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Murray powers into five shot lead at the New Zealand Open


Published on March 6, 2019
Queenstown, New Zealand, March 1: Asian Tour Qualifying school graduate Zach Murray continued his solid form by signing for a seven-under-par 65 at The Hills to seize the outright lead by five shots at the halfway stage of the 100th New Zealand Open on Friday.
The 21-year-old Australian, who held a share of the overnight lead, stormed off the blocks quickly with an eagle-birdie start before adding five more birdies against a bogey to lead on 15-under-par 128 in the NZ$1,250,000 (approx. US$850,000) event.
Overnight co-leader Ryuko Tokimatsu, the highest-ranked Japanese player in the field this week, returned with a two-under-par 69 at Millbrook Resort to take second place at the prestigious event, that is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who lifted his maiden Asian Tour title in Australia a fortnight ago, raised the local hopes after carding a 66 at The Hills. He trails by six shots in third place together with a host of players that included past champions Brad Kennedy and Dimitrios Papadatos of Australia, who posted respective rounds of 63 and 66 respectively at Millbrook Resort.
Thailand’s Poom Saksansin made his first career ace en-route to a 68 at Millbrook Resort to tie in ninth place on 136 with five other players, including compatriot Pavit Tangkamolprasert who matched his Poom’s efforts of the day with a 68 on the same course.

A total of three hole-in-ones were recorded on an eventful day at the New Zealand Open. Poom and Damien Jordan of Australia holed out on the second hole at Millbrook Resort while Natipong Srithong of Thailand aced the 16th hole at The Hills.

A total of 152 professionals and 152 amateurs took part in the event where the first two rounds were alternated between the par-71 course at Millbrook Resort and the par-72 course at The Hills.
The halfway cut was set at three-under-par 140 and a total of 62 players, ranked inside top-60 and ties, will go on to compete in the final two rounds at The Hills.
The top-40 Pro-Am teams will also advance to round three of the Pro-Am championship at The Hills.
Ends.
Did you know?
  • Zach Murray of Australia secured his 2019 Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School last December after finishing fourth in the 90-hole event.
  • Murray won the Nexus Risk TSA Group WA Open (an event on the PGA Tour of Australasia) as an amateur golfer in October 2018. One month later, he made his professional debut at the Australian Open.
  • Murray was ranked as high as 19th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
  • Murray marked his lowest round yet as a professional with his opening 63 in what was only his third start on the Asian Tour.
  • Murray hails from Victoria, Australia. He is in Queenstown this week for the first time.
  • Ryuko Tokimatsu is the highest-ranked Japanese in the field this week. He sits in 127th place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
  • The 25-year-old Tokimatsu is a one-time winner on both the Japan Golf Tour and the Japan Challenge Tour.
  • Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand enjoyed a tied-29th place finish in his New Zealand Open debut last year. He holds a total of six victories on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), where he was crowned the Order of Merit champion in 2014.
  • The 29-year-old Thai claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough at the Macao Open in 2016.
  • Poom Saksansin of Thailand made his first career ace on the second hole at Millbrook Resort with a nine-iron from 139 metres. His ace would be the third and last hole-in-one recorded during the second round of the New Zealand Open.
  • Australian Damien Jordan had holed out on the same hole with his pitching wedge while Poom’s countryman, Natipong Srithong, also recorded his first career ace on the 16th hole at The Hills with a seven-iron from 174 metres.

Ends.


Published on

Photo credit: PhotosportNZ

Queenstown, New Zealand, March 1: Read what players have to say following the second round of the New Zealand Open on Friday.

Zach Murray (Aus) – Second round 65 (-7) – The Hills, Total 128 (-15)

Probably today was even better than yesterday with more pressure because I was leading and I was pretty nervous on the first tee. Obviously I got off to a good start with eagle-birdie which settled the nerves and helped a lot.

