Malaysia savours dream start at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf

Published on November 22, 2018

Melbourne, November 22: Ben Leong and Gavin Green flew the Malaysian flag high at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf as they signed for an opening nine-under-par 63 to trail by one shot after the first round’s fourball format on Thursday.

The duo, playing in the World Cup of Golf for the first time, credited their strong teamwork for a strong start as they combined for two eagles and five birdies at The Metropolitan Golf Club in the 28-nation team competition.

Green, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, took advantage of his booming drives to nail an eagle on the par-five seventh hole before adding three birdies on holes 10, 13 and 18.

Leong, a one-time Asian Tour winner, overcame a nervy start by contributing an eagle on the par five ninth hole, as well as two birdies on the sixth and 14th holes. He had opened with a double-bogey and a bogey while Green made pars to steady the Malaysian team.

Byeonghun An and Siwoo Kim of Korea emerged as the highest-ranked Asian team after signing for a 62 to share the lead with Team England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter, as well as Team Australia of Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.

Green and Leong sit in fourth place alongside Team Belgium (Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry) and Team Denmark (Thorbjørn Olesen and Soren Kjeldsen), who won the first World Cup of Golf for their country, also in Melbourne, two years ago.

The Malaysian duo is part of the six Asian nations in the field hoping to hoist the famous trophy at the US$7 million event, won previously by many legends of the games. They will play alongside Team Australia in the Foursomes (alternate shot) format on Friday.

Ben Leong of Malaysia

Did you know?

Malaysia’s best finish was in 1994 when M. Ramayah and the late P. Gunasegaran emerged ninth in Puerto Rico while at the 2016 World Cup in Melbourne, Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung ended up joint 22nd.
Leong won his first Asian Tour title in 2008 before suffering from a disc prolapse in 2012. He has shown signs of returning to his best form in the last few years. Leong, a two-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner, has claimed two top-10s on the Asian Tour so far this season.
Green, who claimed his maiden Asian Tour victory in Chinese Taipei last year, became the first Malaysian to lift the Asian Tour Order of Merit trophy in 2017.
Green played his way onto the main Tour from the ADT, where he has won on three occasions. He finished second on the 2016 ADT Order of Merit to earn his Asian Tour card for 2017.
Green kept his European Tour card for the next season after finishing in 84th position on the Race to Dubai rankings.
Green is visiting Australia for the first time. His father, Gary, is on his bag this week.

Players’ quotes:

Ben Leong (Mas)

It was great, besides the first hole. Having Gavin beside me really calmed me down definitely. It’s been great. I guess we did really well today, we timed it really well. The holes he made par, I made birdie. The holes I made bogey, he made par. It’s been a great day.

It’s not going to change much for the foursomes tomorrow, I think. Gavin’s going to go odd, so we’ll see how it goes. It depends on the weather as well.

I’ve played in Perth earlier this year. It’s similar, but not quite. I mean, it’s great over here. It’s great coming back to Australia.

I made an eagle on the par-five nine. I had about 230 yards into the green and I hit a three‑wood there and managed to put it on the green and I made the putt from about 20 feet.

Another highlight of our round was on the eighth hole when Gavin made that 25‑footer for par. That helped to keep the momentum going. Par’s a very good score out there really, given the windy conditions today.

We just try to make things easy for each other out there.

Gavin Green (Mas)

It was good team golf really. I think it was just solid all around. Started off strong, gave ourselves a couple of looks but didn’t drop. Obviously, it started to drop in the middle of the round, so we just kind of stayed patient really.

The wind was just all over the place, that was the tough part of it today. The last hole I changed clubs because Ben said, you know what, it’s a little too much. I clubbed down and it came out perfectly.

It’s a great team golf. Like he said, the holes I birdied, he didn’t birdie, so we always had alternate holes, which we did well on and it is a good thing especially in this format. We just kind of kept it going, kept it rolling.

Hit a bunch of fairways, hit a bunch of greens and made some putts, some pretty big putts, so it was huge. I think we both hit fades, so it’s easy to see the kind of shots we see. We got along well and I think it was good.

He’s a little shorter than me and I’m a little longer, so it’s always nice to have that little combination on some holes. I hit 2‑iron, driver or 3‑wood. I think it’s a good thing. We’re looking forward to the next few days. We just want to have fun and do the best we can.

It’s my first time playing a sandbelt course. It’s like a mixture of inland golf and links golf. It’s a bit of everything in one, which is kind of cool, I think. I’ve never seen a golf course like this with that shape of bunkers and how firm it is on the greens but not so much on the fairways.

If you’re in some of those bunkers, you’re dead, you have no chance. You kind of have to really, really think that first bounce is kind of big and make sure you’re not reaching the other bunker. There are so many bunkers around that you kind of have to be careful.

The eagle I made on the seventh hole, I hit a big drive and only need a 54-degree for my second shot, hit it to about three feet and made the putt.

We just kept the round going. Some par-threes are just so tough, they’re all in the wind and you can’t control it. It’s all over the place and you just don’t know what to do sometimes. Walking away with par, we’ll take it every day. Overall, it was a fun day.

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Melbourne, November 22: In-form Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar of India opted for an aggressive approach in the Fourball match which paid off as they registered an eight-under-par 64 to trail by two shots at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf on Thursday.

The talented pair, who also represented India at the 2013 World Cup of Golf, took advantage of their fine form to sign for a flawless card highlighted by eight birdies at The Metropolitan Golf Club.

They trail leaders Korea (Byeonghun An and Siwoo Kim), England (Tyrell Hatton and Ian Poulter) and Australia (Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith) by two shots in tied-seventh place.

Lahiri and Bhullar hailed their great collaboration as they managed to feed off the positive energy from each other to put themselves in contention at the prestigious US$7 million event, which is celebrating its 59th edition this week.

The duo hopes to leverage their strengths effectively as they head into the Foursomes (alternate shot) match on Friday, where they will play alongside Team Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Paul Dunne.

Team India is part of the six two-man Asian teams in the field vying to hoist the famous trophy in the event, won previously by many legends of the games.

Team Malaysia (Ben Leong and Gavin Green) trails the leading trio by one shot in tied-fourth place while Team Japan (Satoshi Kodaira and Hideto Tanihara) and Team China (Li Haotong and Wu Ashun) are tied in 13th following matching 66s.

Team Thailand of Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Prom Meesawat came in a further shot back in tied-20th following a 67.

Did you know?

Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar hold a combined total of 16 victories on the Asian Tour, which includes three co-sanctioned wins on the European Tour.
Lahiri, now a regular player on the PGA Tour, is a two-time International team member of the Presidents Cup. He is also the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015.
Lahiri, 31, and Bhullar, 30, have represented India together in numerous team competitions since their amateur days. They featured in the Eisenhower Cup, Nomura Cup and Asian Games, delivering a team silver in 2006, before venturing almost at the same time into the play-for-pay ranks where they also represented Team Asia in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in 2013.
Bhullar holds the most number of victories by an Indian player on the Asian Tour after claiming his ninth career triumph at the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways in August.
India’s best finish of ninth place in the event was achieved by Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa in Portugal in 2005.

Anirban Lahiri of India

Players’ quotes:

Anirban Lahiri (Ind)

We really enjoyed ourselves. We’re both playing good so it was easy for us to be aggressive. It was nice to finish with a birdie on the last. I think both of us felt like we should have made at least two or three coming in. Missed a few opportunities there, but this format is like that, you have to get on a run. If you make one birdie, it kind of motivates both the players to get more aggressive and one birdie leads to another birdie. It’s like you just have to stay in that frame of mind.

Absolutely looking forward to the foursomes tomorrow. Obviously the mindset changes overnight, but again, we’ve played this quite a bunch. Gaganjeet and I played a bunch of Eurasia Cups and I’ve played President Cups as well. That experience is there of playing in the format and you can understand the dynamic.

It depends on the weather and how they set the course up. There were some pins today that were hard to get to. It will be interesting to see how they set up the golf course tomorrow. It might be a case of making more 15‑footers or 20‑footers tomorrow because that’s probably going to be the way to go about it.

That’s a very important aspect of it. You have to feed off each other’s energy, especially tomorrow because you’re not going to have a perfect round of golf. You might hit one shot here or there and you can be the partner, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.

You go out there, you give it your best, you have fun and you’re enjoying each other’s company which is the privilege. At the end of the day, that’s what motivates us because it’s not Anirban Lahiri or Gaganjeet Bhullar up on the leaderboard. It’s India that’s on the leaderboard, so we’re really motivated.

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind)

We both played well today. We had good tee shots and we gave ourselves a lot of good opportunities on the greens. I think it’s a decent start to the tournament. The key is hitting all the fairways, all of the greens and holing most of the putts.

That’s what our goal is going to be. It was a good teamwork, with our caddies as well. They did a great job today. It’s like a team play. You know, just go out there, have fun and give our 100 percent.

This is kind of expected actually. In today’s format, I mean, I’m glad we played well. As I said, it’s a decent start to the tournament. In this format you expect people to go low and, I mean, talking about our game today, it was quite a good run from the sixth to ninth holes.

We were giving our 100 percent, we were reading the putts well, we were hitting the shots really close. A few errors which we couldn’t convert to birdies, but I think overall the birdie on the last did put a lot of smiles on our faces.

We just hope to keep the momentum going in the next three rounds.

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Hong Kong, November 22: India’s Arjun Atwal stayed one shot back of first round leaders Yusaku Miyazato of Japan, Australia’s Jason Scrivener and England’s Aaron Rai after he signed for an opening four-under-par 66 at the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi on Thursday.

Atwal took the clubhouse lead in the morning but was dislodged from the top of the leaderboard when the trio made their moves at the Hong Kong Golf Club under more favourable weather conditions in the afternoon.

Based in Florida in the United States, the 45-year-old flew into Hong Kong ready to put up a performance befitting of his reputation as one of Asia’s golf legends.

Atwal, who is no stranger to success having won the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2003 and enjoying multiple victories across Asia, Europe and the United States, returned with a flawless card that was highlighted by four birdies on holes one, three, four and 17.

Australia’s Sam Brazel, who won the Hong Kong Open in 2016, was also in the mix after carding a 68 where the only blemish on his card came at the par-three eight where he suffered a bogey-four.

Brazel is bunched in tied-ninth place that also includes Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, India’s Khalin Joshi and compatriot Scott Hend, who also won the event in 2014.

Major winner Patrick Reed of the United States meanwhile had a round to forget after opening his campaign with a disappointing 75 while Spain’s Sergio Garcia signed for a 70 to stay five shots back of the leaders.

Did you know?

Arjun Atwal made history by becoming the first Indian golfer to win on the US PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship in 2010.
He was also the first Monday qualifier to win a tournament in 24 years in the United States
Atwal’s last victory on the Asian Tour came at the Dubai Open in 2014 and he won the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2003.
Atwal hit 10/14 fairways, 15/18 greens and made a total of 29 putts.
Aaron Rai turned professional in 2012 and has four professional wins.
He hit 9/14 fairways, 13/18 greens and had 27 putts in total.
Yusaku Miyazato comes from a golfing family where his younger sister Ai Miyazato is a former world number one.
He hit 8/14 fairways, 12/18 greens and made a total of 24 putts.

Players’ Quotes

Arjun Atwal (Ind) First round 66 (-4)

It was unexpected, but I’ll take it. It was really tough out there today. Especially early in the morning, it was really cold and windy. Felt like it was coming from all over. I’m really happy with the score. I have no thoughts now because I haven’t really played much the last two months. The last time I played I pulled out of a tournament in Japan. I’m just going to take each day as it comes and try my best. I’m trying to get rid of my jetlag. I’ve been getting up at like 3.00am every day. I’m just going to go home and rest and come out tomorrow and try again. I love Hong Kong as a city. I’ve been lucky enough to win here at Clearwater Bay, but it’s definitely one of my favourite cities, as well, and then the vibe that you get in this tournament, you know, just when you step on the golf course is awesome, for me, anyway. I love it.

Aaron Rai (Eng) First round 65 (-5)

It was a good round. I think we were lucky with the weather today. When we got here this morning, it was kind of blowy, so the guys this morning had it harder than we did, but nonetheless it’s a tough course. I think any anything under par was a good score and I was very pleased with a 65 to start off. My short game was pretty good. Missed a few greens early on and got up and down each time, which I think was important. And also, putted very well, good pace control. Made a few putts, as well, which is nice. Whether it’s windy or not, you’ve got to play well around here and put it in the right spots. It’s a fantastic course. Hopefully the conditions will be kind to us but we’ll see.

Yusaku Miyazato (Jpn) First round 65 (-5)

My putting was really good today and my iron play was excellent as well. I’m very happy to end my round with a birdie. It was getting dark already and I just had to rely on my gut feeling especially with my second shot. I hit it good and managed to get a birdie there.

