Powerful Prayad wins again in Japan
Trophy shot of Prayad Marksaeng courtesy of JPGA.
Japan, August 20: Thai veteran Prayad Marksaeng claimed his 13th title and fifth this year on the Japan Senior Tour after prevailing in a play-off on the third extra hole at the ¥72 million Fancl Classic in Shizuoka on Sunday.
The 52-year-old Prayad overcame a three-shot deficit by firing nine birdies against a double-bogey for a closing seven-under-par 65, forcing extra time with American Gregory Meyer after the duo were tied on 13-under-par 195 in the 54-hole regulation play.
Prayad, a 10-time Asian Tour winner, birdied the third play-off hole held on the par-five 18th at the Susono Country Club to claim his fifth victory in what was only his sixth start on the Japan Senior Tour this season.
“I was quite confident heading into the play-off because Meyer is not a big-hitter. I think I have a better chance in the play-off because I hit it long and my driver shot is straight,” said Prayad, who took home a winner’s cheque of ¥15 million to strengthen his lead on the Merit rankings.
Over in Sweden, young Thai Jazz Janewattananond claimed his best result on European soil after closing with a six-under-par 64 to finish in tied-sixth position at the European Tour’s Nordea Masters.
The 22-year-old Jazz, who claimed his second Asian Tour victory at the Queen’s Cup presented by Bangchak in June, fired seven birdies against a bogey to end his campaign five shots back of winner Paul Waring of England on nine-under-par 271 total at The Hills Golf Club.
Trophy shot of Daniel Nisbet courtesy of the PGA of Australia.
On the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Queenslander Daniel Nisbet fired a course record eight-under-par 63 at the Palmerston Golf Course to win the 2018 MMC Northern Territory PGA Championship by two shots on Sunday.
Nisbet, who claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open in March, came from three shots down to cap a winning total of 19-under-par 265 for his second title of the season.
“I got off to a good start today like I have all week, but the back nine really helped me today. I hit a couple close in there and holed some putts which were the difference from the last few days.
“I heard a few whispers about the scores so I knew what was happening throughout the day. I knew that I needed to keep playing well because if I didn’t go low someone else would,” said the 27-year-old Nisbet.
Ends.
Bengaluru, August 12: Young talent Viraj Madappa delighted the home crowd when he closed with a four-under-par 67 to claim a two-shot victory for his first Asian Tour title at the TAKE Solutions Masters on Sunday.
Madappa, who came through the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January, became the record youngest Indian, at the age of 20 years and nine months, to win on the Asian Tour following his breakthrough at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) Golf Course.
Apart from becoming the youngest Asian Tour winner from India, Madappa is also the first rookie and youngest player to win on Tour this season. He takes home a winner’s prize purse of US$63,000 and earned a one-year winner exemption on the region’s premier Tour.
Starting the final round two shots back, Madappa reeled in six pars before dropping a shot on the seventh. He bounced back brilliantly with five birdies to cap a winning total of 16-under-par 268 at the US$350,000 Asian Tour event.
Argentinean Miguel Carballo, who held a one-shot lead heading into the final round, rode on a birdie-par-eagle finish to sign for a 71, sharing second place with Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent (68), as well as Thailand’s Danthai Boonma (70) and Suradit Yongcharoenchai (66).
Home favourites Khalin Joshi, Honey Baisoya and S.S.P. Chawrasia settled for sixth place on 272 following respective rounds of 72, 70 and 70 at the TAKE Solutions Masters, which celebrated its second straight edition on the Asian Tour this week.
Thailand’s Pasavee Lertvilai recorded the second ace of the week on the par-three fourth hole after hitting an eight-iron from 180 yards. It was the third time he made a hole-in-one in a professional tournament. Pasavee ended his campaign in tied-33rd place on 280 following a 70.
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Did you know?
- Viraj Madappa became the youngest Indian player to win on the Asian Tour after lifting the 2018 TAKE Solutions Masters trophy. 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.
- Madappa is also the youngest winner on the Asian Tour this season.
- Madappa, who turned professional in 2017, made the grade in his first attempt at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January. He is the first rookie to win on the Asian Tour this season.
- He hails from Kolkata but is now based in Bengaluru and trained by Tarun Sardesai at the Tarun Sardesai academy.
- Prior to his breakthrough, Madappa made only four cuts in eight starts on Tour this season, with his best result being a tied-14th place finish at the Royal Cup in Thailand last month.
- Madappa totaled one-under on the front-nine 34 and 15-under on the back-nine 37 on the 7,074 yards course this week.
- After graduating school, Madappa gained admission to the Texas A&M in the United States to study a Bachelor of Arts degree while playing on the college golf team in 2016. The young India, however, only stayed there for a semester before deciding to return home to play professional golf.
- Miguel Carballo marked his best result on the Asian Tour with the joint runner-up finish at the 2018 TAKE Solutions Masters. Starting the round with a one-shot advantage, Carballo dropped three bogeys in his first 15 holes but fought back to an even-par 71 with a solid birdie-par-eagle finish.
- Like Madappa, Carballo also came through the Qualifying School in his first attempt earlier in January.
- Carballo has notched five top-10s in seven starts on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) so far this season. He sits in fourth place on the current ADT Order of Merit.
- Carballo enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish on the region’s premier Tour at the Asia-Pacific Classic in China earlier in May.
- Carballo turned professional in 2002. Hails from Bahia Blanca, Argentina. He is the only Argentinean member on the Asian Tour. Also a former player on the PGA Tour in 2012.
- Suradit Yongcharoenchai matched his career-best finish on the Asian Tour with his joint runner-up finish this week. He last came in tied-second at the 2016 Indonesian Masters.
- The 19-year-old Thai ended his 2017 season in 43rd place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, thereby keeping his card for 2018.
- Prior to this week, Suradit has endured three consecutive missed cuts on the Asian Tour. He also bettered his result at the TAKE Solutions Masters where he took seventh place last year.
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Players’ quotes:
Viraj MADAPPA (IND) – Final round 67 (-4), Total 268 (-16)
I am really surprised. It hasn’t really sink in yet and I’m feeling a lot of emotions. I don’t know which one to feel. I don’t know what to say. It’s been a roller-coaster since I came through the Qualifying School. I was playing good golf then but I went through a slump after that.
A lot of hard work at that point of time. I really worked hard with my coach and my whole team, just to keep me going. I am very happy that I did all the work I could to win today. It has paid off.
It’s incredible really. My family has been very supportive. My mum is here with me today. It was great to see all the kids from the academy out here today. They were all like between six to 15 years old. They were probably the loudest in the crowd. You could tell it was them in the crowd.
I was riding off their energy. Winning the tournament did cross my mind when I birdied the 16th hole but I was just trying to stay in the presence and hit every shot I could the right way. I think I did a good job there. I didn’t back off from the situation, even though I had the opportunity to lay up on 18th hole. I decided to go for the green and I’m proud that I made that decision.
I am going back home to Kolkata to celebrate with my family tonight and spend some time at home. I wasn’t looking at the leaderboard on the 18th. I only looked at it before I chipped. I was aggressive with that chip. I knew I had a two-shot lead then but I felt relieved after chipping it back to the green.
