Queenstown, New Zealand, March 1: Asian Tour member Jarin Todd of the United States enjoyed an encouraging start  by firing a nine-under-par 62 at the Millbrook Resort to share the first round honours with Japan’s Tatsuya Kodai and Australia’s Daniel Nisbet at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open on Thursday. 

Todd’s 62 was the lowest score he has posted since turning professional 2010 and it gave him a one-shot lead over the Australian trio of Travis Smyth, Andrew Dodt and Andrew Martin. 

Dodt and Martin had earlier grabbed the clubhouse lead when they signed for matching 64s at the par-72 Hills course in the morning.

Thailand’s Poom Saksansin and Pavit Tangkamolprasert as well as recent Asian Tour winner Paul Peterson of the United States are among a host of players bunched in a share of 11th place, three shots off the lead. 

Todd, who is playing in New Zealand for the first time in his career this week, was quick to adapt to the playing conditions. Although he admitted he di not drive the ball well, the 31-year-old took advantage of his accurate short game to put himself in a commanding position.

Nisbet will meanwhile continue to adopt an aggressive approach as he seeks to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since his last professional win in Hong Kong in 2016.

Ends.

Did you know?

• Jarin Todd posted two top-10s at the Shinhan Donghae Open and Resorts World Manila Masters in 2017. He ended the year in 49th place on the Order of Merit.
• Todd went to the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He finished inside the top-40 twice in 2014 and 2017.
• Daniel Nisbet missed the cut at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open last year after rounds of 73 and 68.
• Andrew Dodt enjoyed a tied-sixth finish at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open last year and his last victory on the Asian Tour came at the True Thailand Classic in 2015.
• He finished runner-up to Robert Gates of the United States when The Hills last hosted the New Zealand Open in 2010.
• Andrew Martin’s best result at the New Zealand Open came in 2014 when he finished tied-eighth. He also enjoyed a tied-eighth result at the Indonesia Open on the Asian Tour last year.

Players’ Quotes:

Jarin Todd (Usa)

I didn’t drive it very good. I started on 10 and I almost made it on both par-three so that gave me some good momentum going into the back nine and I rolled in some putts. I got a little lucky on the par-five when I hit a bad drive but was able to make par. The conditions are perfect which is why there are so many low scores. I am looking forward to playing The Hills tomorrow. I had a blast in my practice round there on Tuesday. It should be fun.

The greens were really good. They are rolling great. I met Michael Glading in Indonesia and he was handing out flyers. I saw the pictures and it looked awesome. My ranking on the Asian Tour last year was good enough to let me in. The scores are going to be low again tomorrow unless we get some bad weather. I have to stay patient, keep the ball in play and have some good looks. When I hit bad shots I got some decent breaks and I hit some good shots too. My lowest tournament score is nine-under so I wanted to get to 10 today but didn’t quite. This is ideal scoring for us guys. The fairways are running but not too much. The greens are holding. If you play good shots you are going to get rewarded.

Daniel Nisbet (Aus)

It was a pretty solid day, just keeping bogeys off the card. It is always a goal to go bogey-free and then get a couple of close ones which were a bonus. The par-three 16th is usually my nemeses but I hit it into two inches today. It was nice to walk off that hole with a two and instead of a lot more than I usually do. It is a daunting hole. It is my first day to birdie it. It is a tough hole. Most days at The Hills it is usually a couple of club wind into that hole and it is a pretty tight little green. I had a couple of par-fives coming home and had two-putt birdies. In this weather a lot of the guys are going to tear this course up. The wind gives that course a lot of strength and there wasn’t any today. The course is in great condition, the greens are good so if you can knock it close it is easy to make birdies. Tomorrow is a fresh course, out nice and early. I am hitting the ball well off the tee. I am not being super-conservative, I am being a little more aggressive. I have been playing well the last few weeks so I thought I would go for a few more pins today.

Tatsuya Kodai (Jpn)

Today was a perfect round. Although I felt I could have finish even better. I enjoyed playing with this pro-am format. I’ll be playing at Millbrook tomorrow and I’m going to continue to aim for another low score. I’m going to be aggressive and attack the pins tomorrow.

Andrew Dodt (Aus)

It was a slow start, the conditions were a bit easy and I was only one under through 13 holes so I was starting to get a little anxious thinking I needed to start making some putts soon. I got a little hot from the 14th, birdied 14, 15, 16, driver three wood on 17 to 10 feet and birdied the last. Maybe I was trying to force it a little bit too much early, because you know that conditions are easy, you should be making birdies and when you’re not you try and force it a little bit. I just tried to relax and a little less was more, let it come to me rather than go and chase it and it clicked into gear on 14.

I hit probably four or five shots inside eight feet in the first nine holes and made one, so it could have been four or five under early on. I just stayed patient, tried to let go a bit and did that well on the back nine. It’s all playing well, it’s not going to get any easier than it is right now. You had to put the foot down today. The greens are pure, where you hit the putt that’s where it will stay. I haven’t been making the greatest starts, so I wanted to really make sure I did a good job of that today.

It’s nice to have three rounds in a row now at Millbrook. I played well here last year, I like both courses and I like New Zealand in general. It’s nice to get off to a good start, but I think conditions are supposed to stay the same for the rest of the week, so it’s foot down, make birdies. There’s an event on in South Africa this week but I like to try and play my minimum four on the Australasian tour, and being an Asian Tour event too, I like to cover my bases. It’s a great event, great scenery, great country. It’s a pretty easy decision to come here.

Andrew Martin (Aus)

All the boys give me a bit of grief about how well I play at The Hills. I just feel really comfortable on the course, everything suits my eye. It was a pretty stress free round for me, I know my lines and I was hitting good shots in to give myself lots of chances to drop a few putts.

Ends.

New Delhi, March 30: Promising graduates from the Asian Tour Qualifying School will be looking to stamp their mark when they tee off against the region’s top players at the Panasonic Open India next week.

Korean-American Chan Kim, who topped the class at Qualifying School in January, will spearhead the rookies’ charge as they fight for glory at the US$300,000 Asian Tour full-field event from April 4-7.

“Earning my Asian Tour card at Qualifying School has opened many doors for me. It has given my career a huge boost and I’m very thankful for the opportunities given. Now it’s time to prove myself against the big boys,” said Chan, who will be playing in his fifth tournament at the Delhi Golf Club.

“There are a lot of good players from other countries and if you’re not on top of your game every week, it’s going to be tough to win a tournament out here. I’m just trying to prepare the best that I can,” he added.

A return to the venerable Delhi Golf Club will provide a boost for Chan as he contended at the venue during the SAIL-SBI Open earlier this month before finishing tied eighth.

France’s Lionel Weber is another promising graduate in the Panasonic Open India field as he prepares to take on home favourites Jeev Milkha Singh, Anirban Lahiri, who won his third Asian Tour title at Delhi Golf Club earlier this month and Gaganjeet Bhullar, who finished second at the co-sanctioned Avantha Masters a fortnight ago.

The highly-rated Frenchman is among a cosmopolitan of international stars from over 30 different nationalities playing on the Asian Tour this season.

