Mauritius, December 1: Arjun Atwal of India fired a one-under-par 70 to maintain his lead on a wind-swept day at the halfway stage of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Friday. 

The eight-time Asian Tour champion, who opened with a sizzling 62, totalled 10-under-par 132 to hold a one-shot advantage at the €1million (approximately US$1.07 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Dylan Frittelli of South Africa eagled the last hole for a 66 to tie in second place alongside countryman Louis de Jager (67) and Laurie Canter (66) of England, at the Heritage Golf Club.

Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines stayed within striking distance following a 68 to share fifth place alongside Jose-Filipe Lima (66) of Portugal and South Africans Ockie Strydom (68), Justin Walters (66) and Oliver Bekker (67). They are two shots back of Atwal.

Atwal struggled to repeat his opening round magic but stayed in the hunt to end a three-year title drought after posting three birdies against two bogeys.

The Indian, who will captain Team Asia in the EurAsia Cup next year, almost chipped in for birdie on his final ninth hole before settling for par. He stayed composed on a blustery day as he heads into the weekend as the first player to reach double digits.

Frittelli drove the green on the par-four ninth hole and drained his 12-foot eagle putt to stay within a shot of Atwal. The South African enjoyed a solid 2016/2017 European Tour season where he won his first title and finished second thrice.

Tabuena made the turn in 35 and produced a stunning eagle on hole two when his two-iron from 236 yards landed three feet from the hole. He bogeyed the sixth hole but it was erased by his third birdie of the day on hole eight.

The halfway cut was set at one-under-par 141 with a total of 67 players making the weekend rounds.

Did you know?

• After 36 holes, Atwal has only dropped two shots, both bogeys coming in the second round on holes 16 and three.
• He totalled 28 putts today as compared to his 26 putts in the first round.
• When Atwal made his debut at the Heritage Golf Club in 2015, he struggled to break par and missed the cut.
• Atwal is enjoying a fine run at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open considering that he did not play a practice round after arriving late Wednesday evening after travelling for 16 hours via Dubai from Kuala Lumpur.
• He holds eight Asian Tour titles but his last win came at the 2014 Dubai Open.
• Frittelli continues his fine form in the new European Tour season. Last season he won his first title while finishing second thrice. He also finished tied fourth in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
• The South African is the only player to eagle the par-four ninth hole after 36 holes. He also eagled the 18th hole in the opening round.
• This is Tabuena’s second appearance at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. His two day score of eight-under-par 134 is his best result in the tournament.
• His eagle on the par-five second hole was his second in the event. He also eagled the par-five seventh hole in the opening round.
• The 23-year-old Tabuena hopes to erase the heartbreak of missing out on a second Asian Tour title at the Resorts World Manila Masters three weeks ago where he bogeyed the last hole to miss the play-off.
• Suttijet Kooratanapisan of Thailand produced the low round of the day when he returned with a 62 highlighted by two eagles. It was a huge turnaround for the Thai who opened with a 76. He ties the course record set by Atwal in the opening round.
• The Order of Merit battle is far from over. The leader Gavin Green and third ranked Scott Hend missed the cut while S.S.P. Chawrasia, ranked fourth, shot a second round 67 to lie in tied 12th place.

Player Interviews:

Arjun Atwal (Ind) – Second round 70 (-1), Total 132 (-10)

I thought it was a lot more trickier. The wind wasn’t blowing at a consistent pace and it would gust and you would look like a fool out there. I was pleased with how I played.

The putter was definitely not as hot as the first day. I was hitting the ball just as good but it is tough to follow up a 62 with another low round. I’ll take this one-under.

I almost birdied the ninth. I misjudged the wind with my second shot and it came out just short. It was right on line as well. I would usually putt from the distance I was from the hole but decided to chip and it almost went it. It was a good way to finish.

I’m always calm. People who know me know that I don’t get fired up or lose my temper. I’m pretty much the same all the time. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.

(On recovering from the long distance travel) I feel as good as I can feel for my age. I’m feeling a bit sore but I’ll be okay tomorrow.

Dylan Frittelli (South Africa), 67, 66 (-9)

I’m very happy with the score. The score was good but I didn’t play too well today. Yesterday I played really solid throughout the day and today I had a few too many birdies in my opinion but salvaged it at the end of the round.

Birdie on six was really good and then seven; I hit on the green in two and decided to three-putt for par. That was silly but I just knuckled down, just try to forget about it right away. I hit a great shot into eight, nice five-footer for birdie and then, obviously, on number nine, I hit a pearler of a drive to kick in for the eagle. Yesterday I hit it probably 14 or 12 feet away as well. So, tee shot gets up nicely drawing into the wind. I felt comfortable there.  I just decided to give it a go. I mean, it’s 296 to the flag, I think, so three-wood’s landing just short, hit a really good little fade in there and worked out. Got a good bounce, I think.

I’m feeling confident. I mean, if I was within five shots of the leader today, I would still feel confident. There’s still a lot of golf left so I’m happy to be out there and competing with the guys but 36 holes is a lot of golf to play.

It’s probably two years of hard work and a lot of good specific work the last year. Had about six months just working on the mental side and the physical side, trying to get everything into top shape and I’ve done that pretty well throughout the year.

You know, this is week five in a row for me. I’m definitely on form now, I’ve played a lot of tournament golf in the last five weeks and it’s showing in my performance.

Louis de Jager (Rsa) – Second Round 67 (-4) Total 133 (-9)

I’m very pleased. I’ve played some really good golf over the last two days. Overall, I’ve hit the ball well and my short game was good today. It was a bit windier today, so it was tougher to hit the greens. My short game really kept me there and I rolled a few nice putts in at the end and that helped.

Length-wise, the course wasn’t much different this afternoon from yesterday morning. But you just had to think a bit more and the ball shapes a bit more because the winds are mostly crosswinds here. So you have to think a bit and use your imagination a bit more, but I’m pleased with how I handled myself out there today.

I was talking to one of my playing partners, who was remarking on the wind, and I told him that we were just coming off a six or seven-week stretch of coastal tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, so I was feeling quite comfortable in the wind. That definitely helps. It teaches you to stay calm and collected out there.

I’m feeling very good going into the weekend. I’m hitting the ball so well, I’m putting well, I’m chipping well, so it’s going to be a fun weekend.

Laurie Canter (Eng) – Second Round 66 (-5), Total 133 (-9)

Yesterday evet though we went out last it felt like we had a pretty good draw. It was windy to start with kind of played the back nine in a half club, one club wind. Today it was probably the other way round, probably finished in a good two, three club wind really.

I’ve played so much golf in the wind recently, like through Q School. It just feel like I’ve played a load of links golf and that kind of stuff, so I kind of felt quite comfortable out there for a lot of it.

If you can drive the ball half decent around here you’ll have a fair few opportunities to score and get the wedge in your hand a lot. I’m delighted with the two days really.

Playing in the wind is something that I would have said, maybe a year ago, that I need to do better. Some of the wily old foxes who play in Europe, I’ve played with them and they’re really good at that. Just making a score, getting flight on the ball, hitting a few different shots.

It’s something that I’ve worked on a bit with my coach to try to give myself a few more shots going into the green. I felt like I had one swing. I’m trying to knock the ball down a bit more, play a few more half shots, take the spin off. Maybe today and yesterday was the start of me feeling a bit more comfortable and taking that into a tournament.

I’m a pretty good mid-range putter. I fancy myself from 15, 20 feet. My short putting, I’m working hard on at the moment. That can improve a little still but the mid-range stuff is really good, I would back myself a lot from 15, 20 feet. I’m trying to free that up and hole a few putts, which is obviously crucial to posting a good score.