It’s been a tough journey. A lot of hard work has been put in from all members of my team. I had a good feeling on the 15th tee box. I was one shot back at that point. I can’t explain but I just felt very good and very confident. I kind of knew it was my day right then.
I was -15 on the back nine and one-under-par on the front-nine. I was talking to my coach after the round yesterday and we were discussing if I could get off to some kind of a good start on the front nine. The back nine holes really suits my eyes.
It was really tough on the front nine. It was very windy. I just quite stressed actually but I was just trying to hit good shots. When Vincent eagled the 10, I knew he was three shots ahead but felt it was alright because I still have my birdie putt and I have been playing well on the back nine. Furthermore, there are still a lot more holes to go.
I just had to keep doing what I have been doing over the weekend and I will be fine. It turned out nicely for me. I really got a good feeling heading to the 15th tee box. I honestly thought I will be seriously nervous because I had a terrible sleep last night.
I think it was just the energies from the crowd, the kids from the academy, that made the difference today. They were so supportive. My game plan was the same for the last three days. It was just a combination of everything.
I think we have a lot of great players on the international Tours. It’s just a matter of time before we all start performing on the bigger stage. Through the week, I made some very good club decisions. I didn’t back off even until the last hole.
I moved to Bengaluru recently and it definitely felt like home ground to me. A lot of people came out to watch me too. The crowd support was incredible. I just felt like it was my day. I switched my coach in 2016, just before I went to the United States for college.
We had a lot to work on. It’s been a lot of work and the last time we discuss, it wasn’t going to work if I stay in Kolkata playing events. I was not going to see him so I decided to move to Bengaluru and work on my game from the academy here.
I haven’t been home to Kolkata for almost three to four months now. I think it was a big decision and sacrifice that we were willing to make but it has been successful with this win. We still have a lot of work to do but it just gives us a lot of positives as we are working in the right direction.
My coach and I had a lot to work on. I was really disconnected my swing. I was just trying to get the swing sequence right and get the club in position. I have gotten better with that and more consistent as well.
This win will definitely change my schedule for the rest of the year. I don’t know where I will be playing now. But it’s a relief that I have secured my card for next year as well and I will be getting to a lot of bigger events.
The satisfaction that you’re doing the right thing. Coming off the qualifying School, I didn’t think I was good enough. But the efforts have definitely paid off now. I spent a semester which is about four months in Texas and I came back here. I didn’t have a good time over there. I learned a lot of golf myself. But I wouldn’t say the experience didn’t help.
I think the most invaluable experience that I have had before this week was at the All India Amateur Championship in 2012. I played with Shubhankar Sharma the whole week and I lost to him. I knew at that point of time that I want to do this for the rest of my life.
It’s good just knowing that I could perform under that pressure. End of 2015, it was a very difficult period of time for me. My scoring average was about 75 to 76 and it was the time when I was really questioning myself.
I think it was just from that time that I started working really very hard. That period of tough time has helped me learn a lot.
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Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) – Final round 66 (-5), Total 270 (-14)
I played really good today. I hit very good approach shots but wasn’t able to make putts on some holes. On the par-five 14th, I drove it to the fairway and lay up and from 100 yards, I hit it to within a few inches for a tap-in birdie.
Before this week, I had three consecutive missed cuts. I am very happy with how I played this week. Even though I missed out on the win, I am happy that I better my seventh-place result from last year.
I will take a lot of positives from this week and this result will definitely boost my confidence moving forward.
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Scott VINCENT (ZIM) – Final round 68 (-3), Total 270 (-14)
I started great today, put myself in the driver’s seat. Obviously disappointed as I didn’t handle the pressure really well. I just made too many mistakes towards the end and just couldn’t seem to get it back.
I hit a good tee shot on the par-four 10th, hit it to the front edge of the green and made a really long putt for eagle. I was just trying to hit it close but it was a perfect line and the ball just rolled in.
It’s been a good week. Starting the week, I didn’t feel like I had the game this week. Even till today, it has been a bit of a fight all week. To be in contention, I couldn’t have asked for more. Just really wished I could have finished it well.
Viraj and I were both playing very well. Obviously, I got a jump-start on him with three shots up. It was all in my hands but all credits to him, he made birdies when he needed to and handled the pressure well.
Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) – Final round 71 (even-par), Total 270 (-14)
I am glad with the way I finished today, birdie-par-eagle. It has been a long day in the wind. I wasn’t able to hit it close to the pins. My putting wasn’t good too. I sank the birdie putt from four yards on the 16th and made another eagle putt from nine yards on the 18th! I hit the green in two on the last. I was a nice way to finish and fight back to even-par.
This is my second week in Bengaluru and I am very pleased with my result. I played well these two weeks. This is also my best finish on the Asian Tour so far. I saw the leaderboard on the back nine and I saw a lot of guys were catching up but I just played my own game.
Scores after round 4 of the Take Solutions Masters being played at the par 71, 7074 Yards Karnataka Golf Association course (am – denotes amateur):
268 – Viraj MADAPPA (IND) 70-65-66-67.
270 – Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 66-69-69-66, Scott VINCENT (ZIM) 66-71-65-68, Danthai BOONMA (THA) 66-61-73-70, Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 66-66-67-71.
272 – S.S.P. CHAWRASIA (IND) 69-65-68-70, Honey BAISOYA (IND) 70-66-66-70, Khalin JOSHI (IND) 67-69-64-72.
273 – Chikkarangappa S. (IND) 69-64-68-72.
274 – Josh YOUNGER (AUS) 71-69-68-66, Poom SAKSANSIN (THA) 71-67-70-66, Jake MCLEOD (AUS) 67-69-70-68, Anura ROHANA (LKA) 67-69-68-70, Om Prakash CHOUHAN (IND) 67-70-67-70, Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 69-68-65-72.
275 – Matt KILLEN (ENG) 68-68-72-67, Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 70-71-68-66, Jason KNUTZON (USA) 69-71-68-67, Chanachok DEJPIRATANAMONGKOL (THA) 69-70-69-67, M. DHARMA (IND) 68-73-65-69, Karandeep KOCHHAR (IND) 69-69-67-70.
276 – Maverick ANTCLIFF (AUS) 67-65-70-74.
277 – Harimohan SINGH (am, IND) 69-69-70-69, Aadil BEDI (am, IND) 68-71-69-69, Aman RAJ (IND) 69-68-69-71.
278 – Settee PRAKONGVECH (THA) 67-71-71-69, Himmat RAI (IND) 69-70-69-70, Rashid KHAN (IND) 71-68-69-70.
Ends.
About Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.
Bengaluru, August 11: Newcomer Miguel Carballo of Argentina put himself in prime position for a maiden Asian Tour title after carding a flawless four-under-par 67 to seize a one-shot lead following the penultimate round of the TAKE Solutions Masters on Saturday.
The 39-year-old Carballo, who came through the Qualifying School in January, fired a pair of birdies on each nine to take his place atop the leaderboard with a three-day total of 14-under-par 199 at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) Golf Course.
Home favourite Khalin Joshi, who turns 26 years old today, returned with the day’s best score of a 64 to share second place with overnight leader Danthai Boonma of Thailand, who slipped with a 74, in the US$350,000 Asian Tour event.
