Kuala Lumpur, October 12: Shubhankar Sharma birdied his closing two holes for a sparkling eight-under-par 64 to trail the second round leaders Gary Woodland and Marc Leishman by one-shot at the CIMB Classic on Friday.

The Indian star rediscovered his form in the country where he won eight months ago as he registered nine birdies against a single blemish to end the day on 13-under-par 131 at the US$7 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA TOUR.

Sharma will enter the weekend rounds hot on the heels of Woodland, who equalled the course record of 61 today, and tie with Leishman, whose 62 placed him atop the leaderboard at the TPC Kuala Lumpur.

Ryder Cup winner Paul Casey of England kept up his title charge after shooting a 65 to share third with Sharma while world number four Justin Thomas slipped to a share of 15th place following a 69.

Starting from the 10th, the 22-year-old Sharma turned in 33 before showcasing his impeccable form highlighted by a 30-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole. He rifled his nine-iron approach shot to two-feet on the last for an easy tap-in birdie to charge in contention.

Woodland will be hoping to be third time lucky after finishing second twice at the CIMB Classic in 2013 and 2014. The three-time PGA TOUR winner marked his card with 11 birdies to tie for the course record set by Thomas in 2015.

Leishman, who has also won three times on the PGA TOUR, was also bogey-free in a round of 10 birdies. His highlight of the day came when he holed four straight birdies from the second hole.

Did you know?

• Woodland lost in a Monday play-off in 2013 when he lost on the first extra hole to Ryan Moore.
• Ranked 38th in the world, he only missed one green-in-regulation and two fairways while totalling 26 putts.
• Woodland is regular at the CIMB Classic, as he has never missed a single edition since 2013.
• Leishman wielded a hot putter where he totalled 24 putts highlighted by seven one-putts from the 11th hole. He only had one three-putt on the 18th hole which he parred.
• He is bogey-free in his last 35 holes. His only bogey this week was on his opening first hole.
• This is the Australian’s seventh appearance at the CIMB Classic. His best result is fifth place last year.
• Sharma matched his second low round on the Asian Tour. He previously shot a 62 at the 2016 Manila Masters and closed with the same score when he won in Malaysia in February.
• This is his first appearance at the CIMB Classic and he is aiming to better countryman Lahiri’s best result of tied third place in the event in 2016.
• He totalled 26 putts in his round today and hit 15 greens-in-regulation and nine fairways. He has dropped three bogeys in 36 holes.
• Since finishing tied ninth at the WGC-Mexico Championship and tied seventh at the Hero Indian Open earlier this year, Sharma has not enjoyed the best results. He is beginning to find his form at the CIMB Classic.
• Sharma needs a good result this week as he aims to become the Asian Tour number one in 2018. With earnings of US$608,494, he leads by US$54,278 over Sanghyun Park of Korea.

Player interviews:

Gary Woodland (Usa) – Second Round 61 (-11), Total 130 (-14)

The golf course is phenomenal, they did an unbelievable job, it’s in perfect shape.  It’s nice to play the ball down this week.  The golf course is great.  Today, I mean I just played solid just like I did yesterday, I just made more putts.  Hit the ball in the fairway.  I think I hit 17 greens, which obviously is a big deal, but I made some putts, too, which is nice.

Obviously the course is set up to go low out here so you’ve got to stay aggressive.  Keep doing what I’m doing, drive the golf ball in the fairway and see some more putts go in and hopefully it’s a really good week.

It just sets up well for me.  Obviously four par 5s is nice.  I can be aggressive out here, I can hit a lot of drivers, which is a huge advantage.  And the other holes, you know, irons into some of the tougher holes, I’m laying back.  Where other guys got to play a little more aggressive, I can lay back and be a little more conservative.  The golf course just sets up good to my eye.

Marc Leishman (Aus) – Second Round 62 (-10), Total 130 (-14)

Yeah, I’m happy with the round today.  Hit it a lot better today.  Well, the driver especially.  It was pretty ugly yesterday, but got away with it.  Worked out what I was doing on the range this morning and, yeah, 62 was a result.  It was nice to hit it the way I did and then make some putts as well.  Yeah, it was a good second round.

