Rose’s wisdom inspires young generation at BNI Indonesian Masters

Published on December 11, 2018

Jakarta, December 11: England’s Justin Rose defends his BNI Indonesian Masters presented by BTN, PT.Lautan Luas.Tbk and Bank Mandiri title this week at Royale Jakarta Golf Club, but today faced a different examination of his game during a pre-event press conference.

A number of local junior golfers fired questions at him and the tournament’s other star players, including his Ryder Cup strike partner Henrik Stenson from Sweden.

One budding young golfer asked: “Early in your career you had a lot of missed cuts but I heard you say in a video ‘so what?’. How did you get that mentality?”

World number two Rose, a man at the peak of his game having also claimed this year’s FedEx Cup Play-offs, gave the perfect advice: “I think it is easy to say ‘so what?’ when you have come out of missing so many cuts but when you are missing the cuts it is a big deal.

“I remember feeling incredibly frustrated and helpless and hopeless at the same time. But I think I started to focus on me. I think comparison is a hard thing. If I started to compare myself to Sergio Garcia who came out and was winning some of his first tournaments as a pro then that was difficult. When I compared myself with other players I felt pretty bad about myself.”

And the Englishman, who claimed last year’s BNI Indonesian Masters by eight shots, explained the best thing he did was focus on his own game.

“I kept it simple and tried to look at my own game. Focus on my own improvement and work hard. Finishing fourth in the Open … that was the one factor that changed my expectations. I said to myself let’s take that out of the equation. Ask, ‘who am I as a player? I am a young talented player’. I knew that and if I work hard, hopefully talent and hard work will take me to the top eventually. So I put my faith in that.”

Rose followed another question with a question of his own: “Two children are playing golf. They are both in the middle of the fairway. The first kid gets up there and hits a five iron into the bunker. And he puts his club back in his bag.

“The second kid gets up there and puts his five iron into the bunker, bangs his club on the ground and slams his club into his bag. Which kid is trying harder?

“It is kid number one because it is so easy to get frustrated. That is the easy option to throw your club. The hard option is to stay cool and focus on your next shot. That is my advice to junior players. Most people say it is kid number two because he is trying harder and showing his emotion but it is not.”

There was no shortage of applause for the 38 year old and it is not difficult to see why his career reached full bloom in early September when he became world number one and followed that up with glory on the Ryder Cup.

Published on

Jakarta, December 11: India’s Shubhankar Sharma, the newly crowned Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, is ready to put up a performance worthy of his status as Asia’s best golfer when the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN), PT.Lautan Luas.Tbk and Bank Mandiri starts on Thursday.

Sharma’s glorious run this season started with his second Asian Tour win in Malaysia in February followed by a tied-ninth finish at the World Golf Championships in Mexico in March, where he led in the second and third rounds.

He went on to play in all four Major championships this year and his season was further sweetened by three top-10s in India, Malaysia and Hong Kong which would eventually give him an unassailable lead on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.

Sharma’s achievements have not gone unnoticed by the tournament’s marquee players Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson who are also expected to light up the BNI Indonesian Masters with their star power along with the country’s leading golfer, Danny Masrin.

While Rose is the highest-ranked player at the BNI Indonesian Masters this week, the world number two is under no illusions it will be a walk in the park as he prepares to put up a stout defence of his title.

Playing in Indonesia for the first time, Stenson is aware of the stiff Asian challenge and is hopeful of putting up a strong performance despite his lack of experience playing at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club where the Asian Tour’s US$750,000 season-ending event will be played this week.

Did you know?

At 22, Sharma is fifth and youngest Indian to win the coveted Asian Tour Order of Merit. Other Indian merit champions include Arjun Atwal (2003), Jyoti Randhawa (2002), Jeev Milkha Singh (2006 & 2008) and Anirban Lahiri (2015).
Sharma was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award from the President of India in September. He was also named the Rookie of the Year on the European Tour.
Rose emerged triumphant with a record winning score of 29-under-par 259 last year. He also holds the record of winning with the biggest margin (8 strokes) in the tournament history.
Henrik Stenson forged an unbeatable partnership with Rose, winning both their Foursomes matches at the Ryder Cup in September.
Stenson and Rose were engaged in a memorable battle at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where Stenson won the silver medal finishing two strokes behind gold medalist Rose.
Stenson is the first male Swedish Major champion, having won the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The winner of the BNI Indonesian Masters will earn a spot in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational next July.
The BNI Indonesian Masters is also the final event in the world’s golfing calendar where Official World Ranking points will be afforded to players as they seek to break into the top-50 by the end of the year.
The tournament is the third leg of the 2018/19 Panasonic Swing. The Panasonic Swing is an aggregate points race that spans five events with Asian Tour players chasing a share of a lucrative bonus pool.