Local hopefuls Viraj Madappa and Chikkarangappa S. lurked two shots off the pace in joint-fourth following respective rounds of 66 and 68 at the TAKE Solutions Masters, which is celebrating its second straight edition on the Asian Tour this week.
India’s Honey Baisoya produced the shot of the day when he made his career’s first hole-in-one on the par-three eighth hole with a pitching wedge from 135 yards. He is among those bunched in sixth place on 202 after signing for a second consecutive 66.
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Did you know?
- Miguel Carballo missed only three fairways today. He found 13 greens and needed only 27 putts in his round of 67.
- Should he win tomorrow, he will be the first ever Argentinean member to win on Tour.
- Carballo is playing in his first season in Asia. He came through the Qualifying School in his first attempt earlier in January.
- Carballo has notched five top-10s in seven starts on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) so far this season. He sits in fourth place on the current ADT Order of Merit.
- Carballo enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish on the region’s premier Tour at the Asia-Pacific Classic in China in May. He missed three cuts in seven starts on the Asian Tour this season. Needs a strong finish this week to boost his ranking on the Habitat for Humanity Standings where he sits in a current 93rd position.
- Carballo turned professional in 2002. Hails from Bahia Blanca, Argentina. He is the only Argentinean member on the Asian Tour. Also a former player on the PGA Tour in 2012.
- Khalin Joshi turns 26 years old today. He holds the home course advantage this week.
- Joshi, sponsored by TAKE Solutions, came in runner-up last year after finishing two shots back of Poom Saksansin of Thailand.
- Joshi also holds the course record of a 10-under-par 62 which he set during an amateur event in 2012. He turned professional in 2013.
- Joshi enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish at the lucrative Maybank Championship in Malaysia earlier in February. Sits in 18th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings and has virtually sealed his card for the 2019 season.
- Joshi missed only one fairway and two greens in his solid round of 64.
- Danthai Boonma made his Major debut at The Open at Carnoustie last month. He earned the coveted spot after finishing tied-fourth at the SMBC Singapore Open earlier in January, which was part of The Open Qualifying Series.
- Danthai is a one-time Asian Tour winner. He claimed his breakthrough at the 2015 World Classic Championship in Singapore. Also a one-time winner on the Asian Development Tour where he won the 2016 Boonchu Ruangkit Championship.
- Danthai sits in a current 24th place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to three top-10 finishes.
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Players’ quotes:
Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) – Third round 67 (-4), Total 199 (-14)
I played good again today. I am very happy. It was pretty difficult out there with the winds, especially playing in the last group so it was nice to card a good score. I hit my tee shots very good this week. I putted well today too.
I entered the round five shots back but I wasn’t thinking much. I was just focused on playing my own game. I gave myself opportunities for birdies on the front nine. Danthai made an easy birdie on the first but I told myself to just play my own game.
I have been playing good this year, both on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Asian Tour. This is my first time playing in the final group on the Asian Tour. I wasn’t feeling any pressure. I just told myself to stay focused on my game.
I sank the birdie putt from two yards on the fifth hole and I made another one from six yards on the sixth. On the par-five 11th hole, I made another one for five yards for birdie and on the 12th, I hit it really close with a four-iron.
The birdie on the fifth hole was the best today because I had pushed it left. I will keep things the same tomorrow. The most important will be concentration. My game is solid right now so we’ll see what happens.
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Khalin JOSHI (IND) – Third round 64 (-7), Total 200 (-13)
It feels great. I played really well today. What’s more important is that I played bogey free. That was my key, if I could go bogey free all week, would be great. But let’s not be greedy and I’m happy with the way I played. I think I’m in a good position for tomorrow, so I’m really excited.
There’s a lot of golf still left, 18 holes to go. But I have put myself in a good position. That’s all I was expecting this week – to just give myself a fair chance going into Sunday and I think I have done that. So, looking forward to tomorrow and let’s hope that I come out victorious.
I want to play my game tomorrow. I have played this golf course a lot. I want to play my own game and not look at anybody. I had set myself a target of 20-under and hopefully I can achieve it. Playing 7-under tomorrow will be great for me.
Shubhankar and me spoke about it and he said you shoot 20-under. Spoke to my caddie as well and he said you shoot 20-under and you’ll win! For me it was always a goal to shoot 20-under this week.
My dad walked with me the last 3 days and he’ll be walking with me tomorrow as well. Obviously it is good playing at home in front of the home crowd. My longest putt was on the 15, which was about a 20-footer.
Honey and I played the practice round together and I made a hole-in-one on the fourth hole. We just had a small chat after he made the shot and I said that on my birthday he made a hole-in-one. I said good luck to him and hopefully I have a good round. I am obviously very happy for him, he played a good round as well.
Danthai BOONMA (THA) – Third round 73 (+2), Total 200 (-13)
It was nice to start with a birdie and end with a birdie. It wasn’t really that bad for me today. I hit it into the water and made double-bogey on the eighth hole. I thought there weren’t any wind but when I hit the ball, it caught a flyer and went into the water.
The conditions were similar to yesterday as well. I guess I just didn’t putt as well as I did yesterday. I wasn’t nervous actually. I felt pretty comfortable out there. I just had a bad stretch on the front nine.
On the first hole, I sank a three-footer for birdie and on the par-five 18th, I hit the green in two and two-putted for birdie. I will stick to the same plan for tomorrow and work on my putting later. Hopefully I can regain that hot putter tomorrow. I will keep smiling tomorrow too.
Viraj MADAPPA (IND) – Third round 66 (-5), Total 201 (-12)
I am feeling good heading into the final round. Got a lot of home support and that kind of pushed me a little bit to some places I didn’t think I could go. My game is in a good space. I think if I just do what I have doing the first three days, I should be fine.
This is almost like home for me and to have all my people from the academy here supporting me, was great. They were loud through the round. There were a lot of good shots I hit. I think the tee shot on 10 where I drove the green was good.
I made a few mistakes here and there but I made up for them in the closing 5-6 holes. Hopefully if I do what I have been doing and stick with the game plan and just have a good time, I should be fine.
It was good playing with Khalin and Honey. It felt like a local tour event because I have been playing with them. I was just feeding off their energy, because in the front 9 they kept hitting good shots and kept making putts. I was just trying to keep up.
I just told myself to just stay with Khalin because he got hot between 7 and 13 or 14. I was just telling myself that if you can keep up with him, you should be good. And I think I did a good job down the stretch.
The hole-in-one by Honey – it’s funny. Because I hit a really good shot and it felt quite bad after seeing that. I was like 8 feet is not good!
Chikkarangappa S. (IND) -Third round 68 (-3), Total 201 (-12)
I was in a good mood out there today. I didn’t get off to a good start but had a good start to the back nine before making the double-bogey on 14. But I had a good comeback after that which was nice.
I guess I just need to play the 14th hole in a different way tomorrow. I felt like I have a little jinx on that hole. I hit my four-iron off the tee and hit a branch before landing on the fairway. I had about 240 yards to the pin and I tried to hit a hard four-iron which went left and got stuck behind the trees.
It’s one hole that I have been struggling with for the last few events here. I am going back to plan out the strategy again and make sure I birdie that hole. I wasn’t looking much at the leaderboard out there but coming back, I saw how tight the leaderboard was.
