Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 4: India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu will set his sights on a second victory at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) when he gets his campaign underway at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Sandhu, who claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough at the popular event in 2017, is thrilled to return to the scene of his memorable victory after missing the chance to defend his title last year.

Sandhu hopes his consistent play on the Asian Tour so far this season will be rewarded with a strong showing in the full-field event, which is celebrating its 10th consecutive edition on the region’s premier Tour this week.

Sandhu, who marked his best result this season with a runner-up finish in Bangladesh earlier in April, will feature in the talented 144-man field from 23 countries at the Yeangder TPC, which continues to offer a prize purse of US$500,000.

Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao has shown some great form of late, having claimed a top-five finish at the Sarawak Championship two weeks ago. The 27-year-old Hung will take aim at becoming the second local player, following Lu Wei-chih, to lift the Yeangder TPC trophy.

Lu, who enjoyed a fifth-place finish last year, is also feeling positive vibes ahead of the 2019 Yeangder TPC. Placed 53^rd on the latest Order of Merit, Lu hopes to boost his rankings with a fine showing in the event, where he won in 2011.

Newly-minted Asian Tour champion Miguel Carballo of Argentina will be looking to extend his winning form at the Yeangder TPC, where he finished tied-27^th in his debut appearance last season.

Did you know?

• Ajeetesh Sandhu claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough at the Yeangder TPC in 2017. He closed with a two-under-par 70 to win by one shot over American Johannes Veerman.
• A week after claiming his first Asian Tour title in Chinese Taipei, Sandhu went on to win the Taiheiyo Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour.
• The 30-year-old Indian claimed three top-10 finishes in 2018 to finish in 28th position on the final Order of Merit.
• Sandhu came close to winning his second Asian Tour title in Bangladesh earlier in April. He closed with a second straight 65 to finish one shot back of winner Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand.
• Sandhu sits in 22nd place on the 2019 Order of Merit with a current haul of US$76,716.
• Hung Chien-yao of Chinese Taipei emerged as the best-placed local player after finishing in third place at the Yeangder TPC last year.
• The 27-year-old Hung missed only two cuts in eight starts. He secured a fourth-place finish at the Sarawak Championship two weeks ago. It was his best result yet so far this season.
• Hung has yet to win on the Asian Tour but has one Asian Development Tour (ADT) title which he won on home soil in 2013.
• Hung won the TPGA Championship on his local circuit for the third consecutive year in July.
• Lu Wei-chih remains the only local player to have won the Yeangder TPC since the tournament was inaugurated in 2010. He won the event in 2011.
• In 2012, Lu underwent brain surgery to remove a non-malignant tumour which put him out of action for close to a year. 
• All of Lu’s four victories on the Asian Tour have come from home soil in Chinese Taipei.
• Despite making only two cuts in seven starts so far this season, Lu took pride in his tied-eighth place result at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup in Japan earlier in May.
• Miguel Carballo, the 2018 ADT Order of Merit champion, secured his first Asian Tour title at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open last week.
• Prior to his breakthrough, Carballo has won twice on the ADT – 2019 Singha Laguna Phuket Open and 2018 Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament.
• Since turning pro in 2002, the 40-year-old Argentinian has also won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, the 2007 Movistar Panama Championship and the 2011 Children’s Hospital Classic. 
• His best year on that Tour was in 2011 when he finished 10th on the Money List securing a card for the 2012 PGA Tour, where he also played in 2014 and 2016-2017.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 4: Read what players have to say ahead of the 2019 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship which starts on Thursday.

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind)

It’s amazing to be back here. I was just talking to my caddy Suria after playing nine holes yesterday. I could still remember every shot that I hit, all the feeling that I had when I won here two years ago. It’s really nice to come back.

The course is looking pretty similar like before. The greens, however, seems better than before. I hope the wind is up because that’s when the course will kind of shows up. I think we’re expecting storms according to the forecast.

I had a couple of good rounds last week in Jakarta. The game’s definitely trending in the right direction. It’s always nice to come back to where you won I guess. It has been a really consistent season for me so far. Came close in Bangladesh earlier.