Weber, who finished tied-seventh at the Asian Tour’s season-opening event in Myanmar, is looking forward to carrying his good form on the region’s premier Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season in 2013.

“I’m happy to be able to play on the Asian Tour. I’m glad that I managed to earn my Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School. It is a brand new life for me ever since and I really hope to do well,” said the 22-year-old.

Other Asian Tour graduates expected to feature strongly at the Panasonic Open India include Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang, Richard Lee of Canada, Thomas Petersson of Sweden, Steve Lewton of England and David Lutterus of Australia.

The Panasonic Open India will also welcome the return of defending champion Digvijay Singh, who ended a 12-year barren run when he claimed his maiden Asian Tour victory last year. Two-time Asian Tour number one Jeev Milkha Singh will make his debut in the Panasonic Open India.

Other top contenders include Australia’s Kirean Pratt, Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera and Bangladeshi Siddikur, who finished third at the SAIL-SBI Open this month.

The top-three players at the Panasonic Open India will be extended invitations to the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation, in Osaka, Japan in September.

The Panasonic Open India will be beamed live throughout four days on the Asian Tour Media’s global television platform which reaches over 200 countries and 650 million homes.

About the Panasonic Open India 2013
The Panasonic Open India, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), will return for its third edition from April 4 to April 7. Local hero Digvijay Singh will defend the title at the US$300,000 event held at the Delhi Golf Club. The Asian Tour event will be title sponsored by Panasonic India Pte Ltd and supported by Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism and the Government of India. The Tournament will be played once again at the Host Venue Delhi Golf Club. Other sponsors include. Homestead (Platinum Sponsor) Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla (Official Hotel), Bentbrass (Official Apparel), Srixon (Official Ball), 4moles.com (Digital Media sponsor), GolfPlus Monthly (Magazine sponsor) and Inetol Headwear.
The tournament is organized and promoted by the Asian Tour. Get the latest news and tournament information on www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com and www.4moles.com. You can also follow us on www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf and www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf

About Panasonic India
Panasonic makes available in India its wide range of consumer electronics and home appliances like LCD & Plasma TVs, DVD players, home theatre systems, cameras, camcorders, car audio systems, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, automatic cookers, vacuum cleaners and the like. The Company has a workforce of about 12,650 in India and estimated to do a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore in FY 2012. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand in India, please visit http://panasonic.co.in.

About the Asian Tour
In 2013, the Asian Tour will celebrate a momentous milestone with its 10th season. 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 Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner), Canon (Official Imaging Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Saxo Capital Markets (Official Statistics Partner), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Srixon (Official Ball), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts) and Rolex (Official Timekeeper). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Also, visit us at www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com, www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf, www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf, www.youtube.com/theasiantour and www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf

March 30: The big-hitting Anton Haig of South Africa signalled his return to Asia by leading the Driving Distance category with an average of 339 yards off the tees.
Huang Tao of Chinese Taipei is second with drives of 323 yards while Chase Wright of the United States is three yards back.
Haig, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, is ahead of Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium, who is leading in the same category on the European Tour and PGA Tour with drives of 318.3 yards and 307.2 yards respectively.
Korea’s Lee Sung, who was born deaf, is currently the straightest hitter on the Asian Tour after finding 84% of fairways. Indians Harmeet Kahlon is second with an accuracy rate of 80% followed by countryman Gaganjeet Bhullar, a four-time Asian Tour winner, on 79%.
On the European Tour Adilson Da Silva of Brazil, also an Asian Tour member, leads the category on 82.7% while Jeff Maggert is ahead in the category with 73.04% on the PGA Tour.
Sung Mao-chang of Chinese Taipei and Michael Tran of Vietname are tied in the Greens in Regulation category with a strike rate of 83% followed by upcoming Chinese player Hu Mu on 82%.
Sung and Tran have a slight advantage of Justin Rose of England, who leads in Europe on 80.8%. Brandt Snedeker tops the group on the PGA Tour on 74.07%.

The secret to Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s success this season lies in his stroke average. He leads the Lowest Stroke Average category with scoring of 67.82. Hwang In-choon (68.25) of Korea and Liang Wen-chong (68.57) of China are placed second and third respectively.
Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa is in prime position on the European Tour with a 69.4 stroke average.
Meanwhile Daniel Chopra of Sweden has an average of 27.3 putts a round to lead the Putting Average category. He is trailed closely by two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Jeev Milkha Singh of India (26.6) and Liang Wen-chong of China (27.1)
Marcus Fraser of Australia, who won the same category on the Asian Tour last season, currently leads on the European Tour with an average of 27.8 putts.
In the Birdie Leader category, Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea has notched a total of 68 birdies which was matched by Berry Henson of the United States.
Ends.

Mexico City, March 1: India’s Shubhankar Sharma savored a dream debut at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship with an opening six-under 65 pushing him into tied second place and one shot behind leader Louis Oosthuizen on Thursday.

The 21-year-old, playing in the last group alongside Malaysia’s Gavin Green, was beaming from ear to ear after keeping the bogeys of the card which included an eagle and four birdies at the Club Golf de Chapultepec.

“I’m really pleased with the way I played. I was very nervous in the morning, but very happy with the way I put it all together. Even after the rain (lightning) delay that we had, just to make birdie on the last hole (on nine), absolutely fantastic,” said a delighted Sharma.

The young Indian prospect arrived in Mexico City in top form, having won co-sanctioned Asian Tour and European Tour tournaments in South Africa and Malaysia over a span of two months.

Despite missing the cut by one stroke in Oman and Qatar over the past fortnight, Sharma produced a flawless display which his caddie Gurbaaz Mann, a former Asian Tour player himself, described as “complete”.

Starting his day from the 10th tee, Sharma birdied 11 and 12 from 13 and two feet respectively before rolling in a tricky 15-footer for his third birdie on 18. After finding the fringe at the driveable first hole, the Indian chipped home for eagle from 10 yards. He closed out his round in style by nearly holing out for eagle for an eventual tap-in birdie.

“It’s not a bad way at all (to finish). As soon as I hit it I knew I hit a good shot. I was also really happy with the birdie I made on 18. It was a very, very tough putt, almost two feet of break on that putt. On the first hole it’s just about hitting the right shot and positioning yourself. I couldn’t have hit it in a better place. I was just short of the green and had a very easy chip shot (for eagle),” he said.

“My tee shots  … most of them were in the fairway. You really need that to have to go low, especially on a course like this. It’s tree lined, it’s a very old style golf course, you don’t want to miss many fairways. So I was very happy with the way I drove the ball.  I was struggling with it on Monday and put in some work the last two days.  Was pretty happy with the way I drove the ball and I think that was the key.”

Sharma intends to keep his foot on the pedal despite being in his first WGC tournament which is featuring 45 of the world’s top-five players this week.

