After a popular and timely return to form over the past few weeks, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is competing with renewed confidence in this week’s Fortinet Championship ‒ the opening event of the PGA Tour’s 2021-22 season.

He shot an even-par 72 in the opening round yesterday at Silverado Resort and Spa North, Napa, California – where the lead was held by American Chez Reavie with a 65.

There is work to be done there for Kiradech but, at present, these are happier times for the Thai star, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour.

He lost his status on the PGA Tour this year after finishing outside the top-125 on the FedExCup ‒ mainly the result of being hampered by an injury and Covid-related travel problems.

Back in 2018, he had memorably made history by becoming the first Thai to earn a card on the PGA Tour, for the 2018–19 season.

Kiradech reacts after finishing his round during the first round of The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 09, 2021 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

However, he only made the cut five times in 17 starts on the PGA Tour’s 2020-21 season to record the poorest season of his career.

But any concerns about his future were quickly allayed in the space of a few weeks when first he regained his card via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in the first week of September, and then the following week, on the other side of the Atlantic, he nearly won the BMW PGA Championship ‒ the European Tour’s flagship tournament, and a Rolex Series event.

The testing Korn Ferry Tour Finals are played over three successive events with the top-25 earning their cards; Kiradech made it through in 21^st position.

“It’s an amazing day, amazing week,” he said at the time.

“I’ve played bad golf for almost two years because of my (knee) injury and the Covid situation but I just feel the last three months I’ve played solid golf and I deserved to get something back.”

The Thai is now playing his fourth season on the PGA Tour and believes the challenges and pressure he faced in having to qualify again will serve him well.

He credited his family for providing him with morale support over the past few months after his wife, mother and sister flew to the U.S. and travelled with him across the three Korn Ferry Tour Finals events.

“It’s always good to have family around. Get to eat some Thai food and you just feel more comfortable having family with you. Otherwise, you can feel lonely on Tour, and I certainly enjoyed myself the last few months,” added Kiradech.

And, the comeback did not stop there as he went on to thrill the galleries at Wentworth Golf Club, venue for the BMW PGA Championship.

Twice before he has been a runner up in Rolex Series events although after a poor year not much was expected of him at Wentworth, despite his Korn Ferry Tour Finals success.

But the 32 year old ‒ a four-time European Tour winner ‒ was again on point and shot sublime rounds of 66 and 64 to lead by one at the half way mark.

The Thai star shakes hands with Graeme Storm of England on the 18th green during day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 25, 2017 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

“I’m really proud of the way I’m playing these first two rounds,” he said. “A lot of good stuff in there.

“I don’t want to really set a goal, to be honest. I just want to go out there and swing, what I’m doing the first two rounds, do the same thing I’m doing, try to hit fairways, greens. Whatever the result, at the end of the day, I just accept it.”

He slipped back with a 74 on day three but responded in brilliant fashion, that suggested he has reset and is returning to his best, with a jaw-dropping 64 on Sunday to tie for second behind the champion, American Billy Horschel.

It was like the Kiradech of old and for his huge army of fans, hopefully, it is the Kiradech of the future.

Robin Bose from thegolfinghub.com, in India, looks back at a famous first Asian Tour victory by India’s Himmat Rai. 

India’s Himmat Rai was in the wilderness going into the week of the 2011 ISPS Handa Singapore Classic. Three consecutive weeks of missing the cut reflected the form and why he was well outside the safety zone on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. If anything played on the mind it was securing his card for next season. A breakthrough win was farthest on the horizon.

It had to do with belief, and that was in short supply for the man who had secured a breakthrough win on the Professional Golf Tour of India in 2009 ‒ two years after turning professional ‒ and challenged K.J. Choi and Retief Goosen on the big stage later in the year at the Iskandar Johor Open, before tying third.

Running two of world golf’s big names close was the first experience of competing with the best and a sign of “I can do this”. But often, the present weighs heavy on the past, especially if the going hasn’t been good. Low on self-belief at the Orchid Country Club, a “there we go again” blurted out when Himmat found the water on the 10th, his first hole, on Day 1 for a double bogey after getting the yardage wrong.

Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Being paired with compatriot Jyoti Randhawa for the first two rounds proved to be a saving grace as Himmat counts Jyoti as one of the biggest influences on his career. Perhaps a few words of advice were just the boost he needed as thereafter Himmat settled into a rhythm and played solid golf, tee to green, especially on the back nine in extremely windy conditions. “It was one of my best rounds, putting-wise as I holed everything between 7-10 feet,” said Himmat. From a nightmarish start, he finished three off the lead with a two-under 68, and a look at the leaderboard told him, “You are in with a chance.”

Himmat carried on in the same vein for the next two days, and identical rounds of 66 placed him tied for the lead with Brazil’s Adilson da Silva. It was a novel situation going into the final day, and the restlessness reflected in the restless night. Despite the pressure, Himmat got off to a steady start on the front nine but started to fade away thereafter and with it his title hopes.

Providence, if we can call it, was the rain delay when the leader group was on the 12th. Struggling to stay afloat, Himmat headed back to the locker room. There was little to do save stay hopeful. He picked up Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead’ and read a couple of pages on perseverance. Another measure to take the mind away from the slide was a call home. “Like a player, his family too goes through ups and downs,” and the chat with mother helped soothe nerves.

Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

When Himmat resumed, the expectations were a lot less. Reflecting on the number of times he had finished second on the Asian Tour, Himmat went on a birdie-making spree. His final putt in regulation was not a long one but “one of my best”.

“When I looked at the leaderboard, I was in the playoff. Could not believe in the space of two hours the unexpected had happened,” said Himmat.

Much as he was able to collect himself, Himmat was a bundle of nerves at the start of the playoff, but settled down as calm set in. Of the men he was up against, veteran Filipino Elmer Salvador was the most dogged, holing monstrous putts to take it to the sixth playoff hole. The light was fading, making it difficult to spot the flag, and it was in twilight that Himmat’s stars began their ascent. Left to sink a 30-footer to seal it, Himmat’s thoughts were on a two putt but the moment he hit it, “I knew it going in.” The outpour of emotion from the reticent golfer was unique, but then the occasion too was one of a kind.

For Daniel Chopra two weeks in Chinese Taipei in September 2001 proved to be his renaissance period, culminating with victory in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters ‒ achieved on this very day, September 9.

After a bright start to his career ‒ which included two titles on Europe’s Challenge Tour in the mid-90s, success in the 1995 Taiwan Open and an impressive spell on the European Tour in the late 90s ‒ his game deserted him at the turn of the Century.

He tried his hand on the Japan Tour in 2000 without success meaning life had hit rock bottom as he had lost his playing privileges on all the main Tours.

And the ‘cards’ that controlled his finances were also hurting.

“Basically, I was suddenly almost broke with nowhere to play,” said Chopra.

Daniel Chopra holds up the Mercuries Taiwan Masters trophy on 09 September, 2001. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He was weeks, probably days, away from planning a shift to becoming a teaching professional.

But, as is well documented, this is where the story starts, rather than fades away in sad circumstances.

Down and out but not defeated ‒ and around this time 20 years ago ‒ good friend and India’s golfing icon Jeev Milkha Singh helped the recovery process with a US$5,000 loan, and, more importantly, also put in a word for him to receive a sponsor’s invite for the Acer Taiwan Open on the Asian Tour.

No doubt sensing it was make-or-break time, the Swede remarkably nearly won but dropped shots over the closing holes and saw American Andrew Pitts take the title, after the event was reduced to 54-holes because of heavy rain.

Chopra’s poor finish meant he ended up outside the top five to worryingly miss out on a place in the following week’s US$300,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters, one of the country’s most prestigious events always played at Taiwan Golf & Country Club.

However, much to his relief, another sponsor invite came through and, determined to make amends for the previous week, he finished off the tournament strongly to triumph by one shot, helped by some crucial par saves at key moments.

‘To win I had to two-putt from the back fringe straight down one of the grainiest greens in Asia. I thought my first putt was perfect and it trickled, trickled, trickled until it was maybe 18 inches from the hole,” said the Swede.