Players’ Quotes

Shubhankar Sharma (Ind)

Obviously, I’ve played on this course many times and I do know a few things about this track. But I’m looking forward to playing well and having a good week. To be honest, I’ve been expecting too much from myself this year and it has been a numbers game from Asia to Europe and right up to the Majors. But after the Maybank Championship in Malaysia, I had a good lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and I really wanted to finish right on top. Now that I’ve done it, I’m feeling very relaxed. You always want to play well in every event that you play in and for this week, I want to give my best shot and try to win. But right now, it’s very satisfying as I’ve done what I’ve set out to do and I’m really happy. Winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit means a lot to me as it’s what all of us want to do. This is our home Tour and this is where we all start. This is the last event of the year on the Asian Tour and I want to play my best and sign off what has already been a very satisfying year.

Justin Rose (Eng)

I have always had the mentality that the golf course doesn’t recognize who is the best player in the world. I’d don’t tee off ahead of these guys because of my ranking. We tee off together with the same score on Thursday. It is about a great week’s work. There is no complacency from that point of view. It is always good to be here and try and play my best.

We are seeing Asian players crop up all over the word and compete at the highest level. More and more players are graduating from the Asian Tour. I think it is a sign of things to come. If you look at the LPGA, they are strongly represented by Asia unbelievably well. We are beginning to see that happen on the men’s side.

Henrik Stenson (Swe)

I have been a professional golfer for 20 years and this is my first time here. Justin told me a lot of good things from his trip last year and it’s been a lot of fun so far, although it’s only been a day and a half here. We got to know a lot of new people here in Indonesia as well. Everyone’s very friendly and trying to make sure we have the best of times here. I’ve come up with a plan and hopefully I can play some decent game and I can be one of the guys in the mix on Sunday. It’s a good golf course. I like it. I don’t have much experience as compared to Justin and the other players who have played here in the past. I played with Shubhankar in Malaysia when he won the Maybank Championship earlier this year. I didn’t have a lot to set up against his fine play that week. It’s always hard to predict which golfer will be in top form for the week but I have played a lot in Asia in my career and I have seen how golf has grown here in Asia. The strength of the Asian players is now coming through and I can only agree with Justin that we want to see more and more players like Shubhankar coming up. Golf is growing in countries that we did not expect to see some 20 years ago. The world golf is changing and it’s fun to see.

Danny Masrin (Ina)

I actually played in the Indonesian Masters in 2011 as an amateur and was still in senior high school. It was the year when Lee Westwood came, won and became world number one. I came back and played in 2016 as a professional and it was a different feeling. It was my first professional tournament and obviously I was feeling nervous. But I have seen how this tournament has grown especially the strength of the field. I think we are having the deepest field from Asia and over the world and it’s great to see how golf has grown in Indonesia. It also brings lots of hype to the tournament and give Asian Tour players the chance to see how we match up against these top players. This is a great opportunity for the juniors to see the opportunities we have in Indonesia. We have two Asian Development Tour events and two Asian Tour events in Indonesia and it’s good for the juniors who want to pursue golf as a career to know there are opportunities here.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.

Published on December 9, 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 9: Louis Oosthuizen of South African shook off a bad start before signing for a four-under-par 68 to win the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Sunday.

The 36-year-old, who had a three-shot advantage at the start of the day, appeared to have buckled under the final-round pressure as he made consecutive bogeys on holes two and three.

However, he recovered by sinking four birdies before making the turn and subsequently cruised to a six-shot victory on an 18-under-par 266 total at the Randpark Golf Club.

The South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg is the third Asian Tour title won by Oosthuizen. He was victorious at the 2012 Maybank Malaysian Open and the 2016 Perth International, which was also his last professional win.

“It’s always tough when you’ve been through some stuff and the people who have been behind you are not here to celebrate with you. My wife and kids have been phenomenal. It would’ve been great to have them here with me,” said the 2010 Open champion, who was struggling to contain his tears.

He added: “My putting has been as good as it’s ever been. I had all the confidence to hit my putts, even if I hit them two or three-feet past. You don’t have that all the weeks, but this week I definitely had that.”

Oosthuizen earned a winner’s cheque of US$203,335.

Frenchman Romain Langasque grabbed second place after carding the day’s lowest score of 66.

As the tournament is part of The Open Qualifying Series for the 148th Open at Royal Portrush, Langasque has earned a spot at the Major tournament next year together with South African Charl Schwartzel and England’s Oliver Wilson.

Yikeun Chang of Korea

Tour member Yikeun Chang displayed his championship credentials by finishing commendably in tied-seventh against an elite field. After making a double bogey at the first hole, the Korean made amends with a birdie-eagle on three and four. He made three more birdies and another bogey before ending his tournament with a 68.

Jbe Kruger excelled at his National Open as he carded a 70 to grab a share of seventh place. This is the South African’s first top-10 finish in 2018, and his first since October last year.

Kurt Kitayama (70) of the United States, who won his maiden Asian Tour title last week in Mauritius, finished in tied-15th with fellow Tour members Jarin Todd (68), Matt Wallace (74), as well as Asian Tour Honourary Member and International Ambassador Ernie Els (71).

Published on December 8, 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 8: Matt Wallace of England has put himself in a prime position to win his second Asian Tour title this year after carding a three-under-par 68 at the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Wallace enjoyed a bogey-free front nine and displayed his resilience on the inward nine by bouncing back with birdies every single time he dropped a shot at the Randpark Golf Club.

