Sensational finish sees Runchanapong and Thompson lead with 64s
Runchanapong Youprayong from Thailand and Australian Jack Thompson took a share of the clubhouse lead on day one of the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open today after astonishingly finishing their rounds with three birdies and an eagle for eight-under-par 64s.
Runchanapong, in just his second year as a professional, played in the morning session and had the outright lead for much of the day thanks to a storming finish with three birdies in a row from 15 before an eagle on the par-five 18th.
It looked like he would remain out in front on his own before Thompson, on a mission to finish before play was called for the day with darkness closing in, signed off in similarly spectacular fashion by making birdies on 15 and 16, before registering an eagle on 16, and a birdie on the last.
Thailand’s Danthai Boonma fired a 65 while Canadian Jared Du Toit shot 66, here at Taifong Golf Club.
Jack Thompson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Heavy fog first thing in the morning meant the start was delayed by an hour and 20 minutes; the end result being 33 players will have to compete their first rounds tomorrow.
Runchanapong, who hit a six iron to 10 feet on 18 to set up his eagle, said: “I have been struggling with my putter. Ball striking has been okay, so it was good to see a few putts rolling in today.”
He made it through the Asian Tour Qualifying School last year but was unable to keep his card and has been playing mainly on the Asian Development Tour, where he has shown some form recently with three top 10s.
He’s also enjoying playing here this week thanks to the fact that the Tournament Director Krirkchai Boonprasert is his former coach.
“He was actually my first coach. He coached me from six until 14 before he moved into being a referee and I went to college in the US. It’s really great to see him out here,” said Runchanapong.
Both he and Thompson played the back nine in six-under-par 30, and the finish late in the day definitely left Thompson stunned.
“I can’t remember the last time I played like that,” said the Australian.
“To finish strong like that. Finishing birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie, that really helps. It was getting really dark, so I guess I played even better to try and finish.”
He won last year’s Asian Tour Qualifying School and enjoyed a strong first season, but he is currently 87th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and in a battle to retain his playing privileges.
“I am not where I want to be in terms of keeping my card, but this is the kind of round I needed to have a chance,” he added.
Boonma is coming off the back of a fine spell of form with three top 16 finishes and is clearly growing in confidence.
Said the Thai golfer: “Everything good, no complaints today. Started on 10 and made four birdies in a row from 16. I got a lot of confidence playing in the events in Thailand and Indonesia recently.”
Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai, the defending champion, is five under with three to play.
Lee Chieh-po has revealed he enjoyed one of the happiest moments of his career recently when took his International Series Thailand trophy to his home club.
“I felt so proud to bring my first Asian Tour trophy back to the club last week,” said the Chinese-Taipei star, who tees-off in the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open at Taifong Golf Club tomorrow.
His home club is in Taoyuan City, where he has been attached since his teenage days.
It was yet another memorable milestone for the impressive 30-year-old this season.
He won the International Series Thailand three weeks ago [main picture] and supported by four other top 10s in the space of a month he has leapt into third place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and fifth on The International Series Rankings.
Lee Chieh-po celebrates on the 18th green on Sunday at the International Series Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He has a chance to finish top of both with three big money events ahead in Hong Kong, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. American John Catlin leads both rankings, and may be too hard to catch on the Merit list but the race on The International Series – which earns the winner a place on next year’s LIV Golf League – is wide open.
The pressure will be immense, but Lee is trying to take it all in his stride.
“It’s been a great last couple of weeks,” says Lee, who is sponsored by Taiwan Glass, along with countrymen Chan Shih-chang and Chang Wei-lun.
“Finally getting my first win, so relieved to get the monkey off my back. But to be frank, nothing’s going to change much this week.
“Still the same mindset, same game. Even at the BNI Indonesian Masters, the week after I won, things were still the same. I’ve been doing all the right things it seems, and I’ll keep doing that, stick to my routine and see where it brings me at the end of the season.”
Further celebrations in Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Lee won this week’s event back in 2021 – when due to COVID-19 it was part of the local tour only and before it was elevated from the Asian Development Tour to Asian Tour last year. Offering total prizemoney of US$400,000 it will not make a huge impact on the Asian Tour merit list, although a win would certainly be ideal preparation ahead of the multi-million dollar events to follow, all three of which are also part of The International Series.