There’s no wind, the fairways are still quite firm so you’re hitting some really long drives out there and having some short irons into holes.  But again, if you’re in the rough it’s tough to hit it close.  If you’re hitting good shots, you can have a really low score, and if you’re not, you can    you’re probably going to be struggling to make par.  And the greens are absolutely perfect, so it’s probably a combination of all those.

It would be nice to get in the winner’s circle again this year.  Played well last year but didn’t win anything, so that’s probably the goal is to win again.  Just have to do everything right and that generally takes care of itself.  That’s what I intend to do.

Shubhankar Sharma (Ind) – Second Round 64 (-8), Total 131 (-13)

Really happy, really pleased with the way I played.  Had a lot of birdie opportunities and I converted most of them, so very happy.

I just feel like all the players playing at this level are at a very high level.  On a course like this when they get going, they will go really low and I just feel like even I belong in that league.  When I’m feeling it and I’m hitting it good, I pretty much go at every pin and I feel like I can make all the putts.  I would just say that I did get into a zone today, especially on that front nine, which is my back nine, I was pretty much going at all the pins.  Just that one bad shot on the second, but other than that I was hitting it pretty good.  So really happy with where I am right now and I just want to continue doing that for the next two days.

Almost like I woke up after the front nine yesterday.  I didn’t really have the best of starts, but the next 27 holes after that have been really good.

My goal at the start of the week was to get into a good position going into the weekend and I’ve done that.  I don’t think I could have played better than this.  I wasn’t really in form before this event, I didn’t really have the best of weeks before this, but to come back strong, especially to have my coach here, we figured out a few things.  So yeah, the weekend is important on a lot of fronts    PGA TOUR, Asian Tour Order of Merit, so many things    but I just want to keep it simple, just want to go out and play golf.

Scores after round 2 of the CIMB Classic being played at the par 72, 7005 Yards TPC Kuala Lumpur course (am – denotes amateur):

130 – Gary Woodland (USA) 69-61, Marc Leishman (AUS) 68-62.

131 – Shubhankar Sharma (IND) 67-64, Paul Casey (ENG) 66-65.

132 – Austin Cook (USA) 64-68, Bronson Burgoon (USA) 63-69, Scott Piercy (USA) 65-67.

133 – Nick Watney (USA) 66-67, Kevin Chappell (USA) 66-67.

134 – J.B. Holmes (USA) 67-67, Joel Dahmen (USA) 66-68, Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 66-68, Billy Horschel (USA) 65-69, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 66-68.

135 – Kevin Na (USA) 68-67, Keith Mitchell (USA) 70-65, Chesson Hadley (USA) 67-68, Abraham Ancer (MEX) 67-68, Justin Thomas (USA) 66-69.

136 – Byeonghun An (KOR) 66-70, Charles Howell III (USA) 69-67.

Kuala Lumpur, October 11: Shubhankar Sharma turned his fortunes around with a solid back-nine 31 as he returned with a five-under-par 67 to trail the first round leader Bronson Burgoon by four shots at the US$7 million CIMB Classic on Thursday.

Sharma, the current Habitat for Humanity Standings leader, turned in 36 before shooting five birdies on his homeward nine to sit in tied 14th place in his first appearance at the event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA TOUR at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

Burgoon, also making his debut at the CIMB Classic, registered a remarkable 63 to take a one-shot lead over Austin Cook while Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan, Scott Piercy and Billy Horschel, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion, were a further shot back in tied third place.

World number four Justin Thomas, a two-time CIMB Classic champion, shot a 66 to tie in sixth place with eight other players including Nick Watney, who won the event in 2012, Major champion Louis Oosthuizen, Byeonghun An of Korea and Ryder Cup winner Paul Casey.

The 22-year-old Sharma, a two-time Asian Tour winner, continued to impress in the country where he tasted success in February. He got off to a slow start but bounced back brilliantly with five birdies in the last nine holes.

The round of the day belonged to Burgoon, who bogeyed the 13th hole before recovering with three straight birdies and holed-out for eagle from the greenside bunker on the 18th hole. He added five more birdies in his last nine holes to equal his career’s low round in relation to par.

Malaysia’s Ben Leong fired a 68 to tie in 20th place while nine-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar of India and Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, the 2013 Asian Tour number one, shared 26th place after shooting matching 69s.

Did you know?

