Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 24: Australian David Gleeson edged closer to his fourth Asian Tour victory after rolling in a clutch par putt from 12 feet on the last to seize the outright lead following the penultimate round of the Sabah Masters on Sunday morning.

The 41-year-old Gleeson, who was one-under-par through eight holes and three shots off the lead when play was suspended on Saturday, returned to par the ninth hole before firing three birdies against a bogey on his back nine for a three-under-par 68.

Gleeson compiled a three-day total of 10-under-par 203 to lead by one shot over Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand, who stumbled with a closing double-bogey to sign for a 71 which saw him fall off the lead for the first time at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club.

Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-lun battled to a 70 to share third place with India’s Udayan Mane and Jakraphan Premsirigorn of Thailand on matching 205s in the US$300,000 event, which is supported by the Tourism Malaysia with an aim to boost tourism in Sabah.

With more than seven hours of play lost due to inclement weather over the last three days and expected rain in the afternoon, Tour officials have earlier made a decision for the tournament to spill into Monday if the final group managed to complete 13 holes when play is suspended on Sunday.

Should the final group, featuring Phachara, Dongha Lee and Sungho Lee, fail to get in at least 13 holes on Sunday, the fourth round will be cancelled and the tournament results will be based on the 54-hole scores.

Round 4 is in progress. For live scores, please click here.

Ends.

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 23: Young Thai talent Phachara Khongwatmai returned on Saturday morning to complete the remaining four holes of his second round and sign for a four-under-par 67 to grab a two-shot halfway lead at the Sabah Masters.

The 20-year-old Phachara, who emerged as one of the four co-leaders following the opening round, moved into the outright lead after carding five birdies against a bogey for a two-day total of nine-under-par 133 at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club.

Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-lun, Australian stalwart David Gleeson, as well as the Korean duo of Sungho Lee and Dongha Lee, shared second place after posting rounds of 68, 69, 68 and 67 respectively at the US$300,000 event.

Sweden’s Malcolm Kokocinski settles three shots off the pace in sixth with India’s Udayan Mane while newly crowned Asian Tour champion Jooohyung Kim of Korea is amongst those bunched in eighth place on 137.

A total of 69 players survived the halfway cut set at one-over-par 143. The second round of the Sabah Masters was halted by inclement weather on Friday and a total of 52 players returned to complete their rounds at 7.00am local time on Saturday.

The third and penultimate round of the Sabah Masters has commenced at 10.00am. For live scores and tee times, please click here.

The US$300,000 Sabah Masters, supported by the Tourism Malaysia with an aim to boost tourism in Sabah, is the ninth full-field event on the 2019 Asian Tour schedule.

Ends.

Did you know?

• Dongha Lee of Korea has not yet won on Tour, but he has two tied-second place finishes on the Korean Tour in 2017 and 2018.
• His best result on the Asian Tour is a tied-ninth at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in 2018, and he also finished tied-eight at the same event in 2019.
• After narrowly missing his Asian Tour card by one shot at Q-School last December, Lee is playing on a country exemption this season and has made just over US$18,000 in his only three events.
• Lee’s first love was actually football. However, upon the encouragement of his parents to play golf at the age of 12, he got hooked to the sport and subsequently led him to turn professional in 1996.
• Malcolm Kokocinski claimed his breakthrough win at the 2018 AB Bank Bangladesh Open.
• Kokocinski first came to Asia in 2013 where he played on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) after failing to make the mark at the Asian Tour Qualifying School. He came through the Qualifying School for the first time after finishing fifth in 2016 but failed to retain his card for the following season after ending the season in 71st place on the Order of Merit.
• The 28-year-old Swede turned professional in 2012 and is based in Hua Hin, Thailand.  
• Sitting in 81st place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Kokocinski needs a strong showing this week to boost his ranking and break inside top-60 at the end of the season to retain his playing rights for 2020.
• At a young age of 17 years and 149 days, Joohyung Kim became the second youngest professional to win on the Asian Tour when he claimed his maiden win on the region’s premier Tour at the Panasonic Open India last week. It was only his third start on the Asian Tour this season.
• Kim had posted a third-place finish at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open and a tied-sixth place result at the Thailand Open prior to his Asian Tour breakthrough.
• The Korean talent had earned his playing rights for the remainder of the 2019 Asian Tour season after clinching his third title on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this season in Pakistan last month.

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 21: Young Thai talent Phachara Khongwatmai took advantage of his solid approach shots to sign for a five-under-par 66 and grab a share of the opening round lead at the US$300,000 Sabah Masters on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Thai ignited his title ambitions after firing seven birdies against two bogeys to sit atop the leaderboard with Indonesia’s Joshua Andrew Wirawan, as well as Aaron Wilkin and David Gleeson of Australia at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club.

Sabahan Ben Leong returned with a 67 to trail the leading quartet by one alongside in-form Joohyung Kim and Sungho Lee of Korea, India’s Rashid Khan and Wang Wei-lun of Chinese Taipei in the tournament, which is the ninth full-field event on the 2019 Asian Tour schedule.