He adds: “It’s great to give myself a chance at the Order of Merit and Ranking titles. Still a few more events to go, I know I am doing well so I will aim to continue my good form and hopefully clinch the Merit titles that everyone out here is aiming for. I believe everyone wants to play on LIV so it will be great if I can qualify to.”
Working on staying fit, being healthy and improving his swing have all played a major part in stepping up to another level this season he says.
He is a six-time winner on the local circuit, four of those coming in 2021 when he secured their Order of Merit. One of those victories included the Taifong title while back in 2014 he claimed his first one when he was still an amateur.
It was the early days for a star-in-the-making who has now become that star, and a very bright one at that.
Tournament Information
- Tournament: Taiwan Glass Taifong Open
- Date: November 14-17, 2024
- Venue: Taifong Golf Club
- Par/Yards: Par 72 / 7,302 Yards
- Purse: US$400,000 (first place US$72,000)
- Asian Tour leg: 18th event of the 2024 season
- Edition of tournament: Second (Asian Development Tour event 2014-2019 and 2022)
- Total number of players: 120
- Format: 72-hole stroke play with a cut made after two rounds to the leading 65 pros plus ties
- Social Media Hashtags: #TimeToRise
Suteepat Prateeptienchai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Field Breakdown
- Nationalities: 21
- Top contenders: Lee Chieh-po (TPE), Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA), Phachara Khongwatmai (THA), Gunn Charoenkul (THA), Chang Wei-lun (TPE), Chan Shih-chang (TPE)
- Highest ranked player on OWGR: Lee Chieh-po #247
- Highest ranked player on 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit: Lee Chieh-po #3
- Highest ranked player on 2024 International Series Rankings: Lee Chieh-po #5
- Defending champion: Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA)
- Number of amateurs in the field: 1
- Number of Chinese Taipei players in the field: 48
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Tournament Notes
- Lee Chieh-po of Chinese Taipei has been in great form since early September, culminating with a victory at the International Series Thailand three weeks ago. Prior to that he finished solo third at the Black Mountain Championship after missing the play-off by only one shot, was fourth at the Yeangder TPC and T9 at the Shinhan Donghae Open, back in September. The week after winning in Thailand he was T8 at the BNI Indonesian Masters. Lee also won the Taifong event in 2021 when it was part of the local tour.
- The defending champion Suteepat Prateeptienchai from Thailand is having a good second half of the season, sitting in seventh place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit after a win the Yeangder TPC in Taipei. He also had a T4 at the recent Black Mountain Championship and a T6 at the Mandiri Indonesia Open in August. Suteepat was joint runner-up in this event in 2022 when it was part of the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
- Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai posted his best finish of the year at the BNI Indonesian Masters with a T2 after a final round 64 – his first top 10 since the International Series Macau presented by Wynn in March.
- Fellow Thai player Gunn Charoenkul has been playing very solid golf lately, with a solo second finish at the SJM Macao Open last month. Since then he has posted a T14 at the Black Mountain Masters, a T12 at the International Series Thailand and a T8 at the BNI Indonesian Masters. Gunn, currently in 10th place on the Order of Merit, is still looking for his first Asian Tour win and would love to rectify that this week.
- Chang Wei-lun from Chinese Taipei finished T2 at the BNI Indonesian Masters to secure his playing rights for next season, in what had otherwise been a forgettable year on the Asian Tour. Chang came close to winning this week’s event twice when it was on the ADT, losing a play-off to American Johannes Veerman in 2016 and finishing T2 in 2019. He has picked up three victories so far this season on the local tour in Chinese Taipei.
Thailand’s top golfers have always had a strong affiliation for Chinese-Taipei. Many of them have enjoyed success on the archipelago, thanks, they say, to the many friends they have made there and the famous food. Story from the 2023 Asian Tour Yearbook.
Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai is a fine example of this, and to be more specific Taifong is the place on the island nation where he is happiest, for very obvious reasons.
At the end of 2022 he finished joint second in the Taifong Open at Taifong Golf Club. It was the final event of the season on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the result allowed him to wrap up the ADT Order of Merit (OOM) title and earn his Asian Tour card for the 2023 season.
