Jakarta, December 14: Thai rising star Jazz Janewattananond proved his credentials as the newest Asia’s number one by firing a scintillating 10-under-par 62 to seize the third-round lead at the BNI Indonesian Masters supported by Bank BRI and MedcoEnergi on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Thai, who is enjoying a stellar season with two wins and six top-10s, blazed the course with two eagles and seven birdies against a bogey to lead by one shot over countryman Gunn Charoenkul on 16-under-par 200 total at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Jazz, world’s highest-ranked Thai in 57^th place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), is chasing a career fifth Asian Tour title and a third one this season at the popular US$750,000 event, which forms the third leg of the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing.

With a total of 20 OWGR points on offer in what is the flagship event of the Asian Tour this week, Jazz will need to win the 2019 BNI Indonesian Masters to break into the world’s top-50 at the end of the season and secure his berth at The Masters next April.

Gunn, seeking his Asian Tour breakthrough, returned with three birdies in his closing four holes to grab second place while veteran Keith Horne of South Africa remained in contention for his maiden win on the region’s premier Tour after battling to a 71 to take third place on 203.

PGA Tour winner Alex Cejka of Germany, who is playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week, posted a 70 to settle four shots off the pace in fourth while overnight leader Josh Younger of Australia slipped to tied-fifth on 205 following a disappointing 74.

Danny Masrin emerged as the highest-placed Indonesian in tied-10^th place on 207 after signing for a commendable 68 in the event, which is celebrating its ninth straight edition on the Asian Tour this week.

The winner of the 2019 BNI Indonesian Masters will also receive a coveted spot in the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2020.

Did you know?

• Jazz Janewattananond tied the lowest 18-hole score in the tournament history with his third-round 62. Justin Rose of England carded two 62s in 2017 while Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung closed with a similar 62 in the last edition.
• Jazz opened with two successive birdies from the first before going on to birdie the fourth. He three-putted for bogey on sixth but a birdie on the eighth sparked a hot stretch as he nailed two eagles and two birdies in his next seven holes before closing with another one on 18.
• Jazz hit a total of 17 greens in his brilliant round of 62 today. He amassed 28 putts in total.
• Jazz sealed the 2019 Habitat for Humanity Standings crown last week after his closest rival Scott Hend of Australia opted not to tee up at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, making his Merit lead unassailable with only two events left to play for the 2019 season.
• The 24-year-old Jazz is the fourth Thai after Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and Kiradech Aphibarnrat to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• Jazz will be looking to break into the world’s top-50 by the end of the season to secure his place at The Masters next April. A win at the BNI Indonesian Masters will help him achieve the feat.
• Jazz closed with an eagle on the 18th to finish second on his own at the 2018 BNI Indonesian Masters.
• Jazz was also crowned the 2019 Rookie of the Year following a commendable season on the Japan Golf Tour.
• Gunn Charoenkul of Thailand secured his 2019 Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School last December where he came in runner-up. He quickly posted a top-10 finish at the SMBC Singapore Open, the first event of the season.
• By finishing tied-seventh at this event, Gunn missed qualifying for The Open by the narrowest of margins, only one shot. He would redeem himself a few months later when a tied-third place finish at the Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour secured his place at Royal Portrush, his first appearance in a Major.
• Gunn has spent most of this season playing on the Japan Golf Tour where he has racked up 10 top-10 finishes, including a tied-fourth at last week’s season ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, finishing 21st in the Money Rankings for the year.
• The Thai’s best career result on the Asian Tour is a second-place finish in the 2016 Queen’s Cup when he finished one shot back of winner Scott Hend of Australia.
• Keith Horne of South Africa locked up his Asian Tour card for 2020 earlier in the season, thanks to two top-10 finishes in India and Chinese Taipei. He sits in 38^th place on the current Order of Merit.
• Horne has won nine tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, the latest of those wins came in 2017 at the Vodacom Origins – Arabella.
• That same year, he also had his best result in an Asian Tour event finishing tied-second at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, improving on his previous best of three tied-third finishes.
• The 48-year-old South African turned pro in 1996 and has been a regular figure on the Asian Tour since 2003. His best season to date was in 2010 when he finished 14th on the Order of Merit.