Sam Brazel (Aus) First round 68 (-2)

It was great. Obviously nice to be in the red after day one, especially in those tough conditions early. The wind was quite up. Yeah, quite blustery. Yeah, tough out there this morning. The wind was all moving around and quite gusty, as well. So you had to be quite careful where you wanted to leave the ball on those greens because they are quite slippery, as well. Quite gusty and just had to kind of be a little patient out there. I love playing here in Hong Kong. I love the course. It suits me nicely and obviously a lot of great memories. I just have to go out there and try and enjoy it like I did a couple years ago and see what happens.

Leading Scores after round 1 of the Honma Hong Kong Open 2018 being played at the par 70, 6710 Yards Hong Kong GC course (am – denotes amateur):

65 – Aaron Rai (ENG), Jason Scrivener (AUS), Yusaku Miyazato (JPN).

66 – Arjun Atwal (IND), Jack Singh Brar (ENG), Micah Lauren Shin (USA).

67 – Danthai Boonma (THA), Thomas Aiken (RSA).

68 – Sam Brazel (AUS), Alvaro Quiros (ESP), Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL), Thongchai Jaidee (THA), Khalin Joshi (IND), Jeunghun Wang (KOR), Ashley Chesters (ENG), Berry Henson (USA), Scott Hend (AUS), Terry Pilkadaris (AUS), David Drysdale (SCO), Hyowon Park (KOR), Haydn Porteous (RSA), Liu Yanwei (CHN).

69 – Matthias Schwab (AUT), Alejandro Canizares (ESP), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Jacques Kruyswijk (RSA), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Sihwan Kim (USA), Justin Harding (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Jake Higginbottom (AUS), Andrew Johnston (ENG), Kim Koivu (FIN), Lin Wen-tang (TPE), David Lipsky (USA), James Morrison (ENG), Scott Fernandez (ESP), Anton Karlsson (SWE), Casey O’Toole (USA).

Ends.

Published on November 21, 2018

Melbourne, November 21: Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Prom Meesawat will bring their friendship up another notch as they live up to their childhood promise of bringing more glory for Thailand at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf which starts on Thursday.

Kiradech, who claimed his third Asian Tour victory in Perth earlier in February, is relishing his return to Australia for the prestigious event, where he will be making his fourth appearance alongside debutant Prom at The Metropolitan Golf Club.

The 29-year-old Kiradech has enjoyed a solid year and some of his successful exploits include breaking into the world’s top-30 for the first time in his career and becoming the first ever Thai player to earn a full card on the PGA Tour for the 2018/19 season.

Coming off the back of a top-10 result on the European Tour in Dubai last week, Kiradech hopes to continue his fine form when he tees up alongside his best friend Prom, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, in the US$7 million event.

Nicknamed ‘Big Dolphin’ due to his physique and the fact that he hails from a coastal town, Prom, a two-time Asian Tour winner, is eager to make a splash in his debut appearance at the World Cup of Golf, where his father represented Thailand some 36 years ago.

The Thai duo will be up against 27 other countries, which include Malaysia, India, Japan, Korea and China, in the 59th staging of the event. The first and third days of competition are four-ball (best ball) format and the second and final days are foursomes (alternate shot) play.

Did you know?

Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Asia’s number one in 2013, became the first ever Thai player to earn a PGA Tour card earlier in June.
Kiradech is a three-time winner on the Asian Tour and a four-time champion on the European Tour.
He’s making his fourth appearance in the World Cup of Golf this week and is currently ranked 36th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Kiradech is back in Australia for the second time this year. He won his third Asian Tour title in Perth earlier in February.
Kiradech has also enjoyed three top-five finishes in the World Golf Championships in 2018.
Kiradech enjoyed a tied-ninth place finish at the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last week. He came in 19th with Thongchai Jaidee at the World Cup of Golf two years ago and was fifth with his own ball under a different format in 2013.
Prom Meesawat is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He is making his World Cup debut this week.
Prom’s father Suthep, now 70, was the first local golfer to win the Thailand Open in 1991 and he represented the Kingdom at the World Cup of Golf in 1982.
Prom welcomed his baby son Teva on Saturday, just two days before flying to Melbourne for the World Cup of Golf.
Prom has enjoyed a steady season on the Asian Tour with three top-10s and eight other top-25s. He sits in 19th place on the latest Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.
Both Prom and Kiradech grew up together under the tutelage of late coach Natpasit Chokthanasart, better known as Pro Jew in the local golfing fraternity, during their junior days.
The Thai duo remembers the first time they went head-to-head in a junior event. Trailing by one heading into the final hole, Kiradech asked Prom to give him the win as he had won the event twice already. After Kiradech left himself a 50-footer for birdie to force a playoff, Prom said to him:” If you can make that putt, I will give you the victory.” Kiradech laughed knowing that he wouldn’t hole that putt and Prom told him later that they have to team up and not play against each other next time.

Players’ quotes:

Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha)

I am really excited to be back in Melbourne. It feels good to come back to Australia especially after winning in Perth earlier this season. I have had some good results here so I’m looking forward to this week.

Obviously, I have to choose him because I am taking 50% of his prize money this week! (laughs) Just kidding. We grew up together actually. We used to train under the same coach, we spent a lot of time on the golf course and he’s a very good friend of mine.

We know each other’s games very well so it’s an advantage for us to play in this team event. The course is in a fantastic shape. The sandbelt courses here in Melbourne have got good characters. It’s pretty narrow with firm greens and a lot of bunkers. Overall, we just have to play our own game out there.

Prom Meesawat (Tha)

This is my first World Cup and also my first trip to Melbourne. I’m very excited to play with Kiradech this week. Many thanks to him for picking me as his partner. We knew each other since we were kids. I think we can do well this week, especially with this format and on this golf course.

You need some chemistry out there. I think we have that so we’ll just go out there and enjoy ourselves. My game is pretty steady. I tend to play more conservatively while Kiradech is more aggressive out there. We will be a good combination.

But having said that, it depends on what happens on course. You never know, our roles may switch. I could be the most aggressive player out there. It’s a good format and it helps when you know your partner well.

You can talk and you can have fun. That’s the key when you play in a team event. I guess the key for us is to try and stay clear of the bunkers. Looks like we are going to get some rain according to the weather forecast. The greens are going to get softer.

We just want to go out there and enjoy ourselves. That’s why we are here this week! Obviously, we want to win the tournament but the ultimate goal is to enjoy ourselves out there this week.

We have got great support back home. My wife would love to be here but she just gave birth to our new baby boy last week.

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Melbourne, November 21: Indian hotshots Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar will be looking to turn their friendly rivalry into a formidable partnership when they battle for their country’s honour at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf on Thursday.

