Caption: (l-r) Masanori Kobayashi, Shota Akiyoshi, Michael Hendry and Masahiro Kawamura qualified for The 147th Open at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open at the Royal Golf Club in Japan.

Japan, May 28: Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura successfully earned his place at The 147th Open after closing with a one-under-par 71 to finish in tied-second place at the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open held on home soil on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Kawamura, a one-time Asian Tour winner in 2013, ended his campaign one shot back of winner and compatriot Shota Akiyoshi on even-par 288 total to grab one of the four tickets on offer at The Royal Golf Club.

Kawamura will be making his debut at The Open, which gets underway at the Carnoustie Golf Links from July 19 to 22. It will be his second appearance in a Major championship since qualifying for the US Open through a sectional qualifier in Japan three years ago.

“To have earned a place in The Open is fantastic and I am very excited to be playing in the Championship” said Kawamura. “It will be my first visit to Scotland and I am looking forward to the challenge of playing Carnoustie,” he added.

“I am a little disappointed not to have won the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open but to have earned a place in The Open is fantastic and I am very excited to be playing in the Championship,” said Kawamura.

“It will be my first visit to Scotland and I am looking forward to the challenge of playing Carnoustie for the first time. I know that links golf is very different so I will speak to my friends in the UK to get some advice. The way in which the course was set up this week will give me good experience in preparation for playing Carnoustie,” he added.

Sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), the Mizuno Open is the fourth event in The Open Qualifying Series. The leading four players in the top-12 and ties, who were not already exempt, earned The Open berths this July.

New Zealander Michael Hendry and Japan’s Masanori Kobayashi, a one-time Asian Tour winner, also earned coveted spots at The Open after carding respective rounds of 74 and 71 to finish joint runner-ups at The Mizuno Open.

Indian hotshot Shubhankar Sharma, who leads the current Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, will be making his maiden appearance at Golf’s oldest Major this July.

He earned his ticket after claiming his breakthrough victory at the Joburg Open, which was the second tournament of The Open Qualifying Series, last December.

Asian Tour winners Jazz Janewattananond and Danthai Boonma of Thailand secured their dream debut at the year’s second Major championship after finishing tied-fourth at the SMBC Singapore Open in January.

Reigning Order of Merit champion Gavin Green of Malaysia and Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat are also set to tee up for The Open in two months’ time.

The upcoming Kolon Korean Open, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korean Golf Association, will be part of The Open Qualifying Series.

Two spots will be awarded to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) finishing in the top-eight and ties in the event, which will take place at the Woo Jeong Hills from June 21 to 24.

Ends.

Sentosa, Singapore, May 25: Thai star  Kiradech Aphibarnrat carded an  opening four-under-par 68 to trail by three shots in tied-eighth position at the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship on Thursday.

Kiradech, the highest-ranked Thai player in the world, enjoyed a superb run with seven birdies in 16 holes  but was left to rue a disappointing finish as he closed with a double-bogey on 17 and a bogey on 18 at the Wentworth Club.

Fellow Thai star Thongchai Jaidee  and Japan’s Hideto Tanihara were among those bunched in tied-14th position following matching 69s, four shots back of Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, who led by one shot with a 65. 

American David Lispky, who was crowned the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2014, carded a 70 to tie in 29th place while Soomin Lee of Korea sits a further shot back in tied-41st position. Reigning Merit champion Gavin Green of Malaysia and England’s Matt Wallace posted identical 72s to grab a share of 57th place.

Over at the Fort Worth Invitational in the United States, India’s Anirban Lahiri opened with a three-under-par 67 to tie in 19th place, five shots behind leader Kevin Na of the United States.

Lahiri, Asia’s number one in 2015, marked his card with five birdies against two bogeys at the PGA Tour event held at Colonial Golf Course while  compatriot Shubhankar Sharma, who leads the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, signed for a 73.

Ends.

Sentosa, Singapore, June 23: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is the highest-ranked Asian Tour member at 31st place on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) that was released on Monday.