Wallace signed for an 11-under-par 203 total to head into Sunday in tied-second and three shots behind the leader, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.

“That birdie on the last was the biggest putt of the week so far for me. I saw that I could potentially get into the final group with that and I said to my caddy Glen, ‘come on, let’s make one’, we’ve hardly made one all week from that sort of distance,” said Wallace, who was also in the final-group pairing at the Hero Indian Open this year and went on to win the tournament.

“But I’ll tell you what, I’ve given away so many shots this week. I guess that comes with the little bit of rustiness from being two weeks off. It’s tough out there, and I just said to Glen there ‘if we can go tomorrow and make it stress-free and give myself as many chances as possible, we’ll be right up there’.”

Major winner Oosthuizen traded six birdies against two bogeys to return to the top of the leaderboard at the R17.5 million (approx. US$1,200,000) event.

Overnight leader Charl Schwartzel was unable to get his round going. He started with two bogeys in his first three holes and made just one birdie before ending his day with a 72. The South African joins Wallace in tied-second.

Jbe Kruger of South Africa

Tour members Adilson Da Silva of Brazil (69) and Jbe Kruger of South Africa (72) are in tied-fifth along with Asian Tour Honourary Member Ernie Els (68).

United States’ Kurt Kitayama went off the boil on Saturday as he made only one birdie and dropped four shots. The Asian Tour rookie goes into the final round in tied-13th and seven shots off the lead at the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg.

Published on

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 8: Newly-minted Asian Tour champion Kurt Kitayama continued his fine form by signing for a two-under-par 69 to trail by two shots at the halfway mark of the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Friday.

After opening his campaign with a solid 63 at the Firethorn course, the 25-year-old American followed up with a round of four birdies against two bogeys at the Bushwillow course to tie in third place on 10-under-par 132 total at the Randpark Golf Club.

South African Charl Schwartzel propelled into the lead after putting up a flawless display of golf for a 63, highlighted by one eagle and six birdies. Madalitso Muthiya of Zambia lurks one shot off the pace in second following a 68 at the R17.5 million (approx. US$1,200,000) event.

Tour members Jbe Kruger of South Africa, Matt Wallace of England and Korea’s Yikeun Chang placed themselves inside top-10 of the leaderboard after carding rounds of 67, 69 and 65 respectively in the South African showpiece.

Adilson Da Silva of Brazil, South African Shaun Norris and American John Catlin were among the 70 players from the 240-man field to survive the halfway cut, which was set at two-under-par 140 at the event tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and Sunshine Tour.

Coming off the back of a breakthrough victory in Mauritius last week, Kitayama is thrilled to extend his good run of form and put himself in position for back-to-back wins on the Asian Tour.

“It felt a little off today but I’m glad I was able to grind out a score of a couple-under and stay right in it for the weekend. The wind made it a lot tougher. It’s hard to score when it’s really windy. I had a good par save on the last. Those putts don’t seem that big but they definitely help going into the third round.

“I haven’t really thought about where I am too much. I’m just taking from last week and using it this week, and that helps calm things down for me. There are a lot of big names here so winning this would be really incredible,” said Kurt.

Kitayama signalled his arrival in Asia when he came in tied-third in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School earlier in January. He went on to win in his first start on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in Malaysia later that month.

Prior to his breakthrough, Kitayama has notched three top-five finishes in New Zealand, Thailand and Japan and has not missed a single cut in 13 starts on the region’s premier Tour this season.

The South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg is part of The Open Qualifying Series for the 148th Open at Royal Portrush. Spots are given to the leading three players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 10 and ties.

Published on December 7, 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 7: Kurt Kitayama of the United States continued to ride on his rich vein of form by firing a flawless eight-under-par 63 to trail first round leader Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa by one shot at the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Thursday.

Fresh from his breakthrough in Mauritius last week, the 25-year-old Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate was again in his element as he marked his card with six birdies and one eagle to share second place with Zambia’s Madalitso Muthiya at the Randpark Golf Club.

“It was nice to continue that run from last week. I made a nice long putt on the first and got off to a really hot start. I was four-under through five and then was kind of in cruise control a little bit, and then the eagle on 14 was nice to get it going again. I could’ve made a few more putts in the middle of the round. I had some good looks but they just didn’t fall.

“I played well last week in Mauritius and am just kind of riding that momentum. The putter has been really good so far and I’ve just got to continue keeping the confidence up,” said Kitayama.

Home favourite Oosthuizen remains the man to catch after he returned with a 62 to set the early pace. The 2010 Open Championship winner is looking to win his national open for the first time and put up a performance befitting of his status as the highest-ranked player in the field this week.

“Anytime, anywhere, nine-under is always going to feel nice. It was one of those rounds where you don’t really look at any scoreboard or your card, you just play. “I drove it really well and gave myself good opportunities to hit it close and I’m putting nicely, so it was just birdie after birdie. I’m pleased to be in the lead, but there’s a long way to go,” said the South African.

Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva, who won his maiden Asian Tour title in Chinese Taipei in September, opened his account with a 66 to share eighth place with eight other players that also include South Africa’s Ernie Els.

South Africa’s Justin Harding meanwhile signed for a 69 to trail Oosthuizen by seven shots in tied-46th place. Harding, who is currently placed third on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, needs a win this week to stand any chance of topping the money list as the Asian Tour season draws to a close in Jakarta next week.

Published on December 5, 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 5: South Africa’s Justin Harding is riding on the back of a successful season into the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg which tees off tomorrow.

The 32-year-old has enjoyed a very fruitful rookie year so far, having notched two victories and four top-10s in his last 10 starts on Tour. He made a spectacular entrance to the Asian Tour in July when he became the first golfer in Tour history to win two times in his first two starts.

Harding displayed glimpses of his brilliant 2018 form en route to a fourth finish last week in Mauritius. He is optimistic about doing even better this week at the Randpark Golf Club.

“I’m looking forward to the tournament. It’s a big event, it has a huge field and a lot of golf will be played,” said Harding, who is looking forward to playing his third event in as many weeks.

“It has been a busy month. From Hong Kong, I went to Mauritius and now I’m in Johannesburg. When you are playing well, you want to be always playing. I’m hoping that my momentum continues.”

The South African is currently placed third on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings. An excellent result in Johannesburg will boost his chances of winning the merit race that will conclude in Indonesia later this month.

Harding is spearheading a strong Asian Tour contingent at the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg that includes United States’ John Catlin, Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva, Sweden’s Malcolm Kokocinski and India’s Khalin Joshi, who have all won this season.

India’s Chikkarangappa S. was close to making a career breakthrough in Mauritius, where he finished in tied-second.

The 25-year-old, who recently won a tournament on his local circuit, earned his biggest prize cheque last week that helped him secure his Asian Tour card for the next season.

He said: “I’m in a better place [on the merit list] compared to last year. I’m going to play in South Africa with a bigger smile than I had last week and look for a win.”

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa

Other notable players in the field are Louis Oosthuizen, Matt Wallace, Branden Grace, Dylan Frittelli, Shaun Norris and Schwartzel, who are all ranked within the top-100 on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

Published on December 4, 2018

Bangkok, Thailand, December 02: Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines signed for a stunning four-under-par 66 in the final round of the Queen’s Cup hosted by Jaidee Foundation to end a three-year title drought on the Asian Tour on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Filipino dug deep into his reserves to hold off the challenge from the fast-chasing field after he birdied four of his closing six holes to reign supreme on a 20-under-par 260 total at the Legacy Golf Club.

Tabuena’s last victory came in 2015 when he secured his maiden win at his National Open. He traded five birdies against a lone bogey on the first hole to take his long-awaited return into the Asian Tour winner’s circle.

With his victory, Tabuena took home a winner’s prize purse of US$90,000 and moved up to 15th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.

American Johannes Veerman made a charge on the final day after carding a bogey-free 66 highlighted by four birdies, but he was unable to catch up with the relentless pace of Tabuena, and settled for second place on 263 at the US$500,000 event hosted by Thai legend Thongchai Jaidee.

Home favourite Jazz Janewattanond had a chance to complete a successful title defence after reeling in three birdies from the 11th. However, he struggled to a dropped-shot on the last and left Tabuena running away with a three-shot victory.

The Queen’s Cup is celebrating it’s 11th edition on the Asian Tour this week and Thongchai assumed responsibility of hosting for the first time on the region’s premier Tour, in his efforts to draw attention to his foundation.

Did you know?

· Miguel Tabuena only dropped three shots all week after posting two consecutive bogey-free rounds in the first and second rounds.

· Tabuena was accurate off the tees all week and only missed seven out of 56 fairways.

· He has enjoyed three top-10 finishes this season, including a fifth-place result at the Queen’s Cup in July.

· Prior to his win, Tabuena won his National Open for the second time on his local circuit in March.

· Tabuena, who claimed his first Asian Tour title on homesoil in 2015, became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008 at just 21-years-old.

· The Filipino is huge fan of the Team Philippine’s basketball team. He decided to play the Queen’s Cup this week instead of heading to Mauritius because he would have missed the game if he went to Mauritius instead.

· He took a career-high fifth place on the money list in 2016 thanks to five top-10 finishes.

· Johannes Veerman clinched the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit title in 2016 thanks to his win at the Taifong Open and five top-10s.

· The American resides in Texas but had spent 13 years living in Asia.

· His opening round 62 was his lowest career round since coming through Qualifying School in 2016.

· He only dropped two shots all week and his second-place finish marks his best result at the Queen’s Cup since he came in tied-10th in July.

· Veerman only missed three greens and needed 29 putts in his final round.

· Jazz Janewattananond had his new caddy Jacob on his bag this week. Jacob plays regularly on the Thailand local circuit and practices with Jazz at his home course.

· Jazz was the youngest player to make the halfway cut in an Asian Tour event at the age of 14 years and 71 days.