• This is Bronson Burgoon’s first appearance in the CIMB Classic. He matched his career’s low round of nine-under-par 62 at the John Deere Classic earlier this year where he finished tied second.
• He was hot with his irons after hitting 17 out of 18 greens in regulation.
• Burgoon opened the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season with a tied-53rd place finish at the Safeway Open last week.
• Austin Cook ended his round in style when he birdied four of his closing five holes. After missing left on the green on the par-four ninth hole, which is his last hole of the day, he chipped in for birdie to close with a 64.
• Shubhankar Sharma won his second Asian Tour title in Malaysia in February. He has held the lead on the Asian Tour’s Habitat for Humanity Standings since the victory.
• He hit 11/14 fairways and missed only two greens in regulation but struggled with the putter where he totalled 28 putts. He had one three-putt on the second hole which resulted in a bogey.
• Sharma needs a good result this week as he aims to become the Asian Tour number one. With earnings of US$608,494, he leads by US$54,278 over Sanghyun Park who shot a 72 today.
• Thomas, the highest ranked player in the elite field, started his campaign with eight birdies against two bogeys.
• He is aiming to become the first player to win three CIMB Classic titles after winning the showpiece in 2015 and 2016.

Player interviews:

Bronson Burgoon (USA) – First Round 63 (-9)

I mean, I drove it well and I putted pretty good, so it was kind of – I mean, it was boring golf, but that’s always a good thing. I chipped in for eagle out of the bunker on my ninth hole, which kind of boosted me and kept me going.

I took quite a bit of time off after the Playoffs and last week I was pretty rusty, but I felt it kind of coming. Yesterday I was thankful I was able to play the pro-am and I felt it going a little bit. I was feeling pretty good before I teed off today.

You have to putt well to play well. I typically drive it pretty good, so when I putt, I play pretty good.

Austin Cook (USA) – First Round 64 (-8)

It was just one of those days everything was going my way. Two chip-ins, four — two of the last four holes, one out of the bunker and there on number nine, that was a tough chip. Didn’t — still a chip, would only go about four feet by, but got lucky, hit the flagstick to fall in. Great way to start the year, hopefully I can keep the momentum going.

This year, obviously with the win last season I’ve got full status, but no matter what, it’s still nice to get off strong so you can kind of not really take the rest of the year easy, but you’ve got a good start to the season. You’ve got a lot of points made, decent money, whatever it may be and you kind of just play your game, you don’t have to force it throughout the year.

So the better you play sooner, the easier it is later in the season to just play your game and not really be too aggressive and force the ball.

Justin Thomas (Usa) – First Round 66 (-6)

Yeah, it was a good day. Kind of up and down. I got off to a good start and then kind of stalled out a little bit there in the middle. Hung in there and just really didn’t hit my irons very well. I just didn’t take advantage of a couple opportunities and let a couple go, but kind of found something there those last five holes and was able to at least make a good round of it today.

You have to play well here every day or at least get — you know, a round like today is what could end up winning me this golf tournament. Not having — pretty far from my best stuff and getting around here from six-under is huge.

Shubhankar Sharma (Ind) – First Round 67 (-5)

Very happy with the way I played. I didn’t get off to the best of starts on the front nine, I was level par after the front nine, but was really happy with the way I fought back and shot five-under.

I hit a few bad shots on the front nine and that really put me off, which shouldn’t happen normally when you’re playing. So I just told myself to be calm and just try and give it my best on the back nine and things fell into place and I made a few crucial putts.

I just wasn’t getting the club in the right place on the backswing. Because of that, I wasn’t really squaring it up and I wasn’t really hitting it close. I thought the front nine was playing pretty easy today, especially after birdieing the first, I three-putted the second, didn’t birdie the third from the right of the green, which was pretty easy. I felt like I left a few shots out there.

And then I was pretty frustrated with what I did on the eighth, I duffed my chip from the front edge and I made bogey there. So felt like I give a lot of shots out there, but I think I recovered really well on the back nine, made some crucial birdies to start with a birdie on the 10th and then the 11th as well was a great birdie. That just kind of set the things in motion for me and I played really well then.

Scores after round 1 of the CIMB Classic being played at the par 72, 7005 Yards TPC Kuala Lumpur course (am – denotes amateur):

63 – Bronson Burgoon (USA).

64 – Austin Cook (USA).

65 – Scott Piercy (USA), Billy Horschel (USA), C.T. Pan (TPE).