Kiradech, a former Asian Tour number one, achieved his personal best of 29th place in the world after finishing tied-fifth at the WGC-Dell Technologies in March. Despite dropping two positions, the Thai is still safely inside the top-50 in the world.

A total of 16 Asian Tour members are also ranked inside the top-200 on the OWGR. Japan’s Yuta Ikeda, the only EurAsia Cup member that was undefeated in Team Asia, sits in 71st place while India’s Shubhankar Sharma is placed 74th.

Shubhankar Sharma of India

Sharma is currently the highest ranked Indian in the world and he enjoyed a big jump in rankings following his win at the Maybank Championship in February. He was ranked 202nd place at the end of 2017 after winning the Joburg Open in South Africa.

The other Asian Tour members in the top-200 include Hideto Tanihara (101st), Anirban Lahiri (104th), Shaun Norris (109th), Paul Peterson (137th), Jeunghun Wang (148th), Gaganjeet Bhullar (160th), Younghan Song (161st ), Sanghyun Park (166th), Jazz Janewattananond (174th), David Lipsky (178th), Gavin Green (186th), Ajeetesh Sandhu (192nd), Phachara Khongwatmai (198th).

The biggest mover last week on the Asian Tour was American John Catlin who moved to 207th place following his win at the Asia-Pacific Open in China last week. Prior to the win, he was ranked 507th at the end of 2017.

Ends.

Sentosa, Singapore, May 22: Here’s what the Asia-Pacific Classic winner, John Catlin, had in his bag.

Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) 10.5*         Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 75 TX

Fairway1: TaylorMade M2 (2017) 16.5*     Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 75 TX

Hb/Ut1: Srixon Z U65 20*                       Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD UT 85 X

Irons: Srixon Z 965 (4-9)                         Shaft: TrueTemper Dynamic Gold SL

Wedge1: Cleveland RTX-3 46*

Wedge2: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 52*

Wedge3: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 58*

Wedge4: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 64*

Putter: Odyssey O Works Black 1

Ball: Srixon Z STAR —>

Shoe: FootJoy

Cap: Srixon

Bag: Srixon

Glove: Srixon

Note: No 3 Iron

Sentosa, Singapore, May 22: With twenty years on the Asian Tour and now even a member of the Asian Tour commentary team, it’s fair to say golf on the continent has played a big part in Anthony Kang’s life.

But how do you go from sitting in your hotel room, close to tears about the state of your golf game to winning the biggest tournament of your career? American player Anthony Kang takes us on the journey of an incredible week at the start of 2009 that took him from a fairly successful Asian Tour player to a European Tour champion.

Golf is a business for Kang where every shot is calculated by the dollar, a golfer whose parents never saw him hit a shot in his pro career. In this latest podcast Kang shares what went through his mind during the most important 18 holes of his career.

Sentosa, Singapore, May 21: The Asian Development Tour (ADT) is the breeding ground for champions, and American John Catlin would be one of the first to endorse it following his breakthrough win at the US$300,000 Asia-Pacific Classic on Sunday.

The 27-year-old mustered all his ADT experience to power his way to victory at the Asian Tour’s second event in China this season.

“This victory validates all the hard work that I’ve put in since missing the cut in Manila in 2016. I was finally fed up with not giving it my all. That weekend I spent eight hours a day working on my game and ended up winning two weeks later. Winning on the ADT is nice, but the main Tour is a step up and as we all know, this is the main Tour on the continent,” said Catlin, who is based in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Catlin, who hails from Sacramento, California, saw the potential in ADT as a platform for emerging stars in Asia. After a mediocre rookie season on the Asian Tour, his turning point in his career finally came towards the end of 2016 where he savoured his maiden ADT victory at the Combiphar Golf Invitational.

He found his groove eventually in 2017, making it his best season yet, with six top-10 finishes and another ADT win in Malaysia, to come in third on the ADT Merit rankings and earned his Asian Tour card for the 2018 season.