And exactly one year later, with the event promoted on to the Asian Tour at the same venue, he cantered to a four-shot victory in the US$400,000 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open to secure his first victory on the Asian Tour.
Suteepat Prateeptienchai. Picture courtesy of Taifong Open.
The Asian Tour rookie, who had a two-stroke lead at the start of the day, shot a fine four-under-par 68 to finish on 19-under – in the second from last event of the season on the Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Atiruj Winaicharoenchai fired a 66 to finish second with Malaysian Shahriffuddin Ariffin who came in with a 69. It was the best performance by both players on the Asian Tour.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert from Thailand and Korean Seungtaek Lee tied for fourth, after they both returned 68s.
Five birdies in a row from the third set up Suteepat for the win and allowed him to stroll to victory despite the enormity of the occasion.
Thirty-year-old Suteepat, a professional since 2017, burst onto the scene in 2022 with three ADT wins, all in Indonesia, which marked him down as a potential star of the future.
He enjoyed as strong debut season on the main Tour with five top-20 finishes before putting the finishing touches to his season with a fine victory.
“Really happy, I love this place,” said Suteepat, who won US$72,000 and leapt into 24th place on the Asian Tour OOM, from 53rd.
Shahriffuddin Ariffin. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“I won the ADT title here, I got my Asian Tour card from here, yeah, I love it. I just stuck to my game plan and my putter got really hot with those five birdies in a row. None of the putts were short really, the shortest was 10 feet.”
With a substantial lead heading into the back nine he could afford to make three successive bogeys from the 14th before he restored order with a birdie on 17.
He added: “I didn’t chip well on those holes. I missed all those greens and could not get up and down.”
Atiruj and Ariffin both took giant steps towards securing their Tour cards for 2024, with the former moving into 55th place on the OOM, from 80th, and the latter into 60th position, from 91st. Come the end of the season they both comfortably finished in the top-65 to safely make it through to the new season.
“I was thinking about the Order of Merit all day to be honest, but I have been in this situation before, so I have experience,” said Atiruj.
“I just kept my head down and concentrated. I felt a bit nervous on the last few holes. It was a long week and a tough year. I just changed my swing with my coach and the results have now come.”
Said Ariffin: “It’s a big relief. The top five was my target so I am really happy to have done better than that. When he [Suteepat] made those five birdies in a row I knew we were playing for second. Just need to play well in Saudi.”
Major champions Martin Kaymer from Germany and American Patrick Reed have confirmed they will take part in this year’s LINK Hong Kong Open – to be staged at The Hong Kong Golf Club, November 21-24.
The US$2 million event, which is part of The International Series on the Asian Tour, had already announced that another Major winner, Justin Rose from England, and Korea’s Tom Kim will compete in what will be the 63rd staging of the historic tournament.
For Kaymer, the return to the LINK Hong Kong Open will be his second visit to The Hong Kong Golf Club this year, as he played in LIV Golf Hong Kong back in March.
“Every time we come to Hong Kong it’s not only the golf course that is fantastic but also the people are friendly and very supportive. They are great golf fans. The hospitality of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong people, the Hong Kong government, is fantastic,” said Kaymer, winner of the 2010 PGA Championship and US Open in 2014.
Patrick Reed. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The German also has a deep connection with the city, as the 2006 edition of the Hong Kong Open was his first ever as an international touring professional.
“I was standing on the putting green and right next to me was Miguel-Angel Jiménez. Ian Poulter was there too. I was quite intimidated by it because just a few months before I was playing on the German professional tour and all of a sudden I’m standing on the putting green next to these Ryder Cup players and these big boys,” Kaymer has recalled. “I was just trying to stay away from them and not interrupt their practice. So it was funny and a totally new experience for me back then.”
Reed is another star that cannot stay away from Hong Kong’s golf scene, becoming a regular visitor to the city over the past decade, with his best result a T3 in 2015. The American – who along with that historic Masters triumph in 2018 has finished top-10 in all four Majors – comes to town having also claimed four top-10 finishes across this past LIV Golf season.