“To be honest, I’m actually relaxed now. I just wanted the first round to get out of the way.  You’re always very happy when you start with such a low round, especially for me.  This is such a big event, I would say this is taking some pressure off me, playing well on this course.  And I proved to myself that I can roll it, so I’ll just do the same things that I’ve been doing,” he said.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat carded a 66 for tied fifth  position while China’s Haotong Li  returned a 73. Malaysia’s Gavin Green, the reigning Asian Tour No. 1, shot a 78.

About the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championships

The World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship is regulated and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours and due to its great importance it annually attracts the top golfers from across the globe including those from the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include Dell Technologies Match Play (Austin, Texas, U.S.), Bridgestone Invitational (Akron, Ohio, U.S.) and HSBC Champions (Shanghai, China).

Dustin Johnson of the U.S. will be the defending champion when the Mexico Championship returns with a total purse of USD$10 million to Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City for its second year and as the second of four World Golf Championships of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season on February 28 – March 4, 2018.

For more information visit www.wgcmexico.com, as well as the tournament’s social media accounts @WGCMexico (in English with international scope) and @TVAztecaGolf (in Spanish with international and Latin American scopes).

Chiangmai, Thailand, March 29: Thailand’s smooth-swinger Prayad Marksaeng maintained his title charge at the inaugural US$750,000 Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT with a second round of five-under-par 67 to stretch his advantage to two shots on Friday.

The overnight leader, who is a six-time Asian Tour winner but has not won on the region’s premier tour since 2007, tightened his grip atop the leaderboard with his 12-under-par 132 total at the Alpine Golf Resort-Chiangmai.

A host of talented Asian Tour stars, including Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and Asia’s first Major champion Y.E. Yang of Korea, are hot on his heels. The Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT offers the highest Official World Golf Ranking points in Asia this week with 16 points for the winner.

Thongchai, who needs a win in Chiangmai to qualify for the Masters Tournament, shot a fabulous 65 to move to tied second place with American Jonathan Moore (68) and India’s Digvijay Singh, who birdied his last three holes for a 67.

Hu Mu, playing on a sponsor’s invitation, stayed in the title hunt with a solid 69 for tied fifth place, three behind Prayad.

The powerful Yang shot a 68 and will enter the weekend rounds four back while Ernie Els of South Africa, using a short putter for the first time in a long while, battled to a 71 for tied 41st place on 140.
Prayad, who stuck to the cross-handed putting grip which he changed midway through the first round, credited his fine form to his new irons and golf ball.

“I changed to a new golf ball and it seems to be giving me more distance. Last time I hit my driver to about 280 yards but now I’m hitting it 20 yards longer. I’m getting more distance and that’s good for my age,” said the 47-year-old Prayad.

Starting from the back nine, Prayad, who has won three titles on home soil this year including his national Open two weeks ago, bounced back from an early bogey on two with acurate irons shots and was rewarded with six birdies, which all came inside of 10 feet.

“I’m happy with how I played. My game, from my driver, irons and putting, were very good. I used the cross-handed grip again today. It seems to be working. I’ve been playing very good this year and I hope I can maintain my form,” added the smiling Thai.

Three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai produced some wonderful golf to put himself in position to win and break into the world’s top-50, which is required to earn an invitation to the Masters Tournament next month.

The former paratrooper birdied the third from close range and then holed out with a wedge for a stunning eagle three on the fourth hole which sparked his round. He added four more birdies on the back nine as he outshone playing partner Els.

“It is actually a good idea to keep thinking about the Masters Tournament,” said Thongchai, who is ranked 59th in the world. “

“I want to win this tournament. It is only the second round and I’m halfway there. I think I have a good chance because I’m only two shots away. If I can get another low round then I have a chance of winning,” add the Thai, who has 13 titles on the Asian Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season in 2013.

Moore, who graduated from the Asian Development Tour in 2011 and finished seventh on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit in 2012, said his carefree attitude on the course has given him a chance of landing a first Asian Tour title.

“A few things I’ve learned over the years, one of them is to send the ball on its way. I can’t make it go to a particular spot. Just envision that all I’m going to do is to hit it into the ocean instead of a small fairway. Just make that free swing and hit it into a big wide ocean. I think that’s helped a bit,” said Moore, who hit 10 fairways and 14 greens in regulation.

Singh was delighted to be feature on the leaderboard again, nearly a year after he claimed his breakthrough victory at the Panasonic Open India which he will defend the title next week.

“It has been a long time (being in contention). Since my win, I haven’t done much. It has been a bit of a flash in the pan kind of performance so far. I was trying too hard and trying to get too much out of my rounds,” said the 41-year-old.

Els struggled to a 71 to fall eight shots off the pace but still hopes to go low over the weekend. “It’s going to take a lot of work (to win). I’ll go out there with an aggressive mindset tomorrow and hope to get something going. I’ve not had a really low round all year and I would love to have a low round in the next two days. That’s what I’ll be aiming for. It’ll take a lot to win the tournament from where I am. I just want to get some momentum going through the weekend,” said the reigning British Open champion.

The halfway cut was set at two-under-par 142 with a total of 71 players making the weekend rounds.

Scores after round 2 of the Chiangmai Golf Classic being played at the par 72, 7471 Yards Alpine GR course (a- denotes amateur):
132 – Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 65-67.
134 – Jonathan MOORE (USA) 66-68, Digvijay SINGH (IND) 67-67, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 69-65.
135 – HU Mu (CHN) 66-69, Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA) 67-68, Bryce EASTON (RSA) 68-67, Matthew STIEGER (AUS) 68-67.
136 – Jason KNUTZON (USA) 67-69, Mithun PERERA (SRI) 70-66, SIDDIKUR (BAN) 69-67.
137 – YANG Y. E. (KOR) 69-68, Scott HEND (AUS) 68-69, MO Joong-kyung (KOR) 70-67, Atthaphon SRIBOONKAEW (THA) 72-65, Zaw MOE (MYN) 70-67.
138 – Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 71-67, David LIPSKY (USA) 69-69, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 71-67, BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 69-69, Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA) 68-70, KIM Seng-yong (KOR) 70-68, Himmat RAI (IND) 71-67, Anton HAIG (RSA) 72-66, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 66-72, Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 70-68, Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 68-70, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 70-68, Jake HIGGINBOTTOM (AUS) 70-68, Boonchu RUANGKIT (THA) 70-68, Jaakko MAKITALO (FIN) 72-66, Chris RODGERS (ENG) 72-66, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 68-70.
139 – Udorn DUANGDECHA (THA) 70-69, Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) 68-71, HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 70-69, Javi COLOMO (ESP) 74-65, Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 70-69, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 69-70, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 71-68.
140 – Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 70-70, Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 69-71, Adam GROOM (AUS) 68-72, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 70-70, Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 71-69, Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 71-69, Ernie ELS (RSA) 69-71, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-69, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-71, LAM Chih Bing (SIN) 73-67, Sam CYR (USA) 70-70, Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 71-69, LU Wen-teh (TPE) 74-66.

Ends.

About the Asian Tour
In 2013, the Asian Tour will celebrate a momentous milestone with its 10th season. 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 Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner), Canon (Official Imaging Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Saxo Capital Markets (Official Statistic Partner), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Srixon (Official Ball), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts) and Rolex (Official Timekeeper). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Also, visit us at www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com, www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf, www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf, www.youtube.com/theasiantour and www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf

About IMG
IMG Worldwide is a global sports, fashion and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in more than 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in India, China, Brazil and Turkey; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academy; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.

