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. 

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 20: Read what players have to say ahead of the inaugural Sabah Masters which gets underway at the Sutera Habour Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Joohyung Kim (Kor)

Feels great to be here in Sabah as an Asian Tour week. Getting my first win on the Asian Tour in India last week was a dream come true. A lot of players came up and congratulate me when I got here. It feels great definitely but this is a brand new week. I think I need to take my mind off the win for awhile as it’s back to business this week.

I have been playing well the whole year. My iron game has been great and that’s been the strong part of my game. I was able to drop a few putts too and I think that was what I did well this season. I was pretty fortunate too. I worked very hard for it to click this year.

I don’t like to take all the time to warm up. I normally take like 50 mins, just hit a couple of balls, chip and putt and straight to the first time. I try to keep it simple and not take everything so serious.

I just want to make the cut first this week, stick to the game plan and see how it goes. The playing standard on the Asian Tour is definitely different from the Asian Development Tour which is where I came from.

But I have gained a lot of experiences from playing on the ADT and that has helped me a lot. I have been in contention for a couple of times this year too so I know what it feels like to be in there. I am still trying to learn. I am just really fortunate.

I actually played with Jazz (Janewattananond) in Indonesia earlier. That was the highlight for me really. He’s won so many events this year and he played the PGA Championship and is ranked 59^th in the world right now. I asked him a lot of questions.

This is only my fourth event on Tour this year. I haven’t played much but playing with Jazz in Indonesia was memorable for me. It’s only my second year as a professional. I am trying not to get ahead of myself. There’s still a long way to go. My ultimate aim in golf is definitely to play on the PGA Tour. That’s my aim but I’m trying to take it step by step and stay in the moment.

I haven’t got to celebrate yet. I came straight here from India. I just sat in the plane and thought through what happened on the final day and then it’s straight back to business. My dad just told me ‘good job’.

He’s been caddying for me since I turned professional and the week I won my first Asian Tour event, he was sick and he wasn’t there. I called him after I won and he came straight to the club from the hotel. My dad is my coach and my caddy. He’s with me all the time.

The course looks pretty demanding off the tee this week but it’s not long. We don’t have to hit driver all the time. The greens are firming up too. Sometimes you might hit good shots and get unlucky breaks and go off the greens so I think short game will be key as well.

Siddikur Rahman (Ban)

I had a great week in India. My hitting was good and my short game was much better too. It’s nice to come into this week with a top-10 finish. I’m really very comfortable with my game now. This is my first time in Sabah so I’m looking forward to the week.

I am happy with my season so far. I had a good start to the season. I played really well in Malaysia. But my performance hasn’t been that good after that. I am not disappointed though. There are still a lot of tournaments to play.

I know I just need to continue doing the things I need to do and I will be fine. Last week’s result really gave me a boost in confidence. I played badly in Thailand and I worked on my swing after that. I am glad the results showed in India. Lots of positives to take away from there.

I am focusing on my swing again this week. If my swing is ok, I think I can easily score out here. I have played a lot of golf in Malaysia and I really like it here. I am used to the hot weather here.

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha)

I played well at the Thailand Open. It was nice to get another top-10 finish this year. I think I should be able to keep my card for next season. But I want to do better. Lesser pressure for sure but I think it can be better.

This course, you don’t have to hit a lot of driver. You hit a lot of two-iron and three-iron here. You need to hit it good off the tees. That’s the key this week. My aim is to shoot under-par every round.

A lot of young players have won on Tour this season and that really inspires me to play well. I feel really happy for Joohyung Kim who won in India last week. I got to know him since last year.

We practiced at the same place so I am pretty close with him. We have dinner together back home in Bangkok when we are free too so I felt really happy to see him win on Tour.

Rory Hie (Ina)

Obviously I’m on a high now, having claimed a top-10 finish in India last week. It’s good to play well again after winning in India earlier. Went back to India last week, rode on the good vibes and played well again. Hopefully I can continue the good form this week.

It’s a great course here in Sabah. I love the weather here. The sceneries are so beautiful too. Unfortunately, I hurt my thumb and wrist two weeks ago in Thailand. Still recovering from it but hopefully it will get better and I can play well this week.

My mindset changed before the win in India. That helped me a lot and I’m just trying to keep things the same for the rest of the season. It’s definitely better, I’m happier playing golf now. I’m just looking forward to the rest of the season with all the opportunities that I am getting.

Hopefully I can win one more time before the season ends so I can get the three-year membership. It would be nice. It’s good playing with the local juniors in the pro-am tournament today. I get to teach them a bit here and there. It’s fun. Hopefully they can take something out from this for their future careers.

Ben Leong (Mas)

It was great to finish top-10 in Thailand. Lots of positives and confidence. It’s going to be a home game for me this week. The course is looking great. They are doing a good job with the fairways and greens so looking forward to the week.

It’s nice to be playing on home soil. I can sleep on my own bed. Definitely higher expectations for me but I’ll just take it as if I am playing elsewhere. I’ll just tell myself there’s no expectations although there will be at the end of the day.

I’ll just go out there and have fun and just focus on the process. It’s good to find some good form recently. I haven’t been working on anything specific but I guess it’s just about peaking at the right time. I have been playing consistently for the past couple of weeks.

It’s a tough golf course. The layout is pretty straightforward but the greens are tough and tricky. Keeping the ball on the greens would be key this week. The fairways are pretty tight so it will be difficult around the greens.

