, there are going to be times when things are working in my favour and times when they are not. But there is a lot of comfort in knowing that these things that I am trying right now will pay off later in my golfing career.

“It’s something that I want to know about myself… how hard can I push? What’s the limit? I’m just trying to tell myself again and again and trying to make myself believe that I’m getting there. It will take time, but I am on the right path. I’m sure this year, I should have an international win under my belt.”

Not surprisingly the play-off loss in 2017 to Prasad is a constant topic of conversation, but Sandhu plans to recall only one memory when he tees off tomorrow in the US$750,000 tournament.

“Arjun is my roommate now and whenever we talk and room together, we invariably end up talking about that day. Probably, it’s time the golf course paid me back,” said Sandhu.

“But I don’t think of that loss. The only thing I remember from last year is shooting five-under on the last day. That’s something that I’m going to stick to. That’s the only memory I’m going to go with.”

Published on March 14, 2023

Nitithorn Thippong, who defends The DGC Open presented by Mastercard tournament this week at Delhi Golf Club, has many great memories about his victory last year but one thing stands out.

“Oh, I can remember the last hole,” says the Thai not surprisingly as he beat India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off to lift his maiden Asian Tour trophy.

“I can remember almost every shot, but the highlight is the second shot on the play-off on the first hole, I hit a three wood onto the green. That’s the best one in my life.”

Living up to his nickname ‘Fever’, he raised the temperature of his game on the DGC’s par-five 18th. Tied with playing-partner Sandhu on the final hole of regulation, he holed a 10-footer for birdie and a closing 73, forcing his opponent to make his four from five feet to match the Thai’s seven-under 281 total and send the tournament into overtime.

In the play-off, the Thai reached the green in two with that memorable three wood, leaving himself a 15-foot eagle putt while Sandhu found the putting surface in three having landed in trouble off the tee. After Sandhu missed his birdie attempt from 18 feet, Nitithorn two-putted to earn a cheque for US$90,000.

He adds: “I think last year the key is just hit the ball in the fairway, because the course is quite narrow. So, for me, it’s like a two iron into the fairway, and then you got like wedge or short iron to the green. So just hit it in the fairway. That’s the key.”

He went on to claim the International Series Singapore in August and become one of only three players to win twice during the season. He finished the year fourth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

While yet to rediscover that form this year after five season-opening events, he will be looking for some inspiration this week to get him back on track at such an important venue for him.

“I’m very excited to be back at Delhi Golf Club to defend my title. Yeah, I feel very excited,” said Nitithorn.

“I mean, compared to last year, right now, I am not really playing as well but I’m playing okay, not bad. So, hopefully, this week, although I’m not as confident as last year, I’ll try my best.”

One of the strongest fields ever assembled for an Asian Tour event in India is competing this week, led by Nitithorn, ensuring that once again the action will come think and fast for the many fans who are in attendance and the millions watching the live broadcast at home.

 

 

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An emphatic play-off victory for Wade Ormsby at Black Mountain Golf Club has propelled the Australian into second place in both the Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merits, behind American Andy Ogletree.

Holing a clutch 12-foot putt for birdie on the first extra hole handed the 42 year old victory in the US$2m International Series Thailand.

Crediting new coach Grant Field for a change in his fortunes after three years without a win, Ormsby said: “We all analyse our games all the time and I feel my new coach has given me a lot of the answers to why I’ve struggled in certain areas. I’ve had great coaches all the way through my career but sometimes the penny drops and that’s been the case with Grant.”

The now four-time Asian Tour winner and his play-off companion, Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, completed 72 holes of the tournament on 20-under par. The 24-year-old Thai player joins Ormsby in The International Series Order of Merit’s top 10.

Boosting the overall Asian Tour prize fund by US$19m in 2023, The International Series will, this year, comprise of 10 enhanced events at world class venues, featuring elevated prize funds, with expanded entry criteria to welcome talented golfers from every continent and tour.

Ormsby added: “The International Series events are massively important. They’re the logical stepping stone back to LIV for me.

“My number one priority is to get my game back to where I can get into tournaments and start to contend for wins. As far as getting back to LIV, I’ll lay it out there. If you win the International Series Order of Merit you’re back there.”

Up next for the elite Asian Tour series is Vietnam at KN Links Golf, Cam Ranh on 13-16 April 2023, and it is a priority for Ormsby: “Absolutely I’ll be there. All the International Series events are first on my schedule this year.”

Published on March 12, 2023

Wade Ormsby overcame Chonlatit Chuenboonngam on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off to win the International Series Thailand today after a compelling finish at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin.

Australia’s Ormsby triumphed after holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-five 18^th while Chonlatit missed his birdie attempt from eight feet.

The 42 year old Ormsby had trailed Chonlatit, the clubhouse leader on 20 under, by one shot with three to play but made a birdie on 16 and had a chance to win on the last when he splashed out to 12 feet from a greenside bunker but missed his birdie attempt to set up extra time.