66 – Nick Watney (USA), Emiliano Grillo (ARG), Kevin Chappell (USA), Justin Thomas (USA), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Joel Dahmen (USA), Byeonghun An (KOR), Paul Casey (ENG).

67 – Chesson Hadley (USA), Abraham Ancer (MEX), Siwoo Kim (KOR), J.B. Holmes (USA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Scott Stallings (USA).

68 – Ernie Els (RSA), Stewart Cink (USA), Kevin Na (USA), Marc Leishman (AUS), Ryan Palmer (USA), Ben Leong (MAS).

69 – Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND), Whee Kim (USA), Danny Lee (NZL), Ryan Armour (USA), Cameron Smith (AUS), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA), Charles Howell III (USA), Gary Woodland (USA), Xander Schauffele (USA).

Karachi, Pakistan, October 10: Mardan Mamat of Singapore will be bringing his renewed sense of confidence to the US$300,000 UMA CNS Open Golf Championship which starts tomorrow.

Mardan is happy with the current state of his game after he made a successful foray into the European Senior Tour this year.

Coupled with a pair of good results in the last two events in Chinese Taipei, the 50-year-old Mardan feels that he is ready for an excellent finish, if not a win at the Karachi Golf Club.

Mardan, Singapore’s most decorated professional golf player, is also proud to see his young compatriots Gregory Foo and Abdul Hadi joining the play-for-pay ranks. The duo will be playing in the UMA CNS Open Golf Championship on an invite.

Foo has never played in Pakistan and he will be competing with a fresh mindset along with a new status.

Conversely, Hamza Amin of Pakistan has competed frequently at the Karachi Golf Club and he will be using his intimate knowledge of the golf course to his advantage.

Tirawat Kaewsiribandit of Thailand

Thailand has a strong contingent of golfers at the tournament, spearheaded by the likes of Suradit Yongcharoenchai and Tirawat Kaewsiribandit.

Suradit will enter the tournament as the highest-ranked player both on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings and the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). With his card for the 2019 season, virtually secured, the 19-year-old will be gunning for victory.

Did you know:

• Mardan Mamat has won five times on the Asian Tour and is currently placed fifth on the career money list on a US$2,610,865 total.
• He won the 2004 Indian Open and became the first golfer from Singapore to win an Asian Tour title.
• Mardan enjoyed his best season on the Asian Tour in 2016. He made US$263,110 that year and finished a career-high eighth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• Gregory Foo turned professional after competing on the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last week. He finished tied-ninth at that tournament.
• He offered a glimpse of his class by finishing impressively in tied-16th at the 2018 SMBC Singapore Open as an amateur
• Hamza Amin earned his first Asian Tour card in 2014 after making the mark at the Qualifying School. However, he failed to retain his playing status that year.
• He was placed tied-sixth at the PGM MNRB Championship, an event on the Asian Development Tour, last month.
• Suradit Yongcharoenchai is placed 546th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and 47th on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.
• He narrowly missed out on winning his maiden Asian Tour this year at the TAKE Solutions Masters, where he finished tied-second.
• Tirawat Kaewsiribandit enjoyed a successful 2017. He posted four top-10s and was placed 36th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• He won an event on the Asian Development Tour in 2017, at the Betagro All Thailand Championship.

Players’ quotes:

Mardan Mamat (Sgp)

Firstly, it’s nice to be back here after such a long time! I played this course in 2006 and it is pretty much the same, although the trees have grown taller. The hospitality has been great and the people have tried their best to make our stay here comfortable.

My goal is to get back into the winner’s circle. I need to grind and get a win.

My game is getting better. I went to Europe to play some senior tournaments and I got my confidence back. I’m happy about the way I’ve been putting, particularly over the last two weeks. The signs are looking good.

The course is not a long hitter’s course. It is my kind of course, the type where you need to keep the ball in play. If you do so, you can get birdie chances. You need to putt well to score and I haven’t done that. But as I’ve said, it’s getting better and I’m sure my “feel” will come back.

It’s about time (having new Singapore professionals playing on Tour). These two guys (Gregory Foo and Abdul Hadi) have played amateur golf for the last few years. So, they know what it takes to play in tournaments under pressure. My advice for them is to stay patient, work hard and the results will surely come your way.

