Rattanon takes charge at the weather-disrupted AB Bank Bangladesh Open

Published on May 9, 2018

Dhaka, May 9: Baby-faced Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand rode on a hot putter to sign for a solid opening round of six-under-par 65, seizing the clubhouse lead by one shot at the weather-disrupted AB Bank Bangladesh Open on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Rattanon, who enjoyed a top-five result in the last edition, got his campaign off to a great start after firing seven birdies against a bogey to take his place atop the leaderboard in the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.

Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand

Indian stalwart M Dharma and Tour rookie Jack Harrison of England posted matching 66s to share second place while Asian Development Tour (ADT) graduate John Catlin of the United States settled two shots off the pace in fourth following a 67 at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

Play was suspended at 12.17pm local time due to lightning threats before resuming four hours later. All 72 players in the afternoon session will return to complete their opening rounds at 6.20am on Thursday with the second round slated to start at approximately 8.00am.

American Berry Henson, highest-ranked player in ninth place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, grabbed a share of seventh place following a 69 while local hero Siddikur Rahman carded a 72 to tie in 58th position.

M Dharma of India

Did you know?

Rattanon Wannasrichan claimed a wire-to-wire victory at the Thailand Open for his first Asian Tour title 12 months ago. He is also a one-time winner on the ADT in 2015.
The 22-year-old Thai sits in a current 20th position on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to two top-five finishes in Myanmar and Japan.
Rattanon hit six fairways and missed six greens in regulation but needed only 23 putts around the greens to cap a solid round of 65. His highlight of the day came on the par-five 14th hole where he chipped it in from 20 yards to save par.
Rattanon enjoyed a tied-fourth place finish at the Bangladesh Open last year.
M Dharma is a two-time winner on his domestic circuit. The 31-year-old, who hails from Bengaluru, turned professional in 2005.
Dharma is making his third appearance at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open this week. He enjoyed a tied-seventh place finish when he played the ADT season-opener, also at the Kurmitola Golf Club, in January.
Jack Harrison came through the Asian Tour Qualifying School earlier in January. It was his second attempt since 2013. The 27-year-old, who turned professional in 2011, finished tied-15th in the 90-hole tournament to secure his Asian Tour card for the 2018 season.
John Catlin needed only 23 putts around the greens today. He missed only two fairways in his commendable round of 67.
Catlin is a proud graduate of the ADT. He ended the 2017 season in third place on the final Order of Merit and secured his playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2018 season. He is a two-time winner on the secondary circuit.
Catlin has notched four top-10 finishes in five starts on the ADT this season, including a tied-eighth place finish at the Kurmitola Golf Club two weeks ago. He sits in second place on the latest ADT Order of Merit.
Catlin secured his first ever top-10 result on the Asian Tour after finishing in eighth place on his own at The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in Korea last week.

Jack Harrison of England

Players’ quotes:

Rattanon Wannasrichan (Tha) – First round 65 (-6)

My game was really good today. I made a great par save on the par-five 14th hole. That was the highlight of the day for me. I hit my driver out of bounds and missed the green with my fourth shot but I managed to chip it in from about 20 yards to save par. It was amazing.

I had a good start to the round. I birdied my two holes from the 10th and that got my game going heading into the round. I like this golf course because it feels like the golf course where I used to practise when I first started playing golf back home in Thailand. The conditions and the grass are similar.

I had a good result here last year so I am feeling very confident coming back here. You need to hit it good off the tees to play well here. Putting is important too. I putted really well today which helped a lot.

M Dharma (Ind) – First round 66 (-5)

I drove the ball really well today. I missed only three fairways and hit 14 greens today. I hit the ball really good and was able to hit it close to the pins as well. I three-putted on one hole but other than that, it was a great round.

On the second hole, I made a 25-footer for birdie. That kind of kick-started my round today. I birdied again from four-feet on the fifth hole and then sank another seven-footer for birdie on seventh. On the eighth, I made a 14-footer.

I played the two ADT events here earlier and I like this golf course. I finished well in the first ADT event here in January and I felt really confident coming back here this week. This is a ‘placement’ golf course. You need to be accurate off the tees.

If you miss the fairways, it’s going to be very tough to make pars. I am really pleased with the way I played today. I hope I can continue to do the same for the next three rounds.

Jack Harrison (Eng) – First round 66 (-5)

I played pretty steady from the start. I was three-under through four holes. I felt pretty good after that. Off the tee is key to keep the ball in play on this course. I just hit fairways and greens out there and made putts. If it stays like this for the rest of the week, I will be pretty happy.

It’s a testing golf course. You got to hit the fairways. You can’t play the course if you are not hitting it well off the tee. I think that’s the key. A lot of holes can be pretty tricky. A lot of water that you can’t really see off the tee.

I am just trying to win this week. I got through the Qualifying School and I just want to make the most out of every start I get this year. A friend of mine, Chris Cannon, who played here a few years back, kind of guided me through the course a little bit before I came here.

I am loving it here so far. I got here on Saturday, nice and early just so I can adjust to the time difference from back home. I have seen quite a bit of the place so far and it’s nice.

John Catlin of the United States

John Catlin (Usa) – First round 67 (-4)

It was a really good round. I like this course. I played here for the ADT event two weeks ago and I had a good finish. It’s just good to get some of those positive vibes out there today. Obviously, I played well last week which got my confidence going for this week.

I just went out there and trusted my game. I hit a lot of high quality shots. It was pretty windy out there so it was good to be able to hit the ball solid. I made about two long putts but other than that, most of them were pretty close. I made a birdie from 35-feet on the par-five seventh.

It was kind of low-stress out there which makes it a lot easier. It’s a narrow course so tee shots are key. My ball striking was much better today. It was a bit off when I played in Korea last week.

I didn’t have the chance to do anything about it since after last week so it felt good to be able to hit it a lot better today. Wedge-play could have been a little tighter today as well. It’s something I am working on. I will just keep doing the same tomorrow. Nothing changes.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

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

Published on May 8, 2018

Dhaka, May 8: India’s Chiragh Kumar will be looking to recover from his dip in form with a strong showing at the US$300,000 AB Bank Bangladesh Open which starts on Wednesday.

Kumar, a one-time Asian Tour winner, battled against a wrist injury at the start of the season but believes he can reproduce the magic when he returns to the Kurmitola Golf Club for the event where he came in tied-fourth last year.

Chiragh Kumar of India

The 34-year-old Kumar, who has not made a single cut in five starts, found out he had developed a cyst in his right wrist earlier this season but reckoned he is well on the road to recovery after seeking help from physiotherapists.

Talented Thai duo Danthai Boonma and Poom Saksansin will also looking to pick up their first win this season at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open, which is celebrating its fourth consecutive edition on the region’s premier Tour this week.

Coming off the back of a career-first top-10 finish on the Asian Tour, American John Catlin hopes to ride on his fine form for another standout performance at the Kurmitola Golf Club, where he capped a tied-eighth place finish on the Asian Development Tour two weeks ago.

Siddikur Rahman, who emerged as the best local performer after finishing second last year, will spearhead a strong local contingent which consists of 43 professionals and six amateurs. They will take aim at keeping the trophy on home soil for the first time since the event was inaugurated in 2015.

Chiragh Kumar of India

Did you know?

Chiragh Kumar earned his career breakthrough on the Asian Tour when he won the Panasonic Open India at the Delhi Golf Club in 2015.
Kumar enjoyed a tied-fourth place finish at the 2017 Bangladesh Open. He came in joint runner-up at the Panasonic Open India later that year to finish 41st on the Order of Merit, retaining his card for the 2018 season.
Kumar was part of the Indian national amateur team, which included 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Anirban Lahiri and eight-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, who won the team silver medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
The 34-year-old Kumar, father of one, is also the chairman of the Asian Tour Tournament Players Committee.
Danthai Boonma is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. His breakthrough victory came at the World Classic Championship in Singapore in 2015.
Danthai enjoyed four top-10s on the Asian Tour in 2017, with his best finish at the Thailand Open where he came in fifth.
Danthai is a double gold medalist at the 2012 South East Asia (SEA) Games.
Danthai got off to a great start this season when he finished tied-fourth at the Singapore Open in January to earn for himself a coveted spot at The Open this July. It will be his Major debut.
Poom Saksansin is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and a one-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
Poom claimed his second Asian Tour title in India last August and finished in a career-high eighth position on the Merit rankings to earn a maiden appearance at the 2018 EurAsiaCup where he represented Team Asia.
Poom is making his third appearance at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open this week. He has failed to make the cut when he last played in 2015 and 2016.
John Catlin is a proud graduate of the ADT. He ended the 2017 season in third place on the final Order of Merit and secured his playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2018 season. He is a two-time winner on the secondary circuit.
Catlin enjoyed four top-10 finishes in five starts on the ADT this season, including a tied-eighth place finish at the Kurmitola Golf Club two weeks ago. He sits in second place on the latest ADT Order of Merit.
Catlin secured his first ever top-10 result on the Asian Tour after finishing in eighth place on his own at The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in Korea last week.