I holed some six-seven footers for pars early on and calmed down. Iplayed very solid until the last tee shot on 18 which I misjudged. I thought I would lay up from 80m and tried to get up and down which I did.

I did not feel too much pressure. I slept like a baby last night. It was more from those natural nerves from leading a tournament.

I like The Hills. I feel it suits me off the tee a little better than Millbrook. I am reading the greens well this week sand rolling the putts nicely.

The key today was set up by the start to be four-under after six. I just had to play smart golf from there and keep giving myself chances on the back-nine.

You can dare to dream about (winning this event) but it does not help the cause too much. Obviously you know what is at the end of the four days but I am playing well. There are going to be times where I am in a little bit of trouble – like on the last – with a four or five shot lead I just did not have to do anything silly. I think that is a nice way to play golf without too much pressure and playing free golf.

Ryuko Tokimatsu (Jpn) – Second round 69 (-2) – Millbrook Resort, Total 133 (-10)

I was able to make some putts today. I kept the momentum going as well. I thought my shots were better too. This is my second time playing in the New Zealand Open. I told myself I need to come here if I have the opportunity because I don’t have much chance to play in the world.

The courses here in New Zealand are very different from Japan. But I love playing here and the courses suit my eyes. I will do my best again tomorrow and see how it goes.

Brad Kennedy (Aus) – Second round 63 (-8) – Millbrook Resort, Total 134 (-9)

It was a combination of doing what I needed to do but also being rewarded for hitting good shots. I putted brilliantly today, I putted poorly yesterday so was able to turn that around after giving myself a talking to last night.

I said it wasn’t good enough and if I wanted to get myself into contention I had to play better and I managed to do that today.

Dimitrios Papadatos (Aus) – Second round 66 (-5) – Millbrook Resort, Total 134 (-9)

I was in doubt about turning up yesterday morning so very happy to be out here. I have a niggling wrist injury – probably caused by too many one-hand push-ups. It flared up over the last four or five days. I had to stop after two holes in the practice round on Wednesday so it was not looking very good.

I feel it more when I’m going through the motions in my swing. This morning, it was a little bit sore in the cold but pretty good once the weather warmed up and when the birdies started rocking up.

I got some dry needle treatment and taking anti-inflammatories which help – and I will get some more treatment today and hopefully it will hold out for the next two days.

I hit it pretty solid both days and I was very consistent with a lot of greens and I stuck to the game plan.

I thought I would not play when I was at the Champions Dinner on Wednesday night and I was seeing all the names and all the history behind it – then there is a bit more on the line this week so winning for a second time would be pretty special.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert (Tha) – Second round 68 (-3) – Millbrook Resort, Total 136 (-7)

It was really cold this morning and I couldn’t really feel anything. I had a rough start too. I was two-over after eight holes. The birdie on ninth hole was the turning point for me today. I couldn’t make any putts before that.

I almost holed my second shot on the ninth. I hit it from about 115 yards to about two feet. I would think that was my best birdie today. It gave me a lot of confidence heading tothe back nine where I played well too. Things got better on the back-nine after the sun came out.

I played well here last year. I feel confident coming back here. I like the pro-am format too. Keeps me relaxed. The goal this year is to win again. It has been three years. I think if I can continue to play well over the next two days and get lucky, I can do it.

I will try to stay calm, relaxed and don’t try to approach on the right side of the pins so that I can give myself easy birdie chances. The Hills is not that hard. It suits my eyes better. I like The Hills more.

Poom Saksansin (Tha) – Second round 68 (-3) – Millbrook Resort, Total 136 (-7)

I played alright today. I thought I was very lucky. I am very happy to make my first hole-in-one in a professional tournament. I actually like both courses but now that I made my first ace at the Millbrook Resort, I like Millbrook more.

I didn’t play as well as I did yesterday but overall, it was still alright. I made a long putt for par on the 14th hole and chipped in on my last hole ninth for birdie which was nice.