Bhullar and Lahiri, who turned professional in 2006 and 2007 respectively, have been spurring each other on with their individual achievements throughout the years. Their successes also served as a motivation for each other to reach greater heights in their careers.

Having known each other since they were 11 years old, the Indian pair, who has won a combined total of 16 titles on the Asian Tour, is confident they can produce the right chemistry and combine effectively for a great showing at The Metropolitan Golf Club.

Lahiri and Bhullar are part of the six two-man Asian teams in the 56-man field hoping to hoist the famous trophy at the US$7 million event, won previously by many legends of the games.

Japan (1957 and 2002) and Chinese Taipei (1972) remain the only two Asian nations to have won the prestigious event since its inception in 1953.

In the 59th staging of the World Cup of Golf this week, the first and third days of competition will be four-ball (best ball) format while the second and final days are foursomes (alternate shot) play.

Did you know?

Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar are making their second appearances in the World Cup of Golf this week. Lahiri first partnered Bhullar in the team event which was held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2013.
Lahiri and Bhullar hold a combined total of 16 victories on the Asian Tour, which includes three co-sanctioned wins on the European Tour.
Lahiri, now a regular player on the PGA Tour, is a two-time International team member of the Presidents Cup. He is also the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015.
Lahiri, 31, and Bhullar, 30, have represented India together in numerous team competitions since their amateur days. They featured in the Eisenhower Cup, Nomura Cup and Asian Games, delivering a team silver in 2006, before venturing almost at the same time into the play-for-pay ranks where they also represented Team Asia in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in 2013.
Bhullar holds the most number of victories by an Indian player on the Asian Tour after claiming his ninth career triumph at the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways in August.
For Bhullar, being picked by Lahiri offers him an opportunity for redemption as he finished last in the field in the 2013 edition when the tournament was played under a different format. Players competed individually and both scores contributed towards the team’s score back then.
India’s best finish of ninth place in the event was achieved by Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa in Portugal in 2005.

Players’ quotes:

Anirban Lahiri (Ind)

We’re both very excited. The last time we were here in Melbourne was five years ago and both of us played as well although it was a different format. I think that’s the most exciting matter of being back. Also, playing this golf course, which is amazing. In an event like this, it’s important to have the right kind of chemistry. We’ve had a lot of team events since our junior days. We’ve had a lot of success together. It helps because we understand each other’s games and we understand each other’s strengths.

More than anything else, it’s also about understanding the way each of us think on the golf course. Both of us are aggressive players and we’ve had more than 23 years of professional playing experience between us, so we’re both matured in that sense. We both need to play our best in order to be there in the hunt on Sunday afternoon. That’s the focus for both of us. I think the main thing that we wanted to focus on was the wind. It’s going to be a windy week, it’s going to be a cold week, so you want to be able to control the golf ball. I think I’m going to be playing the odds, Gagan’s going to be playing the evens.

We have a great opportunity to leave our mark here. Golf is an individual sport and we play for ourselves most of the time. There are only a few opportunities in between where you have the World Cup or you have a Presidents Cup or you have the Olympics. There’s not a lot of events like that. I think playing in Sydney last week has almost no bearing on this week, not for me at least. Obviously, I wanted to do well in Sydney, but it’s nice to get to the venue on the Sunday before and not having to adjust to the new place. I feel much better, my body feels much better.

Gaganjeet’s a really positive guy on and off the course. It’s great to be part of this team environment. It’s much easier to pick yourself up if you’re down because both of us are going to be egging each other on to play our best. I think the only kind of rivalry you have at 11 years old is who gets to eat the yummier food and, you know, simple things like that. When we think back to when we were juniors, life was easy; it was all about getting away from school and just having fun.

But no, I think we’ve spurred each other on in both our careers. I mean, Gaganjeet was definitely an exceptional junior and my career kind of picked up a little later once I left school because education was very important to my family as well. It’s always about trying to be the best golfers we can be. I think that’s one common factor between both of us. We were both very focused with what we want to do with our golf, and we still are.

It’s a great energy to feed off because there’s a great commonality. We both want to push ourselves further and further and get better and better, and I think it’s very healthy for both of us, at least I feel that way. I’ve definitely seen him kind of, when we were kids, he kind of got away from the pack because he got that much better and that pushed me to work hard. I’m sure that it will continue and it’s a good healthy cycle.

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind)

This is the first time we’re playing in this kind of format. We played yesterday and the day before. The golf course is in a great shape. We’re still working on our strategy but we are really excited and looking forward to play this format.

The game’s pretty good. I have been playing well over the last five to six months. The victory in Fiji actually gave me a lot of confidence. Now I’m riding high on confidence and really excited to place myself in Europe next year. As I said, I am feeling very positive this week.

I met Anirban for the first time when we were like 11 years old. We were in the junior team, we represented India as an amateur, we were together in the 2006 Asian Games and then the World Cup, and roomed so many times together on tour.

Yeah, I guess we know each other really well on and off the golf course, which is really important in this format, especially the format on Friday and Sunday. It’s very important to know your partner and to know each other’s game. I think that factor will definitely help us better.

Golf in India right now is picking up and we need a few guys to go out there on the PGA TOUR, we need more faces on the European Tour. We need guys like Anirban, Shubhankar or myself to win on the PGA TOUR.

It will be huge for Indian golf because a lot of new golf courses are coming up. The government of India has actually started planning a lot of initiatives in and around golf, a lot of public golf courses are under development. A good performance here will definitely mean a lot for Indian golfing fans.

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Hong Kong, November 21: Korea’s Sanghyun Park is ready to step up his chase for pole position on the Habitat for Humanity standings when he tees off at the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi which starts on Thursday.

The Korean has occupied second place on the standings since his dominant win on home soil in September. Trailing India’s Shubhankar Sharma by slightly more than US$130,000, Park believes he has a fighting chance to overtake his Indian rival as the winner’s purse is worth US$333,330 this week.

Park has already lifted two Asian Tour titles at home this year and is also determined to prove his worth outside Korea as he continues to play regularly on the Asian Tour.

India’s S.S.P. Chawrasia hopes to expunge bitter memories from last year’s final day meltdown as he takes another stab at glory at the Hong Kong Golf Club this week. Chawrasia led for three rounds before a disappointing final day 72 saw him end the week tied for seventh place.

Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang is delighted to be back in Hong Kong almost a decade after his famous victory in 2008.

The 44-year-old is best remembered for hitting an amazing shot from behind tightly bunched trees to the green and going on to defeat Rory McIlroy in an enthralling play-off that year.

Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European and the Hong Kong Golf Association, the HONMA Hong Kong Open will welcome a stellar field that includes Masters Tournament champions, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and world number nine Tommy Fleetwood of England.

