Sentosa, Singapore, May 15: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat will lead the Asian Tour charge at the PGA Championship as he hits top form in time for the year’s second Major which starts on Thursday.

Kiradech, the first Thai to earn his full playing rights on the PGA TOUR, is coming off a tied-fifth result at the AT&T Byron Nelson last week which moved him up two rungs from 43 to 41 place on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). He will make his sixth appearance at this week’s Major.

South Africa’s Justin Harding, who enjoyed his first top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR on Sunday, will also feature alongside Kiradech at the challenging Bethpage Black course in Long Island, New York.

Debutants Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, Shaun Norris of South Africa and Americans Kurt Kitayama and David Lipsky will also be part of the new wave of contenders hoping to hoist the Wanamaker trophy at the 101^st staging of the prestigious event.

Ranked first in the field in putting statistics last week and third overall on the PGA TOUR with a 0.974 strokes gained putting average, the 29-year-old Thai proved his game was on song with his hot putter despite battling a knee injury he incurred at The Masters last month.

“I just kept seeing the ball roll to the line and matched the speed. Heading into the PGA Championship week, I will just keep doing what I am doing and hopefully it will be my week,” said Kiradech.

The burly Thai claimed his third Asian Tour victory in February last year which ended a three-year title drought on Tour. He had a stellar 2018 with two top-five finishes at the World Golf Championships and a career-best Major result of 15^th place at the U.S. Open.

Hoping to improve on his tied-25^th finish at the PGA Championship in 2013, which was also the first-ever cut he made in a Major, Kiradech will adopt the same carefree mindset which led him to his third top-five finish of the 2018/19 PGA TOUR season.

“When I played last week, I just tried to enjoy the game and get the feel of the ball. It was quite a surprise to me to get a good result. I will try and have the same game plan and play freely. It is such a great feeling and I just want to enjoy every step,” added Kiradech.

After taking a week off to prepare for his first appearance at the PGA Championship, Jazz, who is currently 72nd on the OWGR, will have his sights set on a top-10 finish to propel him into the top-60 in order to qualify for the U.S. Open Championship by the cut-off date.

The 23-year-old Thai already has an impressive season with one victory and four top-10 finishes in the bag and he will be hoping to carry over that momentum into this week.

“My goal before this week was to get my momentum going in time for the PGA Championship because I haven’t been playing that well lately and I feel I can do better.

“I missed the cut at the Hero Indian Open by one shot but I made the cut at the Volvo China Open and I need momentum like that to be on form,” added Jazz.

The PGA Championship is the second of four annual Major events on the golfing calendar and this year would be the first time since 1949 that the event is held in May.

With lucrative events such as World Golf Championships (WGC) and Majors looming, the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) becomes all important. Here we follow the Asian Tour players that are making a charge up the rankings and their quest to play their way into these events via the OWGR.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat fired a final round seven-under-par 64 to finish tied-fifth at the AT&T Byron Nelson on the PGA TOUR to gain two places in the rankings and move to number 41 from 43 on the OWGR. Kiradech is already eligible for all the above events.

By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional.

Last week’s Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup in Chiba prefecture, Japan proved to be a very tough scoring week, with only five players finishing the week in red figures. In the end it was Japan’s Yosuke Asaji who came out tops, holding off the challenge from Micah Lauren Shin and local amateur Ren Yonezawa to win by one shot with his winning total of three-under-par 281.

It was Asaji’s first win on Tour and the 15 OWGR points collected means he rises to number 301 from 637 in last week’s rankings.

Joint runner-up Shin had his best finish since winning the Resorts World Manila Masters in 2017 and climbs to number 362 from 552 the previous week. Also, most importantly locking up his 2020 Asian Tour playing rights by picking up US$147,187 in the process.

Of the players in position to gain access to the upcoming Majors via the OWGR, Justin Harding, Jazz Janewattananond, Shaun Norris, Kurt Kitayama and David Lipsky all received Special Invitations for this week’s PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in New York.

• Justin Harding (RSA)

Playing in the AT&T Byron Nelson Harding again produced some of the Sunday magic he has become known for- shooting a final round six-under-par 65 to finish tied-10^th. Harding’s first top-10 on the PGA TOUR gains him three spots in the rankings to 42 from 45, and he should now have secured an exemption to the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links June 13 to 16.

The qualifying criteria for this is to be inside the top-60 on the OWGR by either May 20 or June 10, the two cut-off dates available.