Jakarta, December 14: Read what players have to say following the penultimate round of the BNI Indonesian Masters supported by Bank BRI and MedcoEnergi on Saturday.

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) – Third round 62 (-10), Total 200 (-16)

I am pretty pleased. I was surprised to go out there and shoot this low round today. I was struggling with my putting in the first two rounds but seems like it got better today.

I put in a new putter today. Maybe I’ll stick with it tomorrow. I was surprised to see some balls go in actually. I didn’t expect anything like this today. I just thought I would go out and post a solid round, but I am really happy with the result.

Trying to break into the world’s top-50 with a win tomorrow and secure my place in The Masters will be at the back of my mind for sure. It will be a motivating factor for me tomorrow. I just want to go out and play my best again.

Gunn Charoenkul (Tha) – Third round 68 (-4), Total 201 (-15)

It was kind of slow at the start today. I missed a lot of putts. A lot of players were coming close and I had to stay very patient out there today. Pretty fortunate to get a good finish in the last few holes to get to play in the last group tomorrow.

I wasn’t thinking much out there. I was just having fun and was smiling all the time, just being patient and enjoy it out there. It’s nice to come back and play on the Asian Tour again. I kind of miss playing on the Asian Tour.

It’s like a big family here. Whereas in Japan, you kind of feel more tension out there. I feel a little more relaxed out here and I think that’s the reason why I am playing well.

I tee off with my driver off the deck often, especially in Japan. I started doing that in China last year because I just couldn’t get my three-wood right. I gave it a lot of chance but I kept snapping it so I decided to just hit the driver off the deck and get it on the fairway first.

I tired that in Japan again and it’s been great for me since then. The season’s been great for me. I played well in Japan this year and the experience has helped me a lot.

It’s been awhile since I last played here. I am very happy to be back and it’s good to meet a lot of familiar faces. It’s probably going to be my first time playing in the final group in the final round on the Asian Tour tomorrow. I am pretty excited.

Same mindset for tomorrow. I would be happy with an under-par round. I think I may need more experience playing in the last group. I did have some opportunities in Japan but couldn’t really hold my nerves well.

I played with Jazz sometimes in practice rounds when we were in Japan, but we haven’t really played together in tournaments. He’s been playing well the last few years so looking forward to learning some stuff from him tomorrow.

Keith Horne (Rsa) – Third round 71 (-1), Total 203 (-13)

Obviously, the wind picked up a little bit today and it was quite difficult, I think it dried the greens out. And I think they pulled a little sneaky one, I don’t know what they did to the greens last night, but they were twice as fast as today.

I really struggled with the pace the whole day, I had some really quick putts and just hit so many past the hole. Eventually I just got way too tentative and couldn’t get my stroke back.

The wind helped and kept it a bit cooler out there so it wasn’t too bad, maybe a little bit hotter but actually nothing too excessive.

You know, I just looked at my results of about a month ago or whatever and they really are not very good, they just very scattered around. I have been making a lot of cuts, but I haven’t been up in contention at all and that’s been my disappointment this year. So, let’s see if we can take advantage of this one now that I’m up there.

Jakarta, December 13: Australian Josh Younger maintained his hot streak to sign for a blemish-free seven-under-par 65 and grab the halfway lead by one at the US$750,000 BNI Indonesian Masters supported by Bank BRI and MedcoEnergi on Friday.

Younger, who claimed his first victory in his 10 years as a professional two weeks ago, returned with another flawless round highlighted by seven birdies to cap a two-day total of 13-under-par 131 at the highly acclaimed Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Overnight co-leader Keith Horne of South Africa signed for a 67 to take second place while Thai hotshot Gunn Charoenkul, who just rounded off a commendable season on the Japan Golf Tour last week, carded a bogey-free 65 to take third place on 133.