Catlin admitted he felt intimated by the field during his first start on the Asian Tour in New Zealand this season where he missed the cut. However, he stayed patient and continued to build up this winning momentum on the ADT in the following weeks with three top-10 finishes before stepping back onto the bigger stage to finish tied-eighth in Korea and finally securing his Asian Tour breakthrough in China.

The determined American has already set bigger goals for himself after earning his well-deserved place in the winner’s category that has given him a one-year exemption on the Asian Tour.

“Knowing that I can compete and win at this level gives me a lot of confidence going forward. In fact, my next aim is to get into the "Multiple Winners" category. The Habitat for Humanity Standings is also an aim for me. Shubhankar (Sharma) has a pretty huge lead, but we’re getting into some big money events so, anything can happen,” said the American.

His breakthrough victory catapulted him into 20th place from 43rd place on the Habitat for Humanity standings after his winner’s purse of $US 54,000 which led him to accumulate a season’s haul of $US 95,718.

Runner-ups Natipong Srithong of Thailand and Australia’s Adam Blyth moves to 42nd place and 62nd place respectively after their commendable finishes.

Japan’s Shohei Hasegawa who came through the Asian Tour Qualifying school this year and has already won a maiden ADT victory, moved up 66 spots to 76th place with his third-place finish in what was his third start on the premier tour this year.

The top-10 positions remained unchanged, with India’s Shubhankar Sharma still in the lead at US$ 589,575 while England’s Matt Wallace and India’s Rahil Gangjee take second and third place respectively, as the Asian Tour heads to Thailand for the Thailand Open in a fortnight.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos      Player Order of Merit  (US$)

1            Shubhankar SHARMA (IND) $589,575.00

2            Matt WALLACE (ENG) $446,660.00

3            Rahil GANGJEE (IND) $283,018.87

4            Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) $265,573.14

5            Sihwan KIM (USA) $226,710.14

6            Paul PETERSON (USA) $215,758.57

7            Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $187,124.00

8            Daniel NISBET (AUS) $150,863.64

9            Scott VINCENT (ZIM) $145,208.76

10          Berry HENSON (USA) $140,613.57

11          Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) $131,214.35

12          Hideto TANIHARA (JPN) $123,306.08

13          Shaun NORRIS (RSA) $118,284.91

14          Khalin JOSHI (IND) $111,140.00

15          Yikeun CHANG (KOR) $110,826.17

16          Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $108,596.69

17          Terry PILKADARIS (AUS) $105,907.84

18          Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $104,947.17

19          Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $99,480.65

20          John CATLIN (USA) $95,718.60

Ends.

Henan, China, May 20: American John Catlin won his maiden Asian Tour title after carding a final-round three-under-par 69 to win the US$300,000 Asia-Pacific Classic on Sunday.

The 27-year-old had a nervy start as he dropped two shots on his opening nine holes. However, he recovered when it mattered most, scoring birdies on holes 11, 13 and 14 before holding on for his maiden Asian Tour victory on a 16-under-par 272 total at the St Andrews Golf Club in Henan, China.

Catlin, a two-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner who has earned his Asian Tour card by finishing third on the ADT merit list, took home a winner’s purse of US$54,000. He has risen from 44th to 20th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.

Natipong Srithong of Thailand

Thailand’s Natipong Srithong (66) and Australia’s Adam Blyth (70) share second place, two shots behind Catlin. Natipong shot six birdies during his flawless round, but it was a case of too little, too late. Blyth rued his bogey at the 10th, which took away his momentum in his chase for the title.

Shohei Hasegawa of Japan finished in lone fourth after carding a 69. Andrew Martin of Australia and Miguel Carballo of Argentina share fifth place, while Canada’s Justin Shin was a further shot behind in lone seventh place.

Huang Wenyi flew the flag for China, as he ended his tournament with a 71 for a 279 total. He finished in tied-eighth along with Australia’s Josh Younger. 