The weekend will be fun. I’ve played a couple of years now on the Tour, but in truth I’ve probably had a lot of 30th to 50th, let’s say. I’ve put myself in good position a few times going into the weekend. I think the position I’m in coming out of Qualifying School, I’ve got nothing to lose. We have to play really well and I’m going to need some really big finishes this year, the way our order of merit is going to pan out, to keep my card. That’s what I’m going to do. Certainly I’ve got nothing to lose this weekend. I’ll go and enjoy it, play as well as I can and we’ll see what happens on Sunday.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) – Second Round 68 (-3), Total 134 (-8)

I’m pleased with the way I played today. I thought it would be less windy but it started blowing from the first hole. I knew anything under-par would be a great score. I played great but I need to work on my putting and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.

I personally think the back nine was the harder nine. I was glad to get it out of the way in two-under. It was gusty so I was second guessing the wind a lot. That cost me a few shots. I’m playing and striking the ball really well.

The eagle on the second hole gave me a lot of confidence. I hit a terrible shot on the first. On the next hole, I had the same shot but on the fairway. I told myself to hit it as hard as I could. I hit my two iron from 236 yards out and it landed three feet from the hole. I holed that for eagle.

I didn’t expect to birdie the eighth hole. It is one of the tougher par threes. My putter saved me there (holed a 25 foot birdie).

S.S.P. Chawrasia (Ind) – Second Round 67 (-4), Total 136 (-6)

It was a bogey-free round so I’m very happy. I started with a bogey-bogey yesterday then I fought back very nicely. It was a good comeback and today I just continued from where I left off.

There was no wind on the first five holes but it started to blow. I think it was blowing stronger than yesterday. I’m playing well and I’ve been working hard on my game. I can see that my game is getting better. That’s why I think I’ve had good results in the last few weeks except the final round in Hong Kong!

After playing a bad round, I need to delete it after 10 minutes. I don’t want to carry these bad memories with me. Obviously when you play bad, you feel bad so you don’t want to take that with you.

I’m enjoying my time here. There are a lot of Indian people and they can speak Hindi. I’m enjoying the beach and my room has a sea view!

Leading second round scores:

132 – Arjun ATWAL (IND) 62 70

133 – Dylan FRITTELLI (RSA) 67 66, Laurie CANTER (ENG) 67 66, Louis DE JAGER (RSA) 66 67

134 – Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 66 68, Jose-Filipe LIMA (POR) 68 66, Ockie STRYDOM (RSA) 66 68, Justin WALTERS (RSA) 68 66, Oliver BEKKER (RSA) 67 67

135 – Mark WILLIAMS (ZIM) 69 66, Joel STALTER (FRA) 67 68, Louis OOSTHUIZEN (RSA) 67 68

136 – Anders HANSEN (DEN) 67 69, Ricardo GOUVEIA (POR) 68 68, Darren FICHARDT (RSA) 70 66, S.S.P CHAWRASIA (IND) 69 67, Romain LANGASQUE (FRA) 67 69

137 – Andrea PAVAN (ITA) 68 69, Jaco PRINSLOO (RSA) 69 68, Jarin TODD (USA) 68 69, Matthieu PAVON (FRA) 69 68, Adilson Da SILVA (BRA) 66 71, Pep ANGLES (ESP) 68 69, Jinho CHOI (KOR) 71 66

138 – Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69 69, George COETZEE (RSA) 67 71, Suttijet KOORATANAPISAN (THA) 76 62, Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) 68 70, Marcel SCHNEIDER (GER) 72 66

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), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), FENIX XCell (Official Apparel Supplier), Titleist (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.

Please visit us at:

www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com

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www.youtube.com/theasiantour

www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf

Mauritius, December 1: Arjun Atwal of India fired a one-under-par 70 to maintain his lead on a wind-swept day at the halfway stage of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Friday. 

The eight-time Asian Tour champion, who opened with a sizzling 62, totalled 10-under-par 132 to hold a one-shot advantage at the €1million (approximately US$1.07 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Dylan Frittelli of South Africa eagled the last hole for a 66 to tie in second place alongside countryman Louis de Jager (67) and Laurie Canter (66) of England, at the Heritage Golf Club.

Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines stayed within striking distance following a 68 to share fifth place alongside Jose-Filipe Lima (66) of Portugal and South Africans Ockie Strydom (68), Justin Walters (66) and Oliver Bekker (67). They are two shots back of Atwal.

Atwal struggled to repeat his opening round magic but stayed in the hunt to end a three-year title drought after posting three birdies against two bogeys.

The Indian, who will captain Team Asia in the EurAsia Cup next year, almost chipped in for birdie on his final ninth hole before settling for par. He stayed composed on a blustery day as he heads into the weekend as the first player to reach double digits.

Frittelli drove the green on the par-four ninth hole and drained his 12-foot eagle putt to stay within a shot of Atwal. The South African enjoyed a solid 2016/2017 European Tour season where he won his first title and finished second thrice.

Tabuena made the turn in 35 and produced a stunning eagle on hole two when his two-iron from 236 yards landed three feet from the hole. He bogeyed the sixth hole but it was erased by his third birdie of the day on hole eight.

The halfway cut was set at one-under-par 141 with a total of 67 players making the weekend rounds.

Did you know?

• After 36 holes, Atwal has only dropped two shots, both bogeys coming in the second round on holes 16 and three.
• He totalled 28 putts today as compared to his 26 putts in the first round.
• When Atwal made his debut at the Heritage Golf Club in 2015, he struggled to break par and missed the cut.
• Atwal is enjoying a fine run at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open considering that he did not play a practice round after arriving late Wednesday evening after travelling for 16 hours via Dubai from Kuala Lumpur.
• He holds eight Asian Tour titles but his last win came at the 2014 Dubai Open.
• Frittelli continues his fine form in the new European Tour season. Last season he won his first title while finishing second thrice. He also finished tied fourth in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
• The South African is the only player to eagle the par-four ninth hole after 36 holes. He also eagled the 18th hole in the opening round.
• This is Tabuena’s second appearance at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. His two day score of eight-under-par 134 is his best result in the tournament.
• His eagle on the par-five second hole was his second in the event. He also eagled the par-five seventh hole in the opening round.
• The 23-year-old Tabuena hopes to erase the heartbreak of missing out on a second Asian Tour title at the Resorts World Manila Masters three weeks ago where he bogeyed the last hole to miss the play-off.
• Suttijet Kooratanapisan of Thailand produced the low round of the day when he returned with a 62 highlighted by two eagles. It was a huge turnaround for the Thai who opened with a 76. He ties the course record set by Atwal in the opening round.
• The Order of Merit battle is far from over. The leader Gavin Green and third ranked Scott Hend missed the cut while S.S.P. Chawrasia, ranked fourth, shot a second round 67 to lie in tied 12th place.

Player Interviews:

Arjun Atwal (Ind) – Second round 70 (-1), Total 132 (-10)

I thought it was a lot more trickier. The wind wasn’t blowing at a consistent pace and it would gust and you would look like a fool out there. I was pleased with how I played.

The putter was definitely not as hot as the first day. I was hitting the ball just as good but it is tough to follow up a 62 with another low round. I’ll take this one-under.

I almost birdied the ninth. I misjudged the wind with my second shot and it came out just short. It was right on line as well. I would usually putt from the distance I was from the hole but decided to chip and it almost went it. It was a good way to finish.

I’m always calm. People who know me know that I don’t get fired up or lose my temper. I’m pretty much the same all the time. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.

(On recovering from the long distance travel) I feel as good as I can feel for my age. I’m feeling a bit sore but I’ll be okay tomorrow.

Dylan Frittelli (South Africa), 67, 66 (-9)

I’m very happy with the score. The score was good but I didn’t play too well today. Yesterday I played really solid throughout the day and today I had a few too many birdies in my opinion but salvaged it at the end of the round.