· The Thai started working with a new coach, Pete Cowen, just two months ago. Cowen is also the coach of Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who is the highest-ranked Thai golfer.

Players’ Quotes:

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) – Final Round 66 (-4), Total 260 (-20)

I am really happy, I did not get off a good start, bogeying the first hole. It took a lot of digging and scrambling because the guys were relentless all day. Natipong (Srithong) kept making birdies and I was pretty nervous at one point.

On this course you need to keep making birdies because they will eventually catch up. I wasn’t happy when I made the turn at even-par. But I am happy with how I came back strong on the back nine with four birdies.

(About being back in the winner’s circle) I didn’t expect it to take this long. I am really grateful for being able to finally get the job done. I have worked so hard over the past few weeks with my coach and when I missed the cut last week, I told myself to trust the process and it will eventually be worth it.

It means the world to win a tournament hosted by an Asian legend like Thongchai. It’s a dream come true to lift this trophy.

Johannes Veerman (Usa) – Final Round 66 (-4), Total 263 (-17)

I played really well. I was bogey-free again today. This week was probably the best I have ever done in a tournament so I am really pleased with that.

I played really solidly all week. I left a lot of putts short today so that’s going to come back to haunt me. But I have so many positives to take away from this week. Just with how I handled myself and how solid I played today. Hats off to Miguel (Tabuena). He played really well this week.

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) – Final Round 68 (-2), Total 264 (-16)

If I were to sum up my round today, I would say, it was almost good. It was up and down all day, started out good then just went downhill on the back nine. It was a pretty normal round, I am just not hitting it well these couple of weeks so I will take a third-place finish.

I was very unsure with how I was going to perform this week because of all the swing changes I am going through. Going from not having a coach to working with someone is a pretty big change for me.

I need to go back and figure out some stuff, I have to work on with my new coach before Indonesia. Miguel today played fantastic, it really was his day. I didn’t see him hit any bad shots today at all. When you play with someone like that you just know that they are going to win. It was going to be hard to beat if you don’t have your A-game. And I just didn’t have my A-game this week.

Published on December 3, 2018

Sentosa, Singapore, December 3: India’s rising star Chikkarangappa S. took a great leap on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after claiming a noteworthy joint runner-up finish at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Sunday.

Despite missing out on his breakthrough victory, the 25-year-old Indian took home his career’s biggest prize purse of US$104,364 and jumped a massive 45 spots up to 25th place on the Merit rankings, successfully keeping his card for the 2019 season.

Chikka, who won on his domestic circuit last month, had returned to Mauritius not only with an aim of putting up a fine showing to boost his Merit rankings, but also to seek redemption for himself after failing to qualify for the event in 2016, which was also held at the Four Seasons Golf Club, Mauritius at Anahita. He was the first reserve on-site then.

His intent certainly did not go unnoticed as he carded a flawless eight-under-par 64 highlighted by eight birdies to grab a share of the opening round lead by one. He followed up with rounds of 68 and 71 to remain in contention before closing with a bogey-free round of 67, thanks to two birdies in his closing three holes, to mark his best result on the Asian Tour at the €1,000,000 (approx. US$1,140,000) event.

Chikka would finish two shots back of winner Kurt Kitayama of the United States alongside Matthieu Pavon of France with matching totals of 18-under-par 270 in the event, which is tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

“I’ve played to a solid finish, which was much needed. I parred the last hole to save a lot of money which helped boosted my position on the Habitat for Humanity Standings. I’m going to take the positives from last week. I can smile and say that my Asian Tour card is done now.

“I can just go and look for a win now. I’m glad to put myself in a better place (on the Merit list) as compared to last year. I’m going to South Africa and Indonesia with a bigger smile than I had this week,” said Chikka, a double-winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).

Asian Tour rookie Kitayama, who came through the Qualifying School earlier in January, sweetened his year with a breakthrough victory after closing with a 68 in what was his debut appearance at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

Prior to his win, Kitayama has notched three top-five finishes in New Zealand, Thailand and Japan and did not miss a single cut in 13 starts on the Asian Tour this season. He also claimed his first ADT title in Malaysia in January.

Kitayama’s triumph at the world-renowned holiday isle would also mark his first victory in only his second start on the European Tour since making the grade at the Qualifying School in Europe last month.

“I’m just so proud, really happy. It’s an unbelievable moment for me, I’m just so happy I was able to pull it off. This whole year has been, well, what a great year! I still have two more events on the Asian Tour, but to win on one of the last few events of the year is just great.

“It’s been really exciting for me, being able to travel all over the globe and I’m going to continue to travel more. I’m really looking forward to it,” said the 25-year-old American, who propelled to eighth place on the money list following his victory.

Over in Thailand, Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines made a welcome return to the winner’s circle after closing with a four-under-par 66 to claim a three-shot victory at the Queen’s Cup hosted by Jaidee Foundation on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Filipino ended a three-year title drought after capping a winning total of 20-under-par 260 at the US$500,000 event held at the Legacy Golf Club. He took home a winner’s cheque of US$90,000 to sit in 16th place on the Merit rankings.