Players’ quotes:

Chiragh Kumar (Ind)

I haven’t really played well so far this season. I am just looking to regain some confidence coming back to play here. I like the course and I played well last year. The course is in great shape. It’s playing softer than last year but it’s still in good condition. This is a ‘placement’ golf course. The greens are soft and tiny so it’s important to place your ball on the right spots.

I have had my fair share of injury troubles since the start of the year but I am looking forward to this week now. I have been down and out, hoping to get my season started. I hope things will pick up from here onwards.

I developed a cyst in my right wrist sometime last year but I only got to know about it this year. The pain in my wrist started when I was playing in Malaysia earlier in February. I had to miss a few events prior to this week.

Having said that, I am feeling a lot better now, physically. Hopefully my game gets better as well. I have been doing physiotherapy for my wrist. No need for surgery as of now. I am hoping not to go under the knife. The treatment has been helping so far.

It’s great to see Indian players doing well all over the world. It just shows how strong our domestic Tour is. All of us came out from there. The competition is good. If you play well there, you can play well anywhere.

A lot of motivation and confidence for me as well, seeing Shubhankar Sharma, Shiv Kapur and Rahil Gangjee winning and Ajeetesh Sandhu, Gaganjeet Bhullar finishing well last week. We are enjoying a good couple of years for Indian golf. Hopefully I can be part of that.

Danthai Boonma of Thailand

Danthai Boonma (Tha)

The course is looking good. The conditions have improved from two years ago when I last played here. Hopefully the weather holds up this week. It’s been a little gloomy. The game’s feeling good. You got to hit it straight here and putt well to score on this course.

I had a good start to the season, finishing top-five in Singapore to secure a spot at The Open in July. The game’s been feeling good since although it didn’t really show in my results. I guess I just need to sharpen up my short game as they would be the key to play well.

Poom Saksansin (Tha)

I haven’t been playing well. I am not feeling confident with my game as of now but I hope things will change with a good showing to regain my confidence this week. I don’t know why the dip in form recently but I guess this is golf, sometimes you play well, sometimes you don’t.

This is my third attempt here. I have never made the cut before but I hope I can change the record this week. I haven’t set any targets for myself. I just want to make the halfway cut first. This is a tight course and not very long which suits my game I think.

Poom Saksansin of Thailand

John Catlin (Usa)

I had an awesome week in Korea last week. I have been working very hard over the last couple of years and it feels great to finish inside top-10 on the Asian Tour. To be able to come out and perform like I know I can with all the work I’m putting in, it really gives me a lot of confidence moving forward. I am excited to see what is installed for me this year.

There are a lot of good players on the Asian Tour. I always like the challenge to step up my game. I am just going to use the top-10 result last week to work harder on my game. My short game was on point last week.

I am excited to be back in Bangladesh. I was just here the week before for the ADT tournament where I finished tied-eighth. I am feeling very confident. I am just going to head out and see how I fair this week. Just have to keep going and hopefully I can ride on the good form.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Published on May 7, 2018

Singapore, May 7: Gaganjeet Bhullar’s fine performance at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship reminded everybody of his outstanding credentials.

The 30-year-old Indian is one of only four golfers in the field to break par at the challenging Nam Seoul Country Club. He compiled a four-day total of one-under-par 283 to get into a play-off with Yikeun Chang, Junggon Hwang and Sanghyun Park but was edged out after the first extra hole. Nevertheless, he is happy with his game that led to a tied-second placing, his highest finish in 2018 so far.

"I gave my 100 per cent and I played really well, especially the last 36 holes. I was steady and gave myself plenty of opportunities in the final round," said Bhullar.

Bhullar made history last year by becoming the youngest ever golfer to win eight titles on the Asian Tour. He achieved the feat with a stunning wire-to-wire victory in Macau last year. Earlier in 2018, Bhullar missed the cut at three consecutive tournaments following the Maybank Championship but has bounced back magnificently with a steely display in Korea.

Following the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship, Bhullar earned a prize cheque of US$75,473.35 to ascend 19 places to 10th on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.

Also making a significant move on the merit list is Chang of South Korea. He is now 13th on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, up 31 places from 44th.

The 24-year-old has been a model of consistency in 2017, missing the cut only twice in eleven starts. He narrowly missed out on winning his maiden Asian Tour title after his playoff loss to the eventual winner, Park, at the third extra hole.

"I’m disappointed as I missed a couple of important putts today, but I believe I’ll bounce back. Second place is not too bad and I could have won the tournament if I had not made too many mistakes. I’ll learn from it and improve," said Chang.

The leading three places on the Habitat for Humanity Standings remain unchanged. Shubhankar Sharma of India stays on top with his current earnings of US$589,575. Englishman Matt Wallace (US$446,660) is second, while Indian Rahil Gangjee (US$283,018.87) is in third place.

The Asian Tour will travel to Bangladesh this week for the US$300,000 AB Bank Bangladesh Open. The event, played at the Kurmitola Golf Club, is the country’s National Open and it will be headlined by 18 Tour winners.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)

1. Shubhankar SHARMA (IND)   589,575
2. Matt WALLACE (ENG)   446,660
3. Rahil GANGJEE (IND)   283,018.87
4. Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA)   265,573.14
5. SihwanKIM (USA)   226,710.14
6. Paul PETERSON (USA)   215,758.57
7. Daniel NISBET (AUS)   150,863.64
8. Scott VINCENT (ZIM)   145,208.76
9. Berry HENSON (USA)   131,983.57
10. Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND)   131,214.35
11. Hideto TANIHARA (JPN)   123,306.08
12. Shaun NORRIS (RSA)   118,284.91
13. Yikeun CHANG (KOR)   110,826.17
14. Khalin JOSHI (IND)   109,730
15. Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA)   108,596.69
16. Terry PILKADARIS (AUS)   105,907.84
17. Prom MEESAWAT (THA)   100,469.67
18. Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN)   97,643.15
19. Jeunghun WANG (KOR)   91,100
20. Rattanon WANNASRICHAN (THA)   89,773.02

Ends.

Published on

Dhaka, May 7: Local hero Siddikur Rahman will aim to bounce back from an uncharacteristic lackluster season on the Asian Tour when he headlines the AB Bank Bangladesh Open which gets underway on Wednesday.

Siddikur, a two-time Asian Tour winner, made only one cut in four starts on the region’s premier Tour this season but kept up his hopes of putting up a good showing as he relishes home course advantage at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

The 33-year-old Siddikur will also draw confidence from his recent success on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) where he claimed his second title at the Kurmitola Golf Club in January before securing another tied-sixth place finish on the same venue two weeks ago.

Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh

Siddikur will headline the US$300,000 Asian Tour event alongside Tour winners Rattanon Wannasrichan and Poom Saksansin of Thailand, two-time Order of Merit champion Jeev Milkha Singh of India, as well as Singaporean veteran Mardan Mamat, who won the tournament in 2015.

Qualifying school graduates Kurt Kitayama of the United States, Shohei Hasegawa of Japan, Australian Steven Jeffress and Miguel Carballo of Argentina will all be vying for top honours at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open.

Other notable players in the 144-man field include India’s Chiragh Kumar, Masahiro Kawamura of Japan, Thammanoon Sriroj of Thailand and China’s Yanwei Liu, who enjoyed a top-10 finish last year.

Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh

Did you know?

The Kurmitola Golf Club is the home course of Siddikur Rahman, who used to work as a ball boy at the club to support his studies. He is currently attached to Kurmitola Golf Club as an honorary member.
Siddikur marked the best ever result produced by a Bangladeshi at the Bangladesh Open last year. He birdied the 18th hole to close with a five-under-par 66 and a 13-under-par 271 total, finishing four shots shy of winner Jazz to take second place on his own.
Siddikur became the first player from Bangladesh to win on the Asian Tour when he emerged victorious at the Brunei Open in 2010. Also became the first sportsman from his country to qualify for the 2016 Olympics on merit and was accorded the honour of becoming Bangladesh’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
Siddikur’s wife, Samaun Anjum Auroni, became the first Bangladeshi female golfer to turn professional earlier in January. Auroni took up the game in 2010, the same year Siddikur won his first Asian Tour title.
Siddikur claimed a commanding 12-stroke victory for his first ADT title on the same venue in 2011.
Yanwei Liu of China claimed his first ever top-10 result on the Asian Tour at the 2017 Bangladesh Open. He closed with a five-under-par 67 to grab a share of 10th place.
Liu, 20, enjoyed another top-10 result on home soil last November where he came in second runner-up at the Asian Golf Championship in Xiamen. The result, however, was not enough to help him secure his Asian Tour card for this season. He missed out on the top-61 cut-off mark by one rung on the 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
Miguel Carballo is the only Argentinean in the 144-man field this week. He came through the Qualifying School earlier in January and is the only Argentinean to hold an Asian Tour card for the 2018 season.
The 38-year-old Carballo turned professional in 2002 and has previously won on the Challenge Tour and the Web.com Tour. He is playing on the Asian Tour for this first time since 2006 this week.
Since making his ADT debut in Brunei in March, Carballo has notched four top-10s in five starts on the secondary circuit, including a tied-third place finish at the BTI Open, which was held at the Kurmitola Golf Club two weeks ago.