Players’ Quotes:

Sanghyun Park (Kor)

I’m going to play in another three more tournaments on the Asian Tour to give myself a chance of winning the Order of Merit. I’m in second place at the moment and I feel really good about my game. I have been playing really well in Japan lately and throughout the season I’ve constantly been inside the top-five on many occasions and have also won a few times in Korea. I feel great about my swing and everything is good, so I do expect good things to happen for me this week. It is a big honour to have won the most prize money in Korea this season. I won the highest career earnings in Korea and I want to turn my attention to the Asian Tour standings and try to win it now.

S.S.P. Chawrasia (Ind)

Yes, I’ll always remember what happened last year. I was playing very well even until mid-way through the final round. I made a couple of bad shots after that and fell out of contention. But I still have a lot of good memories here. I’m playing well and this golf course really suits me. It reminds me of Royal Calcutta which is very similar. Tree-lined and you got to hit it straight. I’m mentally stronger now and all I can wish for is a good week.

Lin Wen-tang (Tpe)

Each time the Hong Kong Open comes around, I’ll always be asked the question of that win 10 years ago. I always tell people that’s so long ago already and the tress would probably have grown taller now. But that’s really the best moment in my career. I remembered my mind was blank at first but I tried to keep calm and I told myself the winner won’t be decided until I made my final shot. I just tried to hit the ball onto the green and I think God might have helped me because I made it.

Did you know?

· Sanghyun Park is coming into this week on the back of another good result in Japan where he finished tied-fourth last week.

· Park has been victorious at the two Asian Tour events in Korea this year. He won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May and was outstanding again at the 34th Shinhan Donghae Open in September.

· The Korean reached a career-high of 116th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in September this year.

· S.S.P. Chawrasia would have been the first wire-to-wire champion of the Hong Kong Open had he won last year.

· He is a six-time winner on the Asian Tour and his only victory outside India came at the Resorts World Manila Masters in 2016.

· His best result this season is finishing tied-sixth at the TAKE Solutions Masters held in Bengaluru in August.

· Lin Wen-tang hit a sublime recovery shot from the trees to set-up a four feet birdie putt to stay alive in the play-off with Rory McIlroy at the Hong Kong Open in 2008.

· He then sealed victory at the second extra hole, pitching an exquisite approach shot to a foot for the winning birdie.

Ends.

Published on November 20, 2018

Melbourne, November 20: Reigning Order of Merit champion Gavin Green of Malaysia hopes to make his maiden trip to Australia a memorable one by putting up a strong showing with compatriot Ben Leong at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf starting Thursday.

Green and Leong, both making their World Cup debut this week, believe they can work together effectively and produce the fireworks for Team Malaysia when they tee off for the prestigious event at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne.

They will be vying for the coveted trophy against 27 other countries, including 2016 champion Denmark made up of Thorbjørn Olesen and Soren Kjeldsen, in the US$7 million event which is celebrating its 59th edition this week.

The 24-year-old Green, who kept his European Tour card for the next season after enjoying a commendable rookie year, is determined put up a performance worthy of his status as the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in the Melbourne showpiece.

Ben Leong of Malaysia

Leong, who was picked by Green, is proud to be representing Malaysia in the prestigious event and hopes to repay the faith by putting in every effort to ensure a good week at the World Cup of Golf.

Tickets are now on sale and ticket options range from Wednesday practice round tickets starting at $22, single-day competitive round tickets starting at $31 and tickets to the upgraded MacKenzie Club (Thursday to Sunday) starting at $84. Weekly tickets are also available for $122, with a MacKenzie Club option priced at $295.

Ticket buyers are reminded that youth 16 and under are admitted to the event free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult. To purchase tickets or find more information on ticket options, fans can log on to www.WorldCupofGolf.com.

Did you know?

Malaysia will be represented by World Cup debutants Gavin Green and Ben Leong this week. They will play against Team Zimbabwe (Scott Vincent and Benjamin Follett-Smith) in the first match of the Fourball at 8.20am local time on Thursday.
Malaysia’s best finish was in 1994 when M. Ramayah and the late P. Gunasegaran emerged ninth in Puerto Rico while at the 2006 World Cup in Melbourne, Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung ended up joint 22nd.
Leong won his first Asian Tour title in 2008 before suffering from a disc prolapse in 2012. He has shown signs of returning to his best form in the last few years. Leong, a two-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner, has claimed two top-10s on the Asian Tour so far this season.
Green, who claimed his maiden Asian Tour victory in Chinese Taipei last year, became the first Malaysian to lift the Asian Tour Order of Merit trophy in 2017.
Green played his way onto the main Tour from the ADT, where he has won on three occasions. He finished second on the 2016 ADT Order of Merit to earn his Asian Tour card for 2017.
Green kept his European Tour card for the next season after finishing in 84th position on the Race to Dubai rankings.

Players’ quotes:

Gavin Green (Mas)

We have to wait and see what the weather does this week. It is going to be another week of rain. Ben and I will try and figure out a plan and strategy and do what we need to do on this course. Hopefully we can pull it off.

The course is looking good. Got to keep the ball on the fairways out there. Some holes we can take advantage of out there so hopefully I get to tee off on those holes for foursomes. The holes that we need to hit it straight, we will probably give it to Ben.

The wind is going to be strong this week. We just have to wait and see what happens. On a course like this where it’s a little bit tighter, we got foursomes and we got Ben to hit it on the fairways and I won’t have problems hitting my second shots.

I won’t have trouble stopping the ball on the greens. For fourballs, we can both have a go at it. It all depends on the wind. If it switches on some holes, we have to change our strategy. It’s going to be fun.

It’s my first World Cup appearance and also my first time in Australia. I’m very excited and looking forward to it. We played a lot of tournaments back home in Malaysia so we’re pretty familiar with each other’s games.

We have got nothing to lose this week. We will just go out there, enjoy and do the best we can. We have an idea of what we have to do already. I will probably take on the longer holes and Ben will take the straighter ones.

Ben Leong (Mas)

It’s good to be here. We’re in Australia. It’s nice. It seems like the weather is going to be bad this weekend but so far so good. We’ll see how it goes. It’s good to see Gavin. I’m sure we will have a lot of fun.

The course is playing firm and fast. It’s looking great. My game is feeling good as well. Like what Gavin said, we just got to manage our games here. We just got to keep it on the low side. We just afford to hit it to the short sides because it’s quite impossible to get up and down.

You just got to know where to miss it. We sort of have an idea on our strategy already but we’re still working on it. It depends on the weather as well.