Birdie on six was really good and then seven; I hit on the green in two and decided to three-putt for par. That was silly but I just knuckled down, just try to forget about it right away. I hit a great shot into eight, nice five-footer for birdie and then, obviously, on number nine, I hit a pearler of a drive to kick in for the eagle. Yesterday I hit it probably 14 or 12 feet away as well. So, tee shot gets up nicely drawing into the wind. I felt comfortable there.  I just decided to give it a go. I mean, it’s 296 to the flag, I think, so three-wood’s landing just short, hit a really good little fade in there and worked out. Got a good bounce, I think.

I’m feeling confident. I mean, if I was within five shots of the leader today, I would still feel confident. There’s still a lot of golf left so I’m happy to be out there and competing with the guys but 36 holes is a lot of golf to play.

It’s probably two years of hard work and a lot of good specific work the last year. Had about six months just working on the mental side and the physical side, trying to get everything into top shape and I’ve done that pretty well throughout the year.

You know, this is week five in a row for me. I’m definitely on form now, I’ve played a lot of tournament golf in the last five weeks and it’s showing in my performance.

Louis de Jager (Rsa) – Second Round 67 (-4) Total 133 (-9)

I’m very pleased. I’ve played some really good golf over the last two days. Overall, I’ve hit the ball well and my short game was good today. It was a bit windier today, so it was tougher to hit the greens. My short game really kept me there and I rolled a few nice putts in at the end and that helped.

Length-wise, the course wasn’t much different this afternoon from yesterday morning. But you just had to think a bit more and the ball shapes a bit more because the winds are mostly crosswinds here. So you have to think a bit and use your imagination a bit more, but I’m pleased with how I handled myself out there today.

I was talking to one of my playing partners, who was remarking on the wind, and I told him that we were just coming off a six or seven-week stretch of coastal tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, so I was feeling quite comfortable in the wind. That definitely helps. It teaches you to stay calm and collected out there.

I’m feeling very good going into the weekend. I’m hitting the ball so well, I’m putting well, I’m chipping well, so it’s going to be a fun weekend.

Laurie Canter (Eng) – Second Round 66 (-5), Total 133 (-9)

Yesterday evet though we went out last it felt like we had a pretty good draw. It was windy to start with kind of played the back nine in a half club, one club wind. Today it was probably the other way round, probably finished in a good two, three club wind really.

I’ve played so much golf in the wind recently, like through Q School. It just feel like I’ve played a load of links golf and that kind of stuff, so I kind of felt quite comfortable out there for a lot of it.

If you can drive the ball half decent around here you’ll have a fair few opportunities to score and get the wedge in your hand a lot. I’m delighted with the two days really.

Playing in the wind is something that I would have said, maybe a year ago, that I need to do better. Some of the wily old foxes who play in Europe, I’ve played with them and they’re really good at that. Just making a score, getting flight on the ball, hitting a few different shots.

It’s something that I’ve worked on a bit with my coach to try to give myself a few more shots going into the green. I felt like I had one swing. I’m trying to knock the ball down a bit more, play a few more half shots, take the spin off. Maybe today and yesterday was the start of me feeling a bit more comfortable and taking that into a tournament.

I’m a pretty good mid-range putter. I fancy myself from 15, 20 feet. My short putting, I’m working hard on at the moment. That can improve a little still but the mid-range stuff is really good, I would back myself a lot from 15, 20 feet. I’m trying to free that up and hole a few putts, which is obviously crucial to posting a good score.

The weekend will be fun. I’ve played a couple of years now on the Tour, but in truth I’ve probably had a lot of 30th to 50th, let’s say. I’ve put myself in good position a few times going into the weekend. I think the position I’m in coming out of Qualifying School, I’ve got nothing to lose. We have to play really well and I’m going to need some really big finishes this year, the way our order of merit is going to pan out, to keep my card. That’s what I’m going to do. Certainly I’ve got nothing to lose this weekend. I’ll go and enjoy it, play as well as I can and we’ll see what happens on Sunday.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) – Second Round 68 (-3), Total 134 (-8)

I’m pleased with the way I played today. I thought it would be less windy but it started blowing from the first hole. I knew anything under-par would be a great score. I played great but I need to work on my putting and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.

I personally think the back nine was the harder nine. I was glad to get it out of the way in two-under. It was gusty so I was second guessing the wind a lot. That cost me a few shots. I’m playing and striking the ball really well.

The eagle on the second hole gave me a lot of confidence. I hit a terrible shot on the first. On the next hole, I had the same shot but on the fairway. I told myself to hit it as hard as I could. I hit my two iron from 236 yards out and it landed three feet from the hole. I holed that for eagle.

I didn’t expect to birdie the eighth hole. It is one of the tougher par threes. My putter saved me there (holed a 25 foot birdie).

S.S.P. Chawrasia (Ind) – Second Round 67 (-4), Total 136 (-6)

It was a bogey-free round so I’m very happy. I started with a bogey-bogey yesterday then I fought back very nicely. It was a good comeback and today I just continued from where I left off.

There was no wind on the first five holes but it started to blow. I think it was blowing stronger than yesterday. I’m playing well and I’ve been working hard on my game. I can see that my game is getting better. That’s why I think I’ve had good results in the last few weeks except the final round in Hong Kong!

After playing a bad round, I need to delete it after 10 minutes. I don’t want to carry these bad memories with me. Obviously when you play bad, you feel bad so you don’t want to take that with you.

I’m enjoying my time here. There are a lot of Indian people and they can speak Hindi. I’m enjoying the beach and my room has a sea view!

Leading second round scores:

132 – Arjun ATWAL (IND) 62 70

133 – Dylan FRITTELLI (RSA) 67 66, Laurie CANTER (ENG) 67 66, Louis DE JAGER (RSA) 66 67

134 – Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 66 68, Jose-Filipe LIMA (POR) 68 66, Ockie STRYDOM (RSA) 66 68, Justin WALTERS (RSA) 68 66, Oliver BEKKER (RSA) 67 67

135 – Mark WILLIAMS (ZIM) 69 66, Joel STALTER (FRA) 67 68, Louis OOSTHUIZEN (RSA) 67 68

136 – Anders HANSEN (DEN) 67 69, Ricardo GOUVEIA (POR) 68 68, Darren FICHARDT (RSA) 70 66, S.S.P CHAWRASIA (IND) 69 67, Romain LANGASQUE (FRA) 67 69

137 – Andrea PAVAN (ITA) 68 69, Jaco PRINSLOO (RSA) 69 68, Jarin TODD (USA) 68 69, Matthieu PAVON (FRA) 69 68, Adilson Da SILVA (BRA) 66 71, Pep ANGLES (ESP) 68 69, Jinho CHOI (KOR) 71 66

138 – Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69 69, George COETZEE (RSA) 67 71, Suttijet KOORATANAPISAN (THA) 76 62, Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) 68 70, Marcel SCHNEIDER (GER) 72 66

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), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), FENIX XCell (Official Apparel Supplier), Titleist (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.

Please visit us at:

www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com

www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf

www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf

www.youtube.com/theasiantour

www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf

Mauritius, November 30: Arjun Atwal of India fired a superb nine-under-par 62 without playing a practice round to lead by four shots on the first day at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Thursday. 

The former Asian Tour number one posted a flawless round highlighted by seven birdies and one eagle to hold a commanding lead over Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines, Sebastian Heisele of Germany, Louis de Jager of South Africa and Adilson Da Silva of Brazil at the Heritage Golf Club.