View from the 14th hole of the Kurmitola Golf Club

Players’ quotes:

Siddikur Rahman (Ban)

I am really excited for this week. This is the fourth consecutive edition of the Bangladesh Open and I am very happy to see the tournament back on the Asian Tour schedule. I think the other professional golfers in the country are equally happy too.

I am feeling confident for this week because I won on this course again for my second ADT title earlier in January. I am looking forward to this week. The game’s feeling pretty good. I prepared myself nicely for this event.

I took a good rest last week. I skipped the Korean event last week and just did some practice to prepare myself for this week. The course is in a great shape. It’s a little soft because of the rain over the last few days.

I had a good finish last year. It was a great memory. I birdied the last hole to finish second. Hopefully I can bank on those good memories to win the tournament this year. I have the home advantage and I know if I can play my own game, I won’t have any problems winning this tournament.

The golf scene in Bangladesh has really improved over the last few years, especially with the addition of two events on the ADT this season. I would like to thank all sponsors for their support and commitment.

I have been trying to work on my mental game and my fitness this season. These two things are really important if you want to do well, especially mental strength. I will keep working on these and hopefully some good results will show.

Miguel Carballo of Argentina

Miguel Carballo (Arg)

The game’s been feeling great for the past few weeks. I have been pretty consistent. I played well when I came here for the ADT event two weeks ago too. I am feeling really confident for this week. I am excited too as this is my first Asian Tour event this year.

I like this course. It’s similar to the course where I used to play back home in Argentina. The conditions are similar. The course is pretty flat and tree-lined and you need to hit it straight off the tees. You need a lot of concentration on this course.

I had a lot of fun out there when I first came here two weeks ago. I want to just enjoy myself again this week. I feel really good coming back here. I have been travelling a lot over the last two months.

I went back home to Argentina after getting my Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School in January. I came back to Asia for my first ADT event in Brunei in March and haven’t been back home since. It has been a good run so far and I am enjoying it.

Yanwei Liu of China

Yanwei Liu (Chn)

This is the third time I am playing in this event. I like the course here. I had a good result last year where I came in top-10. It’s good to be back. The course is pretty narrow and it’s not that long. It suits my game. Tee shots will be important this week.

I remembered playing good off the tee for the entire week last year. I guess that is the key to playing well on this course. If you can do that, you should be able to do well out there.

My aim is to finish inside top-60 on the Habitat for Humanity Standings to secure my Asian Tour card for next season. Hopefully I can cap a good result this week to achieve that goal. I try my best to obtain the best result I can every week.

With the Asian Golf Classic on home soil coming up next week, I really hope to play well as these two events are really important for me.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Published on May 6, 2018

Seongnam, Korea, May 6: Korea’s Sanghyun Park renewed his love affair with the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship by winning the long-standing event again with a par at the third play-off hole on Sunday.

Park, who won the event in 2016, had to go the extra distance to lift his sixth professional title after he carded an even-par-71 in the final round to force his way into a play-off with compatriots Yikeun Chang, Junggon Hwang and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar.

Bhullar threatened to break the dominance of the Koreans at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship which has not welcomed a foreign winner since American Mark Calcavecchia emerged victorious in 2004.

The Indian, who had earlier compiled a four-day total of one-under-par 283, was however the first player to bow out from the four-man play-off at the first hole.

He conceded the hole after he knew his best effort could only be a bogey while the Koreans had easy par putt chances. Hwang was next to fall out of contention after he carded a bogey while Park and Chang birdied.

Victory soon belonged to Park when Chang was left with an uphill task to sink a 15-foor par putt which he missed while Park made no mistake of his from inside 10 feet at the Namseoul Country Club.

Ends.

Did you know?

Sanghyun Park became the fourth Korean player after K.T. Kim, Sangho Choi and Namshin Park to have won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship twice.
When Park won the event in 2016, it was also in a play-off against compatriot Soomin Lee.
Yikeun topped the class at the 2016 Asian Tour Qualifying School which was his very first attempt since turning professional
He enjoyed a commendable 2017, regained his Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School, made his Major debut at The Open and missed only two cuts in 11 starts on the region’s premier Tour.
Gaganjeet Bhullar is the first player to win eight titles on the Asian Tour before turning 30. He is also the youngest player to achieve the feat on the Asian Tour.
He has won once in Korea at the Shinhan Donghae Open in 2016.
Bhullar holds the same number of Asian Tour wins with countrymen Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa. They are the only three Indian players with the most number of wins on the Asian Tour.
John Catlin has won two Asian Development Tour (ADT) titles but is still searching for his maiden Asian Tour win.

Players’ Quotes

Sanghyun Park (Kor) Fourth round 71 (Even), Total 283 (-1)

I’m so pleased with my victory today. It was a hard fought one especially against so many good players. I was feeling confident ahead of the play-off as I was in a similar situation before in 2016 when I won. I thought I could have won it in the first play-off hole when I had a makeable birdie putt but it took me another two more holes to get the job done.

Yikuen Chang (Kor) Fourth round 69 (-2), Total 283 (-1)

I’m really disappointed I missed a couple of important putts today but I believe I’ll bounce back. Second place is not too bad and still I could have won the tournament if I had not make too many mistakes. But I’ll learn from it and improve. The fans are so awesome. It was raining so heavily today and they still turned up to watch us play.

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) Fourth round 70 (-1), Total 283 (-1)

I gave my 100% and I played really well especially the last 36 holes. I played really steady and gave myself opportunities today. I hit the ball really well and gave myself lots of good looks out on the course. But I would like to congratulate Park as he’s a deserving winner.

John Catlin (Usa) Fourth round 70 (-1) Total 285 (+1)

It has been an awesome week in Korea. The greens here are absolutely perfect. I’ve been working really hard over the last couple of years and I was really determined to get into the co-sanctioned events and I managed to get a last-minute entry here through my category on the Asian Tour. To be able to come out and perform which I know I can with all the work I put in just gives me lots of confidence moving forward. I’m excited to see what this year has in store for me. There’s a big gap between the level of play on the ADT and Asian Tour. The depth of the field here is really impressive. You got a lot of really players teeing up who all have a chance to win every week. I like that challenge and I’m going to use that to step up and work on my game even more.

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) Fourth round 74 (+3) Total 287 (+3)

I did not win but it’s okay. I’m still pleased with my performance as the conditions were really tough and I showed that I could still compete and be in contention. I’m not too concerned about that important Asian Tour breakthrough yet as I know my time will come if I continue to stay patient and focused.

Leading Scores after round 4 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

283 – Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 71-70-71-71, Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 73-72-69-69, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70-71-70, Junggon HWANG (KOR) 71-73-69-70.

*Park won with a birdie on the third play-off hole

284 – Dongmin KIM (am, KOR) 72-69-72-71, Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 67-71-74-72, Sanghee LEE (KOR) 73-71-68-72.

285 – John CATLIN (USA) 72-72-71-70.

286 – Dongseop MAENG (KOR) 70-71-75-70, Seungbo JANG (am, KOR) 71-72-71-72, Dongha LEE 562 (KOR) 68-68-75-75.

287 – Hyunwoo RYU (KOR) 70-74-73-70, J.B. PARK (KOR) 68-74-74-71, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 69-70-74-74, Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA) 71-72-70-74.

288 – K.T. KIM (KOR) 72-70-74-72, Soonsang HONG (KOR) 74-71-71-72, Giwhan KIM (KOR) 71-72-72-73, Heungchol JOO (KOR) 68-70-75-75.

289 – Jinho CHOI (KOR) 71-75-73-70, Seungtaek LEE (KOR) 73-70-75-71, Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 76-71-70-72, Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 73-71-72-73, Minchel CHOI (KOR) 74-70-72-73, Kyungnam KANG (KOR) 73-71-71-74.

290 – Younghan SONG (KOR) 70-73-76-71, Changwon HAN (KOR) 74-73-72-71, Junsung KIM (KOR) 71-73-77-69.

291 – Y. E. YANG (KOR) 71-76-73-71, Sunghyun OH (am, KOR) 71-71-76-73, Casey O’TOOLE (USA) 72-73-73-73, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-72-74-76.

Ends.

Published on May 5, 2018

Seongnam, Korea, May 5: Overnight leader Dongha Lee of Korea kept his place atop the leaderboard by signing for a third round four-over-par 75 at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Saturday.

Playing under blustery conditions at the Namseoul Country Club, Lee was swept off course as he mixed five bogeys and one birdie to compile a three-day total of two-under-par 211.

However, that was still enough to give him a slender shot lead over compatriots Sanghee Lee and Sanghyun Park as well as India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu at the KR₩1,000,000,000 (approx. US$925,000) event.

India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar had an unforgettable round as he carded 18 straight pars to share fifth place with Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, Phachara Khongwatmai and Korea’s Dongmin Kim, Junggon Hwang and Jooheung Chol on 213 total.

Starting the day with a two-shot lead, Lee dropped his first shot on the par-four second hole. He birdied the fourth hole and had trouble reading the fast greens starting from the sixth hole.

Lee went go on to bogey holes seven, eight and 13. But with the rest of his nearest rivals also struggling under tough conditions, the Korean was relieved to have kept his place at the summit.