I was expecting everyone to play well. The wind was lesser. They made the course longer and it might be tough for the other guys. But since we play a lot of golf here, we know what to do on a couple of holes.
I don’t have any numbers in mind to be honest. The local lads are all up there, including Khalin. It’s going to be a tough fight for sure. I will need to go deep. Anything better than five or six-under would be good.
Honey BAISOYA (IND) – Third round 66 (-5), Total 202 (-11)
For the hole-in-one, it was a pitching wedge from 135 yards. The hole-in-one felt amazing. It was the first hole-in-one of my life. I was actually a little scared before the tee shot because that is not an easy hole to even make a birdie.
I hit a really good shot and after that I just blacked out for a minute. Felt very happy. It was mixed feelings for me after that. I was a little nervous and I was trying to keep my smile.
I was playing the practice round together with Khalin and he made a hole-in-one on the 4th hole. So I told him that you have to give us a party. And then I made a hole-in-one today, and he said that now you have to give me a treat. I said it’s even.
I think I am hitting it really well. One of my friend Divyanshu Bajaj told me that I was doing some mistakes and he corrected it.
Scores after round 3 of the Take Solutions Masters being played at the par 71, 7074 Yards Karnataka Golf Association course (am – denotes amateur):
199 – Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 66-66-67.
200 – Khalin JOSHI (IND) 67-69-64, Danthai BOONMA (THA) 66-61-73.
201 – Viraj MADAPPA (IND) 70-65-66, Chikkarangappa S. (IND) 69-64-68.
202 – Scott VINCENT (ZIM) 66-71-65, Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 69-68-65, Honey BAISOYA (IND) 70-66-66, S.S.P. CHAWRASIA (IND) 69-65-68, Maverick ANTCLIFF (AUS) 67-65-70.
204 – Om Prakash CHOUHAN (IND) 67-70-67, Anura ROHANA (LKA) 67-69-68, Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 66-69-69.
205 – Karandeep KOCHHAR (IND) 69-69-67.
206 – Veer AHLAWAT (IND) 69-68-69, Aman RAJ (IND) 69-68-69, Sunit CHOWRASIA (IND) 71-66-69, M. DHARMA (IND) 68-73-65, Jake MCLEOD (AUS) 67-69-70.
207 – Dodge KEMMER (USA) 69-71-67, Sam CHIEN (USA) 68-70-69, CHOO Tze Huang (SIN) 70-67-70, KOH Deng Shan (SIN) 68-69-70, Scott BARR (AUS) 71-66-70.
Ends.
About Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.
Bengaluru, August 10: Young Thai talent Danthai Boonma got off to a flying start with seven consecutive birdies from the first before signing for a scintillating 10-under-par 61 to grab a five-shot halfway lead at the US$350,000 TAKE Solutions Masters on Friday.
The 22-year-old Thai, who opened with a flawless 66, stayed blemish-free by nailing 10 birdies to take his place atop the leaderboard with a 15-under-par 127 total.
He would have matched the lowest 36-hole score and marked the largest 36-hole lead on Tour this season if not for the preferred lies in play.
Asian Tour newcomer Miguel Carballo of Argentina posted a second straight 66 to share second place with Maverick Antcliff of Australia, who signed for a 65, at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) Golf Course.
Bengaluru-native Chikkarangappa S. fired a 64 to emerge as the highest-placed Indian in fourth place on 133 while compatriot S.S.P. Chawrasia rediscovered some of his best form after carding a 65 to stay a further shot back in fifth.
Overnight leader Thammanoon Sriroj of Thailand slipped to tied-eighth place on 136 after stumbling to a 74 while countryman and defending champion Poom Saksansin grabbed a share of 25th place following a 67.
The halfway cut was set at one-under-par 141 with a total of 69 players, including two local amateurs, progressing into the weekend rounds at the TAKE Solutions Masters, which is celebrating its second straight edition on the Asian Tour this week.
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Did you know?
- Danthai Boonma made his Major debut at The Open at Carnoustie last month. He earned the coveted spot after finishing tied-fourth at the SMBC Singapore Open earlier in January, which was part of The Open Qualifying Series. The young Thai, however, failed to make the cut in his first Major after signing for rounds of 78 and 74.
- Despite hitting only six out of 13 fairways, Danthai found 15 greens in total and needed only 23 putts in his solid round of 61, which is his personal best 18-hole score since turning professional in 2015.
- He would have matched the lowest 36-hole score and marked the largest 36-hole lead on Tour this season if not for the preferred lies in play.
- Danthai is a one-time Asian Tour winner. He claimed his breakthrough at the 2015 World Classic Championship in Singapore. Also a one-time winner on the Asian Development Tour where he won the 2016 Boonchu Ruangkit Championship.
- Danthai sits in a current 24th place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to three top-10 finishes.
- Danthai is a double gold medalist at the 2012 South East Asia (SEA) Games.
- Miguel Carballo is playing in his first season in Asia. He came through the Qualifying School in his first attempt earlier in January.
- Carballo has notched five top-10s in seven starts on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) so far this season. He sits in fourth place on the current ADT Order of Merit.
- Carballo enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish on the region’s premier Tour at the Asia-Pacific Classic in China in May. He missed three cuts in seven starts on the Asian Tour this season. Needs a strong finish this week to boost his ranking on the Habitat for Humanity Standings where he sits in a current 93rd position.S
- Carballo turned professional in 2002. Hails from Bahia Blanca, Argentina. He is the only Argentinean member on the Asian Tour. Also a former player on the PGA Tour in 2012.
- Maverick Antcliff is a graduate of the 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School. He enjoyed a tied-fourth place finish in his Asian Tour debut at the Asian Golf Championship in China last year.
- Since earning his Tour card, the 25-year-old Australian has missed only two cuts in eight starts so far this season. His best result was a tied-ninth place finish in Indonesia last month.
- Chikkarangappa S. won the event twice when it was staged on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2014 and 2015.
- Claimed that he has only lost twice in all his past tournaments played at the Karnataka Golf Association Golf Course. The first time was at the amateur event where Khalin Joshi broke the course record in 2012 and the second time at the 2017 TAKE Solutions Masters.
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Players’ quotes:
Danthai BOONMA (THA) – Second round 61 (-10), Total 127 (-15)
It’s amazing. It’s my personal best, my first time shooting 10-under-par in my life. I feel very happy and excited. It’s my first time starting the round with seven birdies in-a-row too! It’s just amazing.
On the seventh hole, my ball was on the fringe about 20 feet from the pin. I thought I will try and hit it close and two putts for par but I sank the birdie putt which has two breaks and was downhill. My putter was hot. I told myself to just enjoy the game, stay happy and not think so much. I made a similar putt on the 14 too.
I kept to my routine out there. My putting was very good today. I was able to hit it close as well. I forgot my Buddhist pendant necklace this morning. It’s like my lucky charm so I went back to the hotel to take just 20 minutes before my tee time this morning. Thankfully the hotel is just next to the course.
It’s pretty windy today. Good that I had the experience of playing against the wind at The Open earlier. But obviously the windy conditions here can’t be compared to what it was at Carnoustie. I guess that experience helps as I felt it was easier here and I felt more comfortable playing in the wind here as well.