Mexico City, March 1: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat carded a superb five-under 66 for tied fifth position at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship on Thursday.

The big-hitting Kiradech produced six birdies against a lone bogey at the Club Golf de Chapultepec, thanks to a combination of solid ball striking and putting to trail first round leader Louis Oosthuizen by two strokes in the US$10 million showpiece.

“I kept it more on the greens and fairways, and had more opportunity to putt.  My golf game is in great shape,” said a delighted Kiradech.

Three weeks after lifting a fourth European Tour title in Perth, the world No. 40 is keen to keep his name up on the leaderboard as he bids to improve on his previous best WGC finish of T18 at the 2016 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

With the three-lined Chapultepec course being over 7,000 feet above sea level which results in golf balls flying further, Kiradech believes the key to his solid start was due to his ability to manage his distance control.

“This week is all about distance control. Then, the more greens you hit, you get more chances. Some hole you have to hit in the middle of the greens because it’s really difficult to adjust. When it’s hot, the ball travels farther and when it’s in the shade you can drop a couple yards,” said Kiradech, who averaged 1.65 putts per green in regulation.

The 28-year-old, who played in all four rounds at The Honda Classic on the PGA TOUR last week, is pushing hard for a top finish in Mexico to enhance his bid to earn his PGA TOUR card for the first time in his career.

About the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championships

The World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship is regulated and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours and due to its great importance it annually attracts the top golfers from across the globe including those from the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include Dell Technologies Match Play (Austin, Texas, U.S.), Bridgestone Invitational (Akron, Ohio, U.S.) and HSBC Champions (Shanghai, China).

Dustin Johnson of the U.S. will be the defending champion when the Mexico Championship returns with a total purse of USD$10 million to Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City for its second year and as the second of four World Golf Championships of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season on February 28 – March 4, 2018.

For more information visit www.wgcmexico.com, as well as the tournament’s social media accounts @WGCMexico (in English with international scope) and @TVAztecaGolf (in Spanish with international and Latin American scopes).

Gurugram, India, February 27: Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Thomas Bjorn, will become the first-ever current Ryder Cup captain to make an appearance when he tees off at the Hero Indian Open next week.

Bjorn, winner of 21 titles worldwide, and runner-up three times at Major tournaments, will be among the international star cast from over 30 countries at the US$1.75 million event.

The field includes six players from the World’s Top-100 who are all set to battle it out on the Gary Player layout of the DLF Golf and Country Club from March 8 to 11. The field includes a plethora of Order of Merit winners, past champions, Ryder Cup captains and a Major champion.

Interestingly, Bjorn will not be the only Ryder Cup captain in the field, as Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion, has also confirmed his presence.

Clarke led the European Ryder Cup team in 2016, while Bjorn will be at the helm for the 2018 Ryder Cup in France this year.

Meanwhile, as the 54th edition of the Hero Indian Open comes closer, many of the top players have shown excellent form in the run-up to the event.

One of the biggest draws in the event, Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, a teammate of India’s own Anirban Lahiri at the 2017 Presidents Cup, is coming fresh of a Top-10 finish last week on the PGA Tour. Both Grillo, a past winner on the PGA Tour, and Lahiri are flying in straight from the PGA National in Florida where they played last week.

Grillo, who was in the top-20 of three of the four Majors in 2016, is looking very strong once again in 2018. In the current wrap-around season, he already has two Top-10s on the PGA Tour, besides another tied-12th in Mexico.

Anirban Lahiri of India

India’s Lahiri is also coming off two top-10s in CIMB Classic and CJ Bridges Cup in addition to a tied-14th finish at Mayakoba, Mexico.

Even as the international players hold the spotlight, there will be considerable interest in India’s latest star, Shubhankar Sharma, who also features in his maiden World Golf Championships in Mexico this week. Shubhankar won two Asian Tour titles in the last four months, at the Joburg Open and the Maybank Championship.

The men in form on the European Tour, Joost Luiten, winner of the NBO Oman Open, and Chris Wood, who was second at the Oman event and tied-13th in Qatar Masters, alongside England’s ever-smiling and hugely popular, Andrew Johnston, tied-12th in Oman, are all looking forward to the event. Luiten was also tied-12th in Malaysia, where Shubhankar emerged champion.

 “I have heard so much about India and Indian golf that I can’t wait to get there,” said Andrew Johnston.

The Englishman, who has also had a stint on the PGA Tour, added: “I simply love Indian food and Shiv Kapur has promised to take me out for an Indian meal and I am looking forward to that. As for golf, Indians like S.S.P. (Chawrasia) and Shubhankar (Sharma) are doing so well, so it will be great to play in India.”

 Also looking forward to India is Chris Wood, whose six-foot-six-inch height will make for a great visual contrast as he stands alongside the reigning two-time Hero Indian Open winner diminutive S.S.P. Chawrasia. The two have played together often on European Tour and were also pitted against each other in the singles at the 2016 EurAsia Cup in Malaysia.

S.S.P. Chawrasia of India

On the Indian side, the virtual who’s who of Indian golf will be present and that includes the two players who have accounted for the last three Hero Indian Open titles – Anirban Lahiri in 2015 and Chawrasia in 2016 and 2017. Also present is Siddikur Rahman winner in 2013.

All the five Indian winners on 2017 Asian and European Tours, Shiv Kapur (three titles in 2017), Chawrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Shubhankar are present in the field.

The field also includes the last three winners of the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings – Gavin Green (2017), Scott Hend (2016) and Lahiri (2015).

Ends.

<

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Queenstown, New Zealand, March 1: Asian Tour member Jarin Todd of the United States enjoyed an encouraging start  by firing a nine-under-par 62 at the Millbrook Resort to share the first round honours with Japan’s Tatsuya Kodai and Australia’s Daniel Nisbet at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open on Thursday.  Todd’s 62 was the lowest […]

Queenstown, New Zealand, March 1: Asian Tour member Jarin Todd of the United States enjoyed an encouraging start  by firing a nine-under-par 62 at the Millbrook Resort to share the first round honours with Japan’s Tatsuya Kodai and Australia’s Daniel Nisbet at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open on Thursday. 

Todd’s 62 was the lowest score he has posted since turning professional 2010 and it gave him a one-shot lead over the Australian trio of Travis Smyth, Andrew Dodt and Andrew Martin. 

Dodt and Martin had earlier grabbed the clubhouse lead when they signed for matching 64s at the par-72 Hills course in the morning.

Thailand’s Poom Saksansin and Pavit Tangkamolprasert as well as recent Asian Tour winner Paul Peterson of the United States are among a host of players bunched in a share of 11th place, three shots off the lead. 

Todd, who is playing in New Zealand for the first time in his career this week, was quick to adapt to the playing conditions. Although he admitted he di not drive the ball well, the 31-year-old took advantage of his accurate short game to put himself in a commanding position.