“As I put my marker down I thought, ‘My God, what if you miss this?’ And I never forget saying to myself, ‘One, my grandma could make this putt with one hand, and two, I could make this with one hand and never ever miss.’”

Daniel Chopra on his was to winning the Ginn Sur Mer Classic at Tesoro on October 29, 2007 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Picture by Doug Benc/Getty Images.

He was 27 years old at the time and at the start of a remarkable transformation which, not that long after, saw him become a two-time winner on the PGA Tour: first in the 2007 Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro, and a few months later in the Mercedes-Benz Championship in 2008.

Clearly the Mercuries event neutralised his mercurial tendencies.

American Andrew Pitts was one of the dominant players on the Asian Tour in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and recorded a memorable maiden win in the 2001 Acer Taiwan ‒ achieved on September 1, today!! We spoke to Pitts this week about that triumph, which meant so much to him and was achieved in extraordinary circumstances.

There was nothing straightforward about Andrew Pitts’ exceptional win in the Acer Taiwan Open ‒ accomplished on this day, 20 years ago.

An impressive performer on the Asian Tour since arriving on the scene in 1996, he was regularly in contention and reached two sudden-death play-offs ‒ agonisingly, beaten in both by Korean great Kim Jongduk at the 1997 Korean Open, and English great Lee Westwood in the Macau Open in 1999.

Always a feature on the leader board, he was also runner-up in Macau in 2000, and the Ericsson Classic in Taiwan the same year.

So, when he arrived for the US$300,000 Acer Taiwan Open, held at the renowned Sunrise Golf & Country Club at the end of August 2001, he was a man on a mission looking to secure that elusive first title.

“I had also been playing in Japan that year, as I was trying to play there and Asia. But I had struggled in Japan because it did not fit me very well,” says Pitts.

“But the week before Taiwan I am pretty sure I played with Arjun Atwal in the final round of the Volvo Masters and I kind of got a good vibe going.”

Whatever that vibe was, he should have bottled it, because he shot an opening eight-under-par 64, followed by a 65 for a five-shot lead over Sweden’s Daniel Chopra, and Ted Oh from Korea.

Pitts with the 2001 Acer Taiwan Open trophy. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Says Pitts: “I remember I four putted the 17^th hole at the end of the second round, but I shot 129 [-15] for two rounds with that four putt!”

But his bid for a first Asian Tour win was to be no walk in the park as heavy rain and wind played havoc with the event over the weekend.

He managed to complete 17 holes of his third round on Saturday before the weather closed in and stopped play for the day.

But, as if sensing the tournament was heading for a premature finish, he had raced into a six-shot clubhouse lead.

Pitts describes best what happened when they returned to the club the next day and the weather was still very poor: “I remember sat around the clubhouse trying to decide what was going to happen, Antonio Boy Blue [Ocampo] was the tournament director.

“The weather was horrible that day and they were debating whether we could play another round, but they realised there was no way the entire field could play 18 holes. So, it was decided to reduce the tournament to 54 holes, which meant we went out at about 10am to finish the 18^th. It was blowing pretty good and there is out of bounds left there on 18, and I said just get it off the tee and you will be fine. I felt very comfortable after I did that, and it was a pleasant walk as I had a six-shot lead.”

The American, 34 years old at the time, signed for a 68 and a winning tournament total of 19 under, and an imposing six-shot victory over Singapore’s Mardan Mamat.

“Having been knocking on the door but then finally getting over the hump was incredible. It was reward for hard work put in for a long time,” says Pitts, who picked up a cheque for US$50,000.

“I had won the Bermuda Open three times, and some nice tournaments, but my career was pretty much in Asia. There was the feeling of satisfaction and feeling of relief that ‘hey, I finally got it done’. That’s one of the great things about our profession, it’s tough, but every week, every player has an opportunity to make a nice pay cheque, but to be the last man standing at the end of the week is awesome.”