It is little wonder that nine-time Major winner and LINK Hong Kong Open Ambassador Gary Player from South Africa has labelled the tournament “Asia’s Major” in the year marking the 135thanniversary of The Hong Kong Golf Club.
Admission to the opening rounds on Thursday and Friday, 21-22 November, is free for the public. Daily prices for Saturday and Sunday 23 and 24 November are HK$200 per day or $300 for a weekend pass. Tickets on sale now at KLOOK.
Royale Jakarta Golf Club hosted the BNI Indonesian Masters for the 12th time last week, and after playing it as a par-71 12 months ago, hole number nine was back as a par-five last week – meaning the impressive South Jakarta course was once again a par-72.
Despite this, Richard T. Lee’s winning total of 23-under fell one short of Gaganjeet Bhullar’s total from a year earlier, although birdies and eagles were once again made with apparent ease.
There were 1,617 birdies and 32 eagles recorded, and it was wire-to-wire winner Lee who topped the total birdies and eagles categories for the week with 26 and two respectively. Remarkably, he’d also won the birdie count at the previous week’s International Series Thailand, where he tied for second, with 27.
The win on Sunday was the Canadian’s fourth top-10 in a row on the Asian Tour, and during that span he was a combined 73-under-par having made 97 birdies, or 6.06 per round, with a scoring average of 66.94.
Chang wei-lun. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
At Royale Jakarta Lee was in total command on the greens, ranking a clear first in Putts per Greens in Regulation (GIR) with 1.518 and fourth in Putts per Round with 26.5. That putting performance combined with finishing T8 in GIR, on 77.78%, proved deadly, helping to ensure he was never close to being caught on Sunday afternoon. His other major stats for the week were Driving Distance (290.75, T36) and Fairways Hit (62.5%, T42).
For the season so far, Lee has been impressive in several statistics categories: he ranks fourth in Scoring Average with 68.39, second in GIR with 76.77%, third in Birdies per Round with 5.14 and 14th in Putts per GIR with 1.714.
For Chinese Taipei’s Chang Wei-lun it was a crucial week as his T2 meant he secured his card for 2025 after posting his first top-10 of the season. Chang had a very good week on the greens, ranking seventh in Putts per GIR with 1.632 and T10 in Putts per Round with 27.5. He also impressed with his tee to green game, ranking T4 in GIR with 79.17% and T2 in Fairways Hit on 83.93%.
Chang only dropped shots on two of the 72 holes, a double bogey in round one and a bogey in round three, and was tied for first in Fewest Bogeys or Worse for the week.
Phachara Khongwatmai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand also posted his best result of the year after an uncharacteristic season with only one previous top-10. Like tournament winner Lee and co runner-up Chang, Phachara was also in good form on the greens and ranked sixth and T8 in Putts per GIR and Putts per Round, with 1.618 and 27.25 respectively. He also posted one of the two Holes-in-One during the week, acing the par three 11th hole in the third round, moments after American Bubba Watson had aces the same hole with an almost identical shot.
American John Catlin, who continues to lead both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings, posted a T6 for his eighth top-10 finish in 11 Asian Tour events this season. However, he saw his lead shrink in the ranking races, with Lee now his closest pursuer, jumping from seventh to second on both sets of tables. Catlin leads the Asian Tour Merit list with 3,030.06 points to Lee’s 1,775.29 and The International Series Ranking with 900.58 vs. 660.64 points for Lee.
Statistics Categories leaders at the BNI Indonesian Masters (of players making the cut):
- Putts per Round: Prom Meesawat (THA) – 26
- Putts per GIR: Richard T. Lee (CAN) – 1.518
- GIR: Austen Truslow (USA) – 87.5%
- Fairways Hit: Ben Campbell (NZL) – 92.86%
- Driving Distance: Douglas Klein (AUS) 320.38 – Yards
- Most Eagles: Richard T. Lee – 2
- Most Birdies: Richard T. Lee – 26
- Fewest Bogies or Worse: Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Chang Wei-lun (TPE) – 2
- Scrambling: Maverick Antcliff (AUS) – 90.48%
Richard T. Lee from Canada and Chinese Taipei’s Max Lee Chieh-po have had good reason to celebrate after landing significant wins in the last two weeks.