Nisbet will meanwhile continue to adopt an aggressive approach as he seeks to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since his last professional win in Hong Kong in 2016.

Ends.

Did you know?

• Jarin Todd posted two top-10s at the Shinhan Donghae Open and Resorts World Manila Masters in 2017. He ended the year in 49th place on the Order of Merit.
• Todd went to the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He finished inside the top-40 twice in 2014 and 2017.
• Daniel Nisbet missed the cut at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open last year after rounds of 73 and 68.
• Andrew Dodt enjoyed a tied-sixth finish at the ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open last year and his last victory on the Asian Tour came at the True Thailand Classic in 2015.
• He finished runner-up to Robert Gates of the United States when The Hills last hosted the New Zealand Open in 2010.
• Andrew Martin’s best result at the New Zealand Open came in 2014 when he finished tied-eighth. He also enjoyed a tied-eighth result at the Indonesia Open on the Asian Tour last year.

Players’ Quotes:

Jarin Todd (Usa)

I didn’t drive it very good. I started on 10 and I almost made it on both par-three so that gave me some good momentum going into the back nine and I rolled in some putts. I got a little lucky on the par-five when I hit a bad drive but was able to make par. The conditions are perfect which is why there are so many low scores. I am looking forward to playing The Hills tomorrow. I had a blast in my practice round there on Tuesday. It should be fun.

The greens were really good. They are rolling great. I met Michael Glading in Indonesia and he was handing out flyers. I saw the pictures and it looked awesome. My ranking on the Asian Tour last year was good enough to let me in. The scores are going to be low again tomorrow unless we get some bad weather. I have to stay patient, keep the ball in play and have some good looks. When I hit bad shots I got some decent breaks and I hit some good shots too. My lowest tournament score is nine-under so I wanted to get to 10 today but didn’t quite. This is ideal scoring for us guys. The fairways are running but not too much. The greens are holding. If you play good shots you are going to get rewarded.

Daniel Nisbet (Aus)

It was a pretty solid day, just keeping bogeys off the card. It is always a goal to go bogey-free and then get a couple of close ones which were a bonus. The par-three 16th is usually my nemeses but I hit it into two inches today. It was nice to walk off that hole with a two and instead of a lot more than I usually do. It is a daunting hole. It is my first day to birdie it. It is a tough hole. Most days at The Hills it is usually a couple of club wind into that hole and it is a pretty tight little green. I had a couple of par-fives coming home and had two-putt birdies. In this weather a lot of the guys are going to tear this course up. The wind gives that course a lot of strength and there wasn’t any today. The course is in great condition, the greens are good so if you can knock it close it is easy to make birdies. Tomorrow is a fresh course, out nice and early. I am hitting the ball well off the tee. I am not being super-conservative, I am being a little more aggressive. I have been playing well the last few weeks so I thought I would go for a few more pins today.

Tatsuya Kodai (Jpn)

Today was a perfect round. Although I felt I could have finish even better. I enjoyed playing with this pro-am format. I’ll be playing at Millbrook tomorrow and I’m going to continue to aim for another low score. I’m going to be aggressive and attack the pins tomorrow.

Andrew Dodt (Aus)

It was a slow start, the conditions were a bit easy and I was only one under through 13 holes so I was starting to get a little anxious thinking I needed to start making some putts soon. I got a little hot from the 14th, birdied 14, 15, 16, driver three wood on 17 to 10 feet and birdied the last. Maybe I was trying to force it a little bit too much early, because you know that conditions are easy, you should be making birdies and when you’re not you try and force it a little bit. I just tried to relax and a little less was more, let it come to me rather than go and chase it and it clicked into gear on 14.

I hit probably four or five shots inside eight feet in the first nine holes and made one, so it could have been four or five under early on. I just stayed patient, tried to let go a bit and did that well on the back nine. It’s all playing well, it’s not going to get any easier than it is right now. You had to put the foot down today. The greens are pure, where you hit the putt that’s where it will stay. I haven’t been making the greatest starts, so I wanted to really make sure I did a good job of that today.

It’s nice to have three rounds in a row now at Millbrook. I played well here last year, I like both courses and I like New Zealand in general. It’s nice to get off to a good start, but I think conditions are supposed to stay the same for the rest of the week, so it’s foot down, make birdies. There’s an event on in South Africa this week but I like to try and play my minimum four on the Australasian tour, and being an Asian Tour event too, I like to cover my bases. It’s a great event, great scenery, great country. It’s a pretty easy decision to come here.

Andrew Martin (Aus)

All the boys give me a bit of grief about how well I play at The Hills. I just feel really comfortable on the course, everything suits my eye. It was a pretty stress free round for me, I know my lines and I was hitting good shots in to give myself lots of chances to drop a few putts.

Ends.

New Delhi, March 30: Promising graduates from the Asian Tour Qualifying School will be looking to stamp their mark when they tee off against the region’s top players at the Panasonic Open India next week. Korean-American Chan Kim, who topped the class at Qualifying School in January, will spearhead the rookies’ charge as they fight […]

New Delhi, March 30: Promising graduates from the Asian Tour Qualifying School will be looking to stamp their mark when they tee off against the region’s top players at the Panasonic Open India next week.

Korean-American Chan Kim, who topped the class at Qualifying School in January, will spearhead the rookies’ charge as they fight for glory at the US$300,000 Asian Tour full-field event from April 4-7.

“Earning my Asian Tour card at Qualifying School has opened many doors for me. It has given my career a huge boost and I’m very thankful for the opportunities given. Now it’s time to prove myself against the big boys,” said Chan, who will be playing in his fifth tournament at the Delhi Golf Club.

“There are a lot of good players from other countries and if you’re not on top of your game every week, it’s going to be tough to win a tournament out here. I’m just trying to prepare the best that I can,” he added.

A return to the venerable Delhi Golf Club will provide a boost for Chan as he contended at the venue during the SAIL-SBI Open earlier this month before finishing tied eighth.

France’s Lionel Weber is another promising graduate in the Panasonic Open India field as he prepares to take on home favourites Jeev Milkha Singh, Anirban Lahiri, who won his third Asian Tour title at Delhi Golf Club earlier this month and Gaganjeet Bhullar, who finished second at the co-sanctioned Avantha Masters a fortnight ago.

The highly-rated Frenchman is among a cosmopolitan of international stars from over 30 different nationalities playing on the Asian Tour this season.

Weber, who finished tied-seventh at the Asian Tour’s season-opening event in Myanmar, is looking forward to carrying his good form on the region’s premier Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season in 2013.

“I’m happy to be able to play on the Asian Tour. I’m glad that I managed to earn my Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School. It is a brand new life for me ever since and I really hope to do well,” said the 22-year-old.

Other Asian Tour graduates expected to feature strongly at the Panasonic Open India include Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang, Richard Lee of Canada, Thomas Petersson of Sweden, Steve Lewton of England and David Lutterus of Australia.

The Panasonic Open India will also welcome the return of defending champion Digvijay Singh, who ended a 12-year barren run when he claimed his maiden Asian Tour victory last year. Two-time Asian Tour number one Jeev Milkha Singh will make his debut in the Panasonic Open India.