I feel I’m close to a win again. Pretty good stretch of events coming up so hopefully it would be one of these weeks. It’s a tree-line golf course here and it really suits my eye off the tees. The greens are small so I need to work on my iron-play because I need pretty accurate lines on these greens.

It kind of rewards consistency in a way. That’s the strong part of my game. You just need to keep hitting center fairway and hitting the greens and you can give yourself a lot of opportunities for birdies.

Hung Chien-yao (Tpe)

It’s always nice to play at home. No need to stay in hotels and be away from the family. It’s nice to be able to stay at home and play a course that I am familiar with. It’s a good feeling to be back at this tournament again.

The game’s feeling good. I haven’t been practicing much (laughs). But it’s alright, I still feel confident with my game. I won’t give myself too much pressure this week. I won’t tell myself I need to do well just because I’m playing at home.

The ball is round. It’s hard to say what will happen. I just want to do my best out there and not think too much about anything else. My family will come and support me over the weekend so hopefully I can play well!

Lu Wei-chih (Tpe)

I had a good finish last year so it feels good coming back here. Always nice to play at home. I’m enjoying the home comforts for sure. It’s an important event for me definitely. But I will treat it the same like other Asian Tour events.

I did fix my swing a little bit coming into this week. Hopefully it all works out well. The season hasn’t been good to be honest. Only had one good result in Japan at the Diamond Cup. But there are still lots of golf to play. Hopefully I can put up another good showing this week.

Miguel Carballo (Arg)

It feels great coming into this week with a win. I had a good celebration with my friends on Tour in Jakarta before coming here. I received a lot of congratulatory messages from back home too which were really nice.

My family is very happy for me. I last went home two months ago, after I won the ADT event in Thailand. I wish they were here to witness. Playing on the ADT has definitely helped my game a lot. It’s a good platform to practise.

It’s my second time playing in the Yeangder TPC. I didn’t play quite well last year but I’m confident of putting up a better result this week.

I like playing in Asia. It’s only my second year here but I’m enjoying it a lot. Getting to see different courses, meeting different people and knowing different cultures, it’s been a great experience and I’m getting used to it.

Prom Meesawat (Tha)

It’s always nice to come back here. I have a lot of good memories here. It’s like coming back to my second home. I have a lot of Taiwanese friends here. I feel comfortable coming back here. I have been playing a lot of good golf since last year. I will keep knocking on the door and hopefully I’ll get the win again.

This is my fourth week in-a-row playing tournaments. I’m feeling a little bit tired but I am still alright. I played well in Japan two weeks ago so I’m hoping to replicate the good form this week. I played well in Japan last week too, just didn’t make enough putts. The game is good and I’m looking forward to this week.

This course is always windy. You got to keep the ball in play. It’s not a long course but the greens are tricky. Hopefully I can putt well this week. The current goal for me is to try and boost my Order of Merit ranking so that I can qualify for the WGC-HSBC Champions in November. I still have a good chance, just need to play well this week and in the next couple of weeks.

Viraj Madappa (Ind)

I played well in Jakarta last week. I have been playing well in patches. I started off well but sometimes I just couldn’t keep up with the momentum for the last two rounds. But I do feel good about my game right now. I have some good memories here from last year so I’m excited about this week.

This is one of the few places where I played really well outside of India last year. I could play up to my expectations, some of the holes here are pretty clear the way I play it. I do remember getting super lucky through the whole week last year too (laughs). I’m hoping for the same this week!

The season’s not been the way I wanted it to be. I haven’t played well in a whole bunch of events but I feel good about the remainder of the season. Just looking forward to this week. I haven’t really set any tangible targets for myself. I just hope to get four solid rounds in and play one round at a time. Hopefully it will lead up to something good.

I’m playing well I know. I am feeling positive. Winning last year has given me a lot of confidence in my game and I had a good experience last year touring around Asia for tournaments and getting used to everything. It’s getting a lot more comfortable this year for sure.

Yikeun Chang (Kor)

I hit the ball great in Jakarta last week. The game feels pretty good. I have been struggling off the tee. My iron shots weren’t that sharp, but everything is coming around nicely and I am actually looking to keep up this good form.

The Shinhan Donghae Open is coming up in two weeks. It’s a very important event to me so it’s good that my game is peaking now. Hopefully I can put up another good showing this week and carry on that fine form for the event.