Ends.

Did you know?

• Donghae Lee welcomed the birth of his baby girl in February and is chasing his first Asian Tour victory.

• Lee’s first love was actually football. However, upon the encouragement of his parents to play golf at the age of 12, he got hooked to the sport and subsequently led him to turn professional in 1996.

• Ajeetesh Sandhu earned his Asian Tour breakthrough at the 2017 Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.

• He immediately followed up that victory with a play-off win at the Pacific Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour the week after.

• Ajeetesh finished the 2017 season in 21st place on the Order of Merit and his best result was a tied-10th finish in Japan a fortnight ago.

• Gaganjeet Bhullar is the first player to win eight titles on the Asian Tour before turning 30. He is also the youngest player to achieve the feat on the Asian Tour.

• Bhullar holds the same number of Asian Tour wins with countrymen Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa. They are the only three Indian players with the most number of wins on the Asian Tour.

• Phachara is searching for a first victory on the Asian Tour and European Tour. He holds the record as the youngest amateur player at the age of 14 to win a professional tournament. He is also the youngest player at 15 to win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).

• He has played in The Open twice in 2016 and 2017.

• Phachara’s name in Thai translates to ‘Diamond’. He is also known as ‘Thai Diamond’ in Thailand.

Players’ Quotes

Dongha Lee (Kor) Third round 75 (+4), Total 211 (-2)

The fast greens were really very challenging and I missed many short putts today. It was tough and I’m lucky I still have the lead. Physically, I’m feeling a lot better as I’ve recovered from my back spasms. I’ve heard we are expecting rains tomorrow and I like playing in wet conditions. Hopefully, that’s a sign of better things to come.

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) Third round 74 (+3), Total 212 (-1)

I finished off badly and I’m one shot back. But there’s one more day to go and everything to play for. My scores don’t really reflect it, but I’ve been playing well all week. I’m happy with my game and there’s nothing wrong right now. I just have to play well tomorrow and see where I end up.

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) Third round 71 (Even), Total 213 (Even)

Staying patient was definitely the key for me today. It was a day of mixed emotions as I missed several birdie opportunities and I also made a few up and downs for par. It has been a long time since I had such a round. I remember having such a round in India several years ago and I won that tournament. Considering the weather and tough pin positions, it was a decent round for me. I’ve been driving the ball really well and I missed only one fairway the last three days. I’m hitting my irons well too and giving myself lots of birdie opportunities. The goal is to repeat what I’ve done and I know I have a chance if I can get into a good round tomorrow.

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) Third round 70 (-1), Total 213 (Even)

I’m just two shots back and have a good chance. I haven’t missed much of the fairways today and I hope to repeat that tomorrow. I’m not so worried about the weather conditions because I played in Europe and I’m relying a lot on those experiences there to do well tomorrow.

Leading Scores after round 3 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

211 – Dongha LEE 562 (KOR) 68-68-75.

212 – Sanghee LEE (KOR) 73-71-68, Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 71-70-71, Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 67-71-74.

213 – Junggon HWANG (KOR) 71-73-69, Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA) 71-72-70, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70-71, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 69-70-74, Dongmin KIM (am, KOR) 72-69-72, Heungchol JOO (KOR) 68-70-75.

214 – Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 73-72-69, Seungbo JANG (am, KOR) 71-72-71.

215 – John CATLIN (USA) 72-72-71, Kyungnam KANG (KOR) 73-71-71, Giwhan KIM (KOR) 71-72-72, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-72-74.

216 – Johannes VEERMAN (USA) 73-72-71, Soonsang HONG (KOR) 74-71-71, Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 73-71-72, Minchel CHOI (KOR) 74-70-72, J.B. PARK (KOR) 68-74-74, K.T. KIM (KOR) 72-70-74, Dongseop MAENG (KOR) 70-71-75.

217 – Hyunwoo RYU (KOR) 70-74-73, Kyong-jun MOON (KOR) 71-75-71, Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 76-71-70.

Ends.

Published on May 4, 2018

Dhaka, May 4: Singaporean veteran Mardan Mamat hopes to turn back the clock when he returns to the Kurmitola Golf Club for the US$300,000 AB Bank Bangladesh Open next week.

The 50-year-old Mardan, who lifted his fifth Asian Tour title in the inaugural edition three years ago, hopes to repeat his success in the event which will be played from May 9 to 12.

“I like the course. It suits my eye a lot. I am looking forward to going back to Bangladesh next week. I have met a lot of nice people there, especially the people whom I have played with during the Pro-Am tournaments,” said the seasoned campaigner.

Mardan made his debut on the Senior golf circuit earlier this year but admits he still enjoys playing against the Asian Tour young guns.

“I have played most of my career on the Asian Tour. Even though I am 50 now, I still love to compete and I still love my golf. I like playing in tournaments although it’s not easy trying to catch up with the young boys who hit the ball really long,” he said.

Mardan, who holds the honour of being Singapore’s first winner on the Asian Tour, also hailed the recent emergence of the young talents on the region’s premier Tour and Asian Development Tour (ADT), which staged two events in Bangladesh this year.

“It’s nice to see the young Singaporean boys turning professional and doing well on the Asian Tour and the ADT. We used to have only a few Singaporeans playing on Tour. Now we have quite a handful which is very good to see.

“It’s definitely great to see them perform well, especially with Johnson Poh winning on the ADT in Malaysia last month. It provides a lot of motivation for the other Singaporean boys out there. It’s a promising sight.

“Not just Singaporeans, it’s great to see other Asian boys rising through the ranks as well. Take Shubhankar Sharma for example. These boys have helped promote the development of golf in Asia and it’s a very good sign,” Mardan added.

Young Thai Rattanon Wannasrichan, who came in tied-fourth last year, is confident of putting up another good showing when he tees off for the AB Bank Bangladesh Open, which is celebrating its fourth consecutive edition on the Asian Tour next week.

“I am looking forward to playing in Bangladesh again. I had a good finish last year and I am feeling confident of putting up another good result this time round. The course at the Kurmitola Golf Club feels like the army golf course where I used to practise back home.

“I feel very comfortable there. Obviously, I would be aiming for a win but a top-three finish will be nice too. That will give me a lot of confidence,” said the 22-year-old Rattanon, who sits in 18th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to two top-10s.

Mardan and Rattanon are among the 18 Tour winners set to headline the 144-man field gathered at the Bangladesh’s National Open next week.

Home hero Siddikur Rahman, who came in runner-up last year, will spearhead the local charge made up of 34 players, who will take aim at keeping the trophy on home soil for the first time since the tournament was inaugurated in 2015.

Other notable players include Masahiro Kawamura of Japan, Thai veteran Thaworn Wiratchant, Jeev Milkha Singh of India and Poom Saksansin of Thailand.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Published on

Seongnam, Korea, May 4: Korea’s Dongha Lee will enjoy a two-shot advantage going into the weekend rounds after he posted a three-under-par 68 to take the second round lead at 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Friday.

Overnight leader Ajeetesh Sandhu of India slipped to a share of second place with Korea’s Heungchol Joo after he signed for a 71 at the Namseoul Country Club which is welcoming players from the Asian Tour back for the first time since 2009.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond took outright fourth place following a 70 while India’s Shiv Kapur is tied for fifth together with Korea’s Dongmin Kim, Sanghyun Park and Dongseop Maeng at the KR₩1,000,000,000 (approx. US$925,000) event.

India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and S.Chikkarangappa are ready to break the Korean stronghold as they moved inside the top-10 by carding matching 70s to share ninth place with K.T. Kim, Sunghyun Oh and J.B. Park of Korea.

New father Lee, who welcomed the birth of his daughter in February, is hoping to bring more joy home as he chases his first Asian Tour victory after snatching pole position with his two-day total of six-under-par 136.

Lee went out in 32 after mixing two birdies, one eagle and a bogey in his back-nine 10. He dropped another shot on four but recovered swiftly with another birdie at the next par-four five. Another bogey on seven saw him lose ground momentarily as he would birdie his closing hole on nine to emerge top of the pack.

Playing under gusty conditions, Sandhu was pleased to have passed the severe test of skill and patience to remain as one of the frontrunners at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship.

Jazz is also delighted with his performance which has put him in the mix.

Having played only one practice round earlier in the week, the Thai is beginning to familiarise himself well with the course and is thankful of the partnership he has struck well with his caddie, Nick Pugh.

The weekend cut was set at six-over with a total of 79 players progressing to the final two rounds.

Ends.

Did you know?

Dongha Lee’s first love was actually football. However, upon the encouragement of his parents to play golf at the age of 12, he got hooked to the sport and subsequently led him to turn professional in 1996.
Ajeetesh Sandhu earned his Asian Tour breakthrough at the 2017 Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.
He immediately followed up that victory with a play-off win at the Pacific Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour the week after.
Ajeetesh finished the 2017 season in 21st place on the Order of Merit and his best result was a tied-10th finish in Japan a fortnight ago.
Jazz Janewattananond turned professional in 2011. He lost his Asian Tour card for the first time in his career after finishing outside top-60 on the 2016 Order of Merit.
Jazz bounced back with a breakthrough win in Bangladesh two months later before going on to claim seven top-10 results to finish a career-high ninth position on the Merit rankings last year.
Jazz finishing tied-fourth at the season opener in Singapore and earned for himself a coveted spot in The Open this July where he will make his Major debut.
Gaganjeet Bhullar is the first player to win eight titles on the Asian Tour before turning 30. He is also the youngest player to achieve the feat on the Asian Tour.
Bhullar holds the same number of Asian Tour wins with countrymen Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa. They are the only three Indian players with the most number of wins on the Asian Tour.