Other top contenders include Australia’s Kirean Pratt, Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera and Bangladeshi Siddikur, who finished third at the SAIL-SBI Open this month.

The top-three players at the Panasonic Open India will be extended invitations to the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation, in Osaka, Japan in September.

The Panasonic Open India will be beamed live throughout four days on the Asian Tour Media’s global television platform which reaches over 200 countries and 650 million homes.

About the Panasonic Open India 2013
The Panasonic Open India, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), will return for its third edition from April 4 to April 7. Local hero Digvijay Singh will defend the title at the US$300,000 event held at the Delhi Golf Club. The Asian Tour event will be title sponsored by Panasonic India Pte Ltd and supported by Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism and the Government of India. The Tournament will be played once again at the Host Venue Delhi Golf Club. Other sponsors include. Homestead (Platinum Sponsor) Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla (Official Hotel), Bentbrass (Official Apparel), Srixon (Official Ball), 4moles.com (Digital Media sponsor), GolfPlus Monthly (Magazine sponsor) and Inetol Headwear.
The tournament is organized and promoted by the Asian Tour. Get the latest news and tournament information on www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com and www.4moles.com. You can also follow us on www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf and www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf

About Panasonic India
Panasonic makes available in India its wide range of consumer electronics and home appliances like LCD & Plasma TVs, DVD players, home theatre systems, cameras, camcorders, car audio systems, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, automatic cookers, vacuum cleaners and the like. The Company has a workforce of about 12,650 in India and estimated to do a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore in FY 2012. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand in India, please visit http://panasonic.co.in.

About the Asian Tour
In 2013, the Asian Tour will celebrate a momentous milestone with its 10th season. 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 Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner), Canon (Official Imaging Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Saxo Capital Markets (Official Statistics Partner), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Srixon (Official Ball), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts) and Rolex (Official Timekeeper). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Also, visit us at www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com, www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf, www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf, www.youtube.com/theasiantour and www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf

March 30: The big-hitting Anton Haig of South Africa signalled his return to Asia by leading the Driving Distance category with an average of 339 yards off the tees.Huang Tao of Chinese Taipei is second with drives of 323 yards while Chase Wright of the United States is three yards back.Haig, a two-time winner on […]

March 30: The big-hitting Anton Haig of South Africa signalled his return to Asia by leading the Driving Distance category with an average of 339 yards off the tees.
Huang Tao of Chinese Taipei is second with drives of 323 yards while Chase Wright of the United States is three yards back.
Haig, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, is ahead of Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium, who is leading in the same category on the European Tour and PGA Tour with drives of 318.3 yards and 307.2 yards respectively.
Korea’s Lee Sung, who was born deaf, is currently the straightest hitter on the Asian Tour after finding 84% of fairways. Indians Harmeet Kahlon is second with an accuracy rate of 80% followed by countryman Gaganjeet Bhullar, a four-time Asian Tour winner, on 79%.
On the European Tour Adilson Da Silva of Brazil, also an Asian Tour member, leads the category on 82.7% while Jeff Maggert is ahead in the category with 73.04% on the PGA Tour.
Sung Mao-chang of Chinese Taipei and Michael Tran of Vietname are tied in the Greens in Regulation category with a strike rate of 83% followed by upcoming Chinese player Hu Mu on 82%.
Sung and Tran have a slight advantage of Justin Rose of England, who leads in Europe on 80.8%. Brandt Snedeker tops the group on the PGA Tour on 74.07%.

The secret to Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s success this season lies in his stroke average. He leads the Lowest Stroke Average category with scoring of 67.82. Hwang In-choon (68.25) of Korea and Liang Wen-chong (68.57) of China are placed second and third respectively.
Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa is in prime position on the European Tour with a 69.4 stroke average.
Meanwhile Daniel Chopra of Sweden has an average of 27.3 putts a round to lead the Putting Average category. He is trailed closely by two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Jeev Milkha Singh of India (26.6) and Liang Wen-chong of China (27.1)
Marcus Fraser of Australia, who won the same category on the Asian Tour last season, currently leads on the European Tour with an average of 27.8 putts.
In the Birdie Leader category, Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea has notched a total of 68 birdies which was matched by Berry Henson of the United States.
Ends.

Mexico City, March 1: India’s Shubhankar Sharma savored a dream debut at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship with an opening six-under 65 pushing him into tied second place and one shot behind leader Louis Oosthuizen on Thursday. The 21-year-old, playing in the last group alongside Malaysia’s Gavin Green, was beaming from ear to ear after […]

Mexico City, March 1: India’s Shubhankar Sharma savored a dream debut at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship with an opening six-under 65 pushing him into tied second place and one shot behind leader Louis Oosthuizen on Thursday.

The 21-year-old, playing in the last group alongside Malaysia’s Gavin Green, was beaming from ear to ear after keeping the bogeys of the card which included an eagle and four birdies at the Club Golf de Chapultepec.

“I’m really pleased with the way I played. I was very nervous in the morning, but very happy with the way I put it all together. Even after the rain (lightning) delay that we had, just to make birdie on the last hole (on nine), absolutely fantastic,” said a delighted Sharma.

The young Indian prospect arrived in Mexico City in top form, having won co-sanctioned Asian Tour and European Tour tournaments in South Africa and Malaysia over a span of two months.

Despite missing the cut by one stroke in Oman and Qatar over the past fortnight, Sharma produced a flawless display which his caddie Gurbaaz Mann, a former Asian Tour player himself, described as “complete”.

Starting his day from the 10th tee, Sharma birdied 11 and 12 from 13 and two feet respectively before rolling in a tricky 15-footer for his third birdie on 18. After finding the fringe at the driveable first hole, the Indian chipped home for eagle from 10 yards. He closed out his round in style by nearly holing out for eagle for an eventual tap-in birdie.

“It’s not a bad way at all (to finish). As soon as I hit it I knew I hit a good shot. I was also really happy with the birdie I made on 18. It was a very, very tough putt, almost two feet of break on that putt. On the first hole it’s just about hitting the right shot and positioning yourself. I couldn’t have hit it in a better place. I was just short of the green and had a very easy chip shot (for eagle),” he said.

“My tee shots  … most of them were in the fairway. You really need that to have to go low, especially on a course like this. It’s tree lined, it’s a very old style golf course, you don’t want to miss many fairways. So I was very happy with the way I drove the ball.  I was struggling with it on Monday and put in some work the last two days.  Was pretty happy with the way I drove the ball and I think that was the key.”

Sharma intends to keep his foot on the pedal despite being in his first WGC tournament which is featuring 45 of the world’s top-five players this week.

“To be honest, I’m actually relaxed now. I just wanted the first round to get out of the way.  You’re always very happy when you start with such a low round, especially for me.  This is such a big event, I would say this is taking some pressure off me, playing well on this course.  And I proved to myself that I can roll it, so I’ll just do the same things that I’ve been doing,” he said.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat carded a 66 for tied fifth  position while China’s Haotong Li  returned a 73. Malaysia’s Gavin Green, the reigning Asian Tour No. 1, shot a 78.