The season hasn’t been good until last week. Finishing second in Jakarta gave me a lot of confidence. If my game can continue to progress week after week, I think I have a good chance of getting my first Asian Tour win.

Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha)

It’s my first time here. I’m excited. Game is feeling alright. Everything is fine. I’m keeping up the confidence but I need to work more on my short game. I still need to improve on that. I finished top-20 in Sarawak and Jakarta so I’m feeling good about this week.

I am enjoying the season so far, things have been good for me since I won in Bangladesh earlier this year. I’m enjoying the game, the life as a professional golfer and all the travelling. I like the game even more as a professional actually, compared to when I was still an amateur.

It’s been a great experience so far, getting to know the different golf courses, meeting different people and understanding different cultures.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 3: Thai star Prom Meesawat believes the feeling of ‘home’ comforts in Chinese Taipei will spur him to success when he tees off for the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on his favourite hunting ground starting Thursday.

Having claimed his second Asian Tour title at the Yeangder TPC in 2014, Prom is enjoying a strong sense of familiarity in Chinese Taipei and he hopes his previous successes in the popular US$500,000 event can lead him to a third victory this week.

The 35-year-old Thai is taking plenty of confidence from a tied-sixth place finish at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club last year, as well as a commendable season so far where he capped three top-10 results to sit in 12^th place on the Order of Merit.

Prom will spearhead a talented 144-man field that features 40 Asian Tour champions in the full-field event, which is celebrating its 10^th consecutive edition on the region’s premier Tour this week.

Viraj Madappa, who became the youngest Indian winner on Tour at the age of 20 following his breakthrough on home soil last August, will be looking to turn his season around with another good showing at the Yeangder TPC, where he finished fourth in his debut appearance last year.

Coming off the back of a runner-up finish in Jakarta last week, Korea’s Yikeun Chang is brimming with confidence as he aims to extend his fine form and launch another title bid for his Asian Tour breakthrough.

Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana hopes to make his dream season even more memorable as he sets sights on a successful debut at the Yeangder TPC. The 21-year-old has been impressive this season with one victory, three top-20 finishes and only a missed cut in six starts.

Did you know?

• Prom Meesawat is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He first won in Korea in 2006 before claiming his second victory at the Yeangder TPC in 2014, where he triumphed in a play-off against Miguel Tabuena.
• Prom enjoyed a tied-sixth place finish at the Yeangder TPC last year.
• He won the 20th Singha Thailand Masters on his domestic circuit in March and claimed his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title in Brunei in April.
• Prom got his season off to a great start when he secured a tied-fifth place finish at the season-opening Singapore Open in January to make a long-awaited second appearance at The Open in July.
• Prom sits in 12th place on the current Order of Merit, thanks to three top-10 finishes so far this season. He is aiming for good showings to boost his ranking and qualify for the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions.
• The qualifying period for 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions commenced at the conclusion of 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions and will conclude on October 21, 2019.
• The leading 4 members with the best aggregate prize money earned from Asian Tour prize money-counting events during this period and not otherwise exempt will qualify for the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions.
• Viraj Madappa is playing in his second year as a professional. He came through the Qualifying School in 2018 and claimed his maiden Asian Tour title on home soil last August.
• Madappa holds the record of being the youngest Indian player, at the age of 20, to win on the Asian Tour.
• Madappa enjoyed a fourth-place finish in his debut appearance at the 2018 Yeangder TPC, two months after his breakthrough on home soil. He went on to notch another top-10 finish at the season finale in Indonesia to finish 35th on the 2018 Order of Merit.
• Madappa has endured a lacklustre season, having made only four cuts in 11 starts to sit in 67^th place on the money list.
• Yikeun Chang topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in his second attempt in 2016 but did not keep his card for 2017 as he finished 101st on the Order of Merit that year.
• Chang would regain his card at the 2017 Qualifying School after finishing tied-eighth. He ended the season in 48th place on the Merit rankings and kept his card for 2018.
• In 2017, Chang also won his National Open for his first professional title after prevailing on the third play-off hole. That victory earned him a coveted spot at The Open at Royal Birkdale that year where he made his Major debut.
• Chang enjoyed his best season yet in 2018, claiming two top-10 results which included a joint runner-up finish at the Maekyung Open. He went the distance with countryman Sanghyun Park last year but agonisingly missed out on his first Asian Tour win after Park defeated him on the third play-off hole.
• Chang would end the season in a career-high 18th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings to retain his card for 2019.
• Sadom Kaewkanjana won on his first start on Tour at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in April and became the fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour. The record was held previously by Australian duo Kane Webber and Todd Sinnott who won in their second starts after coming through the Qualifying School in 2006 and 2017 respectively.
• Sadom secured his 2019 Asian Tour card in his first attempt at the Qualifying School last December.
• He turned professional at the end of 2018 and broke through on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) after claiming his first professional victory at the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation in February.
• Sadom enjoyed an illustrious amateur career prior to joining the play-for-pay ranks. He was ranked as high as 10th position on the Official World Amateur Rankings and his amateur wins include the 2017 Malaysian Amateur Open, 2017 All Indian Amateur and the 2018 Dutch International Junior Open. Also won the 2017 Singha Pattaya Open on his domestic circuit as an amateur.