Major champion Louis Oosthuizen and George Coetzee of South Africa, who won this event in 2015, were bunched up in tied sixth place on matching 67s at the €1million (approximately US$1.07 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Atwal, who is the Captain for Team Asia at the 2018 EurAsia Cup, arrived late Wednesday evening after traveling 16 hours via Dubai from Kuala Lumpur where he attended a press conference to announce his team for the match-play event against Europe next year.

The 44-year-old exceeded his own expectations by shooting 31 in each half with the highlight of his day coming on the 14th hole where he sank a huge 25-foot eagle putt. His score of 62 is also the new course record at the Heritage Golf Club.

The 23-year-old Tabuena put on a battling performance and is on a mission to erase the heartbreak of missing out on a second Asian Tour title at the Resorts World Manila Masters three weeks ago where he bogeyed the last hole to miss the play-off.

Did you know? 

• Atwal replaced the course record of 65 set by Coetzee, Jeunghun Wang of Korea, Carlos Pigem of Spain and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark in 2015.
• The last time Atwal shot a 62 was in the opening round of the 2005 Indonesia Open. The score remains his lowest on the Asian Tour.
• He took advantage of a hot putter in the opening round where he totalled 26 putts which included 10 one putts.
• Atwal is an eight-time Asian Tour champion but his last victory was at the 2014 Dubai Open. He also won the Order of Merit in 2003.
• Atwal holds the distinction as the first Indian to win on the PGA Tour at the 2010 Wyndham Championship.
• The last time he played at the Heritage course was in 2015 where he missed the cut. He finished tied 27th last year but on a different golf course.
• Atwal is currently ranked 55th on the Order of Merit. He needs a good result this week to stay inside the top-60 at the end of the 2017 to retain his full Asian Tour card.
• Tabuena is one of the rising stars on the Asian Tour. He is enjoying a superb 2017 season so far with two tied third results and one tied fifth finish. He won his first Asian Tour title in 2015.
• He enjoyed a flawless first nine which included an eagle-three on the seventh hole. He traded three birdies against two bogeys on his homeward nine.
• Tabuena missed only two fairways and three greens in regulation. He totalled 29 putts with a three-putt on the 18th hole being the highest. He bogeyed that hole.
• Da Silva is searching for his first Asian Tour title. He traded seven birdies against two bogeys to give himself a battling chance this week.
• He enjoyed a career high in 2016 when he was given the honour of striking the first tee shot at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when golf made a return into the programme after 112 years.

Player interviews:

Arjun Atwal (Ind) – First Round 62 (-9)

I was in Kuala Lumpur the last two days to announce the players in Team Asia for the EurAsia Cup and I had some media activities to do. I had no practice round and straight on the first tee.

I’m pleased and shocked. I took a very long route coming here. I came through Dubai and it took me 16 hours to get here. I was tired and I didn’t really expect anything. Sometimes when you don’t expect much, you get a lot out of it.

I missed two or three fairways but for most of the part I kept the ball in front of me. I played here two years ago but I don’t really remember the course. I made a few putts and every time you want to shoot low, that’s what you have to do.

I found it pretty tough out there but I didn’t make any mistakes and I had a hot putter. The wind was on and off. It wasn’t very gusty. I’m looking forward to some rest and see what happens tomorrow.

It is very important to play a practice round if you haven’t played the course before. It is kind of important but not the end of the world especially for a guy who has played enough golf in his life.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) – First Round 66 (-5)

I made a terrible error on 17. Three putting is not the best thing to do but I came back strong. I put myself in position to make birdie and I made it. It was a bit gusty today.

I’ve been striking the ball really well the past few weeks but I wasn’t happy with my putting in Hong Kong last week. I changed putter and it is working this week.

You can’t hit it too high here. If you do that, the wind will take it away. This is a thinking golf course. You can’t blink or it will bite you.

I’m really motivated to bounce back from my defeat at the Resorts World Manila Masters three weeks ago. I would be okay if I bogeyed the hole if I was in a bad position but I was in a good position. I made a mental error and it hit me in the gut. I’ve put the defeat behind me and there’s still a lot of golf to be played this week.

Eagle on the fifth hole: Hit a nine-iron from 171 yards and holed a six feet eagle putt.

Adilson Da Silva (Bra) – First Round 66 (-5)

I didn’t hit the ball that great but I chipped and putt really well. I was really happy on the greens. My chip and putt saved me and that’s how I put a good score together.

It was a nice finish on 18. I didn’t know what to do and in the end I decided to give it a go and hit a good approach to three feet. That helped.

The course and greens are so good. If you can keep the ball in play you can give yourself a lot of chances. The wind slowed down a bit later this afternoon.

This is a beautiful place. It is like playing golf in paradise. The layout of the course is so beautiful and it suits my eye for some reason. I like playing on this golf course and that makes a big difference.

Louis De Jager (Rsa) – First Round 66 (-5)

I’m pleased with the score today. It was quite calm this morning, so the score was up there. First and last holes I made two bogies, but the 16 holes in between I played lovely, so I’m really pleased.

My putting has improved a lot the last few weeks. I’ve worked a lot on my putting, so that was really good. I saw all the lines nicely and I hit the ball well, I drove it nicely, so that helps. It’s a good combination to have.

The greens are rolling very nicely. They have a good speed, a comfortable speed, so you can really give the birdie putts a bit of a go. They are very true. What you see is what they usually do.

It’s not the narrowest course, so if you just give yourself enough opportunities on the greens. It gets quite windy, so if you get the wind right on the shots you should be fine.

It’s always a special place to come to, so we’re really enjoying it. It’s nice and hot and humid. I’ll go for a swim this afternoon.

Sebastian Heisele (Ger) – First Round 66 (-5)

I’m very pleased with my round. My front nine was a bit of a nightmare to be honest. I didn’t really feel too comfortable but slowly found something that worked for me. I got going on the back nine and pleased to pick up five shots on the back.

I was pulling my shots left as in far left and that made it hard. I feel that the back nine is easier than the front. When you are not feeling it and when you are looking down the fairway and see the bushes along the fairway, you just don’t feel comfortable.

I felt that I’ve been hitting the ball well all of this week. I had a few days off after a long stretch in the last season so I came out here without much expectation. My score surprised me and it also surprised me that I was hitting so badly earlier today but I’m happy I got it back.

Leading first round scores:

62 – Arjun ATWAL (IND)

66 – Sebastian HEISELE (GER) , Louis DE JAGER (RSA) , Miguel TABUENA (PHI) , Adilson Da SILVA (BRA) , Ockie STRYDOM (RSA)

67 – Joel STALTER (FRA) , Romain LANGASQUE (FRA) , Pontus WIDEGREN (SWE) , George COETZEE (RSA) , Louis OOSTHUIZEN (RSA) , Jbe KRUGER (RSA) , Oliver BEKKER (RSA) , Teaghan GAUCHE (RSA) , Anders HANSEN (DEN) , Marcus KINHULT (SWE) , Jason KNUTZON (USA) , Dylan FRITTELLI (RSA) , Laurie CANTER (ENG)

68 – Justin WALTERS (RSA) , Adrien SADDIER (FRA) , Sam HORSFIELD (ENG) , Jacques KRUYSWIJK (RSA) , Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) , Ricardo GOUVEIA (POR) , Shubhankar SHARMA (IND) , Andrea PAVAN (ITA) , Jarin TODD (USA) , Richard MCEVOY (ENG) , Jose-Filipe LIMA (POR) , Pep ANGLES (ESP) , Casey O’TOOLE (USA)

69 – Raphael JACQUELIN (FRA) , Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) , Douglas MCGUIGAN (RSA) , Andrew CURLEWIS (RSA) , Johannes VEERMAN (USA) , Mark WILLIAMS (ZIM) , Jaco PRINSLOO (RSA) , Haydn PORTEOUS (RSA) , S.S.P CHAWRASIA (IND) , Matthieu PAVON (FRA) , Shiv KAPUR (IND) , James MORRISON (ENG) , Jaco AHLERS (RSA)

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), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), FENIX XCell (Official Apparel Supplier), Titleist (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.