About the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championships

The World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship is regulated and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours and due to its great importance it annually attracts the top golfers from across the globe including those from the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include Dell Technologies Match Play (Austin, Texas, U.S.), Bridgestone Invitational (Akron, Ohio, U.S.) and HSBC Champions (Shanghai, China).

Dustin Johnson of the U.S. will be the defending champion when the Mexico Championship returns with a total purse of USD$10 million to Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City for its second year and as the second of four World Golf Championships of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season on February 28 – March 4, 2018.

For more information visit www.wgcmexico.com, as well as the tournament’s social media accounts @WGCMexico (in English with international scope) and @TVAztecaGolf (in Spanish with international and Latin American scopes).

 

Chiangmai, Thailand, March 29: Thailand’s smooth-swinger Prayad Marksaeng maintained his title charge at the inaugural US$750,000 Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT with a second round of five-under-par 67 to stretch his advantage to two shots on Friday. The overnight leader, who is a six-time Asian Tour winner but has not won on the region’s […]

Chiangmai, Thailand, March 29: Thailand’s smooth-swinger Prayad Marksaeng maintained his title charge at the inaugural US$750,000 Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT with a second round of five-under-par 67 to stretch his advantage to two shots on Friday.

The overnight leader, who is a six-time Asian Tour winner but has not won on the region’s premier tour since 2007, tightened his grip atop the leaderboard with his 12-under-par 132 total at the Alpine Golf Resort-Chiangmai.

A host of talented Asian Tour stars, including Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and Asia’s first Major champion Y.E. Yang of Korea, are hot on his heels. The Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT offers the highest Official World Golf Ranking points in Asia this week with 16 points for the winner.

Thongchai, who needs a win in Chiangmai to qualify for the Masters Tournament, shot a fabulous 65 to move to tied second place with American Jonathan Moore (68) and India’s Digvijay Singh, who birdied his last three holes for a 67.

Hu Mu, playing on a sponsor’s invitation, stayed in the title hunt with a solid 69 for tied fifth place, three behind Prayad.

The powerful Yang shot a 68 and will enter the weekend rounds four back while Ernie Els of South Africa, using a short putter for the first time in a long while, battled to a 71 for tied 41st place on 140.
Prayad, who stuck to the cross-handed putting grip which he changed midway through the first round, credited his fine form to his new irons and golf ball.

“I changed to a new golf ball and it seems to be giving me more distance. Last time I hit my driver to about 280 yards but now I’m hitting it 20 yards longer. I’m getting more distance and that’s good for my age,” said the 47-year-old Prayad.

Starting from the back nine, Prayad, who has won three titles on home soil this year including his national Open two weeks ago, bounced back from an early bogey on two with acurate irons shots and was rewarded with six birdies, which all came inside of 10 feet.

“I’m happy with how I played. My game, from my driver, irons and putting, were very good. I used the cross-handed grip again today. It seems to be working. I’ve been playing very good this year and I hope I can maintain my form,” added the smiling Thai.

Three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai produced some wonderful golf to put himself in position to win and break into the world’s top-50, which is required to earn an invitation to the Masters Tournament next month.

The former paratrooper birdied the third from close range and then holed out with a wedge for a stunning eagle three on the fourth hole which sparked his round. He added four more birdies on the back nine as he outshone playing partner Els.

“It is actually a good idea to keep thinking about the Masters Tournament,” said Thongchai, who is ranked 59th in the world. “

“I want to win this tournament. It is only the second round and I’m halfway there. I think I have a good chance because I’m only two shots away. If I can get another low round then I have a chance of winning,” add the Thai, who has 13 titles on the Asian Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season in 2013.

Moore, who graduated from the Asian Development Tour in 2011 and finished seventh on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit in 2012, said his carefree attitude on the course has given him a chance of landing a first Asian Tour title.

“A few things I’ve learned over the years, one of them is to send the ball on its way. I can’t make it go to a particular spot. Just envision that all I’m going to do is to hit it into the ocean instead of a small fairway. Just make that free swing and hit it into a big wide ocean. I think that’s helped a bit,” said Moore, who hit 10 fairways and 14 greens in regulation.

Singh was delighted to be feature on the leaderboard again, nearly a year after he claimed his breakthrough victory at the Panasonic Open India which he will defend the title next week.

“It has been a long time (being in contention). Since my win, I haven’t done much. It has been a bit of a flash in the pan kind of performance so far. I was trying too hard and trying to get too much out of my rounds,” said the 41-year-old.

Els struggled to a 71 to fall eight shots off the pace but still hopes to go low over the weekend. “It’s going to take a lot of work (to win). I’ll go out there with an aggressive mindset tomorrow and hope to get something going. I’ve not had a really low round all year and I would love to have a low round in the next two days. That’s what I’ll be aiming for. It’ll take a lot to win the tournament from where I am. I just want to get some momentum going through the weekend,” said the reigning British Open champion.

The halfway cut was set at two-under-par 142 with a total of 71 players making the weekend rounds.

Scores after round 2 of the Chiangmai Golf Classic being played at the par 72, 7471 Yards Alpine GR course (a- denotes amateur):
132 – Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 65-67.
134 – Jonathan MOORE (USA) 66-68, Digvijay SINGH (IND) 67-67, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 69-65.
135 – HU Mu (CHN) 66-69, Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA) 67-68, Bryce EASTON (RSA) 68-67, Matthew STIEGER (AUS) 68-67.
136 – Jason KNUTZON (USA) 67-69, Mithun PERERA (SRI) 70-66, SIDDIKUR (BAN) 69-67.
137 – YANG Y. E. (KOR) 69-68, Scott HEND (AUS) 68-69, MO Joong-kyung (KOR) 70-67, Atthaphon SRIBOONKAEW (THA) 72-65, Zaw MOE (MYN) 70-67.
138 – Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) 71-67, David LIPSKY (USA) 69-69, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 71-67, BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 69-69, Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA) 68-70, KIM Seng-yong (KOR) 70-68, Himmat RAI (IND) 71-67, Anton HAIG (RSA) 72-66, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 66-72, Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 70-68, Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 68-70, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 70-68, Jake HIGGINBOTTOM (AUS) 70-68, Boonchu RUANGKIT (THA) 70-68, Jaakko MAKITALO (FIN) 72-66, Chris RODGERS (ENG) 72-66, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 68-70.
139 – Udorn DUANGDECHA (THA) 70-69, Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) 68-71, HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 70-69, Javi COLOMO (ESP) 74-65, Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 70-69, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 69-70, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 71-68.
140 – Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 70-70, Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 69-71, Adam GROOM (AUS) 68-72, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 70-70, Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 71-69, Jbe KRUGER (RSA) 71-69, Ernie ELS (RSA) 69-71, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-69, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-71, LAM Chih Bing (SIN) 73-67, Sam CYR (USA) 70-70, Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 71-69, LU Wen-teh (TPE) 74-66.

Ends.