The Australian closed with a seven-under-par 65 while little-known Chonlatit, a graduate from the Asian Development Tour (ADT) last year and playing the tournament of his life, shot a 64.

It’s the fourth Asian Tour victory of Ormsby’s career and the first since his win in the Hong Kong Open in 2020.

The U$2 million event was wide open on the final day with dozens of players in with a chance before Ormsby and Chonlatit edged ahead.

Korean Yeongsu Kim (66) and Micah Lauren Shin (67) from the United States tied for third one shot back while Australian Kevin Yuan (67) ended outright fifth.

“I can’t believe I am here,” said Ormsby.

“I had a tough week down in New Zealand last week. I was so annoyed with myself as I knew I was playing well. I worked so hard with my coach Grant Field. I am so stoked.”

Ormsby started the day two behind the leaders: Siddikur Rahman from Bangladesh, India’s Chikkarangappa S, Zach Murray from Australia and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond.

However, while all four leaders quickly fell away Ormsby raced up the leaderboard with birdies on two, four, five, six and nine to go out in five-under-par 31. He dropped his only shot of the day on 11 but bounced with birdies on 12, 13 and 16.

He had a chance to win in normal time but missed a 15 footer for birdie on the last.

“I hit a good putt, but it didn’t turn right, the grain was hard off the left. It didn’t go in, all you can do is try and hit a good putt. So, I went to the range to get ready. I got a little bit unlucky on the play off hole to find the bunker, but I holed the 12 footer when it mattered,” he added.

“The Asian Tour and International Series are high up on my priority list, I’d love to get back on LIV, I just have to try and manage it all. I just so happy I have won an International Series event especially here at Black Mountain, I love the place.”

Chonlatit also missed a makeable birdie putt on the final hole, from six feet, to go to 21 under but was still overjoyed with far and away the most successful tournament of his six-year professional career.

“I did my best, and I’m super happy with the result and my performance today and this week,” said the 24 year old.

“My first priority was to keep my card on the Asian Tour, but this week I’m very happy with my performance so I now would like to win one. I’m sure I can, and I will try.”

He finished second on the ADT Order of Merit last year – the top-10 earned Asian Tour cards for this season – won the Gunung Geulis Invitational, finished second three times, and third twice.

Like Ormsby he gradually moved in front thanks to a five-under-par front nine, with only one bogey, before a brave back nine saw him birdie 12, 13 and 17 to set a mark for the field to chase.

The Asian Tour heads to the subcontinent next for The DGC Open presented by Mastercard. The US$750,000 tournament is being played at Delhi Golf Club from March 16-19.

Published on March 11, 2023

Siddikur Rahman shot one of the lowest rounds of his 18-year professional career today, an eight-under-par 64, to share the third-round lead at the International Series Thailand with India’s Chikkarangappa S, Zach Murray from Australia and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond.

Chikkarangappa carded 67, Murray 68 and Jazz 69 at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin.

They lead the Asian Tour event on 15 under by one shot from  Koreans Yongjun Bae (65), Mingyu Cho (66), and Jaewoong Eom (68), Micah Lauren Shin (67) from the United States, and Japan’s Yosuke Asaji (68).

Overnight leader Dodge Kemmer from the United States slipped back with 74 and is 12 under.

With 28 players within three shots of the lead the tournament is wide open and the stage set for a gripping final day, in what is the third International Series event of the season.

Bangladesh’s golfing idol Siddikur looked like he was going to shoot an even lower round as six birdies on the front saw him turn in six-under-par 30 and when birdies followed on 12, 13 and 15 the course record of 62, set by American Sihwan Kim last year, looked within reach.

However, the 38 year old, whose nickname is ‘the Tiger of Dhaka’, made his only bogey of the day on 17.

“It was a wonderful day, I was so sound,” said Siddikur.

“My hitting was excellent and at the same time my putting was too good. So, all over it was a wonderful round for me, nine birdies and one bogey, the last two holes a little bit unlucky, but, again, I’m happy for today.”

Siddikur is one of the shortest hitters on Tour, not suited to Black Mountain, which favours the long ball players, but the Bangladeshi countered that with a brilliant short stick display.

He said: “I especially enjoyed my putting today because the first two days I couldn’t putt that good. The first day my hitting was excellent, but I couldn’t putt honestly. But today, yeah, no complaints on the putting and my hitting was excellent too.”

Siddikur is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour but the most recent of those is the 2013 Hero Indian Open. He has been relatively subdued over the past four years but showed glimpses of his former self by finishing tied third in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and joint fourth in the Bangladesh Open last year.

Chikkarangappa, looking for his first win on the Asian Tour, had a chance to hold the outright lead but made bogey on the par-five 18^th but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the day.

