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.

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

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.

• 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.

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 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

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.

• 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.

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):

Ends.

• 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. 

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).

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.

Singapore, April 30: Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe made yet another significant progression on the Asian Tour by finishing tied-11th at the CN¥20,000,000 (approx. US$3,178,000) Volvo China Open, propelling him five places up the Habitat for Humanity Standings to eighth place.

Vincent, with his wife Kelsey on the bag, made an incredible charge up the leaderboard in the fourth round with five consecutive birdies from holes five to nine at the Topwin Golf and Country Club. He was in serious contention to win China’s National Open, but eventually had to settle for a tied-11th finish.

“It has been a great week. It is my first time in China and I got to see the Great Wall as well as come out here to play some good golf. I can’t complain at all. I had a chance I thought. I just need to get better on the finishing holes on the back nine,” said Vincent. 

“I made a lot of good putts, especially on that five-birdie stretch. I hit a lot of good shots onto the greens too. Everything was solid all week. I am happy to have put myself in that position to contend for the title,” he added.

Even more significantly, the result moved Vincent into the top-10 of the Habitat for Humanity Standings. He has come a long way since earning his Asian Tour card in 2016 via Qualifying School.

Vincent, the only Zimbabwean on the Asian Tour, went on to finish in 28th position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit list that year and for his efforts, won the Rookie of the Year award. In 2017, he retained his Tour card by finishing 17th on the money list.

The 25-year-old is thrilled with his current form and he feels that his first Asian Tour victory is just around the corner.

“I am playing in Korea next week. With the way I am playing, I think there’s always a chance to win it.”

Meanwhile, current Habitat for Humanity Standings leader Shubhankar Sharma fought through a bug to finish commendably in tied-14th. With that, the 21-year-old is able to hold on to his lead at the top of the money list.

“I had slight fever and cold, but it was alright. I am happy to be leading the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings now, but it’s still a long way to go until the end of the season. I just have to keep building on my position. My goal is to win another tournament. I  have to keep playing well and have more and more solid weeks leading up to the end of the year,” said Sharma.

Closing in on Sharma is Matt Wallace, who finished in tied-third. The Englishman, who opted to become an Asian Tour member after winning in India this year, earned a prize cheque of US$155,000 at the Volvo China Open and had cut Sharma’s lead to US$142,915.

Indian veteran Rahil Gangjee is in third place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings with US$283,018.87 while 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat is in fourth place with US$265,573.14

The Asian Tour will travel to Korea this week for the KR₩1,000,000,000 (approx. US$925,000) 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship. The event, played at the Namseoul Country Club, is the first event to be sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korea Golf Association (KGA) since 2009.

The tournament will also be the first of three Asian Tour events to be played in Korea this year.

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.            Sihwan KIM   (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.          Hideto TANIHARA   (JPN)   123,306.08

11.          Shaun NORRIS   (RSA)   118,284.91

12.          Khalin JOSHI   (IND)   109,730

13.          Terry PILKADARIS   (AUS)   102,539.61

14.          Prom MEESAWAT   (THA)   100,469.67

15.          Masahiro KAWAMURA   (JPN)   97,643.15

16.          Jazz JANEWATTANANOND   (THA)   93,205.74

17.          Jeunghun WANG   (KOR)   91,100

18.          Rattanon WANNASRICHAN   (THA)   85,328.83

19.          Jarin TODD   (USA)   83,945.96

20.          Danthai BOONMA   (THA)   82,712.5

Ends.

Beijing, April 29: Alexander Björk became the first Swede to lift the Volvo China Open trophy after he closed with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 to win by one shot at the Topwin Golf and Country Club on Sunday.

The 27-year-old Björk, who started the round one shot back, rolled in seven birdies for a winning total of 18-under-par 270 and a maiden title on both the European Tour and the Asian Tour in the CN¥20,000,000 (approx. US$3,178,000) event.

Björk endured an anxious wait before his victory was confirmed after overnight co-leaders Matt Wallace of England and Adrian Otaegui of Spain failed to eagle the par-five 18th hole to force a play-off. He took home a winner’s prize purse of CN¥3,333,330 (approx. US$526,400).