Published on February 28, 2019

Queenstown, New Zealand, February 28: Asian Tour rookie Zach Murray got off to a flying start after signing for a flawless eight-under-par 63 at the Millbrook Resort to grab a share of the opening round lead at the 100th New Zealand Open on Thursday.

The 21-year-old Australian, who came through the 2019 Asian Tour Qualifying School in December, fired eight birdies to sit atop the leaderboard alongside Japan’s Ryuko Tokimatsu and Harry Bateman of New Zealand, who finished strongly to sign for matching 64s at The Hills.

Kodai Ichihara of Japan, a two-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, reeled in five consecutive birdies in his closing six holes at The Hills to trail the leading trio by two shots in outright fourth place at the NZ$1,250,000 (approx. US$850,000) event.

After turning in 37 at The Hills, Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat made his move by sinking six birdies in his back-nine to sign for a 67 and grab a share of fifth place at the prestigious event that is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, who leads the current Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, carded a 69 at The Hills to tie in 25th place while defending champion Daniel Nisbet of Australia signed for a 70 at Millbrook Resort for tied-59th place.

There are a total of 152 professionals and 152 amateurs taking part in the event. The first two rounds will alternate between the par-71 course at Millbrook Resort and the par-72 course at The Hills.

A cut will be made after 36 holes and the top 60 players plus ties will go on to compete in the final two rounds at The Hills.

Ends.

Did you know?

  • Zach Murray of Australia secured his 2019 Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School last December after finishing fourth in the 90-hole event.
  • Murray won the Nexus Risk TSA Group WA Open (an event on the PGA Tour of Australasia) as an amateur golfer in October 2018. One month later, he made his professional debut at the Australian Open.
  • Murray was ranked as high as 19th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
  • Murray marked his lowest round yet as a professional with his opening 63 in what was only his third start on the Asian Tour.
  • Murray dedicated his good round to his father Craig, who turns 54 today.
  • Murray hails from Victoria, Australia. He is in Queenstown this week for the first time.
  • Ryuko Tokimatsu is the highest-ranked Japanese in the field this week. He sits in 127th place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
  • The 25-year-old Tokimatsu is a one-time winner on both the Japan Golf Tour and the Japan Challenge Tour. He had closed with two straight birdies to grab a share of lead.
  • Harry Bateman teed off from the first hole at The Hills in the last group today. Despite opening his round with two bogeys, Bateman bounced back brilliantly with five birdies to turn in 33. He dropped another shot on the 10th but would recover strongly with three straight birdies and an eagle-birdie finish.
  • Kodai Ichihara, 36, claimed his first win on the Japan Golf Tour in June last year. He went on to win his second title in Japan last November.
  • Ichihara enjoyed his best season on the Asian Tour in 2009, where he capped five top-10 finishes and missed only two cuts in 15 tournaments.
  • Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand won his National Open for his second Asian Tour title last year. He has enjoyed solid results in his last three starts on Tour, finishing third at the 2018 BNI Indonesian Masters, tied-ninth at the 2019 SMBC Singapore Open and tie-15th at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth two weeks ago.
  • The 26-year-old Panuphol, who goes by the nickname ‘Coconut’, sits in 193rd place on the latest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
  • Known as one of the better ball-strikers on the Asian Tour, Panuphol is hoping to improve on his tied-55th place finish in what was his debut appearance last year.

Published on February 26, 2019

Queenstown, New Zealand, February 26: Olle Nordberg provides his insights from the front lines ahead of the storied New Zealand Open, which has attracted more than 30 Asian Tour champions and 13 past winners to its 100th edition this week.

By Olle Nordberg. 

This week’s New Zealand Open in Queenstown may be a recent event on the Asian Tour only making its first appearance on the schedule in 2018, but the event certainly has a long history going all the way back to 1907 and making this year the 100th edition of the championship.

This is the second consecutive event that is co-sanctioned with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and like in 2018, it will be played over two courses, Millbrook Resort and The Hills, in a Pro-Am format.