The Asia Pacific Classic is the Asian Tour’s second stop in China this season. The tournament is part of the Asian Tour’s strategic partnership with the China Golf Association where the goal is to grow and develop professional golf in the region.  

Did you know:

• John Catlin entered the Asia-Pacific Classic ranked 278th on the Official World Golf Ranking list. His best position ever is 277th and he looks set to go even higher after earning 10 World Ranking points from this win in China.
• Catlin becomes the eighth player following Sweden’s Malcolm Kokocinski, American Berry Henson, Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei, Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Poom Saksansin, as well as Malaysian duo Gavin Green and Nicholas Fung, to win on the Asian Tour after enjoying successes on the ADT, which was inaugurated as the gateway to the Asian Tour in 2010.
• He hit 36 out of 56 fairways, 54 out of 72 greens in regulation and took 28.25 putts per round this week.
• Catlin has been on a sharp incline since missing the cut in Manila in 2016. He finished third on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit last year and enjoyed three top-10 finishes on the ADT in 2018 before his breakthrough victory in China.
• Adam Blyth has always played well in China. He was tied-fifth at the 2005 Volkswagen Masters-China, tied-fourth at the 2006 Crowne Plaza Open and second at the 2006 Pine Valley Beijing Open in 2006.
• He was an accomplished amateur golfer, winning 32 titles before turning professional in 2004.
• Blyth played in four events on the Asian Tour before the Asia-Pacific Classic, making the cut only once at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.
• Natipong Srithong was his maiden Asian Tour title in Manila in 2015. He got into the tournament on a sponsor’s invite and ended up topping the field.
• He finished 44th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit last year, and his best finish was tied-sixth at the Shinhan Donghae Open.
• Shohei Hasegawa’s breakthrough win on the ADT was achieved in Indonesia this year. There, he beat American Sydney Chung by one shot.
• He earned his Asian Tour card for 2018 by finishing tied-11th at the Qualifying School early this year. 
• Huang Wenyi is the highest-placed Chinese golfer at the Asia-Pacific Classic. He ended his tournament in tied-eighth. Compatriot Xiao Bowen had to contend with a tied-12th finish

Players’ Quotes

John Catlin (Usa) – Final round 69 (-3), total 272 (-16)

Firstly, I’ll have to thank my coach, Noah. He has done amazing work for me over the past four years. It has been a long time coming. He stayed very patient with me, through ups and down. Being here is a huge testament. Victory feels just so good. Unreal, surreal, lots of different feelings now.

Going into the final two holes, I told myself to keep going. Adam could have made a birdie and I could have made a bogey. So, I told myself to secure that last par and I was able to lie one here (on the 18th green) close to about six inches, which made it a lot easier. As they say, it’s never over until the final putt.

At the fifth and seventh, nerves got the better of me. But I found ways to calm myself. I know I’ve worked hard and I knew that I can execute any shot. I had a sense of calm. It was nice to birdie ninth and at the 10th, I made par which was big. I made birdies on 12th and 13th, which made up for the mistakes earlier one.

My goal is to win on the Asian Tour and to accomplish that this week is huge. I have to start booking my flights! Knowing that I’m eligible for the events takes a lot of pressure off.

This victory validates all the hard work that I’ve put in since missing the cut in Manila in 2016. Winning on the ADT (Asian Development Tour) is nice, but the main Tour is a step up and as we all know, this is the main Tour on the continent. So, to be able to get into the winners’ category on the Asian Tour is huge. 

Knowing that I can compete and win at this level gives me a lot of confidence going forward. In fact, my next aim is to get into the "Multiple Winners" category. I’m glad that I was able to transit very well onto the Asian Tour. Playing a full schedule on the ADT certainly helped, and being based in Asia as well. I moved permanently in November 2016 and my game has got better and better ever since.

The Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings is also an aim for me. Shubhankar (Sharma) has a pretty huge lead, but we’re getting into some big money events so, anything can happen. Right now, I’m just happy to have won, and I’m looking to win again!