The tournament wins have also given one family from Malaysia cause to celebrate with two brothers caddying for the champion golfers.
Elder brother Agus Sujono was on the bag for Chinese-Taipei star Max Lee two weeks ago at Thai Country Club – where a closing 63 stole the International Series Thailand title from American Peter Uihlein.
Little brother Eddy [main picture] performed the same role for Richard T. Lee in his stunning four-shot victory at the BNI Indonesian Masters on Sunday. Having previously caddied for the Canadian for just two weeks way back in 2017, it was only his third week on the bag in this second spell.
Lee Chieh-po and Agus after winning the International Series Thailand . Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
The pair teamed up for two successive weeks in Thailand, at the Black Mountain Championship and International Series Thailand, as well as the BNI Indonesian Masters in a three-week swing.
That partnership was fruitful: Lee and Sujono went from T9 at the Black Mountain event to T2 at the International Series Thailand before success at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
The 37-year-old, who won previously with India star SSP Chawrasia way back in 2016, could not hide his delight after being congratulated and doused in fruit juices by his elder brother and friends after the win was secured.
He said: “I’m very happy to win this tournament. It is a long time coming, so I asked all my friends to pray for me this weekend and I’m just very happy that it happened. It is extra special because my older brother won last week and this week I won, and it feels like a very special moment for both of us to have such good wins – it is a special combination.”
Agus, who has won once previously on the bag for Chan Shih-chang, has also been enjoying a good run with Max. They followed up the win with a T8 here in Jakarta, and had started the swing with a third-placed finish at Black Mountain. He said: “I was so happy because the International Series Thailand is such a big tournament. Yes, I felt the win was coming because he has played very well recently.
“I was very happy and proud for Eddy, because he is my younger brother. It is a very special moment for the family.”
Richard T. Lee finally ended his long and frustrating seven-year wait for a third victory on the Asian Tour today when he recorded a fine four-shot wire-to-wire win at the BNI Indonesian Masters.
After dozens of opportunities to win again following his success at the 2017 Shinhan Donghae Open he was relieved to prevail here at Royale Jakarta Golf Club after firing a closing two-under-par 70 for a four-round total of 23-under.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chang Wei-lun and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand secured second place, after both carding 64s.
Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent finished fourth, a shot further back, following a 67.
Richard T. Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Lee was six in front at the start of day and in cruise control after lying seven ahead at the turn. A one-and-a-half-hour weather delay, which began when he was on hole 10 failed to unsettle him, before an unexpected double-bogey on the 16th, where he took two to get out of a greenside bunker and missed a six-foot bogey putt, led momentarily to some uncertainty. It meant his lead was cut to four over Chang, who was in the clubhouse, but he steadied the ship with a brave five-foot putt for par on the next hole followed by a par on the last.
“It’s been a while,” said an elated Lee, who turned 33 last Tuesday.
“The last one was 2017 and it was at one of the courses that I like to play on. This is one of the courses that I really like to play as well. I had a good finish here last year and had a good chance to win it. I think I know the course pretty well, and I feel like I can defend my trophy next year.
“I just switched putters, I think, three weeks ago and it’s really working. I mean, it’s built my confidence up a lot, and I think if I just maintain that putting, I think I’ll play pretty well in the next few events.”
The victory continued a brilliant run of form as he tied for second in last week’s International Series Thailand, finished joint ninth in the Black Mountain Championship, and came home in equal 10th at the Yeangder TPC.
Richard T. Lee. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He was also third in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May and has eight top 15 finishes in 11 starts this season.
He added: “I did feel pressure. I haven’t been in last group for a while and playing with two-time US Masters Bubba Watson also added to it. When I doubled 16 I told myself to pull things together and finish well.”
It is Lee’s first victory on The International Series, as this week’s event is the seventh of 10th stops on the Series – the multi-million-dollar tournaments that earns The International Series Rankings winner a place on the ensuing season’s LIV Golf League.
Lee is now very much in contention to achieve that after moving to second place on both The International Series Rankings and the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
American John Catlin, who closed with a 69 here and tied for sixth, leads both rankings.