These two courses have hosted the event since 2014 and have produced some spectacular scoring and champions such as Daniel Nisbet (2018), Michael Hendry (2017), Mathew Griffin (2016), Jordan Zunic (2015) and Dimitrios Papadatos (2014).

Especially the 2018 edition provided some fireworks in the last round, when Nisbet shot a final round of 62 (-9) to overtake Terry Pilkadaris and win the title by two shots with a total of 27 under par 258.

The defending champion Daniel Nisbet seems poised for a strong defence this week, coming off a six-shot win at last week’s Coca Cola QLD Championship in Toowoomba.

In addition to the recent past winners gathered at the New Zealand Open this week, other challengers to the title may come from the following players who are enjoying a recent run of good form:

  • Ryan Fox – Winner of the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth two weeks ago, and the highest ranked player on the OWGR in the field this week at 68th place. By winning in Perth, he also managed to jump high enough on the OWGR to get into the WGC-Mexico Championship last week.

Being played in a Pro-Am format, the course setup may be a bit kinder than the average Asian Tour event, with the rough not quite as thick and pin positions not as tricky as usual. For example, if we compare the GIR stat numbers from this event last year to the GIR average of the Top 100 Asian Tour players in 2018, we can see a noticeable difference.

In 2018, the players that made the cut at New Zealand Open had a GIR average of 81.1%, while the Top 100 Asian Tour players averaged 67.8% for the 2018 season. The highest-ranked player in this category last year was Paul Peterson with a 74.5% GIR. Based on this and Top 10 statistics from last year’s event, it may suggest that putting will be even more important than usual, and that the winner and top finishers might be found among the players that rank highly in this statistic.


Published on February 22, 2019

Queenstown, New Zealand, February 22: American Berry Henson hopes to be in contention again at the 100th New Zealand Open which will tee off at The Hills and Millbrook Resort in Queenstown from February 28 to March 3 next week.

Henson, who enjoyed a tied-11th place finish in his debut appearance last year, is relishing his return to one of his favourite destinations as he prepares to launch another title bid at the centennial event.

He will be part of the Asian Tour challenge that also features Thailand’s Poom Saksansin and Jazz Janewattananond, who sits atop the current Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, as well as India’s Shiv Kapur and Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines.

Defending champion Daniel Nisbet of Australia, Korea’s K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang, the first Asian to win a Major championship, are also set to headline the NZ$1,250,000 (approx. US$850,000) event that is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“I enjoyed my first trip to New Zealand so much last year that I came a week earlier this year. It’s such an amazing place with stunning views, great people and amazing food. The sceneries are perfect and it’s one of my top-five places to go in the world.

“I am staying with my host family again from last year. The Adkins took great care of me last year and I have already settled in with them the week before the tournament and enjoying all that New Zealand has to offer,” said the 39-year-old Henson.

The long-running event, which is featuring on the Asian Tour schedule for the second straight season, incorporates a unique Pro-Am format which brings together a prestigious blend of professional and amateur golfers, including Black Cap cricket legend Stephen Fleming.

“The courses are fun to play, especially with the Pro-Am format. You got to make lots of birdies but the courses are in perfect shape to score. My game feels good. I am gunning to peak for the upcoming Maybank Championship. Next week will be a good preparation for me,” he added.

Henson made a strong comeback last year after recovering from a career-threatening wrist injury. He capped a total of five top-10 results to finish in 11th place on the final Habitat for Humanity Standings with a season’s haul of US$290,864.

He got his 2019 season off to a commendable start after notching a tied-12 place finish at the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open before following it up with a tied-25th place result at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth last week.

Other prominent players set to headline the Kiwi showpiece are Kodai Ichihara of Japan, Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat and Major champion Michael Campbell of New Zealand, who will make his career comeback at the prestigious event following three years of retirement.

Founded in 1907, the tournament is one of New Zealand’s leading sporting events with a long and prestigious history. It will be played for the 100th time in 2019.