Alex Cejka of Germany registered a 66 to settle three shots off the pace in fourth while American Sihwan Kim, Thai star Prom Meesawat and India’s Shiv Kapur shared fifth place on matching 135s following rounds of 66, 68 and 65 in the popular event, which forms the third leg of the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing.

Joshua Andrew Wirawan emerged as the highest-ranked Indonesian after he signed for a 66 to tie in 12^th place on 137. Wirawan is one of the five local prospects, including amateur Naraajie Emerald Ramadhanputra, to make the halfway cut set at one-under-par 143.

After opening his title defence with a 73, Thailand’s Poom Saksansin bounced back with a 68 to move to tied-39th place while countryman and 2019 Order of Merit champion Jazz Janewattananond settled seven shots off the lead in tied-14th place following a 70.

A total of 68 players, ranked into top-65 and ties after 36 holes, progressed into the weekend rounds of the BNI Indonesian Masters, which is celebrating its ninth straight edition on the Asian Tour.

By being the flagship event of the Asian Tour, the BNI Indonesian Masters will award the winner with 20 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, ensuring more players benefit from the points breakdown.

The winner of the 2019 BNI Indonesian Masters will again receive a coveted spot in the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2020.

Did you know?

• Josh Younger won his first professional title at the AVJennings NSW Open held on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia two weeks ago. He joined the play-for-pay ranks a decade ago.
• The 35-year-old Younger, who is based in Victoria, moved up more than 600 spots on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) following his victory. He sits in a current 357^th place on the world ranking.
• Younger made four cuts in only seven starts on the Asian Tour this season. He is playing in his third Indonesian Masters this week and his best result was a tied-27^th place finish in 2015.
• Younger missed only one fairway and three greens in his solid round of 65 today. He needed only 26 putts.
• Keith Horne of South Africa locked up his Asian Tour card for 2020 earlier in the season, thanks to two top-10 finishes in India and Chinese Taipei. He sits in 38^th place on the current Order of Merit.
• Horne got off to a flying start with two opening birdies from the first. He made another birdie on the fourth but dropped a shot on the eighth before recovering swiftly with a birdie on ninth to turn in 33. He added two more birdies on his way home for a 67.
• Horne has won nine tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, the latest of those wins came in 2017 at the Vodacom Origins – Arabella.
• That same year, he also had his best result in an Asian Tour event finishing tied-second at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, improving on his previous best of three tied-third finishes.
• The 48-year-old South African turned pro in 1996 and has been a regular figure on the Asian Tour since 2003. His best season to date was in 2010 when he finished 14th on the Order of Merit.
• Gunn Charoenkul of Thailand secured his 2019 Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School last December where he came in runner-up. He quickly posted a top-10 finish at the SMBC Singapore Open, the first event of the season.
• By finishing tied-seventh at this event, Gunn missed qualifying for The Open by the narrowest of margins, only one shot. He would redeem himself a few months later when a tied-third place finish at the Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour secured his place at Royal Portrush, his first appearance in a Major.
• Gunn has spent most of this season playing on the Japan Golf Tour where he has racked up 10 top-10 finishes, including a tied-fourth at last week’s season ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, finishing 21st in the Money Rankings for the year.
• The Thai’s best career result on the Asian Tour is a second-place finish in the 2016 Queen’s Cup when he finished one shot back of winner Scott Hend of Australia.
• Gunn hit all 18 greens in regulation for his round of 65 today. He had topped the Greens in regulation category on the Japan Golf Tour this season too.

Jakarta, December 13: Read what players have to say following the second round of the BNI Indonesian Masters on Friday.

Josh Younger (Aus) – Second round 65 (-7), Total 131 (-11)

It’s been great so far. Didn’t make any bogeys in two rounds. The swing’s feeling pretty good too. Conditions were really nice out there. I thought we won’t be able to finish yesterday but the weather held up nicely. It was hotter today but it’s still alright.