For Lee it is all a lifetime away for a player who played in the 2007 US Open as a 16-year-old, shot an opening round 79, was forced to withdraw due to a wrist injury, and turned professional straight after that week. It wasn’t until 2013 that he surfaced on the Asian Tour, finishing second at Qualifying School, before winning for the first time at the following year’s Solaire Open in the Philippines.
Chang Wei-lun. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He becomes the fourth player to win from start to finish this season. Catlin was the first at the Saudi Open presented by PIF, before Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai did so at the Yeangder TPC and his countryman Rattanon Wannasrichan at the SJM Macao Open, later in the year.
For Lee’s Malaysian caddie Eddy the victory meant a double celebration as his brother Agus was on the bag for Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po when he claimed last weekend’s International Series Thailand.
Chang and Phachara both enjoyed far away their best performances of the season. For Chang it is particularly important as he was 97th on the Asian Tour Merit list.
“I did better than I expected,” said Chang, who moved up into 27th on the Merit list.
“My goal was to finish inside top-10, top-five would be a bonus but now I should be inside top-three! Wasn’t even thinking of catching Richard as I know he has a good game and is leading by so much. Very happy with the way I played. To be honest, the pressure of keeping my card coming into this week was quite big as I don’t have many events left to play. But I told myself to stay focused and keep working hard. I’m glad it paid off. Seeing Lee Chieh-po win last week was a huge motivation as well.”
Said Phachara: “You know, starting on 11 under today and then I just went to play, made a lot of birdies, and made a lot of long putts. Now my golf is coming back to basics.”
The Asian Tour heads to the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open the week after next, where Suteepat will attempt to defend his title. The US$400,000 event tees off at Taifong Golf Club on November 17.
Four more events remain on the Asian Tour this season, and three on The International Series. The PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers is the final event of the year.
Canadian Richard T. Lee’s quest for his first win on the Asian Tour in seven years gained momentum today when he opened up a six-stroke lead at the BNI Indonesian Masters.
Lee, who has led the tournament since day one, carded a third-round six-under-par 66 to move to 21-under here at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig is in sole possession of second, following a 65, while Bubba Watson from the United States is one stroke further back, after shooting the same score.
Watson aced the par-three 11th with a wedge before Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand, playing in the group ahead, holed his wedge on the same hole moments later.
After yesterday’s poor finish, when he made a bogey and a double on the last two to cut his lead from six to three, Lee clearly used that as motivation today and bounced back with a bogey free round sprinkled with six birdies. He also made brilliant up and downs for pars on the 15th and 16th to stay in control.
Ahmad Baig. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He was also not distracted when play was stopped at 1.01pm local time because of lightning and rain when he was on the 15th. Played resumed at 3.25pm.
“It was a very clean scorecard today,” said Lee.
“During the break I just had a few talks with my friends in Indonesia and they calmed me down pretty well, so I made a few more birdies out there. It looks to be pretty good tomorrow for another good round.”
He opened with a birdie today after stiffing his second shot.
He added: “Oh, I felt kind of, I mean you go bogey and then double on the last two holes [yesterday], you just don’t feel very good. But coming out to the range today, I felt like I was hitting it as well as how I was hitting it in the first round. So, yeah, hitting it that close and almost going in, it just felt great.”
Since his most recent win, the 2017 Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea, the Canadian has been in contention on many occasions, including seven top three finishes including tying for second in last week’s International Series Thailand.
Also, just before the global pandemic stopped play on Tour for nearly two years he also lost in sudden-death play-off at the Sarawak Championship in 2019.
Bubba Watson. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Baig continues to play the best golf of his career. The big-hitting Pakistani, currently in second place on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit with two wins this year, was in second place going into the final round of the International Series Thailand last Sunday. He tied for 31st and will be looking to improve on that tomorrow.
He said: “I’m just trying to keep doing what I am doing right now. I think my putter is very hot this week, so let’s see tomorrow.”
He was also bogey free today, revealing he can “reach all the par fives in two here.”
Watson will try and claim his first title in six years tomorrow, off the back of a brilliant round today featuring that ace and five birdies.
“It was a perfect pitching wedge,” said Watson after his ace.