I just want to enjoy my game tomorrow and not think too much. I’ve been singing this Thai song in my head and I want to continue that tomorrow. It helps calm me down. I will keep smiling and keep it fun out there.
Thammanoon’s five straight birdies yesterday came to my mind this morning but I thought I should just focus on my game. I tried not to think so much out there already, especially after that seven straight birdies. I told myself to stay in it and not get ahead of myself.
It’s been three years since I last won. I definitely want to do it again, especially after coming close a few times this year. But having said that, I don’t want to put so much pressure on myself so I won’t think about it.
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Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) – Second round 66 (-5), Total 132 (-10)
I started from the 10th hole and I played solid on my front nine. But back nine wasn’t that good. I made a good eagle on the par-five 11th hole. I hit a driver and then a five-wood to the green and made the eagle putt from about 10 yards.
I made good birdie putts on 14th and 15th too, both from about five yards. This is my second week here in Bengaluru. I played the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event here last week and came in tied-11th. I have been hitting the ball well from tee to green since last week.
I made 28 putts today for the five-under-par 66. I had the same score yesterday too but with 31 putts. Hopefully I can do better tomorrow. This year’s been a great experience for me playing in Asia. It’s my first time playing a full season in Asia and I am happy with how I played so far.
This golf course is similar to what I used to play on the PGA Tour before. It’s in great condition, from the fairways to the bunkers and the rough, it’s very nice. I am very happy to play well in the first two rounds this week. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Going to different countries to play different tournaments and meet new people, I think I am very lucky. I am enjoying myself here. My focus now is to play on the Asian Tour. The competition is stronger in the United States. I have played about 10 years in the States. I thought I needed some new experiences so I came to try out here in Asia.
I am playing very well this year. I have a couple of good finishes on both the Asian Tour and the ADT which is good. Hopefully I can get a win soon. I have no goals to go play on the PGA Tour for now. I want to focus on the Asian Tour and if I play good enough, I will go to the European Tour.
Maverick ANTCLIFF (AUS) – Second round 65 (-6), Total 132 (-10)
I played pretty solid today. It was nice to finish with a birdie on the ninth. I made a bogey there yesterday. I had three birdies in-a-row from the fifth. I hit it just to the left on the par-four sixth and I chipped it in for birdie. I was about a metre off the green and had like 20 feet to the pin.
Conditions were pretty similar compared to yesterday. I was just aiming to hit the fairways and greens. You just need to plot along. I hit a bunch of fairways and greens and tried to stay patient out there. You know you not going to make everything so you just need to hit it close.
I wasn’t really looking at the leaderboard out there. I just thought I was playing alright. I tried to just do my own thing. You can’t really control anyone else. I haven’t really thought about tomorrow. I am pretty hungry now. Looking forward to get a good night’s sleep tonight.
Chikkarangappa S. (IND) – Second round 64 (-7), Total 133 (-9)
I have only lost two events at the KGA golf course. One was the TAKE Solutions Masters last year and the other was when Khalin Joshi shot 10-under-par in an amateur tournament in 2012. Those are the only two times I have lost here.
I started good today. I have actually not been feeling well, yesterday I had some cold and a bad throat. Luckily I had a morning tee off yesterday, and then I had a lot of time to recover, so I did that. Today the body was feeling great.
Overall I played superbly well today and my putting was really amazing. I hit the ball really good. I did a couple of changes just before this event with Mr. Sujith Somasunder from a mental aspect and also with my coach on a couple of things. I would say it was a phenomenal round.
I made a very good putt on hole number eight. It was a downhill left to right putt. A lot of thoughts were going through my mind, whether it will break or not. It was a muc- needed putt for me to boost myself going forward into the back nine. It was about 15-18 feet.
Everything was going in today, and yesterday nothing went in. Yesterday also I felt I putted really well, but it was just that everything was on the cup or just lipped out. But I knew I was putting really well so I went with the confidence. That’s what I have been on – to forget what happened previously and focus on that particular moment and shot.
I love playing at home. I have won plenty of events at home and the kind of love and warmth you get from the people of Bangalore, it is really amazing. There is no pressure, they actually cheer you up. It doesn’t matter if you win or you don’t win, they are always there and come out and support you. And I really thank them for that.
I spoke to Anirban Lahiri just a couple of days back. He is feeling solid too. I need to trust myself and have that belief. He told me that you need to go out there and enjoy yourself. And ask yourself how happy you were after the round.
I am so glad and happy to be playing along with SSP tomorrow. Coming into the range I saw SSP up there and I was so happy because I know how he is struggling on the European Tour. But I was so happy to see him shooting those numbers today and that probably also boosted me up going into my second round. He’s an amazing person, we come from similar backgrounds and I really look up to him.
The golf course is playing great. Just that it also has confused a lot of local lads like me because the greens are playing really soft so the ball is spinning a lot. So it is bit difficult for you to judge the spin and how much it is going into spin back.
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S.S.P. CHAWRASIA (IND) – Second round 65 (-6), Total 134 (-8)
I had a good round yesterday as well, but today was better as I played bogey free.
I made quite a few long putts and because of which, my scoring was better today. The new putter seems to be working well. My first long putt was at 12th hole, around 20 feet from outside the green. And then one on hole 16, which was about a 50-feet putt for birdie from outside the green. Then couple of 12 footers at 15th, second and third. Then a 10-footer on the seventh.
I missed a couple out there as well. On the sixth and 10th holes, I missed from within 10 feet and then on the eighth, I missed one around 15 feet. The 2nd shot on the 18th hole was a good save for par. It was a tough shot from the left to right.
I am looking forward to tomorrow. No pressure as I just want to focus on my own game. This is the first event this year where I have played good golf over the first two rounds. Let’s see what happens in the next two rounds.
My old putter was a centre-shaft and the new one is hinge-shaft. It is a little differently shaped. It is a Odyssey. This is my first week with the new putter. The KGA golf course is always in great condition. For me, it’s ranked one of the top-five courses in India.
My mother was diabetic and she was admitted into the intensive care unit just before I came. But she is better now and that helped me to focus more on the golf. Yes, during the off-time and break between the shots, I was thinking about her but I didn’t let it affect my game.
Aadil Bedi is a great player. He’s just 17 but he is very mature. He was playing good yesterday, and even today he was playing well. He just missed a couple of putts, otherwise he is a great player.
Scores after round 2 of the Take Solutions Masters being played at the par 71, 7074 Yards Karnataka Golf Association course (am – denotes amateur):
127 – Danthai BOONMA (THA) 66-61.
132 – Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 66-66, Maverick ANTCLIFF (AUS) 67-65.
133 – Chikkarangappa S. (IND) 69-64.
134 – S.S.P CHAWRASIA (IND) 69-65.
135 – Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 66-69, Viraj MADAPPA (IND) 70-65.
136 – Khalin JOSHI (IND) 67-69, Honey BAISOYA (IND) 70-66, Thammanoon SRIROJ (THA) 62-74, Anura ROHANA (LKA) 67-69, Jake MCLEOD (AUS) 67-69, Matt KILLEN (ENG) 68-68.