Adam Blyth (Aus) – Final round 70 (-2), total 274 (-14)

John (Catlin) thoroughly deserved it today. He had a good run there, especially with the birdies on 13th and 14th. He got a good momentum, nudged ahead and I wasn’t able to make the putts. I made an error on 10th. John played well.

Obviously, it was a great week coming in second place. The earnings will bump me up the Habitat for Humanity Standings. But, when you had that opportunity to win, you want to finish it. Although, he did have the lead coming into today and it just stayed that way. I’ll just have to keep working harder.

I took the lead early on, but it was still a long way to go. My goal this week was to get to 16-under-par and if that happened, it would have been a play-off. But, I’m taking the positives and moving on.

I’m heading to the Thailand Open, which is great. I’m looking forward to that. Playing like this gives you confidence, especially when you see your game coming together after all the hard work that I’ve put in. Second place is OK, although it’s hard to take right now and that I didn’t put the pressure on. But, it’s all good!

Natipong Srithong (Tha) – Final round 66 (-6), total 274 (-14)

I feel very happy to have a low score for the final round. I played well today as I stuck to my game plan, which is to stay on the fairway and make birdies. I made six of them, so I’m very happy!

I’ve played my wedges well and made some long putts. Hole one stood out, as I birdied from about 25 feet away. My feel for my putter has been great today. 

I only took notice of the leaderboard at the last hole. I was aiming to make a birdie and get to 15-under-par, but I missed it, unfortunately. 

I haven’t been playing well this year, so to finish well here in China certainly gave me back my confidence.

Shohei Hasegawa (Jpn) – Final round 69 (-3), total 275 (-13)

I’m thrilled with the way I’ve finished this tournament! Today, I played well. I had no bogey and three birdies. It wasn’t a win, but it’s OK. Over the front nine, I could have scored a lot more birdies and pile the pressure on John (Catlin) and Adam (Blyth), but it wasn’t the case. John played good and easy golf. So, congratulations to him! For me, maybe, I’ll grab the chances next time!

I like the Asian Tour and the ADT, because of the players and the courses. It’s very nice and I look forward to competing on both Tours in the future.
The 13th was memorable for me. I hit a great approach to the green and I only had to tap in for birdie. 

Andrew Martin (Aus) – Final round 69 (-3), total 277 (-11)

I struggled with the driver off the tee during the last three rounds. Being on the fairway would have made the approach easier but overall, I still hit some good shots. I just gave myself chances really. The tournament was pretty good overall.

The rounds have been quite stress-free, actually. But you still want to chase the leaders as well. But then again, that’s golf. I didn’t know what was going on on the leaderboard. I know I’m giving myself plenty of chances, but the leaders were probably doing the same. 

I’m happy with my tournament and I’ve always enjoyed coming to China. I’m looking ahead to Thailand.

Miguel Carballo (Arg)  – Final round 68 (-4), total 277 (-11)

I played very well this week, had plenty of opportunities for birdies. 11-under-par is a good result for me. My putting hasn’t been great though, which was a waste because my drives and approach play has been good this week.

This is my first tournament on the Asian Tour that I made the cut, and to be in the top-10 to boot. So, I’m very happy about this week. I’m getting a lot of confidence from the Asia-Pacific Classic. I’ve played very well on the ADT as well, so I’m very happy about my game.

 I birdied the 10th because of three good shots to the green, and a good putt. That hole stood out for me.   