I just got my first professional win two weeks ago in New South Wales. It was nice to finally get my breakthrough. It’s my first win in almost 10 years as a professional. I didn’t play as good last week but nice to regain some hot form this week.

I’m just going to keep playing my own game and, hopefully my good form continues and I can hold a few putts.

Keith Horne (Rsa) – Second round 67 (-5), Total 132 (-12)

It was nice to get off to a good start today. It makes me feel relaxed. I have been playing good in the first rounds in the past few weeks but not the second rounds. It was nice to play nicely in the second round today.

I played well today, played probably better than yesterday but just didn’t make as many putts. I played the first hole perfectly. I drove it down the middle of the fairway, hit a nine-iron and made a 10-foot putt for birdie.

On the second, I made a really good one probably from about 40-feet. Picked up a lot of momentum from there. I’m very happy with my score although I didn’t putt so well. I’m very happy with the way I’m playing and just looking forward to playing in the weekend.

I will try not to get ahead of myself. You got to make a lot of birdies this week. It’s going to be sitting on a case of being too careful, just try and stick to it and keep making some putts. Try and keep momentum I think because if you stop making birdies, you can get a bit frustrated.

Gunn Charoenkul (Tha) – Second round 65 (-7), Total 133 (-11)

I would say I play pretty good for someone who didn’t have any sleep so far, I just arrived in Jakarta yesterday morning at five o’clock.

I’ve been learning a lot while spending my time in Japan and then kind of figured out what I need to do with my game. Earlier in the year I was in the states just traveling, learning different stuff, finding new things and then try to apply it.

Like I said before, what works for me. And somehow, I think I kind of figured out what direction I should be going in. What was strange is, I’ve been putting really good, which is strange. I mean, maybe it’s a lack of sleep I guess, because normally I don’t putt this good.

I made a couple of long putts, really long putts, and that really helps and same thing in the first round. I had a couple missed greens and a couple 10-footers for par which normally I would struggle with, but I’ve been making them a lot so far this week.

I’ve had a lot of surprises this year. I mean, I didn’t expect myself to be playing this consistent throughout the year (10 top-10s in Japan and 21st on the Japan Golf Tour Money Rankings).

But I guess, after I got a couple of tournaments going I somehow, I became much more confident in my game, and that probably one of the things I have struggled with throughout my career.

Shiv Kapur (Ind) – Second round 65 (-7), Total 135 (-9)

I played really good today. I was actually very frustrated when I started because on my first four holes, I had four great approach shots, but I missed the putts. That’s four good birdie opportunities there but the toughest part of the day was on the fifth hole where I had a really quick downhill putt, breaking both ways and I holed that.

After that, it seemed to like the floodgates kind of opened and I made five in a row there and then added two more in the next three holes. That was really good. The only disappointment on the back nine was the 14^th hole where I had a great second shot in and probably 10 or 12 feet above the hole but I just misread it.

But I felt like I struck the ball well all day and gave myself a lot of chances. It’s one of those days where you shoot seven-under but it could have been 10 or 11 and I’m just really happy with the way I played.

I didn’t feel like I played bad yesterday. My putter was stone cold yesterday. I guess it takes a little while to warm up. The first 22 holes were sort of quiet and, you know, seven under after that.

Hopefully I can continue to roll the ball like I did today. I holed a couple of really long ones on the front nine. I am pleased with my position now. I mean I am on the side of the draw where it was a little breezy and a little tougher. But at least I’ve given myself a chance on the weekend.

Jakarta, December 11: Thailand’s Poom Saksansin will set his sights on completing a hat-trick when he takes on the elite field at the BNI Indonesian Masters supported by Bank BRI and MedcoEnergi which starts on Thursday.

Poom, a two-time winner of the BNI Indonesian Masters in 2016 and 2018, returns to his happy hunting ground at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club this week, bidding to equal Lee Westwood’s record of having three victories in the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.