137 – Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 69-68, Scott VINCENT (ZIM) 66-71, Scott BARR (AUS) 71-66, KOH Deng Shan (SIN) 68-69, Sunit CHOWRASIA (IND) 71-66, Kapil KUMAR (IND) 68-69, Aman RAJ (IND) 69-68, CHOO Tze Huang (SIN) 70-67, Veer AHLAWAT (IND) 69-68, Om Prakash CHOUHAN (IND) 67-70, Pannakorn UTHAIPAS (THA) 69-68.
138 – Syed Saqib AHMED (IND) 70-68, Poom SAKSANSIN (THA) 71-67, Sam CHIEN (USA) 68-70, Karandeep KOCHHAR (IND) 69-69, Harimohan SINGH (am, IND) 69-69, Settee PRAKONGVECH (THA) 67-71.
139 – Ashok KUMAR (IND) 69-70, Aadil BEDI (am, IND) 68-71, Himmat RAI (IND) 69-70, Javier GALLEGOS (ESP) 69-70, Ankur CHADHA (IND) 72-67, Rashid KHAN (IND) 71-68, Mithun PERERA (LKA) 69-70, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 68-71, Chanachok DEJPIRATANAMONGKOL (THA) 69-70.
Ends.
About Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.
Bengaluru, August 9: Thai veteran Thammanoon Sriroj rolled back the years after signing for a spectacular nine-under-par 62 to lead by four shots following the opening round of the TAKE Solutions Masters on Thursday.
The 49-year-old Thammanoon, a five-time Asian Tour winner by not since 2004, got off to a solid start with five straight birdies from the 10th hole before adding another birdie on 18 to turn in 31.
He nailed three more birdies on the first, third and sixth holes but dropped his only bogey of the day on the seventh hole. The experienced Thai, however, bounced back swiftly with a birdie on the par-three eighth after hitting his tee shot to within three feet.
Young Thai duo Danthai Boonma and Suradit Yongcharoenchai shared second place with Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, Argentinean Miguel Carballo and local prospect Feroz Singh Garewal after they cardedmatching rounds of 66s at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) Golf Course.
India’s rising star Khalin Joshi was amongst those bunched in seventh place after he carded a 67 on his home course. Defending champion Poom Saksansin of Thailand battled to a 71 to tie in 64th position at the US$350,000 Asian Tour event.
Did you know?
- Thammanoon Sriroj is one of Thailand’s most successful golfers with five titles on the Asian Tour. He claimed his fifth victory in China in 2004.
- Thammanoon’s four-shot advantage is the largest 18-hole lead on the Asian Tour so far this season.
- Thammanoon is using a near brand-new set of clubs this week. Apart from his putter and sand wedge, the other clubs are new.
- The Thai veteran hit only seven fairways but found 15 greens and needed only 24 putts in his solid round of 62.
- Earlier in January, Thammanoon regained his Asian Tour card by making the grade at the grueling 90-hole Qualifying School where he finished in tied-11th place.
- He marked his best result on Tour so far this season at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open in May where he came in tied-11th.
- In 2015, Thammanoon secured his first win on the Asia Development Tour after prevailing in a play-off at the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship.
- Danthai Boonma made his Major debut at The Open at Carnoustie last month. He earned the coveted spot after finishing tied-fourth at the SMBC Singapore Open earlier in January, which was part of The Open Qualifying Series. The young Thai, however, failed to make the cut in his first Major after signing for rounds of 78 and 74.
- Danthai is a one-time Asian Tour winner. He claimed his breakthrough at the 2015 World Classic Championship in Singapore. Also a one-time winner on the Asian Development Tour where he won the 2016 Boonchu Ruangkit Championship.
- Danthai sits in a current 24th place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to three top-10 finishes.
- Danthai is a double gold medalist at the 2012 South East Asia (SEA) Games.
- Danthai missed only three fairways and three greens in his commendable round of 66. He averaged 291 yards off the tee and amassed a total of 28 putts today.
- Feroz Singh Garewal turned professional in 2015 at the age of 17. He trains under Jesse Grewal, who also coaches Indian star Shubhankar Sharma.
- Garewal was a regular player on the Asian Development Tour from 2015 to 2017. Represented his country at the 2014 Asian Games and came in fifth at the Youth Olympics the same year.
- Garewal found only five out of 13 fairways but was able to hit 14 greens in total. He needed only 27 putts in his opening round of 66.
- Scott Vincent is the highest-ranked Asian Tour player in 10th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.
- Vincent’s wife Kelsey is on his bag this week.
- The 26-year-old Vincent, the only Zimbabwean player on the Asian Tour, closed with three straight birdies from the 16th hole to grab a share of second place.
- An eagle-birdie-birdie finish puts Suradit Yongcharoenchai right in the mix as he signed for a 66. The 19-year-old came in seventh last year.
Players’ quotes:
Thammanoon Sriroj (Tha) – First round 62 (-9)
My tee shots were good today but my putting was even better. I made a lot of long putts today. I made my only bogey of the day on the seventh after hitting into the trees but bounced back with a good birdie on the eighth where I hit it to about a foot. I thought I hit it really close but my playing partner Mukesh Kumar hit it even closer.
I have played here a few times. I knew it’s a narrow course and the rough will be tough which doesn’t suit my game. I was thinking much before I started the round. I thought I might missed the cut again but the confidence grew as I head into the round today and I played better and better from there.
I started the round making birdies. At first, I thought I am just lucky but after making five in-a-row, I thought maybe it’s just my talent. I have shot 10 birdies before in Thailand. I have had more birdies in a row too.
I will not expect too much this week because this course doesn’t really suit my game. We will see how it goes tomorrow. I have played in Japan for four years before and I am planning to play the Senior Tour in Japan after I turn 50 next year.
I am using almost a brand-new set of clubs this week and I am feeling comfortable with it. Only my putter and my sand-wedge are old. The rest of the clubs are new this week.
Danthai BOONMA (Tha) – First round 66 (-5)
I played really good today. I started well with three birdies in my opening five holes. I hit my tee shots very well. I putted well as well. I was able to hit it close for birdies on two of the par-threes too.
I started from the 10th hole today and my first birdie of the day on 13th got my round going. I hit close to about three feet before making the putt. The course is in good condition this week. It’s pretty wet compared to last year.
It was quite windy in the morning but I enjoyed myself out there. I like the challenge. I am feeling confident with my game right now, especially after playing at The Open earlier although I missed the cut there. Looking forward to the rest of the week. I will try my best.
Feroz Singh GAREWAL (Ind) – First round 66 (-5)
I hit it really close on the eighth hole, played eight-iron off the tee. And 10, 11 and 12 I hit it really close so I converted those. Then on the 18th I made a long putt for a birdie – nine yards, about 27 feet.
Not a good driving day for me. Was struggling off the tee. Made a few up and downs in the beginning and that sort of got the momentum going. Back 9 was good, I hit nine greens in the back 9.
I dropped a shot on seventh. Hit it left. Then missed the green and then missed up and down. Two bad shots on one hole.
The course played really good. It is a beautiful golf course. The rough is a little high but it’s in perfect conditions. Wind wasn’t a factor in the morning but later on the day it was a little high up there, but it was fine. It was not swirling, it was just one way so that’s fine.
I play at the KGA every year. The familiarity with the course always helps. You get used to the conditions so you know where to miss and where not to miss. Even if you are in trouble, you know where to get out.
