Gurgaon, India, September 13: Indonesia’s Rory Hie remains the man to catch as he returned with a four-under-par 68 to hold on to his lead after the second round of the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship on Friday.

Hie, who held the overnight lead, stumbled early with an opening bogey in his opening back-nine 10. He recovered well by responding with two birdies in his next three holes before reaching the turn in 35.

The Indonesian dropped another shot on the second hole but responded well again with a pair of birdies on three and four and even stormed home with back-to-back birdies on eight and nine to secure his position atop the leaderboard.

India’s Abhijit Chadha meanwhile made the most of his intimate knowledge of the Classic Golf and Country Club- a venue where he has won thrice in the different stages of his golfing career by returning with a 65 to take outright second place, one shot back of Hie.

Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto continued to show his good form with another assured performance at the inaugural Asian Tour event, closing with an eagle-three at the last to take a share of third place with the Indian duo of Rashid Khan and Aman Raj with his two-day total of 10-under-par 13.

American Nicholas Latimer fired the lowest round of the day when he returned with a 64, marking his card with eight birdies and making it into the weekend round for only the second time in five starts on the Asian Tour this season.

Latimer is among a group of four players tied for sixth, three shots behind Hie.

The weekend cut was set at one-under where a total of 75 players will progress to the final two rounds.

Did you know?

• Rory Hie’s best Asian Tour finish came in Bangalore last year where he finished tied-fourth.
• His best result in 2019 has been a tied-fifth finish at the OB Golf Invitational on the Asian Development Tour (ADT)
• After earning First Team All American honors (golf) while at Cerritos High in California in 2004 and 2005, Hie played college golf as a freshman and sophomore at University of Southern California 2006-2008 before turning pro in 2009.
• Aphijit Chadha earned his Asian Tour card this season by finishing tied-35th at Qualifying School last December, the second time he has finished inside the top-40 since 2015.
• His best result in an Asian Tour event came in 2014 when he finished tied-eight in the SAIL-SBI Open at Delhi Golf Club.
• The 28-year-old from Chandigarh was one of India’s top amateurs in 2010 and 2011, and a member of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
• Chadha finished a career-high third in the Professional Golf Tour of India’s (PGTI) 2015 Ranking, having secured a win at the BILT Open along with three other top-10 finishes, including two top-3s, in the season. 
• He has won on three occasions at the Classic Golf and Country Club. First as a junior, followed by another win as an amateur and then as a professional in 2015.
• Aman Raj’s best finish in an Asian Tour event to date is a tied-fifth in last year’s Panasonic Open India.
• His best result in 2019 is a tied-second in the Golconda Masters Championship on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), and he also has two other to-10s this year on that Tour.
• Formerly ranked as India’s number one amateur in 2015, Raj came through Qualifying School last December by finishing tied-13th after a final round 65.
• During his amateur days Raj represented India at the Nomura Cup in 2015 and Asian Junior Golf Team Championship in 2012.
• Kosuke Hamamoto, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai, is playing in his first year as a professional golfer.
• Hamamoto started playing golf at the age of eight. He is a former Thai Amateur star, South East Asia (SEA) Games individual gold medalist and was part of the first Thai team to win the Nomura Cup in Malaysia in 2017.
• He was also part of Team Thailand that finished second in the Team event at the SEA Games in 2017.
• Hamamoto came through 2019 Qualifying School last December. Hamamoto, who started the season with a missed cut in Bangladesh, has since posted a tied-28th, tied-16^th, tied-10th before finishing second in Taipei last week.
• He has also posted six top 10s and 13 top-20s on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) in 2019.
• American Nicholas Latimer is playing in his first season on the Asian Tour after finishing tied-30th at Q-School last December.
• In his four Asian Tour starts in 2019, the best result has been a tied-39th at last month’s Sarawak Championship.
• Latimer played on the Kent State University golf team before graduating in 2009.
• He also worked as a PGA Club Professional for seven years, before securing financial backing to start playing full time.

Ends.

Gurgaon, India, September 11: Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate Kosuke Hamamoto of Thailand will be looking to translate his impressive form into a victory at the inaugural Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship, which starts on Thursday.  

Kosuke, who entered the spotlight when he came in runner-up at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Chinese Taipei last week, is inspired to bid for a successful outing when he gets his campaign underway at the Classic Golf and Country Club.

Thanks for his commendable result last week, the 20-year-old Thai has virtually locked up his Asian Tour card for 2020 after playing only five events so far this season. He will be aiming to go one rung better in the inaugural Asian Tour event, which offers a prize purse of US$300,000.

India’s Chikkarangappa S. and Viraj Madappa are counting on home advantage to steer themselves to a victory this week. Their title ambitions will be put to test by Korea’s Taehee Lee and Masahiro Kawamura of Japan, placed fourth and fifth respectively on the Order of Merit.

The host venue, which comprises of an 18-Hole Signature Championship Course as well as a 9-Hole Signature Canyon Course, witnessed a slice of history in 2009 when Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat recorded the world’s lowest 72-hole score with a 32-under-par to win the third of his four Asian Tour titles then.