Sentosa, Singapore, September 2: In a country known more for its football and showcasing to the world the likes of Maradona and Messi, Argentina’s Miguel Carballo shifted the spotlight away from them to golf with his breakthrough win at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open.

Caarballo staged one of the golf’s finest comebacks by overturning a six-shot deficit to eventually win the National Open of Indonesia by three shots, which now stands as the largest margin of victory on the Asian Tour so far this season.

Not since 2007 has the Asian Tour welcomed an Argentinian winner when Angel Cabrera won the Singapore Open.

But all that changed when Carballo announced his arrival into the winner’s circle with an assured performance at the Pondok Indah Golf Course that had all the hallmarks of grit, determination and belief on the final day.

“My focus was just to play good and try to go under-par. I felt it was possible and unfortunately for Naraajie, he did not play well and I capitalized on it. The game started to change on 13 when I made a birdie and he made a bogey there,” said Carballo.

The 40-year-old, who won the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit last year, hopes his win can inspire another new generation of golfers to emerge from Argentina, which he knows has a wealth of talent.

“Golf is starting to become popular in Argentina. Angel Cabrera won two Majors- The Masters and US Open and Roberto de Vicenzo won The Open a long time ago. We have very good players but there are not many golf tournaments in the country,” said Carballo.

The Argentinian has now set his sights on playing regularly on the Asian Tour now that he has a two-year winner’s exemption that came with his maiden Asian Tour win in Indonesia.

“My schedule’s going to change now that I’m a winner on the Asian Tour and I’ll most definitely be playing a lot over here now,” said Carballo, who moved to 17^th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Despite missing out on another grandstand finish this season, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continues to lead the Order of Merit standings.

The Thai extended his lead over Australia’s Scott Hend by more than US$200,000 after finishing tied-sixth in Indonesia.

“I didn’t bring my A game at all and I didn’t have a good putting day Basically, I didn’t have any satisfying rounds so I can’t win. I’m just going to go back and work on my game

“Hendy is a good player and if he starts to turn his game on it will be a fun race so we’ll see whether he turns his game on or not,” said Jazz.

The Asian Tour heads to Chinese Taipei for the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) which will take place at the Linkou Golf and Country Club from September 5-8.

Ends.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos       Player   Order of Merit (US$)

1            Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $761,613.71

2            Scott HEND (AUS) $528,160.94

3            Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $285,181.86

4            Taehee LEE   (KOR) $274,023.14

5            Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67

6            Zach MURRAY (AUS) $209,670.05

7            Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $187,218.98

8            Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $177,288.30

9            Scott VINCENT (ZIM) $167,490.11

10          David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

11          Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $135,062.83

12          Prom MEESAWAT(THA) $112,619.97

13          Janne KASKE (FIN) $110,485.67

14          Berry HENSON (USA) $106,792.21

15          Dongkyu JANG (KOR)  $104,405.57

16          Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $98,696.98

17          Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) $90,000.00

18          Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11

19          CHIKKARANGAPPA S. (IND) $82,794.55

20          Andrew DODT (AUS) $82,430.23

September 2: Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul enjoyed another fine showing in Japan when he closed with a five-under-par 67 to sign off from the Rizap KBC Augusta in a share of fourth place on Sunday.