I have been playing consistently. I struggled at the start of the year but it’s all in the past now. I am looking forward to this week and the rest of the year. Definitely hoping to win again. That’s always my goal but I try not to get ahead of myself. The aim is to put the ball on the fairway and green and try to make the putt, control what I can control.

Yikeun Chang (Kor)

I flew here from the States and I practiced a lot over there. Game is trending in the right direction again. It’s been great since I won in Chinese Taipei two months ago. I played in some big tournaments, like the WGC-HSBC Champions and the CJ Cup.

I was kind of struggling in those big events but it’s all good experiences. Game’s feeling good again and it’s trending in the right direction. I got through to the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in December so I hope to stay consistent and keep my game in good form heading into that.

It’s a pretty nice course here. It’s fun. If the pins are going to be in front, it’s going to be a pretty hard test. Nothing has change for me since I won in Chinese Taipei but I do hope to win again before the season ends.

Itthipat Buranatanyarat (Tha)

This is my first time playing at the Sutera Harbour Golf Club this week. It’s my second time in Sabah. I have played an ADT event in Kota Kinabalu before but that was a few years ago.

The game’s feeling good now. I played well in India last week and I shot a 64 to take the opening round lead. That gave me a lot of confidence.

I feel happy to play here in Sabah at the Sutera Habour. The views are really nice and the course is looking good. The fairways are in good condition too. I have played well on the ADT this year. I got off to a good start by winning the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship.

But my ultimate goal is still to win an Asian Tour event. There have been a lot of new winners on Tour this season. I hope to get mine soon. The focus is more on the Asian Tour now for sure. I will try my best this week.

Amir Nazrin (Mas)

The course is in a good shape. I will have to work more on the greens this week. The greens are pretty tricky here. It’s also quite windy out here. I haven’t played here for a long time. I think I last played here when I was still a junior 10 years ago. It’s been a long time but I can still recall.

The main goal for me is to keep the ball on the fairways this week. If I can do that, I should be able to play well. This is my third year as a professional. It’s been good so far, I have learned a lot and I hope to gain some momentum and put myself in a better position for next year.

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, November 19: Malaysia’s Ben Leong will be banking on his home comfort when he tees off for the inaugural Sabah Masters, which gets underway at the Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club starting Thursday.

The 33-year-old Sabahan, who enjoyed a tied-sixth place finish in Thailand a fortnight ago, hopes to capitalise on his recent fine form and put up a strong performance on home soil at the US$300,000 full-field Asian Tour event.

Placed 56th on the latest Order of Merit, Leong will also be aiming for a good showing to boost his ranking on the money list, where he needs to stay inside top-60 to retain his playing rights on the region’s premier Tour for the 2020 season.

Leong, the only Malaysian to win an Asian Tour event on home soil, will spearhead the local challenge along with big-hitting Amir Nazrin, Daeng Rahman and Shahriffuddin Ariffin at the event supported by the Tourism Malaysia with an aim to boost tourism in Sabah.

The Asian Tour last visited Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state, when it held the 2008 Qualifying School in multiple locations in December 2007. Leong topped the class in front of his home supporters that year for his second straight Qualifying School win.

Korea’s Yikeun Chang and newly minted winner Joohyung Kim will also feature in the 2019 Sabah Masters alongside Indonesia’s Rory Hie, Thailand’s Danthai Boonma and Pavit Tangkamolprasert, all proven champions on the Asian Tour.

Did you know?

• Ben Leong is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. He remains as the only Malaysian player to win an Asian Tour event on home soil when he triumphed at the 2008 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.
• Sitting in 460th place on the latest Official World Golf Ranking, Leong is also the second highest-ranked Malaysian in the world following Gavin Green (240th).
• Leong is a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• Leong endured a slow start to the season, having missed four cuts in his first five starts, but has since regained his fine form by making seven straight cuts since the Sarawak Championship in August. He marked his first top-10 finish his season with a tied-sixth place result at the Thailand Open a fortnight ago.
• Last November, Leong also represented Malaysia alongside Gavin Green in the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf. The duo enjoyed a dream start after signing for an opening nine-under-par 63 to trail by one shot in the first round’s fourball format.
• Yikeun Chang claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Chinese Taipei two months ago.
• Prior to his breakthrough victory, Chang has enjoyed runner-up finishes at the 2017 Yeangder Heritage tournament in Chinese Taipei, the 2018 GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the 2019 Bank BRI Indonesia Open.
• Chang won twice on his domestic circuit in 2017, including his National Open, which earned him a coveted spot at The Open at Royal Birkdale, where he made his Major debut that year.
• He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2016 in his second attempt. He missed the mark in his first attempt in 2014.
• Itthipat Buranatanyarat won his third ADT title at the season-opening Boonchu Ruangkit Championship in January this year. He sits in third place on the ADT Order of Merit.
• Ittiphat recorded his best result on the Asian Tour when he came in tied-sixth at the Sarawak Championship in August.
• Itthipat turned professional in 2014 and earned his 2019 Asian Tour card after finishing third at the Qualifying School last December.
• Itthipat fired an eight-under-par 64 to grab the opening round lead by two shots at the Panasonic Open India last week. He settled for an eventual tied-14th place finish in the 54-hole event.
• The 26-year-old Itthipat was recently crowned the 2019 Order of Merit champion on the All Thailand Golf Tour.
• Amir Nazrin joined the play-for-pay ranks in 2017 when he was 20 years old.
• He has been plying his trade mostly on the ADT where he has notched several top-10 finishes. Amir, who averaged 320 yards off the tee, is also a multiple winner on his domestic circuit.