Alexander Bjork of Sweden

Otaegui birdied the last to sign for a second straight 67 and finish in second place on his own. Wallace settled for a 68 following a closing par to share third place with countryman Jordan Smith (64) and Jorge Campillo (67) of Spain on 272.

Ashun Wu produced the shot of the day when his eight-iron tee shot from 158 yards found the bottom of the cup on the par-three 13th hole. It was the third hole-in-one of the week.

Wu, who won the tournament in 2015, signed for an eventual 67 to emerge as the highest-ranked Chinese player in tied-seventh place in the 24th edition of the Volvo China Open, which is tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the China Golf Association.

Did you know?

• Alexander Björk claimed his breakthrough win in his 44th start on the European Tour.
• The victory will move him into the top-80 in the world, potentially to as high as 72nd, up from 115th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
• The 27-year-old Björk becomes the first Swedish winner of the Volvo China Open, which is celebrating its 24th edition this week.
• Björk has never fell outside top-10 in all four rounds of the Volvo China Open this week. Found 10 fairways, missed two greens and needed only 28 putts around the greens in his solid round of 65.
• Björk dropped only four bogeys the whole week. He stayed bogey-free in his final 24 holes.
• Björk turned professional in 2009 and previously won once on the Challenge Tour.

• Björk is playing in his second attempt at the Volvo China Open this week. He missed the halfway cut last year.
• Adrian Otaegui, 25, is a Spanish player who is based in Dubai. He turned professional in 2011 and won his maiden European Tour title at the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play in 2017.
• Otaegui is mentored by his countryman and idol, former Major champion José María Olazábal, having played most of his junior golf at his local golf club in the seaside resort of Fuenterrabia, where Olazábal was born and raised.
• Matt Wallace claimed his second European Tour title and first Asian Tour victory at the 2018 Hero Indian Open last month.
• Wallace broke a number of records when he won five times in five consecutive starts on the Alps Tour in 2016. He won a total of six titles that year to win the Order of Merit.
• Jeunghun Wang completed back-to-back victories with a come-from-behind one-shot triumph in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, barely a week after he had broken through in Morocco in 2016.
• The 22-year-old Wang is a three-time European Tour winner and one-time Asian Tour winner.
• Wang enjoyed a stellar season in 2014 where he didn’t miss a single cut in 16 straight events on the Asian Tour.
• Ashun Wu is a former winner of the Volvo China Open in 2015. He sank his career’s third hole-in-one on the par-three 13th hole with an eight-iron from 158 yards in the final round of the 2018 Volvo China Open. It is also the third hole-in-one this week. Japan’s Hideto Tanihara drove home a new car after making the first ace of the week on the 16th hole in the opening round.

Alexander Bjork of Sweden 

Players’ quotes:

Alexander Bjork (Swe) – Final round 65 (-7), Total 270 (-18)

It’s great to know that I am the first Swede to win the prestigious tournament. It sounds pretty good. I am super happy. I would say the birdie on 17 was good. I knew I had a good chance on 18. I know I will have a good chance if I can make par on 18.

It’s tough to describe the emotions right now but I am really very happy. I am very proud of myself. The way I played today, it’s probably one of the best rounds of golf that I have ever played.

I didn’t make any mistakes today. I am super happy. I have been striking the ball so good off the tee and I putted great on the greens as well. It has been so solid. It’s easy to play around when you feel like your swing is there.

It’s really nice to be working out well for me today since it’s the final round and the pressure comes on. I still hit good shots all the way. I didn’t look at the leaderboard too much on the first nine holes.

From 12, I knew I was up in the leaderboard and I saw Jordan Smith finished on -16 so I knew I had to make birdies coming down the stretch. That helped me to stay positive and give me the strength to make birdies instead of trying to play safe.

That was important for me to try and make birdies. I had mixed feelings on the last. I was happy with the par save but obviously I would want to finish with a birdie. It’s a tough hole to make an eagle on the last as well. I thought I had a pretty good chance but you never know.