Prior to hosting its first Asian Tour event in 2009, the Classic Golf and Country Club was also home to the prestigious Indian Open in 2000 and 2001. Over the past few years, it has also played host to several tournaments on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

Did you know?

• Kosuke Hamamoto enjoyed a runner-up finish in Chinese Taipei last week to move to 27^th place on the Order of Merit, where he has virtually retained his playing rights for the 2020 season.
• The 20-year-old, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai, joined the play-for-pay ranks after coming through the Qualifying School last December.
• In just five starts on Tour prior to this week, Kosuke has secured a tied-16^th place result at the Sarawak Championship last month and a tied-10^th finish at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open a fortnight ago.
• Kosuke also enjoyed some solid results on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this season, having notched four top-10s, including a runner-up finish at the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation.
• Hamamoto started playing golf at the age of eight. He is a former Thai Amateur star, South East Asia (SEA) Games individual gold medalist and was part of the first Thai team to win the Nomura Cup in Malaysia in 2017.
• He was also part of Team Thailand that finished second in the Team event at the SEA Games in 2017.
• Chikkarangappa S. is a two-time winner on the ADT. He has also won twice on his domestic circuit this year.
• Chikka will be chasing for his first title on the Asian Tour this week.
• He sits in 21^st place on the Order of Merit, thanks to a tied-20^th place finish at the lucrative Maybank Championship and a top-10 finish at his National Open earlier this season.
• Viraj Madappa will be chasing for his second Asian Tour title this week. The 21-year-old claimed his breakthrough on home soil when he was still a rookie last August.
• Madappa holds the record of being the youngest Indian player, at the age of 20, to win on the Asian Tour. He finished his rookie season in 35th place on the 2018 Order of Merit.
• Madappa has endured a lacklustre season, having made only five cuts in 12 starts to sit in 67th place on the money list. The young Indian, however, is getting his season back on track with back-to-back top-25 finishes in Indonesia and Chinese Taipei coming into this week.

New Delhi, India, September 11: Read what players have to say ahead of the inaugural Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship which starts on Thursday.

Viraj Madappa (Ind)

It feels good to be back playing in India. I think playing anywhere in India is kind of an advantage for us. Feels very comfortable, a lot of people over here will probably be rooting for us, not just me. So it’s nice to be back playing on courses that we have played on a lot growing up.

We have had a few junior and amateur events here, growing up I’ve played a few events over here, so I do know this place a little bit. Not as much as some of the courses I normally play in Bangalore and Calcutta, but I have played it before and I think enough to know a little about it.

I feel really good with my game. I’ve had two really positive weeks coming into this week, so I’m excited about being here and playing in front of a home crowd.

My goal is just to do as good as I can, and I know I’m playing well enough to win. I think I’m going to be banking on a lot of home supporters which pushed me through the line like when I won in Bangalore last year, so I’m excited for that.

I think last year was just a learning experience, getting to play a lot of the bigger events after I won. Also getting used to seeing a lot of the big guys in the co-sanctioned events. I think I was like kind of fan-boying and star-struck.

I think I’ve gotten over that and it feels, I think, more natural now, feels like my work-place playing anywhere I normally go and most of the courses we’re going to be playing now are places that I’ve been, so more familiar I guess.

Kosuke Hamamoto (Tha)

Obviously, I’m quite relieved that I have secured my playing rights for next year. Now that I have my playing rights secured, my goal is to finish as high as possible on the Order of Merit so that I get into all the co-sanctioned events.

To be honest, I didn’t really expect anything because it’s my rookie year. I didn’t want to expect too much out of myself, I just wanted to learn as fast as I can, and learn as much as possible every single week.

It was nice to drop only shot throughout the week in Chinese Taipei. But I wasn’t thinking about keeping the bogeys off the cards because in golf, the harder you try to do something, the harder it is for you to do it. If you try not to make a bogey, it’s easier to make a bogey. So I will just go out and focus on my processes. Whatever meant to happen, will happen.

It’s not going to be easy to get a win this week, but I’ll definitely give my 100% effort, and like I said just try to focus on my process and whatever happens, happens.

Chikkarangappa S (Ind)

Playing at home is always special and to be honest, I got some really good memories out here. I got my podium finish in my second professional event in PGTI here at the Classic Golf and Country Club so a lot of good memories out here.

I’ve been very comfortable playing back home in India. I had a top 10 finish at the Indian Open and also I played two events on the domestic circuit this year and I won both. Playing at home is always a little bit of a good feeling and you know obviously having the knowledge of the golf course is an advantage.

Form has been really good, it’s just that my putter has been a little cold. I think I just need to kiss my putter this week and it should start working. And I should be back up there on the weekends.

To be honest, I’ve been out free-wheeling, you know after I finished that top 10 and played well in Maybank and everything, made sure my card was done in the first half itself. I’ve been working on a couple of things with my coach, and then those things are getting in place, and I can see myself.