Despite closing with a bogey, Phachara took pride in his opening efforts as he was able to fire at the flags all day and miss only one green in regulation. Gleeson was delighted to rediscover some of his best form as he capped a solid outing to mark his lowest round yet this season.

A host of players, including Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat, Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman and Khalin Joshi of India, were tied in 10^th place after carding matching 68s in the event that is supported by the Tourism Malaysia with an aim to boost tourism in Sabah.

Did you know?

• Phachara Khongwatmai found 10 fairways and missed only one greens in regulation in his commendable round of 66.
• Starting from the 10^th, Phachara birdied 11 but dropped a shot on 12. He bounced back with three birdies in-a-row from 15 to turn in 32. He would make another three straight birdies after the turn before three-putting for bogey on his last hole ninth.
• He claimed his third top-10 result this season when he came in tied-sixth at the Thailand Open two weeks ago.
• The 20-year-old Thai sits in 43rd place on the current Order of Merit with total earnings of US$79,757.
• Phachara came into prominence when he won the 2015 PGM CCM Rahman Putra Championship to become the youngest ADT winner at the age of 15.
• The Thai grabbed the last Asian Tour card on offer in 2015 when he won his second ADT title at the season-ending event to take the fifth spot on the ADT Order of Merit.
• Phachara finished a career-high third place on the Asian Tour Merit standings in 2017, thanks to four top-five finishes which include three runner-up results.
• David Gleeson, who hails from Queensland, is a three-time winner on the Asian Tour. His last victory came at the 2011 Hero Indian Open.
• The 41-year-old is playing in his fifth start on Tour this week. His best result in 2018 was a tied-sixth place finish at the Thailand Open. He won another title in the Philippines last year.
• Gleeson missed only two fairways and needed only 25 putts in his solid round of 66, which is the lowest 18-hole score he has recorded on the Asian Tour this season.
• Joshua Andrew Wirawan is playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week. He has played mainly on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this year and this is only his second start on the Asian Tour this season.
• The 23-year-old Indonesian returned with a bogey-free round highlighted by five birdies, including three in his closing five holes.
• Aaron Wilkin is also playing on a sponsor’s invite this week. It is also his first start on the Asian Tour this season.
• The 26-year-old Australian dropped a shot on his opening hole 10 but recovered brilliantly with an eagle-three on 11 before adding four more birdies for a round of 66.

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 21: Read what players have to say following the opening round of the Sabah Masters on Thursday.

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) – First round 66 (-5)

I hit it really well off the tees today. I made some long putts as well for birdies. Most were from like 20 feet. Except for the three-putt bogey on the last hole ninth, everything else was good. I was able to make a lot of birdies today.

The aim was to hit fairway first and then aim for the green. I was able to do that today. Many people struggle on these greens so hitting the fairways and greens are the keys. But I think I can putt on these greens now. I feel comfortable with it.

It was hot out there but we didn’t get much wind, maybe only on the last five holes coming back.

Andrew Joshua Wirawan (Ina) – First round 66 (-5)

I hit my driver really well today, wedges too. Hit my mid irons not so good but I was able to recover and get up and down. I had a good stretch coming back. It was nice to finish with three birdies in my last five holes. I was able to hit it close.

It’s my first time playing here. I landed in Kota Kinabalu yesterday and managed to squeeze in a practice round in the afternoon. It’s a nice course out there. You need to hit it good off the tees to score out there. I am happy with my start.

David Gleeson (Aus) – First round 66 (-5)

I got off to a good start today. Sometimes the rain sort of smooths out the greens a little bit so it was quite good early on and  then it just got normal towards the end. This course is actually set up quite well because it’s generally sort of easy looking but it’s not playing that way.

The greens are quite firm but I got a few birdies on some of the harder house today. So yeah, just keep playing and looking forward to you know, setting up a few things to play well, just a few tournaments before Christmas, and I’m going to try and play a lot of golf next year.

Nice to get that three birdies in a row. I just make some three to five-foot putts. You got to do your due diligence here because greens can be tricky. I played here back in 1999 when we had the first event here.

The course was very long then. It’s quite interesting to see how it has changed after so many years. I was back home for awhile before this week. Played a few events. Just been working on the game and see what I can do next year.

Ben Leong (Mas) – First round 67 (-4)

I got off to a good start. I played pretty alright. I thought it was playing quite tough out there. I got my putter working on my front nine today, which is the back nine of the course. I didn’t hit the ball that great but my putting saved me a bit.

Dropped a shot on the first but still managed to drop some putts which kind of steadied the ship and I was able to build some momentum coming back. It was a patience game out there definitely.

Some holes I thought par would be a good score but I made birdie. Some holes I thought I need to make birdie but I made par. But overall, it’s a good start. The greens are a bit on the firm side today. The wind came up a bit mid round which makes it tougher.