Gregory Foo (Sgp)

What a difference a week makes! I was just an amateur last week and now I’m a professional. I feel like I’m playing well and I am looking forward to a good start as a professional.

It’s a whole new experience. I’m happy to be here and I’ll be embracing my time in Pakistan whatever happens this week.

As an amateur, you usually travel as a team and things are taken care off for you. But as a pro, you have to be independent and handle the planning as well as the logistics. It’s a totally different lifestyle. I feel that mentally, I’ve been preparing for it and I’m glad that it is finally official.

I’m lucky to have a lot of Singapore players here in Pakistan. Mardan has taken me under his wing and he has been very nice and helpful.

The layout of the course is tight and narrow. It has character. There’s a premium on keeping the ball in the fairway for sure. Getting through the first two days will be a good start, then I’ll try to finish as high as possible. A win will be a bonus.

Hamza Amin (Pak)

It’s been too long since the Asian Tour last had a tournament in Pakistan. The whole country is excited. For once, cricket won’t be the focus.

It feels good to be flying the flag for Pakistan. This is not my home club as I stay in Islamabad but I’ve played enough golf here to have a good shot of playing well this week.

I’m just going to treat this just like any other event. I know the golf course well and I’ve played here for six years and I’m going to give it my best.

I’ve been unlucky this year, missing a lot of cuts by one shot. My confidence is there. I won a tournament in Austria this year and I look forward to a good week.

Suradit Yongcharoenchai (Tha)

I decided to come to Pakistan at the last minute. I really fancy my chances here.

I don’t feel any pressure even though I’m the highest-ranked player in the field. I’m looking forward to competing, play my own game and hopefully have some fun this week.

The golf course is in a very good condition. The fairways and greens are well maintained. If I putt well here, I should stand a great chance. This course isn’t too long. So as long as I keep my ball in play and I putt well, I should be in contention come Sunday.

I have done well enough this year to keep my card, so now I’m looking for a win.

Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (Tha)

I’m feeling great about my recent form. I’m happy to be here and focused on playing well here. I’m really confident as I posted some decent results over the last four weeks.

I will be trying to win this week. Actually, the tournament is up for grabs. This is a new golf course for most of us and we don’t have prior knowledge. The course is narrow and the conditions are dry, so I’ll try to maximise my chances of staying on the fairways by teeing off with a three-iron.

Kuala Lumpur, October 10: Indian star Gaganjeet Bhullar is confident he can contend at the US$7 million CIMB Classic which starts on Thursday.

The 30-year-old is enjoying a superb season on the Asian Tour where he won his ninth title in August and currently sits in fifth place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.

Making his fourth appearance at the CIMB Classic, Bhullar believes his form is peaking at the right time as he prepares to challenge for honours at the TPC Kuala Lumpur, West Course.

Bhullar will be among four Indians this week which includes former Asian Tour number one Anirban Lahiri, who finished tied third in the showpiece in 2016, Shubhankar Sharma and Rahil Gangjee.

Sanghyun Park of Korea, ranked second on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, will also feature in the event alongside defending champion Pat Perez and two-time CIMB Classic champion Justin Thomas.

Bhullar admits he was in awe of the PGA Tour players when he played in the 2012, 2013 and 2016 editions but he feels his game has improved tremendously ahead of the ninth staging of the CIMB Classic.

Lahiri, the 2015 Asian Tour number one, raced against time to travel to Malaysia from the United States after receiving news on Monday that he had qualified for the event after Andrew Landry had withdrawn.

John Catlin, the first player to win three times on the Asian Tour in 2018, will play in his first PGA TOUR event. The American, who rose from the Asian Development Tour (ADT) ranks will enter the tournament with high confidence after winning on Sunday in Chinese Taipei.

Malaysia’s Ben Leong said he was lucky to be part of the elite field after Gavin Green withdrew from the tournament. As the second highest ranked Malaysian in the world, Leong was next in line to qualify for the event.

Did you know?