Please visit us at:

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By V Krishnaswamy

Augusta, April 9: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who seemed to be headed out of Augusta early after a disappointing opening round of seven-over-par 79, made a steady recovery with rounds of 70, 70 and 71 to finish in tied-44th place on four-over-par 292 total at the Masters tournament on Sunday.

It was a good fightback from Kiradech over the last three days after a tough start in what was his second appearance at the Augusta National Golf Club. “This has only got me determined to come back and do better,” said Kiradech, Asia’s number one in 2013.

American Patrick Reed, who played college golf in Augusta, held off a host of challengers by closing with a 71 and a 273 total to win his maiden Major championship title at the Masters tournament, which is the year’s first Major.

Reed won by one shot over compatriot Rickie Fowler (67), who capped a solid back-nine 32 after hitting a great second shot to set up a birdie on the par-four 18th hole.

Reed, who birdied the 14th hole to move to 15-under, tamed his nerves to par the last four holes under tense conditions to win his first green jacket.

The final moment for the fiery Reed came when he read the three-and-a-half footer perfectly for par after making his first putt from 25 feet and just over the ridge line on the 18th green.

Rory McIlroy (74), looking to win to complete a career Grand Slam, was right there for the first few holes and even reduced the overnight gap of three to just one shot, but kept missing short putts – he missed five in the first nine holes – and his challenge faded away as he finished tied-fifth.

Kiradech, a three-time Asian Tour winner, traded four birdies against three bogeys at a tournament that seemed be over even before it began. He broke his usual driver two days before the start of the tournament and despite a great effort by his team at Callaway, he could not get used to the brand new driver which he got before the first round.

The big-hitting Kiradech, however, fought hard and played the best he could to make the halfway cut on the mark at five-over-par following a second round 70.  

“It was a good finish after all that happened in the first part of the week,” said Kiradech. “I had been playing well and driving well, so it was a disappointment to see my old driver broken. I thought I would be able to get used to it and my team is very good. But that did not happen and I gave away too much on the first day.”

“I have played well with top-five finishes at two World Golf Championship events and I thought I have a good chance at the Masters where I finished tied-15th two years ago. I want to come back here again and again, because I love this course and it suits me,” Kiradech added.

Asian Tour honorary member Vijay Singh, who closed with a 71, ended his campaign in 49th position on 295 while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama emerged as the best-placed Asian at tied-19th position on 285.

Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira finished in a share of 28th place on 288 while Haotong Li of China settled a further shot back in tied-32nd place following a closing 72 in his Masters debut.

Before Fowler set the target of 14-under, Jordan Spieth played the round of his life at 64 and only a bogey on 18th deprived him of a share of the course record of 63 held by Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996). Spieth finished at eight-under for the day and 13-under for the tournament.

Jon Rahm (69) came in fourth at 11-under, while two-time champion Rory McIlroy (74), Bubba Watson (69), Henrik Stenson (70) and Cameron Smith (66) were all tied for fifth. Marc Leishman (70) was ninth and Tony Finau (66) shared the 10th place with World No. 1 Dustin Johnson (69).

Ends.

Mauritius, November 30: Arjun Atwal of India fired a superb nine-under-par 62 without playing a practice round to lead by four shots on the first day at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Thursday. 

The former Asian Tour number one posted a flawless round highlighted by seven birdies and one eagle to hold a commanding lead over Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines, Sebastian Heisele of Germany, Louis de Jager of South Africa and Adilson Da Silva of Brazil at the Heritage Golf Club.

Major champion Louis Oosthuizen and George Coetzee of South Africa, who won this event in 2015, were bunched up in tied sixth place on matching 67s at the €1million (approximately US$1.07 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

Atwal, who is the Captain for Team Asia at the 2018 EurAsia Cup, arrived late Wednesday evening after traveling 16 hours via Dubai from Kuala Lumpur where he attended a press conference to announce his team for the match-play event against Europe next year.

The 44-year-old exceeded his own expectations by shooting 31 in each half with the highlight of his day coming on the 14th hole where he sank a huge 25-foot eagle putt. His score of 62 is also the new course record at the Heritage Golf Club.

The 23-year-old Tabuena put on a battling performance and is on a mission to erase the heartbreak of missing out on a second Asian Tour title at the Resorts World Manila Masters three weeks ago where he bogeyed the last hole to miss the play-off.

Did you know? 

• Atwal replaced the course record of 65 set by Coetzee, Jeunghun Wang of Korea, Carlos Pigem of Spain and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark in 2015.
• The last time Atwal shot a 62 was in the opening round of the 2005 Indonesia Open. The score remains his lowest on the Asian Tour.
• He took advantage of a hot putter in the opening round where he totalled 26 putts which included 10 one putts.
• Atwal is an eight-time Asian Tour champion but his last victory was at the 2014 Dubai Open. He also won the Order of Merit in 2003.
• Atwal holds the distinction as the first Indian to win on the PGA Tour at the 2010 Wyndham Championship.
• The last time he played at the Heritage course was in 2015 where he missed the cut. He finished tied 27th last year but on a different golf course.
• Atwal is currently ranked 55th on the Order of Merit. He needs a good result this week to stay inside the top-60 at the end of the 2017 to retain his full Asian Tour card.
• Tabuena is one of the rising stars on the Asian Tour. He is enjoying a superb 2017 season so far with two tied third results and one tied fifth finish. He won his first Asian Tour title in 2015.
• He enjoyed a flawless first nine which included an eagle-three on the seventh hole. He traded three birdies against two bogeys on his homeward nine.
• Tabuena missed only two fairways and three greens in regulation. He totalled 29 putts with a three-putt on the 18th hole being the highest. He bogeyed that hole.
• Da Silva is searching for his first Asian Tour title. He traded seven birdies against two bogeys to give himself a battling chance this week.
• He enjoyed a career high in 2016 when he was given the honour of striking the first tee shot at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when golf made a return into the programme after 112 years.

Player interviews:

Arjun Atwal (Ind) – First Round 62 (-9)

I was in Kuala Lumpur the last two days to announce the players in Team Asia for the EurAsia Cup and I had some media activities to do. I had no practice round and straight on the first tee.

I’m pleased and shocked. I took a very long route coming here. I came through Dubai and it took me 16 hours to get here. I was tired and I didn’t really expect anything. Sometimes when you don’t expect much, you get a lot out of it.

I missed two or three fairways but for most of the part I kept the ball in front of me. I played here two years ago but I don’t really remember the course. I made a few putts and every time you want to shoot low, that’s what you have to do.

I found it pretty tough out there but I didn’t make any mistakes and I had a hot putter. The wind was on and off. It wasn’t very gusty. I’m looking forward to some rest and see what happens tomorrow.

It is very important to play a practice round if you haven’t played the course before. It is kind of important but not the end of the world especially for a guy who has played enough golf in his life.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) – First Round 66 (-5)

I made a terrible error on 17. Three putting is not the best thing to do but I came back strong. I put myself in position to make birdie and I made it. It was a bit gusty today.

I’ve been striking the ball really well the past few weeks but I wasn’t happy with my putting in Hong Kong last week. I changed putter and it is working this week.

You can’t hit it too high here. If you do that, the wind will take it away. This is a thinking golf course. You can’t blink or it will bite you.

I’m really motivated to bounce back from my defeat at the Resorts World Manila Masters three weeks ago. I would be okay if I bogeyed the hole if I was in a bad position but I was in a good position. I made a mental error and it hit me in the gut. I’ve put the defeat behind me and there’s still a lot of golf to be played this week.