Scores after round 4 of the Asia-Pacific Classic being played at the par 72, 7261 Yards St. Andrews (Zhengzhou) Golf Club course (am – denotes amateur):
272 – John CATLIN (USA) 68-66-69-69.
274 – Natipong SRITHONG (THA) 67-67-74-66, Adam BLYTH (AUS) 70-66-68-70.
275 – Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) 68-69-69-69.
277 – Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 68-71-70-68, Andrew MARTIN (AUS) 66-72-70-69.
278 – Justin SHIN (CAN) 70-70-70-68.
279 – Josh YOUNGER (AUS) 67-70-71-71, HUANG Wenyi (CHN) 71-69-68-71.
280 – Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 71-71-72-66, Jack HARRISON (ENG) 67-69-72-72.
281 – Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 68-69-71-73, Jack WILSON (AUS) 67-71-69-74, XIAO Bowen (CHN) 70-68-69-74, Callum TARREN (ENG) 67-72-68-74.
282 – Bryden MACPHERSON (AUS) 71-73-67-71, Pasavee LERTVILAI (THA) 71-71-69-71, Kevin LEE (KOR) 69-73-69-71, Danthai BOONMA (THA) 67-74-69-72, KOH Deng Shan (SIN) 67-69-73-73.
283 – Alex BELT (ENG) 74-69-70-70, Taewoo KIM #1087 (KOR) 70-69-76-68, Udorn DUANGDECHA (THA) 71-68-70-74, Steven JEFFRESS (AUS) 71-67-70-75.
284 – ZHANG Huilin (CHN) 70-73-70-71, HAK Shun-Yat (HKG) 71-68-73-72, Niall TURNER (IRL) 71-70-71-72, Sunil JUNG (CAN) 73-66-72-73, Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA) 71-68-72-73, Charlie SAXON (USA) 69-66-74-75.
285 – LU Wei-chih (TPE) 72-68-74-71, Tirawat KAEWSIRIBANDIT (THA) 72-71-71-71, LIU Yanwei (CHN) 67-75-71-72, Honey BAISOYA (IND) 67-73-72-73, HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 72-72-71-70, Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 71-70-71-73, Matt STIEGER (AUS) 71-71-74-69.

Ends.

About Asian Tour

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

• Catlin is the second American to win on the Asian Tour this season, following Paul Peterson at the 2018 Leopalace21 Myanmar Open earlier in January. He is also the second Asian Development Tour (ADT) player, following Sweden’s Malcolm Kokocinski in Bangladesh two weeks ago, to win on the Asian Tour this season.
• Catlin, who turned professional in 2013, has been based in Hua Hin, Thailand, since two years ago. He trains with Noah Montgomery, who also coaches Gaganjeet Bhullar of India, an eight-time winner on the region’s premier Tour.
• Prior to his breakthrough in China, Catlin has notched four top-10s in five starts on the ADT before going on to secure back-to-back top-10 results on the Asian Tour in Korea and Bangladesh.
• 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying school graduates have showcased their immense potential at the Asia-Pacific Classic. Rookies Shohei Hasegawa of Japan, Australian duo Andrew Martin and Josh Younger, Miguel Carballo of Argentina, as well as Jack Harrison of England all finished inside top-10 at the St. Andrews (Zhengzhou) Golf Club.
• The Asian Development Tour (ADT) continues to prove its worth as a successful platform for budding golfers to hone their skills before plying their trade on the premier Asian Tour. John Catlin becomes the eighth player to win on the Asian Tour after enjoying successes on the ADT, which was inaugurated as the gateway to the Asian Tour in 2010. The first seven players to achieve the feat are American Berry Henson, Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei, Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Poom Saksansin, Malaysian duo Gavin Green and Nicholas Fung, as well as Malcolm Kokocinski of Sweden, who claimed his breakthrough in Bangladesh a fortnight ago.

Henan, China, May 19: John Catlin of the United States is on course to win his maiden Asian Tour title after carding a three-under-par 69 to stay in the lead at the US$300,000 Asia-Pacific Classic.

The two-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner admitted that he was not playing up to his standards, but he still managed to card six birdies against three bogeys to lead with a 13-under-par 203 total at the St Andrews Golf Club in Henan, China.

Adam Blyth of Australia

Adam Blyth of Australia is just a shot behind the leader after signing a 68. Similar to his second round, he made a string of birdies towards the end of the front nine. He was in good form on Saturday, having dropped only a single shot at the 10th hole. 

Japan’s Shohei Hasegawa finished the day in lone third place on a 206 total. Like Blyth, he had a near flawless round, carding four birdies against a lone bogey on hole 14. 