• Bhullar is the only Indian to win nine times on the Asian Tour following his victory in Fiji in August.
• He played in three editions of the CIMB Classic with his best result in tied 10th place in the 2012 showpiece, albeit on a different golf course.
• This will be Bhullar’s fourth appearance in the CIMB Classic since 2016.
• In his nine Asian Tour victories, Bhullar has won in Indonesia (three times), Thailand, Chinese Taipei (twice), Macao, Korea and Fiji. He has yet to taste success in Malaysia.
• With 50% of the earnings counted on the Asian Tour this week, Bhullar can narrow Shubhankar Sharma’s lead on the Habitat for Humanity Standings where he trails by US$210,619
• Lahiri came close to winning the CIMB Classic in 2016. He led by four shots heading into the final round but a 72 dashed his title hopes as he settled for tied third place. He was also tied 10th in last year’s edition.
• He had a nervous wait to qualify for the CIMB Classic as he was the first alternate in the elite field before finally getting into the tournament on Monday.
• Catlin earned his Asian Tour card after finishing third on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit last year. This is his first PGA Tour event after a successful season on the Asian Tour where he won three titles.
• Leong is playing in his second CIMB Classic. He played in the event in 2015 where he finished in a share of 64th place.

Player quotes:

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind)

I know this is definitely my favorite tournament of the year. We all look forward to playing this tournament. It’s a great opportunity for us and really excited, really happy to be back here. The golf course is in a great shape. I mean, this year it’s got a really strong field, so it’s going to be really, really stiff competition.

I’ve been playing quite consistent and quite well this year. The victory in Fiji gave me a lot of confidence. Yes, my best result at the CIMB Classic was at Mines Golf & Country Club, but I think the best is yet to come. I’ve played on this golf course quite a few times and anything is possible.

As a player I’ve really matured over the period of years. This is my fourth attempt, so every time I come here I get to learn so many new things. I would say I’m a better player this time, better chance at it and looking at it, I’m feeling really confident.

Thanks for making me old. But yes, it is kind of a strong feeling I would say. I’m feeling more like mature golfer and a lot of the familiar faces this week. I’ve played with them here in 2012, ’13, ’16, so feeling really confident to be back.

Ben Leong of Malaysia

Anirban Lahiri (Ind)

I’m quite relieved actually. I made my plans in the offseason assuming that I would play, so I kind of expected myself to be playing so it came as a bit of a surprise.

It was funny actually. I played a round with Brendan Grace back in Florida the weekend before Napa, so like 10 days ago. Brendan’s the one who told me like (inaudible.) What are you talking about? I hadn’t even looked because it’s always gone down past 100, comfortably past 100. Like what do you mean? He was like, no, no. He was looking for himself because he’s first alternate for Korea. He said, I was looking for myself and I’m alternate for Korea and I was looking at the CIMB list and I saw you’re not in.

That’s when I checked. I said but it’s already too late because they usually go about four weeks before the event.

I didn’t bother asking for an invite because I didn’t think I would need it. If you make it to the second Playoff event, you’re pretty much guaranteed to play here. Apparently not.

Yesterday I got here and I went straight to Rahil Gangjee’s room and we were sitting and chatting for like two, three hours just catching up and that’s fun. I miss that obviously. So that’s what it’s like coming here. Even now I’m just walking around, I know so many familiar faces, just catching up and saying hello. It’s become like a yearly affair where I kind of catch up with everyone. Obviously when we have the Eurasia Cup, that’s the other time that you usually come to KL.

John Catlin (Usa)

I mean, this is where I wanted to be since I was 12 years old. Surprisingly, it feels more like home than I ever thought it would. I thought I would show up and you would be nervous, you wouldn’t really quite know how you feel. It just feels like another week on a really, really good golf course with very, very accomplished players.

The first two years, the Asian Tour was kind of a struggle, but I think for me it kind of had to be that way. It’s always had to kind of be a little bit difficult, right? It makes me work harder.

I remember the first time I played with Gavin (Green) when he came to New Mexico, I was just in awe of how good he was. I was like, well, I’d better get better, this guy’s just going to surpass me and I won’t play another tournament as long as I’m here.

Similar to showing up on the Asian Tour, you play with these guys, like man, these are great players. I have to play well just to make the cut. Kind of an eye-opening experience. I think that’s what kind of sparked my hard work. Then showing up here, this has been probably the easiest transition so far. I’m just like, all right, it’s another week. Making it more difficult makes it that much sweeter, like I earned this.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, October 7: John Catlin of the United States became the first player to win three times this season on the Asian Tour when he signed off with a flawless seven-under-par 65 to win the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship on Sunday.