Eagle on the fifth hole: Hit a nine-iron from 171 yards and holed a six feet eagle putt.

Adilson Da Silva (Bra) – First Round 66 (-5)

I didn’t hit the ball that great but I chipped and putt really well. I was really happy on the greens. My chip and putt saved me and that’s how I put a good score together.

It was a nice finish on 18. I didn’t know what to do and in the end I decided to give it a go and hit a good approach to three feet. That helped.

The course and greens are so good. If you can keep the ball in play you can give yourself a lot of chances. The wind slowed down a bit later this afternoon.

This is a beautiful place. It is like playing golf in paradise. The layout of the course is so beautiful and it suits my eye for some reason. I like playing on this golf course and that makes a big difference.

Louis De Jager (Rsa) – First Round 66 (-5)

I’m pleased with the score today. It was quite calm this morning, so the score was up there. First and last holes I made two bogies, but the 16 holes in between I played lovely, so I’m really pleased.

My putting has improved a lot the last few weeks. I’ve worked a lot on my putting, so that was really good. I saw all the lines nicely and I hit the ball well, I drove it nicely, so that helps. It’s a good combination to have.

The greens are rolling very nicely. They have a good speed, a comfortable speed, so you can really give the birdie putts a bit of a go. They are very true. What you see is what they usually do.

It’s not the narrowest course, so if you just give yourself enough opportunities on the greens. It gets quite windy, so if you get the wind right on the shots you should be fine.

It’s always a special place to come to, so we’re really enjoying it. It’s nice and hot and humid. I’ll go for a swim this afternoon.

Sebastian Heisele (Ger) – First Round 66 (-5)

I’m very pleased with my round. My front nine was a bit of a nightmare to be honest. I didn’t really feel too comfortable but slowly found something that worked for me. I got going on the back nine and pleased to pick up five shots on the back.

I was pulling my shots left as in far left and that made it hard. I feel that the back nine is easier than the front. When you are not feeling it and when you are looking down the fairway and see the bushes along the fairway, you just don’t feel comfortable.

I felt that I’ve been hitting the ball well all of this week. I had a few days off after a long stretch in the last season so I came out here without much expectation. My score surprised me and it also surprised me that I was hitting so badly earlier today but I’m happy I got it back.

Leading first round scores:

62 – Arjun ATWAL (IND)

66 – Sebastian HEISELE (GER) , Louis DE JAGER (RSA) , Miguel TABUENA (PHI) , Adilson Da SILVA (BRA) , Ockie STRYDOM (RSA)

67 – Joel STALTER (FRA) , Romain LANGASQUE (FRA) , Pontus WIDEGREN (SWE) , George COETZEE (RSA) , Louis OOSTHUIZEN (RSA) , Jbe KRUGER (RSA) , Oliver BEKKER (RSA) , Teaghan GAUCHE (RSA) , Anders HANSEN (DEN) , Marcus KINHULT (SWE) , Jason KNUTZON (USA) , Dylan FRITTELLI (RSA) , Laurie CANTER (ENG)

68 – Justin WALTERS (RSA) , Adrien SADDIER (FRA) , Sam HORSFIELD (ENG) , Jacques KRUYSWIJK (RSA) , Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) , Ricardo GOUVEIA (POR) , Shubhankar SHARMA (IND) , Andrea PAVAN (ITA) , Jarin TODD (USA) , Richard MCEVOY (ENG) , Jose-Filipe LIMA (POR) , Pep ANGLES (ESP) , Casey O’TOOLE (USA)

69 – Raphael JACQUELIN (FRA) , Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) , Douglas MCGUIGAN (RSA) , Andrew CURLEWIS (RSA) , Johannes VEERMAN (USA) , Mark WILLIAMS (ZIM) , Jaco PRINSLOO (RSA) , Haydn PORTEOUS (RSA) , S.S.P CHAWRASIA (IND) , Matthieu PAVON (FRA) , Shiv KAPUR (IND) , James MORRISON (ENG) , Jaco AHLERS (RSA)

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), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), FENIX XCell (Official Apparel Supplier), Titleist (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.

Please visit us at:

www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com

www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf

www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf

www.youtube.com/theasiantour

www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf

Augusta, April 7: Kiradech Aphibarnrat fought hard and came up with a crunch birdie on the final hole to make the cut at the Masters despite a disappointing first round, and he will now have a chance to improve on that over the weekend.

The 28-year-old Thai who finished 15th at the Masters two years ago, carded two-under-par 70 in his second round for a two-round total of five-over-par 149. He finished right on the cut line.

Meanwhile 21-year-old Indian star Shubhankar Sharma, who is making his major debut this week, battled tooth-and-nail but still failed to make the cut by two strokes after carding a second round 74.

Honorary Asian Tour member Vijay Singh (74) made the cut to sit in tied-23rd place while Asian Tour winner, Yuta Ikeda of Japan missed the cut following a 77.

American Patrick Reed put himself in prime position for his first Major win by carding a second round score of 66 to take the lead by two strokes over Australian Marc Leishman who carded a low round of 67.

Trying to adjust to a new driver that did not seem to be working on the first day, Kiradech made the right adjustments to bounce back in the tournament. “I knew I had to fight hard and not give up till the last. After an even par front nine, I knew I had to get some birdies. The eagle on hole 13 followed by birdies on 15th and 18th got me over,” said Kiradech.

The birdie on hole 18, which was playing tough on Friday was crucial. After crushing a drive to 295 yards, he had a superb second shot to three feet, which he holed for a birdie and got him a place in the weekend rounds.

Kiradech bogeyed the par-3 third hole to slip to eight-over-par, but the birdie on the eighth gave him an outside chance. At the turn, he bogeyed hole 10, but then recovered superbly with an eagle on hole 13.

The drama came on the final hole, which was a 465-yard par 4. On the green in two, Kiradech holed the putt he needed to enable him to make it to the weekend.

Talking about his Masters experience, Sharma added, “It has been fantastic.  I think I’ll be a few shots shy of the cut but I thought I played pretty well, just didn’t finish the way I wanted to yesterday.  But this experience is invaluable.  Just can’t wait to get back every year after this and I’ll do my best and I know I’ll have to play my best to get here every year, but it has been a fantastic experience.  The course has been in superb condition, the crowds have been great and it’s just a pleasure to play in front of them,” said Sharma.

Despite missing the cut, Sharma plans to stay on for the next two days, before heading to his next event in Texas.

 “I am going to stay on and enjoy the week. I have learnt a lot and I will surely be back,” added Sharma

Rory McIlroy, chasing a career Grand Slam with a Masters victory, and 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth shared fourth on 140, McIlroy after a 71 while first-day leader Spieth shot 74.

More winds and cooler conditions are expected Saturday along with rain.

Ends.

Shah Alam, Malaysia, November 28: Team Asia Captain Arjun Atwal has announced a young and immensely talented team for the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM with current Order of Merit leader Gavin Green, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, S.S.P. Chawrasia and Li Hao-tong representing Asia.

Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai, Poom Saksansin, Malaysia’s Green and India’s Chawrasia make up the leading four Asian players on the Order of Merit who qualified for Team Asia in the biennial event which will be played at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club from January 12 to 14, 2018.

Yuta Ikeda of Japan, ranked 37th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Li of China, Anirban Lahiri of India, the 2015 Asian Tour number one, and Kiradech of Thailand all earned their spot in Team Asia as the leading available Asians on the world ranking.

Korea’s Byeonghun An, who represented Team Asia in the second edition in 2016, will make his return to the team after being selected as a captain’s pick. Joining him as a captain’s wildcard are Hideto Tanihara of Japan and Nicholas Fung of Malaysia who will make their third appearance in the EurAsia Cup. Sunghoon Kang of Korea, a winner on the Asian Tour, will make his debut after being selected as the final captain’s pick.