About the Asian Tour
In 2013, the Asian Tour will celebrate a momentous milestone with its 10th season. 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 Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner), Canon (Official Imaging Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Saxo Capital Markets (Official Statistic Partner), Singha Beer (Official Beer), Srixon (Official Ball), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts) and Rolex (Official Timekeeper). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Also, visit us at www.wp-asiantour.ocs-sport.com, www.facebook.com/asiantourgolf, www.twitter.com/asiantourgolf, www.youtube.com/theasiantour and www.weibo.com/asiantourgolf

About IMG
IMG Worldwide is a global sports, fashion and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in more than 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in India, China, Brazil and Turkey; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academy; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.

Mexico City, March 1: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat carded a superb five-under 66 for tied fifth position at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship on Thursday. The big-hitting Kiradech produced six birdies against a lone bogey at the Club Golf de Chapultepec, thanks to a combination of solid ball striking and putting to trail first round leader […]

Mexico City, March 1: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat carded a superb five-under 66 for tied fifth position at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship on Thursday.

The big-hitting Kiradech produced six birdies against a lone bogey at the Club Golf de Chapultepec, thanks to a combination of solid ball striking and putting to trail first round leader Louis Oosthuizen by two strokes in the US$10 million showpiece.

“I kept it more on the greens and fairways, and had more opportunity to putt.  My golf game is in great shape,” said a delighted Kiradech.

Three weeks after lifting a fourth European Tour title in Perth, the world No. 40 is keen to keep his name up on the leaderboard as he bids to improve on his previous best WGC finish of T18 at the 2016 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

With the three-lined Chapultepec course being over 7,000 feet above sea level which results in golf balls flying further, Kiradech believes the key to his solid start was due to his ability to manage his distance control.

“This week is all about distance control. Then, the more greens you hit, you get more chances. Some hole you have to hit in the middle of the greens because it’s really difficult to adjust. When it’s hot, the ball travels farther and when it’s in the shade you can drop a couple yards,” said Kiradech, who averaged 1.65 putts per green in regulation.

The 28-year-old, who played in all four rounds at The Honda Classic on the PGA TOUR last week, is pushing hard for a top finish in Mexico to enhance his bid to earn his PGA TOUR card for the first time in his career.

About the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championships

The World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship is regulated and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours and due to its great importance it annually attracts the top golfers from across the globe including those from the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include Dell Technologies Match Play (Austin, Texas, U.S.), Bridgestone Invitational (Akron, Ohio, U.S.) and HSBC Champions (Shanghai, China).

Dustin Johnson of the U.S. will be the defending champion when the Mexico Championship returns with a total purse of USD$10 million to Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City for its second year and as the second of four World Golf Championships of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season on February 28 – March 4, 2018.

For more information visit www.wgcmexico.com, as well as the tournament’s social media accounts @WGCMexico (in English with international scope) and @TVAztecaGolf (in Spanish with international and Latin American scopes).

Gurugram, India, February 27: Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Thomas Bjorn, will become the first-ever current Ryder Cup captain to make an appearance when he tees off at the Hero Indian Open next week. Bjorn, winner of 21 titles worldwide, and runner-up three times at Major tournaments, will be among the international star cast from over […]

Gurugram, India, February 27: Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Thomas Bjorn, will become the first-ever current Ryder Cup captain to make an appearance when he tees off at the Hero Indian Open next week.

Bjorn, winner of 21 titles worldwide, and runner-up three times at Major tournaments, will be among the international star cast from over 30 countries at the US$1.75 million event.

The field includes six players from the World’s Top-100 who are all set to battle it out on the Gary Player layout of the DLF Golf and Country Club from March 8 to 11. The field includes a plethora of Order of Merit winners, past champions, Ryder Cup captains and a Major champion.

Interestingly, Bjorn will not be the only Ryder Cup captain in the field, as Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion, has also confirmed his presence.

Clarke led the European Ryder Cup team in 2016, while Bjorn will be at the helm for the 2018 Ryder Cup in France this year.

Meanwhile, as the 54th edition of the Hero Indian Open comes closer, many of the top players have shown excellent form in the run-up to the event.

One of the biggest draws in the event, Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, a teammate of India’s own Anirban Lahiri at the 2017 Presidents Cup, is coming fresh of a Top-10 finish last week on the PGA Tour. Both Grillo, a past winner on the PGA Tour, and Lahiri are flying in straight from the PGA National in Florida where they played last week.

Grillo, who was in the top-20 of three of the four Majors in 2016, is looking very strong once again in 2018. In the current wrap-around season, he already has two Top-10s on the PGA Tour, besides another tied-12th in Mexico.

Anirban Lahiri of India

India’s Lahiri is also coming off two top-10s in CIMB Classic and CJ Bridges Cup in addition to a tied-14th finish at Mayakoba, Mexico.

Even as the international players hold the spotlight, there will be considerable interest in India’s latest star, Shubhankar Sharma, who also features in his maiden World Golf Championships in Mexico this week. Shubhankar won two Asian Tour titles in the last four months, at the Joburg Open and the Maybank Championship.

The men in form on the European Tour, Joost Luiten, winner of the NBO Oman Open, and Chris Wood, who was second at the Oman event and tied-13th in Qatar Masters, alongside England’s ever-smiling and hugely popular, Andrew Johnston, tied-12th in Oman, are all looking forward to the event. Luiten was also tied-12th in Malaysia, where Shubhankar emerged champion.

 “I have heard so much about India and Indian golf that I can’t wait to get there,” said Andrew Johnston.

The Englishman, who has also had a stint on the PGA Tour, added: “I simply love Indian food and Shiv Kapur has promised to take me out for an Indian meal and I am looking forward to that. As for golf, Indians like S.S.P. (Chawrasia) and Shubhankar (Sharma) are doing so well, so it will be great to play in India.”

 Also looking forward to India is Chris Wood, whose six-foot-six-inch height will make for a great visual contrast as he stands alongside the reigning two-time Hero Indian Open winner diminutive S.S.P. Chawrasia. The two have played together often on European Tour and were also pitted against each other in the singles at the 2016 EurAsia Cup in Malaysia.

S.S.P. Chawrasia of India

On the Indian side, the virtual who’s who of Indian golf will be present and that includes the two players who have accounted for the last three Hero Indian Open titles – Anirban Lahiri in 2015 and Chawrasia in 2016 and 2017. Also present is Siddikur Rahman winner in 2013.

All the five Indian winners on 2017 Asian and European Tours, Shiv Kapur (three titles in 2017), Chawrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Shubhankar are present in the field.

The field also includes the last three winners of the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings – Gavin Green (2017), Scott Hend (2016) and Lahiri (2015).

Ends.

  ASIAN TOUR   CAT. 1 ORDER OF MERIT WINNERS CTRY 1 SCOTT HEND AUS       CAT. 4 A TOURNAMENT WINNERS   2 PAUL PETERSON USA 3 PANUPHOL PITTAYARAT THA 4 POOM SAKSANSIN THA 5 TODD SINNOTT AUS 6 PAVIT TANGKAMOLPRASERT THA 7 MARCUS FRASER AUS       CAT. 6 SPONSOR INVITES […]

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