“I didn’t expect my second win to take this long. I am really grateful for being able to finally get the job done. I have worked hard over the past few weeks. It means the world to win a tournament hosted by an Asian legend like Thongchai Jaidee. It’s a dream come true to lift this trophy,” said Tabuena.

The top-60 players on the final Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings will earn their playing rights for the 2019 season. India’s Shubhankar Sharma continues to lead with a current haul of US$755,994 while Sanghyun Park of Korea trails by about US$194,000 in second place.

South African Justin Harding, who came in fourth in Mauritius, remained in third position with earnings of US$55,638 while Gaganjeet Bhullar of India and Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe sit in fifth and sixth respectively.

The Tour will head to South Africa for the penultimate South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg, which gets underway at the Randpark Golf Club on Thursday.

The 2018 Asian Tour season will culminate with the highly-popular BNI Indonesian Masters which will be held at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club from December 13 to 16 next week.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)

1. Shubhankar SHARMA (IND) $755,993

2. Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $561,898

3. Justin HARDING (RSA) $479,816

4. Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) $422,936

5. Scott VINCENT (ZIM) $420,887

6. John CATLIN (USA) $387,932

7. Sihwan KIM (USA) $373,008

8. Kurt KITAYAMA (USA) $352,711

9. Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $338,671

10. Rahil GANGJEE (IND) $302,628

11. Minchel CHOI (KOR) $286,555

12. Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $284,808

13. Berry HENSON (USA) $283,701

14. Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) $250,729

15. Paul PETERSON (USA) $244,888

16. Miguel TABUENA (PHI) $232,852

17. Khalin JOSHI (IND) $226,432

18. Shaun NORRIS (RSA) $201,156

19. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $189,611

20. Yikeun CHANG (KOR) $183,829

Published on December 2, 2018

Beau Champ, Mauritius, December 2: Kurt Kitayama of the United States won his maiden Asian Tour title after carding a final round four-under-par 68 at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Kitayama went into the fourth round with a share of the lead. He has never been in a similar position on the Asian Tour this season but he showed no sign of nerves, establishing the pace early in the day by making birdie-eagle-birdie from holes two to four at the Four Seasons Golf Club, Mauritius at Anahita.

With that, Kitayama went into the outright lead and held it for the rest of the day. The 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate gave the chasing pack a glimmer of hope when he bogeyed the 16th, but he recovered with a birdie on the following hole before signing for a winning total of 20-under-par 268 total.

Kitayama earned a winner’s cheque of US$179,607 and moved into the top-10 of the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.

India’s Chikkarangappa S. has also given his position on the merit list a significant boost after grabbing a share of second place with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, and earning US$104,365. He has virtually secured his Tour card for the 2019 season.

Chikkarangappa finished the way he started the tournament – bogey-free. He showed his raw emotions on the 16th after making a difficult birdie and carried the momentum to the following hole. A difficult par save on the 18th ensured that he maintained his tied-second position.

Justin Harding of South Africa

Justin Harding of South Africa was gunning for his third victory on the Asian Tour but had to contend with a fourth-place finish in Mauritius. The 32-year-old brought his terrific form from yesterday into his final round, evident from his birdies on second and fourth.

However, his title bid took a drastic turn after consecutive bogeys on holes six and seven. He admittedly struggled for the rest of the day and could not find that extra gear to bring him back up the leaderboard.

Nevertheless, Harding managed to close the gap on leader Shubhankar Sharma on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after earning US$55,639 at the AfrAsia Mauritius Open.

Did you know:

Kurt Kitayama turned professional in 2015 and has played on the Web.com Tour for the past two years before transitioning to the Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour rookie earned his card for the 2018 season via Qualifying School in January this year.
Before coming to Mauritius, he has one victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), as well as three top-10s on the Asian Tour.
At 326.6 yards, he is ranked first in average driving distance at the 2018 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
Kitayama was 1121st on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at the end of 2017. He can move as high as 196th following his victory in Mauritius.
He is the second 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate to win this season after India’s Viraj Madappa.
Chikkarangappa S. credited his recent success to the tweaks he made to his swing two months ago. Since then, he won a tournament on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and notched a tied-second finish in Mauritius.
This is his best ever finish on the Asian Tour.
He is the best putter in Mauritius. Chikkarangappa is ranked first in average putts per round (26) and average putts per green-in-regulation (1.509).
Last year, he retained his Asian Tour card for the 2018 season on the number.
Justin Harding received an invitation to play at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open earlier this year by virtue of his outstanding form on the Sunshine Tour. He went on to win the tournament and subsequently took up Asian Tour membership.
He won the Royal Cup a fortnight later, becoming the first golfer in Asian Tour history to win twice in his first two starts.
Harding still has a chance to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, as there are two more events on the Asian Tour schedule – the ZAR17,500,000 (approximately US$1.26 million) South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg and the US$750,000 Indonesian Masters.