Scott Vincent (Zim) – First round 66 (-5)
It was good out there, a lot better than what I was expecting. I hit a lot of greens. I hit the ball very nicely. Didn’t make any putts until the last three holes where I birdied all. It was a nice way to end the day. The longest putt I made today was on the last hole 18th. I had about 15 feet downhill, a little right to left.
The conditions were pretty good. We were pretty lucky with the weather. The rain came when we were walking off the tee box to our second shot. I was just chatting my wife Kelsey, who is on my bag this week, and we were having a good time out there. Obviously easier to do that when you’re playing well. It was a fun day for us.
Playing in the morning tomorrow, hopefully the weather stays and we have the chance to chase down the leader. It’s going to be the same thing for me tomorrow. I didn’t do a good job hitting the fairways today. I hope to do better tomorrow.
62 – Thammanoon SRIROJ (THA).
66 – Feroz Singh GAREWAL (IND), Danthai BOONMA (THA), Scott VINCENT (ZIM), Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA), Miguel CARBALLO (ARG).
67 – Settee PRAKONGVECH (THA), Om Prakash CHOUHAN (IND), Jake MCLEOD (AUS), Maverick ANTCLIFF (AUS), Khalin JOSHI (IND), Anura ROHANA (LKA), Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA).
68 – Kapil KUMAR (IND), Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA), Marcus BOTH (AUS), Matt KILLEN (ENG), Jaibir SINGH (IND), Sudhir SHARMA (IND), Aadil BEDI (am, IND), Sam CHIEN (USA), KOH Deng Shan (SIN), M DHARMA (IND).
69 – Aman RAJ (IND), Harimohan SINGH (am, IND), Veer AHLAWAT (IND), Nirun SAE-UENG (THA), Casey O’TOOLE (USA), Danny CHIA (MAS), Pannakorn UTHAIPAS (THA), Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN), Chikkarangappa S. (IND), Angad CHEEMA (IND), Chanachok DEJPIRATANAMONGKOL (THA), Kushal SINGH (IND), Ashok KUMAR (IND), Sujjan SINGH (IND), S.S.P CHAWRASIA (IND), Jason KNUTZON (USA), Himmat RAI (IND), Javier GALLEGOS (ESP), Miguel TABUENA (PHI), Dodge KEMMER (USA), Mithun PERERA (LKA), Karandeep KOCHHAR (IND), Pasavee LERTVILAI (THA).
70 – Sanjeev KUMAR (L) (IND), Shakhawat SOHEL (BAN), Tapy GHAI (IND), David GLEESON (AUS), Viraj MADAPPA (IND), CHOO Tze Huang (SIN), Suttijet KOORATANAPISAN (THA), Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND), Digvijay SINGH (IND), Jakraphan PREMSIRIGORN (THA), Akshay SHARMA (IND), Mitchell SLORACH (SIN), Syed Saqib AHMED (IND), Honey BAISOYA (IND), Sattaya SUPUPRAMAI (THA), Mukesh KUMAR (IND), Amritinder SINGH (IND).
71 – Digraj Singh GILL (USA), Josh YOUNGER (AUS), Andrew MARTIN (AUS), Arie Irawan (MAS), Amir NAZRIN (MAS), WANG Wei-lun (TPE), Peradol PANYATHANASEDH (THA), Deepinder Singh KULLAR (IND), Sung LEE (KOR), Abhinav LOHAN (IND), R Mari Muthu (IND), Pawan KUMAR (IND), Anil Bajrang MANE (IND), Paul HARRIS (USA), Arjun SHARMA (IND), N. THANGARAJA (LKA), LIU Yanwei (CHN), Poom SAKSANSIN (THA), Rattanon WANNASRICHAN (THA), Rashid KHAN (IND), Nattawat SUVAJANAKORN (THA), Scott BARR (AUS), XIAO Bowen (CHN), Shivendra Singh SISODIA (IND), Amardip MALIK (IND), Sunit CHOWRASIA (IND), Alvin CHEUNG (HKG), Saarthak CHHIBER (am, IND).
Ends.
About Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.
Bengaluru, August 7: Malaysia’s Danny Chia hopes to get his season back on track at the US$350,000 TAKE Solutions Masters which gets underway on Thursday.
The 45-year-old Chia, who enjoyed a tied-10th finish in last year’s edition, will draw from his good memories when he chases for glory at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) Golf Course.
Chia, a two-time Asian Tour winner but not since 2015, will rely on his old swing which helped him to a tied 22nd place finish which was also his first cut in seven attempts at the Royal Cup in Thailand two weeks ago.
Chia struggled with poor ball-striking after making changes to his swing at the start of the season but he is slowly rediscovering his form thanks to advice from Terry Pilkadaris of Australia. After narrowing his stance, Chia is now beginning to strike the ball more consistently.
Bengaluru native Chikkarangappa S. will have unfinished business at the TAKE Solutions Masters where he was in contention before settling for a tied-10th place finish last year. He won the event twice when it was staged on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2014 and 2015.
Coming off a victory on home soil last week, Indonesian Rory Hie will bank on a feel-good factor when he challenges for top honours at the TAKE Solutions Masters. He enjoyed a tied-fourth finish last year to fork his best ever result on the Asian Tour.
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Danny Chia with his pro-am partners
Did you know?
- Danny Chia is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He first won the Taiwan Open in 2002 before ending a 13-year title drought at the 2015 Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
- Chia is a history-maker for Malaysia. In 2010, he became the first player from his country to play in all four rounds at The Open at St Andrews, which he also qualified for in 2005 and 2008.
- Chia is the first Malaysian to win on the Asian Tour. He is also a three-time winner on the ADT.
- The 45-year-old Chia enjoyed a tied-10th place finish at the 2017 TAKE Solution Masters. Having made only one cut in seven starts this season, Chia hopes to turn the corner with a good result this week.
- Currently ranked 161st on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, Chia needs to step up his game to finish inside the top-60 at the end of the season to retain his Asian Tour card for 2019.
- Chikkarangappa S. won the tournament twice when it was held on the ADT in 2014 and 2015. He also became the top golfer in his domestic circuit in 2015.
- The 24-year-old Bengaluru native also enjoyed a tied-10th place result at the 2017 TAKESolutions Masters.
- Earned his Asian Tour card at the 2016 Qualifying School. Went on to establish himself with four top-10s to earn a full card for 2017 where he ended the season right on the top-61 cut-off mark to keep his card for 2018.
- Chikka currently sits in 66th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to three top-15 finishes.
- Rory Hie marked his best Asian Tour result when he came in tied-fourth at the 2017 TAKE Solutions Masters.
- Hie has made only two cuts in eight starts on the Asian Tour this season. His best result was a tied-18th place finish at the Thailand Open in June.
- The 29-year-old Indonesian claimed a victory on home soil on his domestic circuit last week.
- Hie is the first Indonesian to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour after making the grade at the Qualifying School in 2009.
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Danny Chia of Malaysia
Players’ quotes:
Danny Chia (Mas)
I quite like the course layout here. It’s a tree-lined golf course. You need to hit fade shots on quite a few holes here and I quite like that. The course suits my eyes a lot. It’s one of the reasons why I decided to come back and play again this year.