American Sihwan Kim was tussling with Catlin for the outright lead right until the 16th hole where a costly bogey pegged him back to second place which he would eventually finish at the US$500,000 event.

The local hopes of welcoming another home winner were dashed as Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao could not surmount the late charge needed and ended his week in third place at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

India’s Viraj Madappa enjoyed a welcome return to form by finishing fourth after missing three cuts since his maiden breakthrough at home in in August.

Catlin, who held a share of the lead since the second round, had a decisive birdie on 16 to thank for giving him a two-shot cushion heading into his final two holes.

That advantage provided him with much relief as two straight pars on 17 and 18 saw him close with a winning total of 15-under-par 273 and sealed his place as the newest winner of the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship.

Did you know?

• John Catlin is the first player to win three titles on the Asian Tour for the 2018 season.
• Thaworn remains the only player to have won four times in a single season in 2005.
• Catlin’s previous victories were achieved at this year’s Asia-Pacific Classic and the Sarawak Championship.
• He has a very impressive form this season. Prior to his latest victory, Catlin missed only one cut in 14 Asian Tour appearances.
• Catlin moved to Hua Hin, Thailand from California in 2016 and trains at the Springfield Golf and Country Club.
• Sihwan Kim has already enjoyed five top-five finishes this season. They include his second place result at this week’s Yeangder Tournament Players Championship.
• Kim is a graduate of the 2017 Asian Tour Qualifying School. Straight after securing his card, he went on to claim two straight top-10 finishes at the Leopalace21 Myanmar Open and Bashundhara Bangladesh Open.
• He secured a tied-sixth finish at the season-ending Indonesian Masters to finish in 55th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings and retain his card for 2018.
• Hung Chien-yao holds the honour of carding the week’s first hole-in-one recorded during the first round. His ace was achieved using an eight-iron from 177 yards on the 17th hole.
• Hung finished tied-10th in his last Yeangder TPC appearance in 2016 and his best result this season was a tied-20th finish at the Sarawak Championship in July.
• Hung has yet to win on the Asian Tour but has one Asian Development Tour (ADT) title which he won on home soil in 2013.
• Viraj Madappa became the youngest Indian player to win on the Asian Tour after lifting the 2018 TAKE Solutions Masters trophy in August.
• He won at the age of 20 years and nine months, breaking the previous record set by Gaganjeet Bhullar, who was 21 years and three months old when he won his first Asian Tour title at the 2009 Indonesia President Invitational.

Players’ Quotes

John Catlin (Usa) Fourth round 65 (-7), Total 273 (-15)

This win means a lot to me. All the pressure of trying to qualify for CIMB next week and not knowing where I was standing. And to be able to stand up to that is just awesome. That’s why you work so hard for. That’s why you put in all those hours in preparation for rounds like today. I told myself to hit the fairways and the birdie putt on 16 was huge. It was massive having a two-shot lead going into the last two holes. Because if you only got one-shot lead, anything can happen on the 18th hole. I made a lot of really good putts and that’s what’s you got to especially when someone is chasing you. If you told me I was going to play in a PGA Tour event six months ago, I would be like, it’s not going to happen. But now that I’ve got in, it’s amazing and I’m so excited to there.

Sihwan Kim (Usa) Fourth round 66 (-6), Total 275 (-13)

It was a good week. I didn’t win but second place is still good. It’s just a shame I three-putted twice today and that made the difference. I just got to be sharper with my putting and I didn’t do that. Next week’s a big tournament and I want to do well there. It’s my first time playing there, playing with the big boys. I have a lot of experience playing all over the world and I hope to use that and play well next week.

Hung Chien-yao (Tpe) Fourth round 68 (-4), Total 276 (-12)

I lost to a worthy winner. John Catlin deserves this victory. I had the chance to fight for the title but unfortunately that bogey on 13 messed up everything. I had birdie chances on 14, 15 and 17 but I just could not convert my chances. But anyway, this is still my best result and I’m happy it has allowed me to keep for card for next season.

Viraj Madappa (Ind) Fourth round 68 (-4), Total 277 (-11)

I was a little disappointed I didn’t get off to a good start today but I gave myself lots of opportunities in the middle of the round. But I’m still happy with the way I’m playing. It was tough mentally but I’m glad I stuck to my game plan and managed to stay focused. 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.