Charoenkul, who regained his Asian Tour card with a second-placed result at Qualifying School last December, carded a four-day total of 19-under-par 269 to finish seven shots back of runaway winner, Higa Kazuki of Japan.

Zimbabwean Scott Vincent is among a trio of players who shared sixth place after carding a 68 while Nicholas Fung of Malaysia posted a 67 to take ninth place with three other players that also included 2011 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines.

Malaysia’s Gavin Green posted a 71 to end his week at the Omega European Masters in a share of 12th place, having earlier taken the second round lead at the European Tour event.

Over at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, India’s Shubhankar Sharma dropped 49 places down the leaderboard to tied-59th place after struggling with a 77.

Ends.

Overseas Watch: Green stages comeback to remain in contention

September 1: Malaysia’s Gavin Green overcame a nervy start by signing for third round one-under-par 69 to trail Argentinian leader Andres Romero by two shots at the Omega European Masters on Saturday.

Green, who held the second round lead, dropped three shots in his first five holes at the Crans-sur Sierre Golf Club. But he staged a remarkable fightback starting with a birdie on the ninth before making another birdie on 11 after the turn.

The 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion then sunk an eagle on the par-five 14 before ending his round with a three-day total of 12-under-par 209.

At the Rizap KBC Augusta on the Japan Golf Tour, Zimbabwean Scott Vincent posted a 64 to move up to a share of sixth place alongside Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul.

Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung returned with a 71 to trail Kazuki Higa by nine shots in tied-11th place.

Over in the United States, reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Shubhankar Sharma of India slipped to a share of 10th place after posting a 72 while South Africa’s Justin Harding missed the cut at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.

Ends.

Overseas Watch: Green reaches the peak with brilliant 64

August 31: Malaysia’s Gavin Green fired a six-under-par 64 to go one-shot clear after grabbing the second round lead with his two-day total of 11-under-par 129 at the Omega European Masters on Friday.

The 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion will be the man to catch when the weekend rounds get underway at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.

A group of five players including world number two Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland are lurking closely behind the Malaysian as he looks for his breakthrough on European soil this week.

“It was just a little bit of misjudgment on the first, and then things got hot. I played well, hit a lot of greens, made some putts. Just kept the ball rolling. I’m just trying to enjoy it and play as well as I can. That’s all I can ask for. 

“The atmosphere and views are amazing. In Malaysia we don’t have anything like this. I’ve been here a couple of times now and the views never get old. 

“The altitude is similar to where I went to university in New Mexico, Albuquerque, it’s a few thousand feet too. I’m pretty used to how altitude works. It’s just when it’s cold it gets a little tricky. But adjustments made and it’s been really fun,” said Green,

Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul also made his move in Japan at the Rizap KBC Augusta by signing for a 65 to take a share of fifth place, two shots back of Japan’s Kazuki Higa.

Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung returned with a 69 to end the round tied for eighth.

At the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Shubhankar Sharma of India got off to a promising start by posting a 66, taking a share of third place, three shots back of American leader Chris Baker.

South Africa’s Justin Harding carded a 73 to share 77th place.

Ends.

Overseas Watch: Green peaks well with opening 65 in Switzerland

August 30: Malaysia’s Gavin Green begin his assault towards the Swiss summit by posting a first round five-under-par 65 to stay two shots off the pace at the Omega European Masters on Thursday.

The 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion was in his element again as he marked his card with six birdies and a bogey after day one at the picturesque Crans-sur-Sierra Club.

Green is among a group of six players that include England’s Tommy Fleetwood that are in a share of sixth place, two back of France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Austria’s Matthias Schwab, who hold the first round with their opening rounds of 63.

Over in Japan, Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung signed for a 65 to trail Japanese leader Yuta Ikeda by one shot at the Rizap KBC Augusta on the Japan Golf Tour.

Fung, a one-time Asian Tour winner, enjoyed a bogey-free round after firing seven birdies to take a share of second place.

Ends.