Players’ Quotes

Dongha Lee (Kor) Second round 68 (-3), Total 136 (-6)

I’m very pleased with how I’ve played considering I had back spasms since this morning and it was affecting my play. My highlight of my day was definitely the eagle on 14. I used a three-wood for my tee shot. The second shot landed at the edge of the green and I was very lucky to sink that putt from about 10 feet. I believe we are expecting strong winds this weekend and the key would be to stay patient and adapted my shots according to the wind directions. I’m not staying at home this week and I miss my new-born daughter. I do video calls with my wife and daughter every day but I really want to see her in person. This is the first time I’m away from home for so long and I hope to bring more joy home with a good result this week.

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) Second round 71 (Even), Total 138 (-4)

It was a lot tougher today with the swirling winds and I felt it was really difficult out there. At least the winds died down after the thunderstorms yesterday. But today, they were everywhere which made it tough to hit a shot. But the good thing is I’m playing well and anytime you’re close to the lead, you know you have a chance of doing well. I’m happy with where I’m now.

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) Second round 70 (-1) Total 139 (-3)

It’s good to be heading into the weekend rounds in a good position. But I have to say it was a very tough round again. Although it was not raining like yesterday, it was very windy and it was tough to get around the golf course. The constant winds and gust just change direction so often and the greens are fast. I believe the course conditions are going to be even tougher over the weekend and the greens are really going to be rolling very fast. I have a good relationship with my caddie, Nick and we bounce lots of ideas off each other. I’m not going to change much of strategy. We talk a lot and if there’s anything that needs to be fixed, he’ll tell. But right now, we are good.

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) Second round 70 (-1), Total 142 (Even)

It feels good to know we are in a good positions at this event. This is not an easy golf course but all four of us are playing well and we all have a good chance on the weekend. It has not be easy the last two days. Yesterday it was really cold when I teed off in the morning. Then in the middle of the day, the winds picked up and today it was windy from tee one to 18. But I’ve been hitting the ball really well and gave myself lots of chances on the greens. I converted a few and missed a few as well. But overall, it was a decent round of golf today. It really depends on the pin positions for this weekend. If they put the flags especially on the corner, it’s going to be tricky.

Leading Scores after round 2 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

136 – Dongha LEE 562 (KOR) 68-68.

138 – Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 67-71, Heungchol JOO (KOR) 68-70.

139 – Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 69-70.

141 – Dongmin KIM (am, KOR) 72-69, Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 71-70, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-72, Dongseop MAENG (KOR) 70-71.

142 – Sunghyun OH (am, KOR) 71-71, K.T. KIM (KOR) 72-70, Chikkarangappa S. (IND) 72-70, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70, J.B. PARK (KOR) 68-74.

143 – Seungtaek LEE (KOR) 73-70, Giwhan KIM (KOR) 71-72, Richard T. LEE (CAN) 75-68, Younghan SONG (KOR) 70-73, Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA) 71-72, Seungbo JANG (am, KOR) 71-72.

144 – Eunshin PARK (KOR) 71-73, Hyungjoon LEE (KOR) 70-74, Minchel CHOI (KOR) 74-70, John CATLIN (USA) 72-72, Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 73-71, Junsung KIM (KOR) 71-73, Hoyoung CHOI (am, KOR) 71-73, Seunghyuk KIM (KOR) 70-74, Sanghee LEE (KOR) 73-71, Junggon HWANG (KOR) 71-73, Hyunwoo RYU (KOR) 70-74, Terry PILKADARIS (AUS) 69-75, Minkyu HAN (KOR) 73-71, Kyungnam KANG (KOR) 73-71.

145 – Scott HEND (AUS) 74-71, Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 73-72, Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 73-72, Joonup SON (KOR) 73-72, Soonsang HONG (KOR) 74-71, Casey O’TOOLE (USA) 72-73, Jechang RYU (am, KOR) 73-72, Johannes VEERMAN (USA) 73-72, Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA) 71-74.

Ends.

Published on May 3, 2018

Seongnam, Korea, May 3: India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu emerged as the first round leader after he returned with four-under-par 67 to take a one-shot lead over his closest rivals at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Thursday.

Sandhu continued to showcase the strength of Indian golf with a performance that threatens to break the Korean stronghold at the event which has not been won by a foreign player since Mark Calcavecchia of the United States lifted the prestigious trophy in 2004.

The Korean trio of Heungchol Joo, LeeDong Ha and JaeBum Park stayed close to Sandhu when they signed for matching 68s at the Namseoul Country Club which is welcoming back players from the Asian Tour for the first time since 2009.

Spain’s Javi Colomo, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, Australia’s Terry Pilkadaris and India’s Shiv Kapur are a further shot back from the Koreans after they all posted a 69 at the KR₩1,000,000,000 (approx. US$925,000) event.

Fresh off a top-10 finish in Japan a fortnight ago, Sandhu believes the recent success of his compatriots has motivated him to do better too.

After firing four birdies in his front-nine, the 29-year-old had to battle the elements when play resumed. He showed character by recovering quickly after dropping shots on 14 and 16 with birdies on 15 and 17 to sit atop the leaderboard on his own.

Did you know?

Ajeetesh Sandhu earned his Asian Tour breakthrough at the 2017 Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.
He immediately followed up that victory with a play-off win at the Pacific Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour the week after.
Ajeetesh finished the 2017 season in 21st place on the Order of Merit and his best result was a tied-10th finish in Japan a fortnight ago.
Jazz Janewattananond turned professional in 2011. He lost his Asian Tour card for the first time in his career after finishing outside top-60 on the 2016 Order of Merit.
Jazz bounced back with a breakthrough win in Bangladesh two months later before going on to claim seven top-10 results to finish a career-high ninth position on the Merit rankings last year.
Jazz finishing tied-fourth at the season opener in Singapore and earned for himself a coveted spot in The Open this July where he will make his Major debut.
Terry Pilkadaris finished second in New Zealand in March, which was also his best result of the season. He is a three-time winner on the Asian Tour.

Players’ Quotes

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) First round 67 (-4)

The conditions were tough today. It was cold and windy in the beginning and then the rain came. I would have taken four-under at the beginning of the day and I’m happy with that. Only 18 holes done but I’m happy with the way I’m playing. I played well in Japan but didn’t feel so good in China last week. I guess that happens in golf and you just got to look forward. I’m feeling good about my game and look forward to the next few days. We Indians have been having a really good run recently and that just goes to show how strong our domestic Tour has become. If you playing well there, it’s pretty easy to make the step up to the international level and it’s great to see so many of our compatriots doing well. It just spurs each other on.

Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) First round 69 (-2)

It was very blustery and it was difficult and you just got to manage it. There were a lot of opportunities and I took them which was good. You got to be patient on this course and take it as it comes. I was a bit disappointed I three-putted on 17 as I misread my putt but the rest of the round was good.

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) First round 69 (-2)

It was really tough to play golf today. It was really windy before the thunderstorms came. And then it became really cold after that. I only had one practice round here yesterday and it was raining. I couldn’t even remember half the number of holes today. I had to ask Nick, my caddie where to hit the balls. So considering all of that, I’m happy. I’ve heard about this course but this is the first time I get to play here.

Leading scores after round 1 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

67 – Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND).

68 – Dongha LEE 562 (KOR), J.B. PARK (KOR), Heungchol JOO (KOR).

69 – Terry PILKADARIS (AUS), Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA), Javi COLOMO (ESP), Shiv KAPUR (IND).

70 – Taehee LEE (KOR), Dongseop MAENG (KOR), Changwoo LEE (KOR), Seunghyuk KIM (KOR), Younghan SONG (KOR), Hyunwoo RYU (KOR), Seungtaek OH (am, KOR), Inhoi HUR (KOR), Hyungjoon LEE (KOR).

71 – Jeongmin PARK 1072 (KOR), Arnond VONGVANIJ (THA), Seungbo JANG (am, KOR), Jinho CHOI (KOR), Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA), Junggon HWANG (KOR), Sanghyun PARK (KOR), Y. E. YANG (KOR), Junsung KIM (KOR), Kyong-jun MOON (KOR), Hoyoung CHOI (am, KOR), Sunghyun OH (am, KOR), Eunshin PARK (KOR), Jaeho KIM (KOR), Giwhan KIM (KOR).

Ends.

Published on May 1, 2018

Seongnam, Korea, May 1: Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung is ready to bounce back from sickness and establish himself as one of the genuine contenders for the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship when the KR₩1,000,000,000 (approx. US$925,000) event gets underway on Thursday.

Fung was riding on a rich vein of form, having produced one of his best performances this season with a tied-14th finish in Japan a fortnight ago. He then suffered a stomach upset in China last week which affected his performance, causing him to miss the cut.