“We couldn’t see it. I didn’t believe them [when people said it was in the hole], you know, because you didn’t really hear like, a roar that kept going, you know, like, that’s a big deal, right? A hole in one. So, I just didn’t believe them, but they gave me high fives, and I still didn’t believe it until I got the ball out of the hole.”
Each hole in one this week will see a house donated to a local family in need through the Habitat Humanity Indonesia charity. Watson and Phachara’s aces will make two families very happy soon, while the American very kindly said he would also personally donate another house.
Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Added the 45-year-old: “The game of golf has helped tremendously around the world through all the charities that golf has brought to the table, so to be a part of that, it’s very special. It’s an honour. There’ll be a couple families that will be helped out.”
American John Catlin (68), Kieran Vincent (69) from Zimbabwe, and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (71) are tied for fourth eight behind Lee.
Richard T. Lee opened up a three-shot lead after two-rounds of the BNI Indonesian Masters today after another birdie bonanza – surprisingly tarnished by a bogey, double-bogey finish.
The Canadian, the leader at the start of the day following a first-round 10-under-par 62, carded a 67 for a tournament total of 15-under-par, and leads from second-placed Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand, who shot a 69.
India’s Rashid Khan and Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe are joint third, two strokes further back, after they both shot their second successive 67s – in the US$2 million Asian Tour event that is part of The International Series.
Lee was in complete control and had a six-stroke lead over Jazz with two to play, after putting together another stunning round – highlighted by seven birdies in eight holes starting from the eighth – but let his pursuers back in with a fumble at the end. He pushed his tee-shot right on the penultimate hole, lost his ball and made a bogey, before finding water with his third on the last enroute to a seven.
Jazz Janewattananond. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
It was not part of the script for a player who finished joint second last week after a final round 62 at the International Series Thailand, before picking up where he left off this week.
“Pretty good,” said in-form Lee – with seven top-15 finishes this year and due a win.
“I mean, everything was, I felt like I had full control of my golf ball, definitely on my iron shots. Just the last two holes kind of gave me a little hiccup for tomorrow, but I’m gonna change that around and play well tomorrow as well.
“I actually changed my putter two weeks ago in the first Thailand event, and I found something with that putter, and it’s definitely built more confidence towards my game and I think it’s working pretty well.
“I feel like I just set up the club, and just hit it. I mean, it’s so much easier to set up with this putter than the blade putter that I’ve been using, so yeah, I think the putter is working pretty well.”
Jazz triumphed in this event in 2019 – the year he won four times on the Asian Tour and claimed the Order of Merit title – and looks to have found some form entering the weekend after a far from satisfactory season.
He finished joint 12th in last week for his best result of the season and feels he has been helped his cause by switching to a broomstick putter.
Rashid Khan. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“So last week, I was playing a Pro-Am with my playing partner,” explained Jazz, “and I was using a short putter on the practice round and on the Pro-Am day. And one of the amateurs, who is actually my friend, was using a broomstick putter and I had a little match with him, and I couldn’t hole any putts that day.
“We got three holes to go, and I just took his putter, and I putted with it for like the last three holes, and I’m like, maybe I need to go back to a broomstick. And that’s how I changed and how I got my best finish of the year, so I have to say thanks to him.”
Khan has been enduring one of his worst seasons but said something clicked with his swing two weeks ago at the Black Mountain Championship.
“I have been really struggling this year,’ said the Indian, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour but a decade ago, when he won the SAIL-SBI Open and the Chiangmai Golf Classic in the same season.
“I was looking for something I could play with on the golf course. I was looking for something and it finally clicked when I was playing Black Mountain. After that it was all good.
“There were a lot of things I was working on so I can’t really say. I wasn’t holding the grip properly; I couldn’t feel my club on the backswing. I am now really surprised how well I am hitting the ball. Sometimes you make a few changes, they click, and you start playing well.”
Kieran Vincent. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He spent last week practicing in Bangkok as he forgot to enter the International Series Thailand, which was also the case for the Black Mountain Championship but, luckily, he received an invite.
The Indian has also registered six second place finishes on the Asian Tour, four of those on home soil.
Asian Tour and International Series number one John Catlin from the United States fired a 66 and is in a large group in joint fifth, six behind Lee,
Defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar from India returned a 71 and is three under, which was the cut mark.
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