Tee shots will be key this week. You need to keep the ball on the fairways. The rough seems thicker, as compared to last year. It depends on how the weather plays out this week. If the greens get dry, it can be quite tough.
I am starting to hit the ball better, since the Royal Cup two weeks ago. I am pretty happy with the way I strike the ball now. At the start of this year, I made some changes to my swing, putting in a lot of new things but I never feel comfortable with it.
It was only until the Royal Cup that I decided to go back to how I used to swing. Things seem to turn out better from there. I got a little bit of help from Terry Pilkadaris as well. It’s a long story. I have been having a bit of back issues and was wondering if it’s because I’m getting old.
I spoke to Terry about it and he looked at the way I hit the ball. He suggested that I narrow down my stance which will help me to turn easier. I felt the ease straightaway when I hit the ball after that. That kind of started to connect with the other things that I’m working on.
I started to strike the ball more consistently that week. I didn’t play great but at least my ball striking was more consistent so it’s something positive that I’m bringing to this week. Hopefully I can continue to strike the ball well this week.
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Chikkarangappa S. of India
Chikkarangappa S. (Ind)
I feel good coming back home to play this week. The KGA Golf Course is like my second home course, to be honest. I have played here a lot during my junior and amateur days and I have won all the events whenever I played there.
I have a lot of good memories and confidence there. It’s a pretty long golf course. I think tee shots are important and putting will be the key. It’s going to be tricky so if you can read some good lines, you should be able to score.
It’s always nice to be playing on home soil. Everyone comes out to support you, no matter young or old. It’s a great feeling and a proud moment when you play in front of your home crowd.
Obviously, I had a bad stretch last year but somehow managed to get my card. The season’s getting better. I have been consistent for the last couple of weeks. Just working on a few new things which is getting in place now. I feel more confident playing on course as well.
I won this event twice when it was staged on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in 2014 and 2015 but it’s different winning on the ADT and winning on the Asian Tour. Winning on the Asian Tour will definitely open up more opportunities.
If you can win on home turf, it will be even more special. I will try my best this week and we’ll see what happens.
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Rory Hie of Indonesia
Rory Hie (Ina)
Good vibes coming back here, definitely. I had my best finish on the Asian Tour when I came in tied-fourth at the TAKE Solutions Masters last year. I like this course. I like the greens. I feel like I putt well on these greens. I feel like I can manage my way around the golf course pretty well.
The key would be to manage my club selection this week because there is going to be a lot of cross winds and that’s going to be the tricky part. The weather is pretty different from last year. We’ve got some rain already and it’s windier as well.
The course looks great. The conditions have always been good. My caddy was just saying the greens are better than last year as well. The season’s been pretty slow for me so far. Hopefully I can get it kick-started this week.
Ends.
About Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.
Sentosa, Singapore, August 6: The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth is set for its third staging in 2019 when it gets underway from February 14 to 17 at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth, Western Australia.
In the inaugural ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, Australia’s Brett Rumford dominated in front of his home crowd while Thai superstar Kiradech Aphibarnrat proved a popular winner when he triumphed in 2018.
The 2019 ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth is set to again be a highlight on an impressive sporting schedule in Perth which has grown exponentially since the opening of the Perth Stadium last year.
Following 6 months of review and preparations the third edition is set to capitalise on a successful 2018 tournament that featured Lee Westwood, Danny Willett and cult hero Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston.
“We are extremely proud of how far the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth has come over the last two years,” said Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
Lake Karrinyup Country Club is one of the best golf courses in the country and we are delighted to be hosted by this fantastic venue once again in 2019,” he added.
Tri-sanctioned for the third time in 2019, the Asian Tour, ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, and the European Tour, the field is set to include a plethora of golfing talent from all corners of the globe.
Equally pleased with the scheduling of the event is Dr Haruhisa Handa, Founder and Chairman of ISPS HANDA.
“We are delighted to continue our title sponsorship of the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, for the third year running,” said Dr Handa.
“ISPS believes in the ‘power of sport’ to inspire change. The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth embodies sport’s ability to innovate with its dynamic new format and will provide a thrilling start to the 2019 sporting calendar. I wish the tournament the very best of success,” he added.
The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth was the first of a number of format innovations the European Tour has introduced over the years, emphasising the importance of entertainment as a way of bringing the game of golf to new audiences. They have since introduced the Golf Sixes event and Shot Clock Masters to their schedule.
Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer at the European Tour, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Perth and Lake Karrinyup Country Club for an event which has gone from strength to strength in the last two years.
“The innovative format was a ground-breaking one when it was introduced at this tournament in 2017 and its continued success is a testament to ISPS HANDA, the Western Australian government and the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia. We look forward to co-sanctioning another great event next February.”
The Asian Tour will again be a welcomed guest on Australian shores as it forms a stronger alignment with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia enhancing opportunities for professional golfers in the region.
Cho Minn Thant, Chief Operating Officer of the Asian Tour says they look forward to returning to what has been a happy hunting ground for their players.
“The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth has been a huge success with its refreshing and innovative format. Fans have enjoyed the tournament and it is also a very popular event with our players,” he said.
“We hope to see continued success from our members following Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai’s runner-up finish in 2017 and Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s victory earlier this year.
“We are eagerly anticipating our return to Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth next year and look forward to working closely with ISPS HANDA, the Western Australian government and the PGA Tour of Australasia in making it another successful tournament,” said Cho.
The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth will be played from February 14 to 17, 2019 at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth, Western Australia.
Tickets will go on sale from 1 October 2018 and will be available from Ticketmaster.
The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth event is proudly supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism WA.
Ends.
About the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth
To be played at Lake Karrinyup Country Club from 14-17 February, 2019 and tri-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, European Tour and Asian Tour, the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth combines 54 holes of traditional stroke play across the first three days with an exciting knockout match play format for the fourth and final round. A regular cut will fall after 36 holes before the field is then further reduced to the top-24 players following 54 holes of regulation play, with any ties for 24th place being decided by a play-off. Those remaining players will then earn their places in the six-hole shootout. Any matches tied after the six holes will be decided by playing the new Shootout Hole – a purpose-built 90-metre hole constructed at Lake Karrinyup, with a tee placed adjacent to the 18th fairway and utilising the 18th green. The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth is a revolutionary golf tournament designed to retain the traditions of the game whilst appealing to a broader audience.
About ISPS HANDA
ISPS HANDA is a ‘General Incorporated Association’ based in Tokyo. ISPS HANDA was founded by Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa in 2006 to support charitable causes throughout the sporting world. ISPS HANDA’s support for golf is founded in its belief in the “power of sport” and it has fostered partnerships with golf governing bodies worldwide to help develop the game at every level and promote blind and disabled golf. ISPS HANDA’s heritage in supporting blind and disabled golf and Dr Handa’s interest and philanthropic contribution in golf has formed the foundation of its wider mission for golf to become a Paralympic sport. Outside of golf, ISPS HANDA’s support extends to other sports including rowing, football, polo, boxing and the convening of discussion platforms for young leaders in sports.
More information: www.ispsgolf.com
About Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), Titleist and FootJoy (Official Web Partner), Bloomberg TV (Official International Media Partner), Bloomberg Businessweek Chinese (Official International Media Partner), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner) and Sentosa in Singapore which is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur.
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