Having fully recovered, the 27-year-old now believes his intimate knowledge of the Namseoul Country Club will be advantageous as he seeks to win his second Asian Tour title since his breakthrough in Thailand last year.

Promising Thai talent Phachara Khongwatmai is back in familiar hunting ground on the Asian Tour having played in the Middle East and Europe for most part of the early season.

Phachara, who will celebrate his 19th birthday on Thursday, has been touted as one of the rising stars from the Asian Tour after impressing many with his achievements at a relatively young age. He is expected to chase for his breakthrough win on the Asian Tour especially after finishing in a career high of third place on the Order of Merit standings in 2017.

Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, a five-time Asian Tour winner, is hopeful of putting up a fight against his young rivals as he turns his attention to playing on the Seniors Tour in Europe and the United States.

The 50-year-old’s last win on the Asian Tour last came in Bangladesh in 2015 and while wary of the emerging young talents, he knows he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.

The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA) for the first time since 2008. It is also the first of the three Asian Tour events to be played in Korea this year.

Did you know?

Nicholas Fung rewarded his father, who has been a key figure throughout his career, in the best possible way by winning the Queen’s Cup on Father’s Day last year.
Fung finished tied-14th in Japan a fortnight ago. That is also his best result on the Asian Tour so far.
He represented Team Asia at the 2016 and 2018 EurAsia Cup and was Malaysia’s number one through his Order of Merit success on the PGM Tour in 2012 and 2013.
Phachara is searching for a first victory on the Asian Tour and European Tour. He holds the record as the youngest amateur player at the age of 14 to win a professional tournament. He is also the youngest player at 15 to win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
He has played in The Open twice in 2016 and 2017.
Phachara’s name in Thai translates to ‘Diamond’. He is also known as ‘Thai Diamond’ in Thailand.
Mardan holds the honour of being Singapore’s first winner on the Asian Tour and is also the first player from his country to win a co-sanctioned tournament with Europe.
He completed a wire-to-wire victory and emerged triumphant by two shots at the Bangladesh Open in 2015, which was also his last win on the Asian Tour
He is also the first player from the Lion city to qualify and play in the British Open in 1997.
Mardan won the individual title in the Putra Cup as an amateur in 1993, and helped Singapore land the team title
When he turned professional in 1994, Mardan enjoyed a dream start in the play-for-pay ranks. In his debut event, he scored a hole-in-one to claim a luxury car.

Players’ Quotes

Nicholas Fung (Mas)

I was not feeling well in China last week due to a stomach upset. I couldn’t bring my A game to the tournament on the Friday and subsequently missed the cut. But that’s all over now and I’m looking forward to a new week here with renewed confidence. My form has been good as the results in Japan have shown. It was my best result this season. It’s always good to go back to Korea again. I’ve played at Namseoul before and the greens are very tough over there. It’s not a long golf course but you got to be really accurate and put the ball on the right spot on the greens. Otherwise you’ll be in trouble. If you can putt well, you’ll likely to win the tournament.

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha)

I’ve good memories of this course as I’ve led in a couple of rounds at tournaments here. But just didn’t get the job done. I’ve another chance this week and it’s an Asian Tour event, so I want to do well and get that win. I’ve been playing in Europe and the Middle East a lot this year. There’s a lot of difference especially in the course conditions, weather and it was a challenge trying to adapt to these different conditions. But it has been a good experience and I’m always learning. It’s good to be back in Asia as I know the courses better here.

Mardan Mamat (Sgp)

It has been about 10 years since we last played here on the Asian Tour and it’s definitely nice to be back at Namseoul. I’m not expecting much but I know how I’m going to play this golf course as I’ve got good knowledge of this place. I’ll be spending five weeks in Europe, playing in a few Seniors events over there. Two days ago, I also received an invitation to play at a Seniors event on the PGA in America. I’ve decided to play at that event at the end of the month and will head there after Bangladesh. I’m still enjoying golf and I still love to compete even though I’m 50. I still have that competitive spirit in me.

Ends.

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Dhaka, May 9: Baby-faced Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand rode on a hot putter to sign for a solid opening round of six-under-par 65, seizing the clubhouse lead by one shot at the weather-disrupted AB Bank Bangladesh Open on Wednesday. The 22-year-old Rattanon, who enjoyed a top-five result in the last edition, got his campaign off […]

Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand

M Dharma of India

Did you know?

Rattanon Wannasrichan claimed a wire-to-wire victory at the Thailand Open for his first Asian Tour title 12 months ago. He is also a one-time winner on the ADT in 2015.
The 22-year-old Thai sits in a current 20th position on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, thanks to two top-five finishes in Myanmar and Japan.
Rattanon hit six fairways and missed six greens in regulation but needed only 23 putts around the greens to cap a solid round of 65. His highlight of the day came on the par-five 14th hole where he chipped it in from 20 yards to save par.
Rattanon enjoyed a tied-fourth place finish at the Bangladesh Open last year.
M Dharma is a two-time winner on his domestic circuit. The 31-year-old, who hails from Bengaluru, turned professional in 2005.
Dharma is making his third appearance at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open this week. He enjoyed a tied-seventh place finish when he played the ADT season-opener, also at the Kurmitola Golf Club, in January.
Jack Harrison came through the Asian Tour Qualifying School earlier in January. It was his second attempt since 2013. The 27-year-old, who turned professional in 2011, finished tied-15th in the 90-hole tournament to secure his Asian Tour card for the 2018 season.
John Catlin needed only 23 putts around the greens today. He missed only two fairways in his commendable round of 67.
Catlin is a proud graduate of the ADT. He ended the 2017 season in third place on the final Order of Merit and secured his playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2018 season. He is a two-time winner on the secondary circuit.
Catlin has notched four top-10 finishes in five starts on the ADT this season, including a tied-eighth place finish at the Kurmitola Golf Club two weeks ago. He sits in second place on the latest ADT Order of Merit.
Catlin secured his first ever top-10 result on the Asian Tour after finishing in eighth place on his own at The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in Korea last week.

Jack Harrison of England

Players’ quotes:

Rattanon Wannasrichan (Tha) – First round 65 (-6)

M Dharma (Ind) – First round 66 (-5)

If you miss the fairways, it’s going to be very tough to make pars. I am really pleased with the way I played today. I hope I can continue to do the same for the next three rounds.

Jack Harrison (Eng) – First round 66 (-5)

I am loving it here so far. I got here on Saturday, nice and early just so I can adjust to the time difference from back home. I have seen quite a bit of the place so far and it’s nice.

John Catlin of the United States

John Catlin (Usa) – First round 67 (-4)

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Dhaka, May 8: India’s Chiragh Kumar will be looking to recover from his dip in form with a strong showing at the US$300,000 AB Bank Bangladesh Open which starts on Wednesday. Kumar, a one-time Asian Tour winner, battled against a wrist injury at the start of the season but believes he can reproduce the magic […]

Dhaka, May 8: India’s Chiragh Kumar will be looking to recover from his dip in form with a strong showing at the US$300,000 AB Bank Bangladesh Open which starts on Wednesday.

Chiragh Kumar of India

Did you know?

Chiragh Kumar earned his career breakthrough on the Asian Tour when he won the Panasonic Open India at the Delhi Golf Club in 2015.
Kumar enjoyed a tied-fourth place finish at the 2017 Bangladesh Open. He came in joint runner-up at the Panasonic Open India later that year to finish 41st on the Order of Merit, retaining his card for the 2018 season.
Kumar was part of the Indian national amateur team, which included 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Anirban Lahiri and eight-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, who won the team silver medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
The 34-year-old Kumar, father of one, is also the chairman of the Asian Tour Tournament Players Committee.
Danthai Boonma is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. His breakthrough victory came at the World Classic Championship in Singapore in 2015.
Danthai enjoyed four top-10s on the Asian Tour in 2017, with his best finish at the Thailand Open where he came in fifth.
Danthai is a double gold medalist at the 2012 South East Asia (SEA) Games.
Danthai got off to a great start this season when he finished tied-fourth at the Singapore Open in January to earn for himself a coveted spot at The Open this July. It will be his Major debut.
Poom Saksansin is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and a one-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
Poom claimed his second Asian Tour title in India last August and finished in a career-high eighth position on the Merit rankings to earn a maiden appearance at the 2018 EurAsiaCup where he represented Team Asia.
Poom is making his third appearance at the AB Bank Bangladesh Open this week. He has failed to make the cut when he last played in 2015 and 2016.
John Catlin is a proud graduate of the ADT. He ended the 2017 season in third place on the final Order of Merit and secured his playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2018 season. He is a two-time winner on the secondary circuit.
Catlin enjoyed four top-10 finishes in five starts on the ADT this season, including a tied-eighth place finish at the Kurmitola Golf Club two weeks ago. He sits in second place on the latest ADT Order of Merit.
Catlin secured his first ever top-10 result on the Asian Tour after finishing in eighth place on his own at The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in Korea last week.