Local favourite Xiao Bowen continues to play well on home soil as he carded a 69 to keep pace with the leaders. He scored five birdies against two bogeys and with three good rounds in, he felt that the form that led to his victory in Xiamen is returning to him. He is in tied-fourth with Englishman Callum Tarren and Australian Jack Wilson.

The top of the leaderboard at the Asia-Pacific Classic remains tight. Seven golfers are in tied-seventh, five shots off the lead. 

The Asia-Pacific Classic is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the China Golf Association (CGA). This is the Asian Tour’s second stop in China this season. 

Did you know:

• John Catlin is the only golfer today to score a birdie on the 17th hole. 
• He studied at the New Mexico University and he was awarded the 2012 Student of the Year for this athletic and academic prowess.
• He turned professional in 2013 and has four wins so far.
• Adam Blyth has two wins in his professional career. In 2016, he won two events on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
• He missed the cut in Bangladesh last week but has bounced back with a commanding performance at the Asia-Pacific Classic so far.
• Blyth enjoyed a top-10 finish on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this year. He was ninth in Penang in early May.
• Shohei Hasegawa is a one-time winner on the ADT. He made his breakthrough at the OB Golf Invitational in Indonesia.
• He finished second in the prestigious Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2013.
• Shohei has played in two Asian Tour tournaments in 2018 prior to the Asia-Pacific Classic. He made the cut at the AB Bangladesh Open and finished in tied-34th.
• Xiao Bowen’s previous China Tour tournament was the Belt & Road Colorful Yunnan Open last month, where he finished tied-18th.
• He rose from 1929th to 516th on the Official World Golf Ranking list after winning the Asian Golf Championship in Xiamen last year.
• Callum Tarren was third on the China Tour Order of Merit list in 2017.

Players’ Quotes

John Catlin (Usa) – Third round 69 (-3), total 203 (-13)

I’m definitely excited. I’ve been working very hard over the last two years and I’ve been dreaming of having this chance. Winning on the  ADT (Asian Development Tour) twice is going to give a lot of confidence going into tomorrow knowing I’ve been there and done that. It’s a very difficult golf course as you have make sure you’re in the right spot. I’ve done that the last three days and I hope to do that again tomorrow.

At the 10th, it was 127 yards away with a wedge and I just made a horrible swing! It was straightforward shot. My upper body took over and I pulled it left. I was able to make the corrections, fortunately. I hit a few shots that were offline on the front nine. I didn’t have my best stuff from tee to green, but I was able to manage it OK. 

The 17th hole was nice. I hit my three-wood just into the left rough. There was mud on my golf ball and there was about 187 yards to the hole. I guess, which was all that you can do in that situation and I guessed it right. The ball landed six or seven feet away, and I made that one. The putts today weren’t that long, which was nice. I missed a bit of shorts ones and I didn’t have my A game, but overall I think I managed myself pretty nicely.

Nothing changes for tomorrow. I just hope to get more birdie chances. I missed a few greens today and had to get up-and-down. I hope to hit more greens and feel less stressed. But, nothing changes. One shot at a time. 

Adam Blyth (Aus) – Third round 68 (-4), total 204 (-12)

I go on the train there again (his consecutive birdies at the end of the front nine). Seeing those putts and shots come was nice. They are good holes to birdie and good opportunities for a lot of guys. I hit a beautiful into eighth with a four-iron. It was a tough and long hole, with a tucked pin near the water. I drew one in there very nicely and I am very happy to get a birdie there. It was a good days’ work. 

I believe my experience will help me tomorrow. The more you do it, the more you learn about yourself in those situations. I’m excited about tomorrow, playing well and be near the lead. It’ll be good fun. 

The conditions were quite perfect to play golf in. The greens were soft so you can fire a lot of pins. But the course was set up a bit more difficult today. The tee boxes were back and there were a few tucked pins. The scores would show that today. Despite the rain, it was quite nice actually.