Gavin’s been busy in Europe. I didn’t have a chance to meet him back home. We kind of just bumped into each other here [laughs]. We haven’t played much golf as amateurs together but we played a lot of tournaments on our domestic circuit back home and on the Asian Development Tour as well.

This week will be good preparation for us for the upcoming 2019 season I believe. Europe for Gavin and myself in Asia. Even if we put each other in bad positions, it’s a good way to learn and try to recover because that’s where it matters the most.

Our experiences from this week will make a lot of difference in our games I believe.

Published on

Hong Kong, November 20: Major winner Patrick Reed of the United States believes his title challenge at Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event will depend on his ability to fend off the stiff challenge from the elite field that includes Asia’s leading players when the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi starts on Thursday.

Reed is making his third appearance at the Hong Kong Open, finishing tied third (2015) and tied-43th (2016) in his last two visits.

The American is enjoying a solid season having made his Major breakthrough that saw him prevail in an enthralling final day battle to win the coveted green jacket at the Masters Tournament in April.

However, Reed knows it will not be a stroll in the park at the Hong Kong Golf Club where more than 30 Asian Tour champions from over 15 countries including defending champion Wade Ormsby of Australia are expected to vie for top honours, too.

From left: Sergio Garcia of Spain, Patrick Reed of USA, Wade Orsmby of Australia, Tommy Fleetwood of England and Steven Lam of Hong Kong

England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who relinquished his European number one crown in Dubai last week, is looking forward to getting his season off to a flying start again.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia is also hoping to ink his place in the record books of the Hong Kong Open which has a rich history of former winners including 11 Major champions, who have won 30 Major championships between them.

Did you know?

Patrick Reed held off a charging Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth to make his Major breakthrough in April this year when he won the coveted Green Jacket after a dramatic final day at Augusta National.
Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, finished tied-19th in his debut at the Hong Kong Open last year.
Tommy Fleetwood, the 2017 Race to Dubai champion, will make his third appearance at the tournament. He finished in sixth place last year and third in 2016.
Wade Ormsby’s earned his 2012 Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School in Thailand. He had his first Asian Tour victory in India the following year.
After 264 starts of the European Tour last year, Ormsby finally also won his first European Tour title at the 2017 Hong Kong Open.
The Hong Kong Open has a rich history of former winners, including 11 Major winners, who have won 30 Major championships between them. Peter Thomson (1960, 65, 67), Kel Nagle (1961), Orville Moody (1971), Greg Norman (1979, 83), Ian Woosnam (1987), Bernhard Langer (1991), Tom Watson (1992), Jose Maria Olazabal (2002), Padraig Haarrington (2004), Rory McIlroy (2011) and Justin Rose (2015).
The lowest 18 hole score 60 (-10) was recorded by England’s Ian Poulter in 2010.

Players Quotes

Patrick Reed (Usa)

It has been a great year. It’s one of those years that you always dream of. You always dream of winning your first major, and then to just kind of play consistently and solid throughout the entire year, and to finish the season off correctly and going into Dubai and playing some really solid golf. I was in in a position to win a golf tournament there but could not quite get it done. But to finish second in The Race to Dubai means a lot. The strength, depth and talent all around the world just show how deep golf is nowadays. I’ve gone up against a lot of guys from Asia who are just solid from top to bottom in all aspects of the game. I can’t single out anyone in particular. So whoever plays well this week will have a good chance of winning the tournament. I’m really excited to play at the Honma Hong Kong Open. It’s a fantastic week and an incredible city. The people are friendly and so hospitable, it makes for such a great experience for players. Hong Kong Golf Club is such a great golf course, I really enjoyed playing it in my previous two visits and I hope to play really well, have some fun and be in the mix late on Sunday.

Sergio Garcia (Esp)

I think obviously this season had its up and downs. I had a very good start and a great finish on the year. So I’m very excited about that. That’s where I stand right now with top-10s in my last four or five tournaments. So that’s obviously a positive, and you know, I’m hoping to finish the year on the same manner, kind of start the season in the same manner, and then take a nice, well deserved rest. It’s great to be back in Hong Kong. I came last year for the first time and had a great time. The golf course is amazing and it’s really strong test for us. So you know, I’m excited to be back here and hopefully I can play nicely and give myself a chance.

Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)

I’ve really enjoyed playing the Hong Kong Open in the past two years. It is definitely a course that suits my eye. I feel really comfortable in my game there and hopefully I can go a couple better after the decent results I’ve had the last two years. The Hong Kong Golf Club is a great course and I’ve got a good record here. For me, I’ve always enjoyed coming here and I love the challenges the course presents.

Wade Ormsby (Aus)

It’s always good to come back to a golf course where you have won before. It really meant a lot to me. The greatest thing for me is that I have the belief to win on Tour and that changes your mindset on how you approach the week. Having played a lot of golf in Europe and around the world, it was amazing to get my first win at such a prestigious event, and I’m really excited to defend my title in the coming months.

Ends.

Published on November 19, 2018

Bangkok, Thailand, November 19: Thai golfing legend Thongchai Jaidee is looking forward to welcoming some of the best players from the region when the Queen’s Cup hosted by Jaidee Foundation gets underway next week.

The 49-year-old Thongchai, who holds an unprecedented three Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, will play tournament host to the US$500,000 event held in honour of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit staged at the Legacy Golf Club.

Defending Champion Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, who sealed his second Asian Tour victory and first on home soil in July, will be among the 132 players vying for honours at the 11th edition of the Queen’s Cup which will be the Tour’s fourth stop in Thailand this season.

Other notable players in the field include Korea’s Sanghyun Park, who is currently second on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, Indian duo Shiv Kapur and S.S.P Chawrasia as well as Chan Shih-Chang of Chinese Taipei, who are all multiple winners on the Asian Tour.

Thongchai is regarded as one of Thailand’s greatest advocates for the development of golf in the region and has previously hosted three successful editions of the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) since 2015.

Through the staging of this event on the region’s premier Tour, Thongchai hopes to draw attention to his foundation which was launched in 2009 with the aim of helping the under-privileged golfers in his hometown of Lopburi as well as pave the way for aspiring talents hoping to follow in his footsteps.

“I am very glad to be able to host my own tournament on the Asian Tour because I think it is very important to provide more playing opportunities and develop future talents.

“Thai golfers are doing very well on the world stage, like Kiradech Aphibarnrat who has won two editions of the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation on the ADT and now he is now ranked 36th in the world,” said Thongchai, who will focus solely on hosting a successful tournament and will not be competing in the event.