Players’ Quotes

Kurt Kitayama (Usa) – Fourth round 68 (-4), total 268 (-20)

I’m just so proud, really happy. It’s an unbelievable moment for me, I’m just so happy I was able to pull it off. There were definitely some nerves around the first tee shot. Going birdie-eagle-birdie helped to calm things down for the rest of the day.

I was aware a little bit of what was going on and I kept one eye on the scoreboard. I just tried to stay calm and take it one shot at a time. It was important on 13, to get back with another birdie. I just tried to stay patient.

This whole year has been, well, what a great year! I still have two more events on the Asian Tour, but to win on one of the last events of the year is just great.

It’s been a different journey for me (going from Web.com Tour to Asian Tour to European Tour). It’s been really exciting, being able to travel all over the globe and I’m going to continue to travel more. I’m really looking forward to it.

Chikkarangappa S. (Ind) – Fourth round 67 (-5), total 270 (-18)

It was a fantastic round today. Looking at the scoreboard, the leading guys were making the golf course look like a mini-golf course. It must have been 20 or 21 under in the first four or five holes. Which was why I told myself that I must charge. I’ve played to a solid finish today, which was much needed. I’m very happy with it.

The 16th and 17th were the rollercoaster putts. I was under pressure to make those and I’m proud of myself for being able to do so. Before those holes, I saw the scoreboard and told myself that I have a great chance of heading up there. I have to finish within the top-four. The putt on 16th was amazing. It was 100 per cent perfection.

On the 18th as well. It was a great par putt. There was no sand where I was and the ball came out hot and running. I parred the hole to save a lot of money, which will help my position on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.

After shooting an eight-under-par in the first round, a win was on my mind. I just failed by two shots. I’m going to the positives from this week. I can smile and say that my Asian Tour card is done now. I can head out to South Africa for another week and I can go and just look for a win.

I’m in a better place [on the merit list] compared to last year. I’m going to South Africa and the Indonesian Masters with a bigger smile than I had this week.

Matthieu Pavon (Fra) – Fourth round 67 (-5), total 270 (-18)

I started well. I was pretty comfortable on the front nine, made some great birdies and had many chances. I just made a bad three putt on number eight, I mean, it happens. Then it was a little bit harder for me to get close to the flag, one or two putts did not go in.

I just missed a small opportunity on 18 to finish in second by myself. But it was a fantastic week, I played really well and I enjoyed the week.

When I was on the course I was really comfortable. I played really strongly. It was close for me, nothing big went wrong just a bit of luck on the week, drop more putts and a bit more concentration on a few shots. That would probably make the difference this week and the next few weeks.

I was working on my swing for a few days, so that’s a fantastic result. If someone told me that before starting the tournament I would take it. I am happy with the result and I will go forward.

Justin Harding (Rsa) – Fourth round 71 (-1), total 271 (-17)

The final round was rather annoying, to be fair. I started out really solidly. The key for me throughout the year was to keep the momentum going throughout the rounds. I made an aggressive play on sixth and I thought that I have enough club to get it over the trap but the wind knocked it down. On Friday or Saturday, the ball would have got it passed the flag. That bogey just knocked me on my bum and I bogeyed the next.

I gave myself chances on the 10th, 11th and 12th but I felt that I never hit it on the right side of the hole. It was just one of those days. I made some bad swings on the 14th and 15th and I was lucky to make some serious pars.

Kurt played great. He started well on the front nine and held it together. We had a nice time out there. Not the result I’m looking for, but it’s not bad. I would have taken it at the start of the week.

I’m slowly moving up the Habitat for Humanity Standings. Not as much as I would like if I had won the tournament, but it is still a good progression. I’ve just got to go out and play well. I’m still in contention and I’m playing alright.

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Jakarta, December 11: England’s Justin Rose defends his BNI Indonesian Masters presented by BTN, PT.Lautan Luas.Tbk and Bank Mandiri title this week at Royale Jakarta Golf Club, but today faced a different examination of his game during a pre-event press conference. A number of local junior golfers fired questions at him and the tournament’s other star […]

A number of local junior golfers fired questions at him and the tournament’s other star players, including his Ryder Cup strike partner Henrik Stenson from Sweden.

One budding young golfer asked: “Early in your career you had a lot of missed cuts but I heard you say in a video ‘so what?’. How did you get that mentality?”

And the Englishman, who claimed last year’s BNI Indonesian Masters by eight shots, explained the best thing he did was focus on his own game.

“The second kid gets up there and puts his five iron into the bunker, bangs his club on the ground and slams his club into his bag. Which kid is trying harder?

Jakarta, December 11: India’s Shubhankar Sharma, the newly crowned Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, is ready to put up a performance worthy of his status as Asia’s best golfer when the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN), PT.Lautan Luas.Tbk and Bank Mandiri starts on Thursday. Sharma’s glorious run this season started with […]

Did you know?