Published on February 18, 2019

Perth, Australia, February 18: Despite missing out on yet another opportunity for his maiden Asian Tour win, Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe took pride in his fourth-place finish at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth on Sunday, which was his best outing in the innovative event.

The 26-year-old Vincent was amongst the 10 players fighting for nine spots following the 54-hole stroke play at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club on Saturday but a par on the first play-off hole confirmed his place as one of the top-24 players for the six-hole Knockout Match Play.

He went on to defeat Australian Wade Ormsby 3&2 in the first round and beat Japan’s Yuta Ikeda 2 UP in the second before progressing into the Quarter-finals after he triumphed against Ben Campbell of New Zealand on the second Knockout hole.

Vincent eventually lost to Spaniard Adrian Otaegui 3&2 in the semi-finals and was left to battle for third place against Paul Dunne of Ireland in the event tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Despite nailing a 35-footer on the fifth and winning the sixth to take the duel to the extra hole, Vincent had to concede defeat after a wayward tee shot into the grandstand saw him leave the way clear for Dunne, who made a short putt to claim third.

Vincent, who had his wife Kelsey on his bag, took home a prize purse of US$54,875 and moved up 14 rungs to second place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.

“I had my chances but just didn’t take advantage of them. That’s what happens at match play. I didn’t expect to get this far. Obviously, there was a chance but the fact that I made it into the semi-final was pretty good,” said Vincent, the first Zimbabwean to play on Tour.

“I will keep building from there and get better,” added Vincent, who featured in the Match Play stage for the first time in three appearances at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

Vincent’s career has been on a rise since coming through the Qualifying School in 2016. He did not miss a single cut in six tournaments that year and in 2017, he notched three top-three results to finish in 17th place on the Merit rankings to retain his playing rights.

Vincent went on to cap a career-best season yet on the region’s premier Tour in 2018 where he came in fifth on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to nine top-10 results – the most number of top-10s made by a player without a win last season.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, who won the season-opener in Singapore last month, continued his reign atop the Habitat for Humanity Standings following his tied-13th place finish, which increased his total earnings to US$197,230.

Jazz, a three-time Asian Tour winner, went the distance with eventual winner Ryan Fox in the second round of the Match Play before getting knocked out by the New Zealander on the third Knockout hole.

“I really felt I had it in my hand already and someone just slapped it away. I felt I got really close and I felt that if I had beaten Ryan Fox, I would have gone on to do better in the next one. But I guess you just have to accept it and move on.

“I’ll be heading to New Zealand next and I’ll work on the things that I fell short in this week. Hopefully I can lift myself up there and perform again,” said the 23-year-old Jazz.

The Asian Tour will head the 100th New Zealand Open next week. The tournament, which offers a prize purse of NZ$1,250,000 (approx. US$850,000), will be held at The Hills and Millbrook Resort from February 28 to March 3.

Ends.

Top players on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos  Player  Order of Merit  (US$)

1. Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $197,230.76

2. Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $63,595.03

3. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $40,618.10

4. Doyeob MUN (KOR) $37,150.00

5. Ben CAMPBELL (NZL) $36,327.27

5. Gareth PADDISON (NZL) $36,327.27

7. Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $35,120.68

8. Gunn CHAROENKUL (THA) $26,500.00

9. Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $24,535.51

10. Berry HENSON (USA) $24,199.05

11. Jarin TODD (USA) $19,316.67

12. Yikeun CHANG (KOR) $19,095.67

13. Miguel TABUENA (PHI) $17,457.17

14. Kazuki HIGA (JPN) $14,266.67

14. Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $14,266.67

16. Justin HARDING (RSA) $14,232.38

17. Steven JEFFRESS (AUS) $12,423.71

17. Andrew MARTIN (AUS) $12,423.71

17. Wade ORMSBY (AUS) $12,423.71

20. Sihwan KIM (USA) $12,404.39

20. Zach MURRAY (AUS) $12,404.39


Published on February 17, 2019

Perth, Australia, February 17: New Zealand’s Ryan Fox produced a dominant performance in the final by beating Spain’s Adrian Otaegui 3&2 to lift the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth trophy on Sunday.