I’m not going to get too anxious about the outcome. Things have been rolling along well so I’m just going to keep doing that and stay in my mindset of playing my own game. From there, we’ll see what everyone else does.

Shohei Hasegawa (Jpn) – Third round 69 (-3), total 206 (-10)

I mentioned that my driving wasn’t great yesterday and today, it was still just so-so. The rest of my game is still pretty good. I’ve enjoyed today’s round. Tomorrow, I hope that I’m in a position to win over the last three holes. I’m not nervous about tomorrow, just excited. 

I hope that my tee shots will improve even more tomorrow, as my iron shots and putting aren’t too bad. 

Xiao Bowen (Chn) – Third round 69 (-3), total 207 (-9)

I think my game was pretty balanced today. From tee to green, I think I did generally well in every aspect of my game. Apart from getting a few drives into the rough, I didn’t encounter big problems on the golf course today. On the back nine especially, I managed to seize the opportunities for birdies. 

The feeling that led to my win in Xiamen is coming back. Today, with the bad weather, I told myself to just post a score in the red and drop as little shots as possible. This way, I won’t falter too far from the leaders. I’m glad my objective is met.

I three-putted on the 17th, which led to my bogey. I read the greens wrongly. It wasn’t a long putt, but I may have been deceived by the direction of the grass. 

I didn’t know anything about my position on the leaderboard. I just focused on the game. Birdies on the 15th and 16th got me going, but the bogey on 17th held me back a little bit.

It’ll be the same tomorrow. I’m looknig to create more birdie chances and try to seize as many of them as possible. 

Callum Tarren – Third round 68 (-4), total 207 (-9)

I got off to a pretty fast start. Three three, so birdie-eagle. I chipped in on the second hole. The front nine was pretty flawless as I didn’t do anything wrong. The back nine was fine too, I just missed a few putts. Overall, it was a good round.

My first three rounds were excellent, I made 15 birdies in two rounds, but was just five-under-par. Today, I limited my mistakes as I just had two bogeys. Everything was pretty good and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. 

If I’m being totally honest, I’m just going to enjoy it. I’ve been in this position over the past few years. I’m used to being in the leader group. You just have to play golf and see what happens. THere’s still a lot of golf to be played, so let’s see what happens.

Leading scores after round 3 of the Asia-Pacific Classic being played at the par 72, 7261 Yards St. Andrews (Zhengzhou) Golf Club course (am – denotes amateur):
203 – John CATLIN (USA) 68-66-69.
204 – Adam BLYTH (AUS) 70-66-68.
206 – Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) 68-69-69.
207 – Callum TARREN (ENG) 67-72-68, XIAO Bowen (CHN) 70-68-69, Jack WILSON (AUS) 67-71-69.
208 – HUANG Wenyi (CHN) 71-69-68, Steven JEFFRESS (AUS) 71-67-70, Andrew MARTIN (AUS) 66-72-70, Josh YOUNGER (AUS) 67-70-71, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 68-69-71, Jack HARRISON (ENG) 67-69-72, Natipong SRITHONG (THA) 67-67-74.
209 – Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 68-71-70, Udorn DUANGDECHA (THA) 71-68-70, KOH Deng Shan (SIN) 67-69-73, Charlie SAXON (USA) 69-66-74.
210 – Danthai BOONMA (THA) 67-74-69, Justin SHIN (CAN) 70-70-70.
211 – Pasavee LERTVILAI (THA) 71-71-69, Kevin LEE (KOR) 69-73-69, Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA) 71-68-72, Sunil JUNG (CAN) 73-66-72, YANG Yinong (CHN) 67-71-73, Bryden MACPHERSON (AUS) 71-73-67.
212 – Niall TURNER (IRL) 71-70-71, Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 71-70-71, Gareth PADDISON (NZL) 68-74-70, Honey BAISOYA (IND) 67-73-72, Poom SAKSANSIN (THA) 71-69-72, HAK Shun-Yat (HKG) 71-68-73.

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.