Team Asia will have a combined total of 58 titles won worldwide while six players in the 12-man team are still in their 20s. Phachara is the youngest at 18 and Tanihara is the oldest at 39.

“I’m proud to announce my team which is predominantly represented by young players. Most of them are still in their 20s but they have achieved huge success at a young age and have established themselves in the game,” said Atwal.

“Seven players in my team are ranked inside the top-100 on the Official World Golf Ranking and this underlines the strength of Team Asia. This is a strong team and it will be our goal to win the EurAsia Cup.”

“We will face a strong Team Europe but I have faith in every member in my team. I’ve already mapped out a game plan to keep the players motivated and battle-ready when the tournament starts,” said Atwal.

The 23-year-old Green will represent Team Asia for the first time after a splendid 2017 season where he won his first Asian Tour title and finished runner-up three times.

“It is always nice playing in front of the home crowd. The EurAsia Cup is a huge thing and it is a totally different ball game as compared to a stroke-play event. It is a team event and everyone gathers like a big family. I hope a lot of Malaysian fans come out and support Team Asia,” said Green.

China’s Li will also make his first appearance in the team event, dubbed the ‘Ryder Cup of the East’. The supremely talented Chinese holds one victory on the European Tour and is currently ranked 57th in the world thanks to a third-place result at The Open.

Ikeda, the highest ranked player in Team Asia, has enjoyed a remarkable season in Japan where he won thrice while Kiradech is also coming off a solid 2017 where he finished second at the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Champions and Italian Open.

Atwal will also rely on the experience of countrymen Lahiri, who represented Team Asia in the last two editions and Chawrasia who successfully defended the Hero Indian Open earlier this year.

“The knowledge of playing in team match-play is crucial and the experience of players like Lahiri, Chawrasia, An and Kiradech will be very important in the team. It is a nice mix of experienced and new players which have huge potential,” said Atwal.

Poom qualified for the team through the Order of Merit thanks to one victory and a runner-up result in Japan. The fearless Phachara, a two-time runner-up in 2017, is another new addition to team alongside Kang, who also finished second twice in the United States this year.

China’s Zhang Lian-wei has also been picked as Vice-Captain by Atwal to help him lead Team Asia against Thomas Bjorn’s Team Europe.

The EurAsia Cup will feature 24 matches, with day one showcasing six Fourball matches, followed by six Foursomes matches and 12 Singles matches on the third day.

Team Europe will feature Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Paul Casey, Paul Dunne, Ross Fisher, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Levy, Alex Noren, Thomas Pieters, Henrik Stenson and Bernd Wiesberger.

Ends.

About DRB-HICOM

DRB-HICOM Berhad (“DRB-HICOM”) is one of Malaysia’s leading conglomerates with core businesses in the Automotive, Services & Education, as well as Property sectors. With more than 90 active companies in its stable and over 59,000 employees group-wide, DRB-HICOM’s aim is to continue adding value and propelling the nation’s development. In the Automotive sector, DRB-HICOM is involved in the manufacturing, assembly and distribution of passenger and commercial vehicles, including the national motorcycle. In Services & Education, DRB-HICOM is involved in various businesses, including concession and financial-related services. In Property, DRB-HICOM is involved in residential and commercial developments.

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), ECCO (Official Footwear Sponsor), FENIX XCell (Official Apparel Supplier), Titleist (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.

Please visit us at:

www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com

www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf

www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf

www.youtube.com/theasiantour

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About the European Tour

The European Tour celebrates men’s professional golf on a global stage. In 2017, the European Tour International Schedule features a minimum of 47 tournaments in 26 countries, including eight Rolex Series events, all part of the Race to Dubai. Celebrating the global connectivity of the European Tour and Dubai, the Race to Dubai is a season-long competition to crown the European Tour’s Number One player, an honour which in 2016 went to Sweden’s Henrik Stenson for the second time, and which since 2009 has also been achieved three times by Rory McIlroy, as well as by Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald. Formerly known as the Order of Merit, points are accumulated based on prize money won, with the top 10 ranked players at the end of the season sharing a $5million Race to Dubai bonus pool. Since its formation in 1972, the European Tour has witnessed 26 Members celebrate a total of 52 Major Championship titles between them, enjoyed ten Members attaining the pinnacle of World Number One and has celebrated its diversity as players from 36 different countries have won on the Tour. The European Tour also manages the Challenge Tour, which featured 28 tournaments in 22 countries in 2016, and the Senior Tour, which featured 13 tournaments in nine countries in 2016. It is also the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe, the body which, alongside the PGA of America, administers golf’s greatest team contest, The Ryder Cup. The European Tour broadcasts live coverage of its tournaments to more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. It also enjoys the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with Rolex, BMW, Emirates and Titleist as Official Partners.

About MMC Corporation Berhad

MMC Corporation Berhad (MMC) is a leading utilities and infrastructure group with diversified businesses under three divisions, namely ports & logistics, energy & utilities and engineering & construction. Its key businesses under the Ports and Logistics division include the operations of Port of Tanjung Pelepas Sdn Bhd, Johor Port Berhad, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, Penang Port Sdn Bhd, Kontena Nasional Berhad and JP Logistics. Internationally, MMC has an associate stake in Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company Limited, a container port terminal within the Jeddah Islamic Port, Saudi Arabia. Under the Energy & Utilities division, MMC is the single largest shareholder of both Malakoff Corporation Berhad and Gas Malaysia Berhad. MMC’s Engineering & Construction division has further established itself in the sector with a leading role as the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) and underground works package contractor for the 51km Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project (Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line) and Line 2 project (Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line). Prior to this, MMC has successfully completed the 329km Ipoh-Padang Besar Electrified Double Tracking Project as well as the innovative Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) motorway, the first-of-its-kind dual-purpose tunnel in the world. MMC continues to make inroads in the construction industry, securing key civil and infrastructure projects in the country namely Langat Centralised Sewerage Treatment Plant, Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant, civil and infrastructure works for RAPID Pengerang Cogeneration Plant. Additionally, MMC has a 20% effective interest in Borneo Highway PDP Sdn Bhd (BHP) which has been appointed as PDP for the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway Project. In other businesses, MMC owns Aliran Ihsan Resources Berhad, a water treatment plant operator and Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd, the operator of Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru; a major aviation hub and the main air transportation gateway to Iskandar Malaysia. Additionally, MMC’s Group Property arm manages close to 6,000 acres of industrial developments in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor and Kulim, Kedah, namely Senai Airport City, Tanjung Bin Petrochemical & Maritime Industrial Centre (TBPMIC) and Northern Technocity in Kulim. The Senai Airport City, TBPMIC and NTC (NTC) developments come under the ambit of Group Property’s three operating companies – Senai Airport City Sdn Bhd, Seaport Worldwide Sdn Bhd and Northern Technocity Sdn Bhd respectively.

Beijing, April 7: China’s Bowen Xiao will be looking to impress his home crowd when he makes his third appearance at the prestigious Volvo China Open, which gets underway at the Beijing Topwin Golf and Country Club from April 26 to 29.

The 28-year-old Xiao, who joined the play-for-pay ranks in 2012, claimed his maiden professional win in a nail-biting fashion where he prevailed on the second extra hole against Australian Bryden Macpherson in his Asian Tour debut five months ago.

He will spearhead the local charge alongside past champion Haotong Li, as well as Wen-chong Liang and Ashun Wu at the CNY 20 million (approximately US$3,150,000) event, tri-sanctioned by the China Golf Association, Asian Tour and the European Tour.

“The Volvo China Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournament in China. It’s an event every Chinese player wants to play. It feels different because you get to play alongside some of the top golfers in the world,” said Xiao, who hails from Shandong.