Scott Vincent, who is the first Zimbabwean to play on the Asian Tour, had to settle for fourth place after he lost to Ireland’s Paul Dunne at the first knockout hole at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club.

Fox, who received a bye into the last 16, had to make three trips to the knockout hole to first beat Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond before claiming 1up triumphs over Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan and Ireland’s Paul Dunne in the quarter finals and semi finals respectively.

The 32-year-old was 3Up against Otaegui in the final’s first three holes and his victory was confirmed when they both parred the fourth hole.

It was the case of so near yet so far again for Vincent. After defeating Australia’s Wade Ormsby 3&2 in their opening match, the Zimbabwean took down Yuta Ikeda when he won the match 2Up against the seeded Japanese.

Vincent had a crucial par putt on the second knockout hole to thank when he defeated New Zealand’s Ben Campbell to seal his passage into the semi-finals.

However he was denied by Otaegui in the semi-final after the Spaniard won the match 3&2.

Panuphol, who took down England’s Ben Evans at the first knockout hole in his first match, fell to Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan in his second match after the European Tour rookie won their match 1Up.

Did you know?
  • Ryan Fox was making his third appearance at the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth and the first time he has advanced to the Sunday match play. His previous best finish was 25th in 2017.
  • Adrian Otaegui was playing at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth for the first time this week.
  • The Spaniard’s previous victories have come from match play or knock out events (2018 Belgian Knockout and 2017 Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play)
  • Scott Vincent is the first Zimbabwean to play on the Asian Tour. Although he has yet to win on the Asian Tour, he posted nine top-10s to finish the 2018 season in fifth place on the Order of Merit.
  • He finished runner-up on three occasions in Indonesia, India and Korea last year.
  • Vincent was playing in his second match play format event this week. His first was at the Belgian Knockout on the European Tour last year.
  • Jazz Janewattananond was making his first Sunday appearance at Lake Karrinyup Country Club. He missed the cut in his previous two attempts.
  • Panuphol Pittayarat enjoyed his first top-10 this season when he finished tied-ninth at the Asian Tour season-opening event in Singapore.
  • He is playing in his ninth season on the Asian Tour and has won twice.

Published on February 15, 2019

Perth, Australia, February 15: Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat headed to the top of the leaderboard after firing seven birdies against one bogey to share the second round lead with New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, Australia’s Matthew Griffin and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth on Friday.

Starting his round five shots off the lead, Panuphol quickly hauled himself back within one shot of the lead with birdies on the second, fourth, sixth and seventh holes.

He dropped a shot on the eighth but regained his advantage with further gains on nine, 11 and 15 to sign for a six-under-par 66 and an eight-under-par 136 total at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club.

Fox, who missed out on the match play stages after losing in a play-off in 2017 and finished a shot out of the play-off 12 months ago, is poised to make his Sunday appearance after he birdied two of his last three holes to get to grab a share of the one-shot lead.

Pieters, who won the ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf for his country last November, bounced back from the sick bed to move atop the leaderboard with a 66.

American Berry Henson is also hoping to feature in the shootout round after carding a 67 to stay two shots back from the leaders in a share of eighth place.

The top 65 and ties players after 36 holes will advance to Saturday where the leading 24 players after 54 holes of stroke play will progress to the six-hole knockout match play on Sunday.

The weekend cut was set at one-under with 66 players making it into the third round.

Did you know?