“I’ve been playing well, you know I had a great season at the end [of 2022] where I made my card on the Asian Tour, and I had a Tour championship back in my local tour PGTI, and I managed to win that,” said the Indian.

“So that kind of gave me a lot of confidence. And I’ve been in good form, feeling good about the game. And I went back to my coach and Anirban [Lahiri], so we spent a lot of time there for about 20 days. We did a lot of good quality practice and that kind of has given me good confidence, and yeah, I’m feeling good about it.

Jazz didn’t produce his best today and also missed a chance to take the lead on his own after failing to hole a 16-foot birdie putt on 18, but he is well placed heading into Sunday.

“Just slow today, nothing really went for me but hung in there, gave myself a good position to go in and play good in the last round,” said the 2019 Asian Tour number one.

“I mean golf is golf right, if the ball goes in you play good. You just have to go out there and do the same thing and hope the ball goes in.”

With Black Mountain being his home course he desperately wants to secure his first win here tomorrow.

He said: “I just want to do one for the members you know, I’ve been here with them since I was 15, so it would be nice to do something nice for the club here. But if not, it’s okay, they still can’t fire me, they can’t kick me out.”

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, two off the lead at the start of the day, had a surprisingly poor start going out in two over, he battled back making four birdies in a row from the 13^th but carded a 71 and is two behind the leaders.

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The Asian Tour Annual Awards Night took place on Friday evening at the Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, to celebrate the 2022 season and its many winners.

One of the finest years in the history of the Tour was reviewed and reflected upon, while the most successful players, tournaments and venues were rewarded.

Former LPGA Tour player Virada Niraphatpongporn and Dominique Boulet, the Asian Tour’s lead commentator, hosted the glamorous evening, and conducted entertaining Q&A sessions with players and officials.

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour, and the Tour’s Chairman Jimmy Masrin both took the stage to talk about the season and indeed their hopes for the future.

A distinguished list of winners received their awards.

Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Sihwan Kim, although not present due to playing commitments, was rewarded for a phenomenal season on the Asian Tour by being voted The Players’ Player of the Year by the Tour’s membership, based on a final count from an online poll.

It was the icing on the cake for the American after a career-defining season and saw him join an elite line up of award winners from 2022.

Players voted the PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers as The Tournament of the Year, the International Series Thailand as The International Series Tournament of the Year, and Madinaty Golf Club in Cairo, Egypt, as The Players’ Choice Course of the Year.

The US$5 million Saudi event, played at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club last year near Jeddah, was the opening tournament of the 2022 season and saw the Asian Tour enjoy one of the most memorable weeks in its history at an event that boasted the strongest field it had ever assembled, playing for one of its most lucrative prize funds.

The following month the International Series was launched at the International Series Thailand, played at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin, where victory went to Kim.

Madinaty Golf Club, opened in late 2020 and at the forefront of the Egyptian golf scene, hosted the inaugural International Series Egypt in November – where former amateur star American Andy Ogletree won for the first time as a professional – and its golf course was an instant hit with the players.

“I am sure nobody is surprised that Sihwan Kim has been bestowed with one of the Asian Tour’s most important awards, The Players’ Player of the Year Award,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.

“This is a mark of true respect as it is voted for by the players, and it is justly served to a player who stayed dedicated and focused, patiently waiting for his time to come.”

Kim completed the finest season of his 11-year professional career at the season-ending Indonesian Masters when he wrapped up the Merit title, appropriately on the day he turned 34.

“At the Saudi International the Asian Tour got off to the best possible start thanks to a world-class field and global television audience. The whole experience set the benchmark for the Tour and was aspirational,” said Cho.

“The International Series Thailand was held soon after and was a resounding success and the ideal way to kick off the International Series, while Madinaty Golf Club proved to be an outstanding venue, something that our members repeatedly said throughout the week. The course lent itself perfectly to a tournament of that scale, which is a testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone at this very special venue.

“The club also went the extra mile by building a driving range for us and put in extra effort to present the golf course in immaculate condition. Several of the players and officials mentioned that the course was the best paspalum course they had ever seen.”

Bio Kim had the honour of being named Rookie of the Year. In his first full season on the Tour, the Korean won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on home soil, and had four other top-five finishes to come close to winning the Merit list.

Korean Joohyung Kim won Best Stroke Average with a score of 68.93, the pre-cursor to a breakthrough season on the PGA Tour where has triumphed twice; Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong topped Total Birdies with 263 birdies; Korean Kyongjoon Moon led Greens in Regulation on 77.41%; Swede Bjorn Hellgren secured the Driving Distance title with an average of 313.62 yards; and Siddikur Rahman’s mastery of the short game was on display once again with the Bangladesh star leading Putts per Round, with a median of 28.25 putts per round.

Brazilian Adilson Da Silva enjoyed the rare distinction of winning two awards: Driving Accuracy on 84.71% and Scrambling with 69.31%.