Xiao enjoyed a tied-17th finish at the Asian Tour season-ending event in Indonesia, two weeks after his breakthrough victory. Despite missing three cuts in a row this season, the talented Chinese is determined to bank on his home comfort as he takes aim at another good showing.

“This course is a good test for every aspect of your game, including your tee shots, iron-play and putting. You need to hit your irons well to get on the greens. I won’t set a fixed target for myself. I just want to play my best.

“I will not give myself any pressure to do well, just like how I managed to do so in Xiamen when I won last year. That helps me to play to my best capability,” added Xiao.

Young Indian talent Shubhankar Sharma and Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who sits in first and third place respectively on the current Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, will also feature in the storied event.

Also in the fray are former Asian Tour Merit champions Gavin Green of Malaysia, Scott Hend of Australia and Thai veteran Thongchai Jaidee, as well as young Thai talent Phachara Khongwatmai and defending champion Alexander Levy of France.

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.

Osaka, Japan, March 28: The action on the Asian Tour is set to resume when the region’s best players head to Osaka for the Panasonic Open Championship next month. 

The Panasonic Open Championship is also the concluding leg of the Panasonic swing where the top-three finishers in the final ranking will earn US$70,000, US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively via a bonus pool reward scheme.

India’s Shiv Kapur currently leads the Panasonic Swing which is based on an aggregate points ranking earned by players at the following five tournaments- 2017 Thailand Open, 2017 Panasonic Open India, 2018 Maybank Championship (Malaysia), 2017 Indonesian Masters and 2018 Panasonic Open Championship.

A minimum of two events are required to be played inclusive of the Panasonic Open Championship in order to qualify for the Panasonic Swing bonus pool. There will be a x1.5 multiplier for points earned at the Panasonic Open Championship.

Having won the Panasonic Open India in emotional fashion on his home course in India last year, Kapur is hoping to repeat his magic at the Ibrakai Country Club (West course) where no less than 30 Asian Tour winners are expected to feature at the Panasonic Open Championship which is the third event to be sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.

“Winning in India last year and getting the monkey off my back is nice. Now, I can free-wheel a bit more rather than having this pressure of not having won a tournament for a long time.

“My form is pretty good. I managed to put myself in contention in Singapore and Malaysia, but I didn’t get the job done over the weekend. I’m glad to be able to ride on the momentum of winning three times in 2017,”said Kapur.

The Indian earned the distinction of being the only player to have won three times during the 2017 season and is highly rated as one of the contenders along with Australia’s Scott Hend, 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and American Paul Peterson, who is currently fourth on the Habitat for Humanity standings. 

“You have to keep expectations in check. My goal this year is to try to be a better golfer in 2018 compared to last year. If I feel that I’m improving my game and contending regularly, my goals are achieved even if I have no wins,” said the Indian.

All eyes will also be on the Japanese field that will be spearheaded by Yusaku Miyazato and Satoshi Kodaira, who finished first and second respectively on the JGTO money list in 2017, and Ryo Ishikawa, who was the youngest golfer to break into the world’s top-50 in 2009.

Panasonic Corporation which has supported the Olympic Games as an official worldwide partner for over 25 years, has also backed professional golf at the highest level in Asia through its title sponsorship of the Panasonic OPEN India since 2011 and the Panasonic Open Championship.

Ends.

Kuala Lumpur, October 12: India’s Anirban Lahiri opened with a five-under-par 67 to stay in the mix at the CIMB Classic on Thursday.

Lahiri is bunched in tied eighth place together with Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, American Brendan Steele, Davis Love III, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello and Korea’s Sung Kang at the US$7 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA Tour.

They are three shots behind Australian leader, Cameron Smith at the TPC Kuala Lumpur.

While disappointed with his first round efforts which he put down to his putting, Lahiri is hopeful of closing the gap when the second round commences.

Phachara surprised even himself as he did not have a practice round and could only walk the course yesterday, having arrived home from Scotland on Wednesday.

The young Thai is playing for the first time at the CIMB Classic and it is only the second time in his professional career that he is teeing up in an event which has no cut.

Did you know?

• Lahiri is a seven-time Asian Tour winner, who also holds a full PGA TOUR card. He finished 51st in the FedExCup in his second season on the PGA TOUR which was also his best finish to date.
• Lahiri held a four-shot lead heading into the final round of the 2016 CIMB Classic, a tournament record, before eventually finishing tied-third.
• The Indian will be making his sixth appearance at the CIMB Classic.
• Lahiri made his second start in last month’s Presidents Cup as a Captain’s pick for the International Team.
• Phachara is the youngest player at the age of 18 in the elite field this week. He was also the youngest player to play in The Open last year.
• He arrived from Scotland on Wednesday afternoon and did not play a practice round at TPC Kuala Lumpur. He only walked the course.
• Phachara opened with a bogey (10th hole) but fought back with four straight birdies starting from the 16th hole. He added two more birdies to enjoy a solid first day.
• The Thai has two runner-up finishes this year in Singapore and Australia. He is currently ranked seventh on the Order of Merit but is still searching for a first Asian Tour victory.

Player’s Quotes

Anirban Lahiri (Ind) First round 67 (-5)

It is a good score and good start. A little disappointed, though as I didn’t have a very good back nine. Obviously got off to a red hot start and then couldn’t capitalize on the relatively scoring part of the golf course. Guilty of missing a lot of putts from around eight to 12 feet, didn’t really make anything in the last nine holes, had at least six of them. So disappointed, honestly. Feel like I should have closed two or three shots better, but it’s a good score to start and I’ll have to go on from here. I think that’s the toughest part of the golf course, 11, 12, 13, and if you can play those holes even par or under par you’re doing well. So obviously, like I said, I got off to a really good start and then I just didn’t capitalize on the shorter holes. The par 5s on the front, I only made one birdie. I didn’t birdie 16 or 17 from the fairway. You want to hit fairways and then you set up birdies, but I just didn’t make those putts. So kind of disappointed, like I said, to not have posted a better score, but you can see the scoring is going to be low so you just have to keep going. I don’t think it’s possible to be any more aggressive. You’ve got to play smart. As long as you’re on the fairway, we’ve got ball in hand all week so that helps as well because you can pretty much be assured of a clean ball and you can fire at the greens. Yeah, I think it’s going to be the same over the next three days and just try and make a bunch of putts. I kind of know what I need to do to handle it. I have my own ways, I know how much I need to hydrate and how much fuel I need to put in, so I think that experience is good for me. But when you play here more and more often, you’ll find all of us are professionals and we will adapt, so over a period of time we all get used to it. Having said that, I’m quite comfortable in these conditions so it doesn’t make a difference.

Phachara Khongwatmai (Tha) First round 67 (-5)

Today I didn’t think I could get five-under because it’s my first start at the CIMB Classic. On my first hole which was the par-five 10, I couldn’t hit my second shot into the green, and I made a bogey there. I was able to control the ball better after that and began to putt better. I’m not thinking too far ahead now. I just want to play like what I did today. I came without any expectations and I just want to play my best. There is less pressure too as there’s no cut for this event.

Ends.

About CIMB Group

The title sponsor of the CIMB Classic is CIMB Group. CIMB Group is one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is now present in 9 out of 10 ASEAN nations. CIMB Group offers a full suite of financial services and related products; has a market capitalisation of approximately USD 14 billion as of 30 June 2017 and about 38,000 employees located in 15 countries. Read more about CIMB Group at www.cimb.com

About Asian Tour

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

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About PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is the leading global platform in professional golf, showcasing the highest expression of excellence, both on and off the course. The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, grow and protect the game of golf and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China. Its members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 24 countries (89 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1.1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2016, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $166 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.46 billion. The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.