  • Panuphol Pittayarat enjoyed his first top-10 this season when he finished tied-ninth at the Asian Tour season-opening event in Singapore.
  • He is playing in his ninth season on the Asian Tour and has won twice.
  • He broke into the world’s top-200 for the first time in his career after claiming a one-shot victory at the Thailand Open last year.
  • That win was his second victory on the Asian Tour after his breakthrough at the Indonesia Open in 2017.
  • Panuphol turned professional in 2007 at a young age of 14 and was nicknamed ‘Coconut’ by his parents.
  • Berry Henson has played at Lake Karrinyup Country Club on three occasions and has made the cut for the first time this week.
  • Thomas Pieters has fond memories of Australia, having won the ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf with compatriot Thomas Detry last November.
  • He missed the cut when he last teed it up on the Lake Karrinyup layout in 2014.

Published on

Sentosa, Singapore, February 15: Chikkarangappa S. and Danthai Boonma have both become landmark champions on their home Tours. Not only have they won their respective season openers, but they have gone down in history as the first winners to have received Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points following their victories on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT)

This is the first time the Tours’ where their tournaments are awarded world ranking points following the OWGR’s decision to include the PGTI and AGTI into the OWGR system.

The OWGR is used to determine eligibility to lucrative events such as Major championships, World Golf Championship tournaments, the World Cup, Olympic golf tournament and several other high-profile events worldwide.

With these domestic Tours attaining OWGR points, golfers will have more opportunities to earn points and work their way up the rankings.

India’s Chikkarangappa claimed a two-shot victory at the Golconda Masters 2019 Powered By Telangana Tourism & Incredible India, the season-opening event on the PGTI. The 26-year-old received five OWGR points, which lifted him from 461 to 357 on the world rankings.

Danthai Boonma of Thailand

Thailand’s Danthai Boonma was dominant at the Singha E-San Open 2019 as he finished the tournament five shots ahead of the field. He earned seven points and rose from 395 to 315 on the OWGR.

Chikkarangappa and Danthai are regular competitors on the Asian Tour, which has worked closely with the PGTI and ATGT in developing professional golf in the region.

In 2018, the Asian Tour co-sanctioned the Hero Indian Open, TAKE Solutions Masters and the Panasonic Open India with the PGTI. The year also saw the emergence of India’s Shubhankar Sharma, who started his professional career on the PGTI.

The All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) has nurtured the likes of two-time Asian Tour winner Jazz Janewattananond and three-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Thongchai Jaidee.

The Asian Tour has been in close collaboration with the ATGT over the last 20 years.

This week the Asian Development Tour (ADT) is holding a joint-sanctioned event in Lopburi at the home of Thai Legend Thongchai Jaidee. Last year, the Asian Tour worked with the ATGT to put together two events on the ADT, the Singha Laguna Phuket Open and the Betagro Championship.

The top five golfers on the respective Order of Merit lists at the end of the season will receive spots at the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School, with the top-ranked player earning playing rights on Asia’s premier circuit.

Said Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Chief Operating Officer: “The Asian Tour would like to congratulate Chikkarangappa S. and Danthai Boonma for winning their respective tournaments. It’s great to see two of our members victorious and boosted their positions on the world rankings.

“The PGTI and ATGT have reached a significant milestone with their inclusion into the OWGR system. The Asian Tour will continue to collaborate with local golf bodies to collectively develop the game of golf in the region.”


Published on February 12, 2019

By Olle Nordberg, founder of golf equipment survey company, Northmountain International. 

Perth, Australia, February 12: As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The modified format that mixes both stroke play and match play will be used at the 2019 ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth for the third consecutive year, proving that it has gained acceptance among golf aficionados.

Perhaps, it’s the unpredictability and excitement of the format.

Case in point: Brett Rumford and Kiradech Aphibarnrat won the 2017 and 2018 editions of the tournament in a vastly different manner.

Rumford was the leading player after three days of stroke play in 2017 at 17-under-par. He went on to win the knock-out match play rounds on Sunday.

Aphibarnrat, on the other hand, barely managed to squeeze through the first three rounds of stroke play at five-under-par for a tied-17th place, before emerging victorious in the Sunday match play. In a normal 72-hole stroke play format, a five-stroke deficit after three rounds would have been more challenging to overcome.