My ball-striking has improved a lot, my fairway hitting has improved a lot, my greens-in-regulation has improved, it’s just like I said my putter has been a little cold, but once it gets hot, the way I’m striking the ball I think I should be able to go a lot deeper.

I’m going to go out there and make sure I’m in the 65s every day. That’s what the goal is, and just try and get those numbers up there, and probably more than 20 under is going to be the winning score for sure, so looking forward to that.

Janne Kaske (Fin)

I’ve never been there (Classic Golf and Country Club) before but I have heard it’s a very scorable golf course. The Indian boys have been telling me it’s in good shape and the scores will really depend on how the rough is. If the rough is not up, then we can expect low scores. It’s nice to go there, I’m looking forward to it and I feel like my game is good. I’m putting quite well so I feel like I’m able to go low if that what it takes over there. My short game has been a little bit better in the last month or so now. My ball striking hasn’t been there, since that tournament (Maekyung Open) I haven’t hit it really well but like the final round of last week, I pretty good with my ball striking so I feel like actually everything starting to click. I like Indian food so I’m going to enjoy that part of it this week.

Taehee Lee (Kor)

This will be my third trip to India and I’m really looking forward to the week. I’ve been playing well this year and I’m so happy that I won my first Asian Tour title at home in May. It’s nice to know that I’m probably one of the pre-tournament favourites and hopefully, I can live up to it and play well this week. My form has been good so far and I’m hoping to carry that form over this week at this beautiful golf course.

Jack Harrison (Eng)

I’m looking forward to the week here as I’ve been playing well and got a good track record in India. I had a pretty good tournament last time in India at the Panasonic Open India. I love that course. While it’s a pity we’ll not going back there this year but I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Classic Golf and Country Club. It will be a good experience, I’m sure. I do love Indian food and some of the best Indian food outside of India can be found in England. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be good, on and off the golf course.

New Delhi, India, September 10: Finland’s Janne Kaske will be seeking a performance that will seal his passage into the winner’s circle for the first time when he tees up for the inaugural Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship which starts on Thursday.

Kaske was narrowly denied his breakthrough in May when he lost to Korea’s Taehee Lee in a play-off in Korea and is now hoping that heartbreak can be erased with a grandstand finish at the US$300,000 Asian Tour event this week.

The Finn is part of a strong international field of players where players from more than 20 countries are making the Classic Golf & Country Club International Championship a truly global event.

Kaske will come up against Lee again as the Korean has also committed to playing at India’s first Jack Nicklaus signature course, the Classic Golf & Country Club. The Korean immediately took up an Asian Tour membership after his win on home soil in May and is billed as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Lee is the highest ranked player in fourth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and will be looking for his first professional victory outside Korea this week.

England’s Jack Harrison is hoping to ride on the positive vibes he has of India after enjoying a top-10 finish in his last visit to the country.

The Englishman also has a top-five finish in Bangladesh this season and could prove to be one of the genuine contenders.

The host venue, which comprises of an 18-Hole Signature Championship Course as well as a 9-Hole Signature Canyon Course, witnessed a slice of history in 2009 when Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat recorded the world’s lowest 72-hole score with a 32-under-par to win the third of his four Asian Tour titles then

Prior to hosting its first Asian Tour event in 2009, the Classic Golf and Country Club was also home to the prestigious Indian Open in 2000 and 2001. Over the past few years, it has also played host to several tournaments on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

Did you know?

• Janne Kaske turned professional in 2011 and won twice on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2015.
• Off the course, Kaske is an avid guitarist. He is also a graduate of the Augusta State University, where he played in the same team alongside Patrick Reed for a semester before graduating.
• Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Kaske’s best result on the Asian Tour was his runner-up finish at the 2019 Maekyung Open.
• Kaske failed to make the mark in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2012.
• He returned for another shot in 2015, where he would top the class in the first stage but missed the grade in the final stage. Kaske, however, started plying his trade on the ADT that year and captured two titles.
• He continued to ply his trade on the ADT in 2016, 2017 and 2018 after missing consecutive attempts at the Qualifying School. A solid season on the ADT in 2018 finally earned him playing rights on the Asian Tour in 2019.
• Taehee Lee trained under Korean legend Sangho Choi, who is the third oldest winner on the Asian Tour, having won the Maekyung Open at the age of 50 years and 145 days.
• Lee won the Genesis Championship in 2018 for his second professional victory. That win earned him two starts on the PGA Tour – The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges last October and the Genesis Open in February earlier this year.
• He enjoyed a solid season in 2018, claiming one victory and four top-10 finishes on his domestic circuit.
• Lee also claimed his first career victory in 2015.
• Jack Harrison secured his Asian Tour card for the 2018 season after finishing tied-15th at the Asian Tour Qualifying School.
• It was his second attempt at the Qualifying School since 2013.
• Harrison, who turned professional in 2011, enjoyed his best result this year at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open when he finished tied-fifth.

Ends.