AllsportUK /Allsport

Remarkably, Pitts was also in the final group on the final day the following year but was unable to mount a challenge and watched as Danny Chia secured a first Asian Tour title for Malaysia. That year, and because he was defending champion, he was also thrilled to be paired with South African legend Gary Player and Chinese-Taipei hero Hsieh Min-nan in the first two rounds.

Says Pitts: “So many good things came from the win in Taiwan, not least the feeling that all the hard work had paid off and was justified.”

The Asian Tour lost one of its most enthusiastic and popular supporters at the weekend ‒ following the passing of Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid.

As Patron of the Tour and through his work as Chairman of the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) he was able to help elevate the profile of professional golf at development and elite level; nationally and internationally.

And, while he became the Tour’s patron in 2016, his influence started long before.

Largely credited for playing an instrumental role towards the successful launch and staging of the EurAsia Cup ‒ the Ryder Cup-style match between Asia and Europe ‒ he also helped ensure that Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour (ADT) events were warmly welcomed to Malaysia.

Indeed, he passionately drove the growth and development of professional golf in Malaysia through the creation of the PGM Tour in 2010.

Importantly, PGM-ADT tournaments made up the bulk of events on the ADT schedule ‒ benefitting Malaysian professionals and other players in the region in their quest to progress to the Asian Tour and the Olympics.

“We were honoured to have Tun Ahmad Sarji as our Patron of the Asian Tour,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour.

“He played a key role in the success of the EurAsia Cup while the development of professional golf in Malaysia flourished through his vision and passion for the game.

“Everyone at the Asian Tour was deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing. He was a true advocate of the game of golf in our region, and an inspirational leader who helped push the boundaries for our sport.”

Tun Ahmad Sarji was 82 when he passed away on Saturday morning, following complications caused by COVID-19.

He was involved with other sporting associations such as cricket and lawn bowls in Malaysia but held golf dear to his heart. During his career he had been awarded the “Tokoh Sukan Negara” ‒ which is the nation’s sports leadership award.

Highly regarded and respected as a public administration figure, he served as Chief Secretary to the government from 1990 to 1996 when the country was under the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Tun Ahmad Sarji will be sorely missed.

Singapore’s Abdul Hadi recorded the first back-to-back victory on the Singapore Pro Series Invitational Presented by FTAG today when he claimed the seventh and penultimate leg of the season in convincing fashion at Sentosa Golf Club.

The former national squad member won by three shots on the Serapong Course in the 36-hole mixed tournament, having triumphed by five strokes on the same course two weeks ago.

He carded his second successive three-under-par 68 for a six under total, finishing ahead of second-placed Mardan Mamat from Singapore ‒ who also came in with a 68.

“I played well today; I was very consistent,” said Hadi, who is affiliated to Sentosa Golf Club.

“With my back-to-back wins, I feel more confident, and I will take this vibe with me to Q School.”

The 26 year old has entered the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School next month and flies out tomorrow. And, having shot four sub-70 rounds on the famously difficult Serapong Course in the last two Pro Series events he could not have prepared better.

The victory also saw him move to the top of the Order of Merit for the first time, ahead of second-placed countryman Gregory Foo, while Mamat is third.

Mamat, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, was looking for his first Pro Series win but had to settle for second for the third time on the new circuit.

He said: “I am actually happy for Abdul’s back-to-back wins today, and I wish him all the best for him at Q School and I hope he makes Singapore proud.”

Hadi’s start was not great as he dropped a shot on the par-five fourth but be courageously recovered by birdieing five out of the next seven holes before he could afford a bogey on 18.

The Singaporean was part of the 2015 SEA Games silver medal-winning team and in early 2019 finished first at the Qualifying School for PGA Tour Series-China.

Singapore’s Joshua Shou was outright third today after shooting 69 to finish on two over.

Foo and Singaporean amateur Justin Kuk were joint fourth after carding 73s to end three over.

The week’s event is the second from last leg of the circuit with the season-ending tournament being held from January 5 to 6, also at Sentosa ‒ home to the SMBC Singapore Open.

Each of the Pro Series legs counts towards the ‘Race to FTAG Cup’, where the winner of the Order of Merit will also receive a bonus of S$10,000.