You never think you were going to win. You hope it will happen. I had a really good feeling this morning actually. I was less nervous than how I would usually be before the final round. I guess it was meant to be today. I missed out on the win in Hong Kong earlier this season. I had a bad finish. It was my turn to win today so I am very happy.

Adrian Otaegui (Esp) – Final round 67 (-5), Total 271 (-17)

I am happy with my second-place finish at the Volvo China Open. I hit a three-wood left and I knew it was a good spot to miss on the left. It was about 35 meters short. It was a difficult putt to make but I managed to make a good up-and-down there for birdie.

Matt Wallace (Eng) – Final round 68 (-4), Total 272 (-16)

It was gutting. I hit one of the best shots that I have ever hit into the last hole. Get no lie, no shot and then missed the putt to finish tied-third.

I played great. When you play great, you want to win. You want to know you can win. I kind of got a little bit unlucky with every bad shot that I hit today. I probably hit three bad shots today.

I had to chip outside where you saw on the third hole and had a really bad lie on the 10th to make bogey. I will learn from it and I will come back stronger again. It’s hard to take right now.

Jeunghun Wang of Korea

Jeunghun Wang (Kor) – Final round 68 (-4), Total 274 (-14)

I played really good this week. I was hitting the ball really well. I didn’t miss a lot of short putts today but I missed a lot of putts for birdies today. It’s pretty disappointing but overall, I am happy with my result. It’s always good to finish inside top-10.

I made a good birdie on the 11th hole. I hit driver off the tee but went into the bunker. I hit a great shot out from the bunker to about two feet and made the birdie putt. That’s the highlight for me.

I wasn’t thinking much out there. I tried my best not to think about anything. I just want to play my own game. I think that worked for me, especially on my front nine.

Ashun Wu (Chn) – Final round 67 (-5), Total 274 (-14)

It was a fantastic day. I made a hole-in-one on the 13th hole today. The wind was blowing from left to right. I hit an eight-iron from 158 yards and the ball landed two yards short of the pin before rolling into the hole.

It was very nice. I didn’t see it but everyone told me it went in. They were all cheering. This is the third hole-in-one in my career.

I didn’t play so good in my front nine but I played really good on the back. I am very happy with my overall performance. It’s been a great week playing at home. I enjoyed it a lot. I love the golf course. It’s in very good conditions this week.

Many thanks to my friends and family members who came down to support me this week. The home crowd was awesome.

Ashun Wu of China

Scores after round 4 of the Volvo China Open being played at the par 72, 7261 Yards Topwin GcC course (am – denotes amateur):

270 – Alexander BJORK (SWE) 66-72-67-65.

271 – Adrian OTAEGUI (ESP) 68-69-67-67.

272 – Jordan SMITH (ENG) 69-69-70-64, Jorge CAMPILLO (ESP) 69-68-68-67, Matt WALLACE (ENG) 65-70-69-68.

273 – Lucas BJERREGAARD (DEN) 70-73-66-64.

274 – Ashun WU (CHN) 70-71-66-67, Jeunghun WANG (KOR) 72-66-68-68, Paul DUNNE (IRL) 71-68-67-68, Jinho CHOI (KOR) 69-72-65-68.

275 – Scott VINCENT (ZIM) 66-74-68-67, Sihwan KIM (USA) 70-66-70-69, Andrea PAVAN (ITA) 68-72-66-69.

276 – Daxing JIN (CHN) 64-76-69-67, Shubhankar SHARMA (IND) 69-72-68-67, Mikko ILONEN (FIN) 71-70-67-68, Soomin LEE (KOR) 68-69-70-69, Alexander LEVY (FRA) 69-73-65-69, Nacho ELVIRA (ESP) 69-67-70-70.

277 – Aaron RAI (ENG) 73-70-68-66, Ashley CHESTERS (ENG) 72-68-68-69, Jason SCRIVENER (AUS) 67-69-71-70, Matteo MANASSERO (ITA) 72-68-67-70, Julien GUERRIER (FRA) 68-69-68-72.

278 – Keith HORNE (RSA) 69-74-68-67, Joost LUITEN (NED) 70-69-70-69.

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.