At 22, Sharma is fifth and youngest Indian to win the coveted Asian Tour Order of Merit. Other Indian merit champions include Arjun Atwal (2003), Jyoti Randhawa (2002), Jeev Milkha Singh (2006 & 2008) and Anirban Lahiri (2015).
Sharma was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award from the President of India in September. He was also named the Rookie of the Year on the European Tour.
Rose emerged triumphant with a record winning score of 29-under-par 259 last year. He also holds the record of winning with the biggest margin (8 strokes) in the tournament history.
Henrik Stenson forged an unbeatable partnership with Rose, winning both their Foursomes matches at the Ryder Cup in September.
Stenson and Rose were engaged in a memorable battle at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where Stenson won the silver medal finishing two strokes behind gold medalist Rose.
Stenson is the first male Swedish Major champion, having won the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The winner of the BNI Indonesian Masters will earn a spot in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational next July.
The BNI Indonesian Masters is also the final event in the world’s golfing calendar where Official World Ranking points will be afforded to players as they seek to break into the top-50 by the end of the year.
The tournament is the third leg of the 2018/19 Panasonic Swing. The Panasonic Swing is an aggregate points race that spans five events with Asian Tour players chasing a share of a lucrative bonus pool.

Players’ Quotes

Shubhankar Sharma (Ind)

Justin Rose (Eng)

Henrik Stenson (Swe)

Danny Masrin (Ina)

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 9: Louis Oosthuizen of South African shook off a bad start before signing for a four-under-par 68 to win the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Sunday. The 36-year-old, who had a three-shot advantage at the start of the day, appeared to have buckled under the final-round pressure as […]

The 36-year-old, who had a three-shot advantage at the start of the day, appeared to have buckled under the final-round pressure as he made consecutive bogeys on holes two and three.

However, he recovered by sinking four birdies before making the turn and subsequently cruised to a six-shot victory on an 18-under-par 266 total at the Randpark Golf Club.

Oosthuizen earned a winner’s cheque of US$203,335.

Frenchman Romain Langasque grabbed second place after carding the day’s lowest score of 66.

Jbe Kruger excelled at his National Open as he carded a 70 to grab a share of seventh place. This is the South African’s first top-10 finish in 2018, and his first since October last year.

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 8: Matt Wallace of England has put himself in a prime position to win his second Asian Tour title this year after carding a three-under-par 68 at the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Saturday. The 28-year-old Wallace enjoyed a bogey-free front nine and displayed his resilience on […]

The 28-year-old Wallace enjoyed a bogey-free front nine and displayed his resilience on the inward nine by bouncing back with birdies every single time he dropped a shot at the Randpark Golf Club.

Wallace signed for an 11-under-par 203 total to head into Sunday in tied-second and three shots behind the leader, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.

Major winner Oosthuizen traded six birdies against two bogeys to return to the top of the leaderboard at the R17.5 million (approx. US$1,200,000) event.

Jbe Kruger of South Africa

Tour members Adilson Da Silva of Brazil (69) and Jbe Kruger of South Africa (72) are in tied-fifth along with Asian Tour Honourary Member Ernie Els (68).

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 8: Newly-minted Asian Tour champion Kurt Kitayama continued his fine form by signing for a two-under-par 69 to trail by two shots at the halfway mark of the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Friday. After opening his campaign with a solid 63 at the Firethorn course, the […]

Coming off the back of a breakthrough victory in Mauritius last week, Kitayama is thrilled to extend his good run of form and put himself in position for back-to-back wins on the Asian Tour.

Prior to his breakthrough, Kitayama has notched three top-five finishes in New Zealand, Thailand and Japan and has not missed a single cut in 13 starts on the region’s premier Tour this season.

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 7: Kurt Kitayama of the United States continued to ride on his rich vein of form by firing a flawless eight-under-par 63 to trail first round leader Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa by one shot at the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg on Thursday. Fresh from his breakthrough […]

“I played well last week in Mauritius and am just kind of riding that momentum. The putter has been really good so far and I’ve just got to continue keeping the confidence up,” said Kitayama.

Johannesburg, South Africa, December 5: South Africa’s Justin Harding is riding on the back of a successful season into the South African Open hosted by the City of Joburg which tees off tomorrow. The 32-year-old has enjoyed a very fruitful rookie year so far, having notched two victories and four top-10s in his last 10 starts […]

Harding displayed glimpses of his brilliant 2018 form en route to a fourth finish last week in Mauritius. He is optimistic about doing even better this week at the Randpark Golf Club.

“It has been a busy month. From Hong Kong, I went to Mauritius and now I’m in Johannesburg. When you are playing well, you want to be always playing. I’m hoping that my momentum continues.”

India’s Chikkarangappa S. was close to making a career breakthrough in Mauritius, where he finished in tied-second.

The 25-year-old, who recently won a tournament on his local circuit, earned his biggest prize cheque last week that helped him secure his Asian Tour card for the next season.

He said: “I’m in a better place [on the merit list] compared to last year. I’m going to play in South Africa with a bigger smile than I had last week and look for a win.”

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa

Bangkok, Thailand, December 02: Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines signed for a stunning four-under-par 66 in the final round of the Queen’s Cup hosted by Jaidee Foundation to end a three-year title drought on the Asian Tour on Sunday. The 24-year-old Filipino dug deep into his reserves to hold off the challenge from the fast-chasing […]