Compatriot Boonchu Ruangkit and India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, who have also hosted their own tournaments in Asia on the ADT and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) respectively, will also add to the star-studded field, in their efforts to encourage Thongchai’s vision in growing the game in Asia.

“My life is very good, I have won on the Asian Tour and the European Tour so I want to be able to give back to anyone that has helped me along the way. That is what my foundation is about, being able to support people around the world,” said Thongchai, who is also a 13-time Asian Tour winner.

With the season reaching an exciting climax, players will also have everything to play for as they scramble to finish inside the top-60 on the Habitat for Humanity Standings and secure their cards for the 2019 season.

Published on November 16, 2018

Hong Kong, November 16: India’s Viraj Madappa is ready to show his mental toughness when he comes up against several of the world’s best players at the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi next week.

Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European and the Hong Kong Golf Association, the HONMA Hong Kong Open will welcome a stellar field that includes Masters champion, Patrick Reed, Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia to the Hong Kong Golf Club from November 22-25.

The young Indian is relishing the opportunity to endure himself to the Hong Kong crowd, having made a similar impression on home soil when he became the youngest Indian, at the age of 20 years and nine months, to win on the Asian Tour in August.

“I’ve been getting into a lot more tournaments with better field. It has been exciting playing against some of these top professionals from Asia. It allows me to see where my game stands,” said Madappa.

A graduate from Qualifying school in January, Madappa is also the first rookie and youngest player to win on Tour this season.

While he may have missed three consecutive cuts since his maiden win, Madappa bounced back with a fourth-placed in Chinese Taipei followed by a tied-39th finish at home last month.

“I feel like my game is there physically but got to work on my mental strength which was lacking the last few weeks. If my mental strength is strong, I can work my way up the leaderboard.

Madappa may be the new kid on the block but he knows he has a close circle of good friends whom he can count on when the pressure builds up on Tour.

“I’m really close to a couple of guys like Rahil Gangjee and S.S.P. Chawrasia. I’ve got close to other Indians like Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar who have really helped me throughout the year.

“They have helped me with my mental state and they have played a big part in helping me feel comfortable on Tour,” said the Indian.

More than 30 Asian Tour champions from over 15 countries are also expected to tee up at the US$2 million event with the battle to top the Habitat for Humanity standings heating up.

India’s Shubhankar Sharma leads the Habitat for Humanity standings by slightly more than US$130,000 over second-placed Sanghyun Park of Korea and with the winner’s purse worth US$333,330, the claim for pole position is still wide open.

Tickets are available to purchase at https://www.ticketflap.com/honmahongkongopen2018

The tournament is free to attend on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 November for all. Under 21s go free and in a celebration of the tournament’s 60th anniversary, all visitors aged 60 years and over will be granted free access for all days of the tournament.

The HONMA Hong Kong Open is supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board which is instrumental in enabling the tournament attract some of the world’s best players.

The HONMA Hong Kong Open has also been recognized as an “M” Mark event to help enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. “M” Mark is awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolizing an intense, spectacular and signature event in the territory’s sports calendar.

Ends.

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Melbourne, November 22: Ben Leong and Gavin Green flew the Malaysian flag high at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf as they signed for an opening nine-under-par 63 to trail by one shot after the first round’s fourball format on Thursday. The duo, playing in the World Cup of Golf for the first time, […]

Green, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, took advantage of his booming drives to nail an eagle on the par-five seventh hole before adding three birdies on holes 10, 13 and 18.

Ben Leong of Malaysia

Did you know?

Malaysia’s best finish was in 1994 when M. Ramayah and the late P. Gunasegaran emerged ninth in Puerto Rico while at the 2016 World Cup in Melbourne, Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung ended up joint 22nd.
Leong won his first Asian Tour title in 2008 before suffering from a disc prolapse in 2012. He has shown signs of returning to his best form in the last few years. Leong, a two-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner, has claimed two top-10s on the Asian Tour so far this season.
Green, who claimed his maiden Asian Tour victory in Chinese Taipei last year, became the first Malaysian to lift the Asian Tour Order of Merit trophy in 2017.
Green played his way onto the main Tour from the ADT, where he has won on three occasions. He finished second on the 2016 ADT Order of Merit to earn his Asian Tour card for 2017.
Green kept his European Tour card for the next season after finishing in 84th position on the Race to Dubai rankings.
Green is visiting Australia for the first time. His father, Gary, is on his bag this week.

Players’ quotes:

Ben Leong (Mas)

It’s not going to change much for the foursomes tomorrow, I think. Gavin’s going to go odd, so we’ll see how it goes. It depends on the weather as well.

I’ve played in Perth earlier this year. It’s similar, but not quite. I mean, it’s great over here. It’s great coming back to Australia.

I made an eagle on the par-five nine. I had about 230 yards into the green and I hit a three‑wood there and managed to put it on the green and I made the putt from about 20 feet.

We just try to make things easy for each other out there.

Gavin Green (Mas)

The eagle I made on the seventh hole, I hit a big drive and only need a 54-degree for my second shot, hit it to about three feet and made the putt.

Melbourne, November 22: In-form Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar of India opted for an aggressive approach in the Fourball match which paid off as they registered an eight-under-par 64 to trail by two shots at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf on Thursday. The talented pair, who also represented India at the 2013 World […]

The talented pair, who also represented India at the 2013 World Cup of Golf, took advantage of their fine form to sign for a flawless card highlighted by eight birdies at The Metropolitan Golf Club.

They trail leaders Korea (Byeonghun An and Siwoo Kim), England (Tyrell Hatton and Ian Poulter) and Australia (Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith) by two shots in tied-seventh place.

The duo hopes to leverage their strengths effectively as they head into the Foursomes (alternate shot) match on Friday, where they will play alongside Team Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Paul Dunne.

Team India is part of the six two-man Asian teams in the field vying to hoist the famous trophy in the event, won previously by many legends of the games.

Team Thailand of Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Prom Meesawat came in a further shot back in tied-20th following a 67.

Did you know?

Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar hold a combined total of 16 victories on the Asian Tour, which includes three co-sanctioned wins on the European Tour.
Lahiri, now a regular player on the PGA Tour, is a two-time International team member of the Presidents Cup. He is also the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015.
Lahiri, 31, and Bhullar, 30, have represented India together in numerous team competitions since their amateur days. They featured in the Eisenhower Cup, Nomura Cup and Asian Games, delivering a team silver in 2006, before venturing almost at the same time into the play-for-pay ranks where they also represented Team Asia in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in 2013.
Bhullar holds the most number of victories by an Indian player on the Asian Tour after claiming his ninth career triumph at the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways in August.
India’s best finish of ninth place in the event was achieved by Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa in Portugal in 2005.