Joohyung Kim (Kor) – First round 67 (-4)

We didn’t get much breeze, as I would have thought in the afternoon. So it was kind of easier but it was hot out there. India was like pretty chilly so coming here, although it has been three days already, I still find it a bit hot.  

I putted pretty well. I made a good 20-footer for birdie on the first hole. I made a good 10-footer on the third. I did have a couple of mistakes today that I wish I didn’t make. Those won’t tough holes so I wouldn’t want to make bogeys there but I bounced back really well.

This course’s a bit short. We played narrow fairways last week. So coming here, it looks a bit wider. I’m driving the ball well and I’m putting well so if I can just keep this up for the next three days, it would be nice.

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 20: Newly minted Asian Tour winner Joohyung Kim of Korea will be looking to cope with elevated expectations when he chases for more glory at the highly anticipated Sabah Masters which starts on Thursday.

The 17-year-old Asian Tour newcomer, latest addition to the Tour’s growing list of bright young stars, refused to get ahead of himself even though he has won once and finished inside top-10 twice in his last three starts on the region’s premier Tour this season.

Having claimed his maiden Asian Tour title in India last week, Kim, the youngest professional player in the field this week, will be bidding for back-to-back wins when he steps up to the tee at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club.

Kim will headline the US$300,000 full-field Asian Tour event alongside Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, Indonesia’s Rory Hie and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, who all entered the week in fine form, having secured recent top-10 finishes in Thailand and India.

Siddikur, who turns 35 years old today, hopes to take advantage of his recent run of fine form to bid for a third Asian Tour title and first since 2013. Hie is also aiming to end his commendable season with a flourish as he takes another shot at glory this week.

Inspired by his good friend Kim’s victory in India last week, Phachara is feeling the added motivation as he continues to hunt for a maiden Asian Tour title at the Sabah Masters, which is the ninth full-fiend event on the 2019 Asian Tour schedule.

The Sabah Masters is supported by the Tourism Malaysia with an aim to boost tourism in Sabah.

Did you know?

• At a young age of 17 years and 149 days, Joohyung Kim became the second youngest professional to win on the Asian Tour when he claimed his maiden win on the region’s premier Tour at the Panasonic Open India last week. It was only his third start on the Asian Tour this season.
• Kim had posted a third-place finish at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open and a tied-sixth place result at the Thailand Open prior to his Asian Tour breakthrough.
• The Korean talent had earned his playing rights for the remainder of the 2019 Asian Tour season after clinching his third title on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this season in Pakistan last month.
• Kim is the youngest professional player in the 133-man field this week. Local amateur Timothy Lo is the youngest at 14 years old.
• Kim has been living in Bangkok, Thailand with his family for the past two years. He turned professional in May 2018.
• Before moving to Bangkok, Kim was based in the Philippines for about six years. He won the 2018 Philippine Amateur Open Championship and the 2018 W Express RVF Cup Amateur Championship before recording his first professional title on the Philippine Golf Tour in July 2018.
• Kim speaks a total of three languages. He’s fluent in Tagalog, English and Korean.
• Siddikur Rahman is celebrating his 35th birthday today. It is also his first trip to Kota Kinabalu this week.
• He has enjoyed a solid season so far, missing only four cuts in 15 starts. He sits in a current 23^rd place on the Merit rankings.
• Siddikur marked his best result yet this season at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters where he finished tied-fifth. Notched his second top-10 finish in India last week.
• Twice a winner on the Asian Tour, Siddikur secured his first win at the 2010 Brunei Open before winning again three years later at the Hero Indian Open.
• The Bangladeshi’s best year on the Asian Tour was in 2013 when he finished fourth on the Order of Merit with over US$495,000 in earnings, and he was also in the top-10 in 2010 and 2011 when he finished seventh and eight respectively.
• Phachara Khongwatmai claimed his third top-10 result this season when he came in tied-sixth at the Thailand Open two weeks ago.
• The 20-year-old Thai sits in 43rd place on the current Order of Merit with total earnings of US$79,757.
• Phachara came into prominence when he won the 2015 PGM CCM Rahman Putra Championship to become the youngest ADT winner at the age of 15.
• The Thai grabbed the last Asian Tour card on offer in 2015 when he won his second ADT title at the season-ending event to take the fifth spot on the ADT Order of Merit.
• Phachara finished a career-high third place on the Asian Tour Merit standings in 2017, thanks to four top-five finishes which include three runner-up results.
• Phachara is good friends with Joohyung Kim. They practise together when they are back home in Bangkok, where Kim is currently based. Phachara says he feels inspired by Kim’s victory in India last week.
• Rory Hie became the first Indonesian winner on the Asian Tour when he won wire-to-wire at the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship in India two months ago. He returned to his winning ground last week and notched another solid top-five finish.
• Hie sits in 38th place on the current Asian Tour Order of Merit with a season’s haul of US$85,244.
• After earning First Team All American golf honors at Cerritos High in California, Hie played college golf as a freshman and sophomore at University of Southern California 2006-2008 before turning pro in 2009. Hie was ranked as high as sixth as an amateur before he turned professional.