Neither Rumford (who is out injured) or Aphibarnrat (playing on the PGA Tour) will be in the field this week at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth, but there’s a good chance that some of the following players in strong form will be in with a chance to win on Sunday afternoon

Justin Harding

Arguably the hottest player in the field, coming off a fourth-place finish in last week’s Vic Open on the European Tour and Australasian PGA Tour, as well as tied-11th at the Saudi International and tied-seventh at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on the European tour. He is the highest ranked player on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in the field at 65th.

Jazz Janewattanond

He is already a winner this year at the SMBC Singapore Open, and in doing so, broke into the top-100 on the OWGR. Jazz finished the 2018 Asian Tour season very strongly by finishing third at the Queen’s Cup Hosted by Jaidee Foundation, and 2nd at the BNI Indonesian Masters. He’s also pretty adept at match play, evident from his performance at the Friendship Cup between Thailand and Japan in late December, where he won all his five matches. He was in tied-10th going into the last round at the Vic Open last week, before falling back a bit in the last round.

Lucas Herbert

Herbert has had top-10 finishes in this event the last two years by finishing third in 2018 and tied-ninth in 2017. Both years, he finished tied-second after the stroke play rounds. Recently, he finished tied-seventh at the star-studded Omega Dubai Desert Classic in late January. Recent form and previous performances at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth put him in good stead.

A Numbers Game

From the statistics from the last few years, players who can hit Greens-In-Regulation (GIR) will have an edge at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club, at least, for the stroke play rounds. A couple of very strong players that ranked highly in this statistic on the 2018 Asian Tour should also be good picks for a possible victory this week:

Scott Vincent

The Zimbabwean finished fifth on the 2018 Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, racking up nine top-10s during the season including three second-place finishes. Vincent was ranked third in GIR on the Asian Tour last with 73.8 per cent. He is very much due for a breakthrough win in 2019, evident from his solid statistics across the board last year. In addition to his GIR, he was also ranked commendably in Stroke Average (69.84, third on Tour), Putts per GIR (1.74, 12th), birdies (306, first), as well as Birdies per Round (4.43, third).

Jake McLeod

McLeod is the reigning Australasian PGA Tour Order of Merit Champion. In his rookie season on the Asian Tour, McLeod hit 70.7 per cent of his GIR (ranked 16th on Tour), and even more impressive was his Birdies per Round at 4.78 (second).

OWGR Watch

With lucrative events such as the World Golf Championships (WGC), Majors and the Player’s Championship looming, players will be jostling for top positions on the OWGR. Two members making a significant charge up the rankings are Harding and Jazz. They could make some big strides with some high finishes in the weeks to come.

Of course, Kiradech Aphibarnrat will already be eligible for all of the above.

In Harding’s case, he is currently 65th on the OWGR and is very close to qualifying for the Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas at the end of March, where the top-64 available players get a spot. The cutoff date is still five weeks away, but another top finish in Perth this week could put him inside this number. The U.S. PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in New York on May 16 to 19 will usually give a Special Exemption to players ranked within the top-100 of the OWGR. Harding earned one of these spots last year after winning the Bank BRI Indonesia Open and Royal Cup consecutively in 2018.

Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand

Jazz, now in 77th place on the OWGR, will need to do a bit more to get inside the top-64 for a spot at the Dell Technologies Match Play. However, a couple of high finishes in Perth or at the upcoming New Zealand Open could edge him over the line. Jazz is also currently in line for one of the Special Exemption spots into the U.S. PGA Championship.

For both players, what’s more desirable is sure the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Although, it will be a tough task.  To get an invitation to the year’s first Major, they have to be inside the top-50 on the OWGR as of March 31st.

The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass from March 14 to 17 in Jacksonville, Florida is another event that gives exemptions to the top-50 on the OWGR. The cutoff is coming up soon on March 4 after the New Zealand Open, and a huge move up the rankings would require some stellar play in the three weeks ahead.

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