Anirban Lahiri of India

Players’ quotes:

Anirban Lahiri (Ind)

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind)

We just hope to keep the momentum going in the next three rounds.

Hong Kong, November 22: India’s Arjun Atwal stayed one shot back of first round leaders Yusaku Miyazato of Japan, Australia’s Jason Scrivener and England’s Aaron Rai after he signed for an opening four-under-par 66 at the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi on Thursday. Atwal took the clubhouse lead in the morning but was dislodged […]

Based in Florida in the United States, the 45-year-old flew into Hong Kong ready to put up a performance befitting of his reputation as one of Asia’s golf legends.

Australia’s Sam Brazel, who won the Hong Kong Open in 2016, was also in the mix after carding a 68 where the only blemish on his card came at the par-three eight where he suffered a bogey-four.

Brazel is bunched in tied-ninth place that also includes Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, India’s Khalin Joshi and compatriot Scott Hend, who also won the event in 2014.

Did you know?

Arjun Atwal made history by becoming the first Indian golfer to win on the US PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship in 2010.
He was also the first Monday qualifier to win a tournament in 24 years in the United States
Atwal’s last victory on the Asian Tour came at the Dubai Open in 2014 and he won the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2003.
Atwal hit 10/14 fairways, 15/18 greens and made a total of 29 putts.
Aaron Rai turned professional in 2012 and has four professional wins.
He hit 9/14 fairways, 13/18 greens and had 27 putts in total.
Yusaku Miyazato comes from a golfing family where his younger sister Ai Miyazato is a former world number one.
He hit 8/14 fairways, 12/18 greens and made a total of 24 putts.

Players’ Quotes

Arjun Atwal (Ind) First round 66 (-4)

Aaron Rai (Eng) First round 65 (-5)

Yusaku Miyazato (Jpn) First round 65 (-5)

Sam Brazel (Aus) First round 68 (-2)

Leading Scores after round 1 of the Honma Hong Kong Open 2018 being played at the par 70, 6710 Yards Hong Kong GC course (am – denotes amateur):

65 – Aaron Rai (ENG), Jason Scrivener (AUS), Yusaku Miyazato (JPN).

66 – Arjun Atwal (IND), Jack Singh Brar (ENG), Micah Lauren Shin (USA).

67 – Danthai Boonma (THA), Thomas Aiken (RSA).

Ends.

Melbourne, November 21: Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Prom Meesawat will bring their friendship up another notch as they live up to their childhood promise of bringing more glory for Thailand at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf which starts on Thursday. Kiradech, who claimed his third Asian Tour victory in Perth earlier in February, is […]

Did you know?

Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Asia’s number one in 2013, became the first ever Thai player to earn a PGA Tour card earlier in June.
Kiradech is a three-time winner on the Asian Tour and a four-time champion on the European Tour.
He’s making his fourth appearance in the World Cup of Golf this week and is currently ranked 36th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Kiradech is back in Australia for the second time this year. He won his third Asian Tour title in Perth earlier in February.
Kiradech has also enjoyed three top-five finishes in the World Golf Championships in 2018.
Kiradech enjoyed a tied-ninth place finish at the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last week. He came in 19th with Thongchai Jaidee at the World Cup of Golf two years ago and was fifth with his own ball under a different format in 2013.
Prom Meesawat is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He is making his World Cup debut this week.
Prom’s father Suthep, now 70, was the first local golfer to win the Thailand Open in 1991 and he represented the Kingdom at the World Cup of Golf in 1982.
Prom welcomed his baby son Teva on Saturday, just two days before flying to Melbourne for the World Cup of Golf.
Prom has enjoyed a steady season on the Asian Tour with three top-10s and eight other top-25s. He sits in 19th place on the latest Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.
Both Prom and Kiradech grew up together under the tutelage of late coach Natpasit Chokthanasart, better known as Pro Jew in the local golfing fraternity, during their junior days.
The Thai duo remembers the first time they went head-to-head in a junior event. Trailing by one heading into the final hole, Kiradech asked Prom to give him the win as he had won the event twice already. After Kiradech left himself a 50-footer for birdie to force a playoff, Prom said to him:” If you can make that putt, I will give you the victory.” Kiradech laughed knowing that he wouldn’t hole that putt and Prom told him later that they have to team up and not play against each other next time.

Players’ quotes:

Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha)

Prom Meesawat (Tha)

We just want to go out there and enjoy ourselves. That’s why we are here this week! Obviously, we want to win the tournament but the ultimate goal is to enjoy ourselves out there this week.

We have got great support back home. My wife would love to be here but she just gave birth to our new baby boy last week.

Melbourne, November 21: Indian hotshots Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar will be looking to turn their friendly rivalry into a formidable partnership when they battle for their country’s honour at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf on Thursday. Bhullar and Lahiri, who turned professional in 2006 and 2007 respectively, have been spurring each other […]

Lahiri and Bhullar are part of the six two-man Asian teams in the 56-man field hoping to hoist the famous trophy at the US$7 million event, won previously by many legends of the games.

Japan (1957 and 2002) and Chinese Taipei (1972) remain the only two Asian nations to have won the prestigious event since its inception in 1953.

Did you know?

Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar are making their second appearances in the World Cup of Golf this week. Lahiri first partnered Bhullar in the team event which was held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2013.
Lahiri and Bhullar hold a combined total of 16 victories on the Asian Tour, which includes three co-sanctioned wins on the European Tour.
Lahiri, now a regular player on the PGA Tour, is a two-time International team member of the Presidents Cup. He is also the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015.
Lahiri, 31, and Bhullar, 30, have represented India together in numerous team competitions since their amateur days. They featured in the Eisenhower Cup, Nomura Cup and Asian Games, delivering a team silver in 2006, before venturing almost at the same time into the play-for-pay ranks where they also represented Team Asia in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in 2013.
Bhullar holds the most number of victories by an Indian player on the Asian Tour after claiming his ninth career triumph at the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways in August.
For Bhullar, being picked by Lahiri offers him an opportunity for redemption as he finished last in the field in the 2013 edition when the tournament was played under a different format. Players competed individually and both scores contributed towards the team’s score back then.
India’s best finish of ninth place in the event was achieved by Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa in Portugal in 2005.

Players’ quotes:

Anirban Lahiri (Ind)

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind)

Hong Kong, November 21: Korea’s Sanghyun Park is ready to step up his chase for pole position on the Habitat for Humanity standings when he tees off at the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi which starts on Thursday. The Korean has occupied second place on the standings since his dominant win on home […]