The 26-year-old Thai hopes to renew his affinity for the course as he takes aim at a fine showing to redeem himself from a lacklustre season where he had made only five cuts in 11 starts to sit in 59^th place on the current Asian Tour Order of Merit.

He will headline the talented 144-man field from 21 countries alongside countryman and newly minted Order of Merit champion Jazz Janewattananond, as well as American John Catlin and local hero Rory Hie, who have all won on Tour this season.

Jazz, the highest-ranked player in the field at 57^th place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), will have the goal of breaking into the world’s top-50 at the back of his mind when he tees up for the popular event, where he came in runner-up 12 months ago.

Catlin, who claimed his fourth Asian Tour title in Thailand last month, will be looking to improve on his tied-17^th place finish last year when he resumes his chase for more glory at the event, which forms the third leg of the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing.

Hie reckoned the pressure to perform well in front of his home crowd will not get to him this week, having already won his first Asian Tour title in India three months ago. The 31-year-old, however, will have to battle with a recovering thumb injury when he spearheads the 26-man strong local charge at the Indonesian showpiece.

By being the flagship event of the Asian Tour, the BNI Indonesian Masters will award the winner with no less than 20 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, ensuring more players benefit from the points breakdown.

The 2019 BNI Indonesian Masters, which is celebrating its ninth straight edition on the Asian Tour this week, will be the penultimate event of the 2019 season.

The winner of the event will again receive a coveted spot in the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2020.

Did you know?

• Poom Saksansin will be defending his title this week and will be chasing for a hat-trick to match Lee Westwood’s winning record in the tournament.
• Poom fended off the challenges from his more illustrious rivals to win the Indonesian Masters by three shots for his third Asian Tour victory last year.
• It was a class act by Poom as he showed that he would not be cowed into submission against an elite field which included marquee players Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, who were ranked number one and 27th respectively on the OWGR then.
• Poom had won by five shots for his first Asian Tour win at the same event in 2016. He is the second player following Lee Westwood to win the event more than once.
• Jazz Janewattananond sealed the 2019 Habitat for Humanity Standings crown last week after his closest rival Scott Hend of Australia opted not to tee up at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, making his Merit lead unassailable with only two events left to play for the 2019 season.
• The 24-year-old Jazz is the fourth Thai after Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and Kiradech Aphibarnrat to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He will tee off as Asia’s newest number one golfer at the BNI Indonesian Masters supported by Bank BRI and MedcoEnergi this week.
• Jazz will be looking to break into the world’s top-50 by the end of the season to secure his place at The Masters next April. A win at the BNI Indonesian Masters will help him achieve the feat.
• Jazz closed with an eagle on the 18^th to finish second on his own at the 2018 BNI Indonesian Masters.
• Jazz was also crowned the 2019 Rookie of the Year following a commendable season on the Japan Golf Tour.
• American John Catlin, who won his fourth Asian Tour title at the Thailand Open last month, will also be making his fifth straight appearance in the BNI Indonesian Masters this week.
• Catlin claimed three victories on the Asian Tour in 2018 to finish in a career-best sixth place on the final Order of Merit. He was the only player to achieve the feat last year.
• Catlin was also named the Players’ player of the year in 2018, thanks to his breakout season. Apart from the three wins on the Asian Tour, he has also won the Singha Chiang Mai Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour last September.
• Catlin marked his best result at the Indonesian Masters with a tied-17^th place finish last year.
• The 29-year-old, who hails from Sacramento, California, started playing in Asia in 2015. Prior to his Asian Tour breakthrough in China last year, Catlin has won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), including one in Indonesia.
• Catlin has based himself in Hua Hin, Thailand since 2017.
• Rory Hie, who became the first Indonesian to win on the Asian Tour in September, will spearhead the 26-man local contingent at the BNI Indonesian Masters this week. He remains the best local finisher in the tournament with a tied-ninth place result in 2011.
• Hie is also the highest-ranked Indonesian in the field this week.
• 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.