Players’ quotes:

Chiragh Kumar (Ind)

Danthai Boonma of Thailand

Danthai Boonma (Tha)

Poom Saksansin (Tha)

Poom Saksansin of Thailand

John Catlin (Usa)

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Singapore, May 7: Gaganjeet Bhullar’s fine performance at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship reminded everybody of his outstanding credentials. The 30-year-old Indian is one of only four golfers in the field to break par at the challenging Nam Seoul Country Club. He compiled a four-day total of one-under-par 283 to get into a play-off […]

Singapore, May 7: Gaganjeet Bhullar’s fine performance at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship reminded everybody of his outstanding credentials.

"I gave my 100 per cent and I played really well, especially the last 36 holes. I was steady and gave myself plenty of opportunities in the final round," said Bhullar.

Following the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship, Bhullar earned a prize cheque of US$75,473.35 to ascend 19 places to 10th on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.

Also making a significant move on the merit list is Chang of South Korea. He is now 13th on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, up 31 places from 44th.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos Player Order of Merit (US$)

Ends.

Dhaka, May 7: Local hero Siddikur Rahman will aim to bounce back from an uncharacteristic lackluster season on the Asian Tour when he headlines the AB Bank Bangladesh Open which gets underway on Wednesday. Siddikur, a two-time Asian Tour winner, made only one cut in four starts on the region’s premier Tour this season but kept up his […]

Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh

Other notable players in the 144-man field include India’s Chiragh Kumar, Masahiro Kawamura of Japan, Thammanoon Sriroj of Thailand and China’s Yanwei Liu, who enjoyed a top-10 finish last year.

Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh

Did you know?

The Kurmitola Golf Club is the home course of Siddikur Rahman, who used to work as a ball boy at the club to support his studies. He is currently attached to Kurmitola Golf Club as an honorary member.
Siddikur marked the best ever result produced by a Bangladeshi at the Bangladesh Open last year. He birdied the 18th hole to close with a five-under-par 66 and a 13-under-par 271 total, finishing four shots shy of winner Jazz to take second place on his own.
Siddikur became the first player from Bangladesh to win on the Asian Tour when he emerged victorious at the Brunei Open in 2010. Also became the first sportsman from his country to qualify for the 2016 Olympics on merit and was accorded the honour of becoming Bangladesh’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
Siddikur’s wife, Samaun Anjum Auroni, became the first Bangladeshi female golfer to turn professional earlier in January. Auroni took up the game in 2010, the same year Siddikur won his first Asian Tour title.
Siddikur claimed a commanding 12-stroke victory for his first ADT title on the same venue in 2011.
Yanwei Liu of China claimed his first ever top-10 result on the Asian Tour at the 2017 Bangladesh Open. He closed with a five-under-par 67 to grab a share of 10th place.
Liu, 20, enjoyed another top-10 result on home soil last November where he came in second runner-up at the Asian Golf Championship in Xiamen. The result, however, was not enough to help him secure his Asian Tour card for this season. He missed out on the top-61 cut-off mark by one rung on the 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
Miguel Carballo is the only Argentinean in the 144-man field this week. He came through the Qualifying School earlier in January and is the only Argentinean to hold an Asian Tour card for the 2018 season.
The 38-year-old Carballo turned professional in 2002 and has previously won on the Challenge Tour and the Web.com Tour. He is playing on the Asian Tour for this first time since 2006 this week.
Since making his ADT debut in Brunei in March, Carballo has notched four top-10s in five starts on the secondary circuit, including a tied-third place finish at the BTI Open, which was held at the Kurmitola Golf Club two weeks ago.

View from the 14th hole of the Kurmitola Golf Club

Players’ quotes:

Siddikur Rahman (Ban)

Miguel Carballo of Argentina

Miguel Carballo (Arg)

Yanwei Liu of China

Yanwei Liu (Chn)

I remembered playing good off the tee for the entire week last year. I guess that is the key to playing well on this course. If you can do that, you should be able to do well out there.

With the Asian Golf Classic on home soil coming up next week, I really hope to play well as these two events are really important for me.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Seongnam, Korea, May 6: Korea’s Sanghyun Park renewed his love affair with the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship by winning the long-standing event again with a par at the third play-off hole on Sunday. Park, who won the event in 2016, had to go the extra distance to lift his sixth professional title after […]

The Indian, who had earlier compiled a four-day total of one-under-par 283, was however the first player to bow out from the four-man play-off at the first hole.

Victory soon belonged to Park when Chang was left with an uphill task to sink a 15-foor par putt which he missed while Park made no mistake of his from inside 10 feet at the Namseoul Country Club.

Ends.

Did you know?

Sanghyun Park became the fourth Korean player after K.T. Kim, Sangho Choi and Namshin Park to have won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship twice.
When Park won the event in 2016, it was also in a play-off against compatriot Soomin Lee.
Yikeun topped the class at the 2016 Asian Tour Qualifying School which was his very first attempt since turning professional
He enjoyed a commendable 2017, regained his Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School, made his Major debut at The Open and missed only two cuts in 11 starts on the region’s premier Tour.
Gaganjeet Bhullar is the first player to win eight titles on the Asian Tour before turning 30. He is also the youngest player to achieve the feat on the Asian Tour.
He has won once in Korea at the Shinhan Donghae Open in 2016.
Bhullar holds the same number of Asian Tour wins with countrymen Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa. They are the only three Indian players with the most number of wins on the Asian Tour.
John Catlin has won two Asian Development Tour (ADT) titles but is still searching for his maiden Asian Tour win.

Players’ Quotes

Sanghyun Park (Kor) Fourth round 71 (Even), Total 283 (-1)

Yikuen Chang (Kor) Fourth round 69 (-2), Total 283 (-1)

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) Fourth round 70 (-1), Total 283 (-1)

John Catlin (Usa) Fourth round 70 (-1) Total 285 (+1)

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) Fourth round 74 (+3) Total 287 (+3)

Leading Scores after round 4 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

283 – Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 71-70-71-71, Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 73-72-69-69, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70-71-70, Junggon HWANG (KOR) 71-73-69-70.

*Park won with a birdie on the third play-off hole

284 – Dongmin KIM (am, KOR) 72-69-72-71, Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 67-71-74-72, Sanghee LEE (KOR) 73-71-68-72.

285 – John CATLIN (USA) 72-72-71-70.

286 – Dongseop MAENG (KOR) 70-71-75-70, Seungbo JANG (am, KOR) 71-72-71-72, Dongha LEE 562 (KOR) 68-68-75-75.

287 – Hyunwoo RYU (KOR) 70-74-73-70, J.B. PARK (KOR) 68-74-74-71, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 69-70-74-74, Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA) 71-72-70-74.

288 – K.T. KIM (KOR) 72-70-74-72, Soonsang HONG (KOR) 74-71-71-72, Giwhan KIM (KOR) 71-72-72-73, Heungchol JOO (KOR) 68-70-75-75.

290 – Younghan SONG (KOR) 70-73-76-71, Changwon HAN (KOR) 74-73-72-71, Junsung KIM (KOR) 71-73-77-69.

291 – Y. E. YANG (KOR) 71-76-73-71, Sunghyun OH (am, KOR) 71-71-76-73, Casey O’TOOLE (USA) 72-73-73-73, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-72-74-76.

Ends.

Seongnam, Korea, May 5: Overnight leader Dongha Lee of Korea kept his place atop the leaderboard by signing for a third round four-over-par 75 at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Saturday. Playing under blustery conditions at the Namseoul Country Club, Lee was swept off course as he mixed five bogeys and […]

Playing under blustery conditions at the Namseoul Country Club, Lee was swept off course as he mixed five bogeys and one birdie to compile a three-day total of two-under-par 211.

Starting the day with a two-shot lead, Lee dropped his first shot on the par-four second hole. He birdied the fourth hole and had trouble reading the fast greens starting from the sixth hole.

Lee went go on to bogey holes seven, eight and 13. But with the rest of his nearest rivals also struggling under tough conditions, the Korean was relieved to have kept his place at the summit.

Ends.

Did you know?

• Donghae Lee welcomed the birth of his baby girl in February and is chasing his first Asian Tour victory.

• Ajeetesh Sandhu earned his Asian Tour breakthrough at the 2017 Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.

• He immediately followed up that victory with a play-off win at the Pacific Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour the week after.

• Ajeetesh finished the 2017 season in 21st place on the Order of Merit and his best result was a tied-10th finish in Japan a fortnight ago.

• Gaganjeet Bhullar is the first player to win eight titles on the Asian Tour before turning 30. He is also the youngest player to achieve the feat on the Asian Tour.

• Bhullar holds the same number of Asian Tour wins with countrymen Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa. They are the only three Indian players with the most number of wins on the Asian Tour.

• He has played in The Open twice in 2016 and 2017.

• Phachara’s name in Thai translates to ‘Diamond’. He is also known as ‘Thai Diamond’ in Thailand.

Players’ Quotes

Dongha Lee (Kor) Third round 75 (+4), Total 211 (-2)

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) Third round 74 (+3), Total 212 (-1)

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) Third round 71 (Even), Total 213 (Even)

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) Third round 70 (-1), Total 213 (Even)

Leading Scores after round 3 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

211 – Dongha LEE 562 (KOR) 68-68-75.

212 – Sanghee LEE (KOR) 73-71-68, Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 71-70-71, Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 67-71-74.

214 – Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 73-72-69, Seungbo JANG (am, KOR) 71-72-71.

215 – John CATLIN (USA) 72-72-71, Kyungnam KANG (KOR) 73-71-71, Giwhan KIM (KOR) 71-72-72, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-72-74.

217 – Hyunwoo RYU (KOR) 70-74-73, Kyong-jun MOON (KOR) 71-75-71, Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 76-71-70.

Ends.

Dhaka, May 4: Singaporean veteran Mardan Mamat hopes to turn back the clock when he returns to the Kurmitola Golf Club for the US$300,000 AB Bank Bangladesh Open next week. The 50-year-old Mardan, who lifted his fifth Asian Tour title in the inaugural edition three years ago, hopes to repeat his success in the event […]

Dhaka, May 4: Singaporean veteran Mardan Mamat hopes to turn back the clock when he returns to the Kurmitola Golf Club for the US$300,000 AB Bank Bangladesh Open next week.

The 50-year-old Mardan, who lifted his fifth Asian Tour title in the inaugural edition three years ago, hopes to repeat his success in the event which will be played from May 9 to 12.

Mardan made his debut on the Senior golf circuit earlier this year but admits he still enjoys playing against the Asian Tour young guns.

Mardan and Rattanon are among the 18 Tour winners set to headline the 144-man field gathered at the Bangladesh’s National Open next week.

Other notable players include Masahiro Kawamura of Japan, Thai veteran Thaworn Wiratchant, Jeev Milkha Singh of India and Poom Saksansin of Thailand.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

Seongnam, Korea, May 4: Korea’s Dongha Lee will enjoy a two-shot advantage going into the weekend rounds after he posted a three-under-par 68 to take the second round lead at 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Friday. Overnight leader Ajeetesh Sandhu of India slipped to a share of second place with Korea’s Heungchol […]

Playing under gusty conditions, Sandhu was pleased to have passed the severe test of skill and patience to remain as one of the frontrunners at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship.

Jazz is also delighted with his performance which has put him in the mix.

The weekend cut was set at six-over with a total of 79 players progressing to the final two rounds.

Ends.

Did you know?

Dongha Lee’s first love was actually football. However, upon the encouragement of his parents to play golf at the age of 12, he got hooked to the sport and subsequently led him to turn professional in 1996.
Ajeetesh Sandhu earned his Asian Tour breakthrough at the 2017 Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.
He immediately followed up that victory with a play-off win at the Pacific Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour the week after.
Ajeetesh finished the 2017 season in 21st place on the Order of Merit and his best result was a tied-10th finish in Japan a fortnight ago.
Jazz Janewattananond turned professional in 2011. He lost his Asian Tour card for the first time in his career after finishing outside top-60 on the 2016 Order of Merit.
Jazz bounced back with a breakthrough win in Bangladesh two months later before going on to claim seven top-10 results to finish a career-high ninth position on the Merit rankings last year.
Jazz finishing tied-fourth at the season opener in Singapore and earned for himself a coveted spot in The Open this July where he will make his Major debut.
Gaganjeet Bhullar is the first player to win eight titles on the Asian Tour before turning 30. He is also the youngest player to achieve the feat on the Asian Tour.
Bhullar holds the same number of Asian Tour wins with countrymen Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa. They are the only three Indian players with the most number of wins on the Asian Tour.

Players’ Quotes

Dongha Lee (Kor) Second round 68 (-3), Total 136 (-6)

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) Second round 71 (Even), Total 138 (-4)

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) Second round 70 (-1) Total 139 (-3)

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Ind) Second round 70 (-1), Total 142 (Even)

Leading Scores after round 2 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

136 – Dongha LEE 562 (KOR) 68-68.

138 – Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 67-71, Heungchol JOO (KOR) 68-70.

139 – Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 69-70.

141 – Dongmin KIM (am, KOR) 72-69, Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 71-70, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-72, Dongseop MAENG (KOR) 70-71.

142 – Sunghyun OH (am, KOR) 71-71, K.T. KIM (KOR) 72-70, Chikkarangappa S. (IND) 72-70, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70, J.B. PARK (KOR) 68-74.

143 – Seungtaek LEE (KOR) 73-70, Giwhan KIM (KOR) 71-72, Richard T. LEE (CAN) 75-68, Younghan SONG (KOR) 70-73, Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA) 71-72, Seungbo JANG (am, KOR) 71-72.

Ends.

Seongnam, Korea, May 3: India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu emerged as the first round leader after he returned with four-under-par 67 to take a one-shot lead over his closest rivals at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on Thursday. Sandhu continued to showcase the strength of Indian golf with a performance that threatens to break […]

Fresh off a top-10 finish in Japan a fortnight ago, Sandhu believes the recent success of his compatriots has motivated him to do better too.

Did you know?

Ajeetesh Sandhu earned his Asian Tour breakthrough at the 2017 Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.
He immediately followed up that victory with a play-off win at the Pacific Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour the week after.
Ajeetesh finished the 2017 season in 21st place on the Order of Merit and his best result was a tied-10th finish in Japan a fortnight ago.
Jazz Janewattananond turned professional in 2011. He lost his Asian Tour card for the first time in his career after finishing outside top-60 on the 2016 Order of Merit.
Jazz bounced back with a breakthrough win in Bangladesh two months later before going on to claim seven top-10 results to finish a career-high ninth position on the Merit rankings last year.
Jazz finishing tied-fourth at the season opener in Singapore and earned for himself a coveted spot in The Open this July where he will make his Major debut.
Terry Pilkadaris finished second in New Zealand in March, which was also his best result of the season. He is a three-time winner on the Asian Tour.

Players’ Quotes

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) First round 67 (-4)

Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) First round 69 (-2)

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) First round 69 (-2)

Leading scores after round 1 of the The 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship being played at the par 71, 6451 Yards Nam Seoul CC course (am – denotes amateur):

67 – Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND).

68 – Dongha LEE 562 (KOR), J.B. PARK (KOR), Heungchol JOO (KOR).

69 – Terry PILKADARIS (AUS), Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA), Javi COLOMO (ESP), Shiv KAPUR (IND).

70 – Taehee LEE (KOR), Dongseop MAENG (KOR), Changwoo LEE (KOR), Seunghyuk KIM (KOR), Younghan SONG (KOR), Hyunwoo RYU (KOR), Seungtaek OH (am, KOR), Inhoi HUR (KOR), Hyungjoon LEE (KOR).

Ends.

Promising Thai talent Phachara Khongwatmai is back in familiar hunting ground on the Asian Tour having played in the Middle East and Europe for most part of the early season.

The 50-year-old’s last win on the Asian Tour last came in Bangladesh in 2015 and while wary of the emerging young talents, he knows he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.

Did you know?

Nicholas Fung rewarded his father, who has been a key figure throughout his career, in the best possible way by winning the Queen’s Cup on Father’s Day last year.
Fung finished tied-14th in Japan a fortnight ago. That is also his best result on the Asian Tour so far.
He represented Team Asia at the 2016 and 2018 EurAsia Cup and was Malaysia’s number one through his Order of Merit success on the PGM Tour in 2012 and 2013.
Phachara is searching for a first victory on the Asian Tour and European Tour. He holds the record as the youngest amateur player at the age of 14 to win a professional tournament. He is also the youngest player at 15 to win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
He has played in The Open twice in 2016 and 2017.
Phachara’s name in Thai translates to ‘Diamond’. He is also known as ‘Thai Diamond’ in Thailand.
Mardan holds the honour of being Singapore’s first winner on the Asian Tour and is also the first player from his country to win a co-sanctioned tournament with Europe.
He completed a wire-to-wire victory and emerged triumphant by two shots at the Bangladesh Open in 2015, which was also his last win on the Asian Tour
He is also the first player from the Lion city to qualify and play in the British Open in 1997.
Mardan won the individual title in the Putra Cup as an amateur in 1993, and helped Singapore land the team title
When he turned professional in 1994, Mardan enjoyed a dream start in the play-for-pay ranks. In his debut event, he scored a hole-in-one to claim a luxury car.

Players’ Quotes

Nicholas Fung (Mas)

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha)

Mardan Mamat (Sgp)

Ends.

Rattanon takes charge at the weather-disrupted AB Bank Bangladesh Open

First-round leader Sarut already targeting LIV Golf at season opener

Best ADT players from 2025 quick to seize opportunities this year

Tournament Notes: Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission

Class of ’26: The new faces to look out for from Qualifying School

Singapore Open receives two places in The Open as part of OQS

Rattanon takes charge at the weather-disrupted AB Bank Bangladesh Open

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Rattanon takes charge at the weather-disrupted AB Bank Bangladesh Open

First-round leader Sarut already targeting LIV Golf at season opener

Best ADT players from 2025 quick to seize opportunities this year

Tournament Notes: Philippine Golf Championship presented by Philippine Sports Commission

Class of ’26: The new faces to look out for from Qualifying School

Singapore Open receives two places in The Open as part of OQS

Rattanon takes charge at the weather-disrupted AB Bank Bangladesh Open

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