Being a top-50 OWGR player comes with a lot of perks. Harding will get an exemption into next week’s Charles Schwab Challenge in Ft. Worth, Texas, and if he can remain in the top-50 at the conclusion of the PGA Championship, he will also qualify for the following week’s Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

• Jazz Janewattananond (THA)

Jazz did not play in Japan and slides two spots in the rankings to number 72 from 70 last week after taking the week off to prepare for this week’s PGA Championship

This week in New York will be very important if Jazz is going to play his way into the US Open via the OWGR with the high number of points on offer. A top-10 finish could be enough to vault Jazz inside the mark for the first cut-off date.

• Shaun Norris (RSA)

Currently ranked number 99 on the OWGR thanks to a very strong 2018 season that included a win in the Heiwa PGM Championship on the Japan Tour, and 11 other top 10s around the world.

This week will be Norris’s first start in a Major on US soil, having played The Open Championship twice in 2017 and 2018 finishing tied-62^nd and tied-61^st respectively.

• Kurt Kitayama (USA)

By not playing last week to get ready for the PGA Championship, Kitayama drops two places on the list from 108 to 110. This will be the first career Major Championship appearance by the winner of the 2018 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and the 2019 Oman Open.

• David Lipsky (USA)

This will be Lipsky’s third Major Championship start, having played in The Open Championship twice in 2015 and 2017. He did not play last week and lost a few spots in the OWGR, sliding to 118 from 115 the previous week. Lipsky has been playing very good golf since his win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last December, with two recent top-five’s and a tied-10^th in the WGC-Mexico Championship earlier in February.

May 14: Here’s what Yosuke Asaji had in his bag when he won the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup.

Driver: ON OFF Power Trench 10*                                             Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7 X

Fairway1: ON OFF Fairway ARMS 15*                                     Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7 X

Fairway2: ON OFF Fairway ARMS 18*                                      Shaft: Fujikura Speeder TR 757 X

Hb1: ON OFF Fairway WINGS 21*                                              Shaft: Nippon Shaft Modus 3

Hb2: ON OFF Fairway WINGS 24*                                              Shaft: Nippon Shaft Modus 3

Irons: ON OFF Forged (5-9)                                                           Shaft: Nippon Shaft Modus 3 125 X

Wedge1: ON OFF Forged 48*

Wedge2: ON OFF Forged 52*

Wedge3: Juice Prototype 58*

Putter: Odyssey Mystery Milled SIX M 79.16.22.68

Ball: Titleist Pro V1 (2019)

Shoe: FootJoy

Cap: ON OFF

Bag: ON OFF

Glove: FootJoy

Note: No 3-4 Iron

Yosuke Asaji (Jpn) Fourth round 72 (+1), Total 281 (-3)

I’m really happy as this is my first professional victory and it was such a tough battle out there today. I was up against so many quality players and I had to play my best golf. I was also lucky some of them did not manage to catch me. But I got a lot of support from everyone this week especially my wife and my mother who are here with me this week. It’s mother’s day today and I’m happy I’m able to deliver the best gift to my mother on this special day. It’s unbelievable I’m also going to The Open now with this victory. This is truly a very special week for me, starting from getting through the Monday qualifiers, to winning the tournament and now playing in my first Major.

Micah Lauren Shin (Usa) Fourth round 72 (+1), Total 282 (-2)

Of course it’s disappointing as I really tried my best to catch him (Asaji). But I wasn’t driving it so well today and it was tough. When I stepped up to the tee this morning, I just told myself I got to get the ball on the fairway because if I can do it, I’ll have a good chance for at least a par or birdie. I haven’t been playing well lately and I needed a result like this to boost my confidence. So if I can look on the bright side, I know I have the game to do well and hopefully, this is the start of better things to come.

Scott Vincent (Zim) Fourth round 72 (+1), Total 284 (Ev)

It’s a great week obviously I have been struggling for a bit of form recently and it’s nice to come out here and feel the pressure and the nerves of being in contention, so I’m really happy with how it went. I got a little bit to work on but it’s moving in the right direction. Yes, the second round I played great I just had a really bad finish, I don’t know why I made a couple of poor choices but what was really encouraging was just being able to play well on the third day and get yourself right back in it and then you know, anything can happen today. We got another four weeks in Japan after this so I’m looking forward to being in one place for a change.

Lu Wei-chih (Tpe) Fourth round 72 (+1), Total 285 (+1)

I’m really happy with my performance this year. It was a tough course but I showed that I can still play well despite the challenging conditions. I had a disappointing start at the beginning of the year but I feel my game is slowly coming back together especially after a week like this. It’s wonderful to have my wife and daughter here with me in Japan this week. Their presence has given me lots of motivation to play even better and it feels like I’m playing at home with them here by my side.

Chiba prefecture, Japan, May 11: Japan’s Yosuke Asaji will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup after he posted a three-under-par 68 at the Sobu Country Club on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Japanese is seeking his first professional win since joining the play-for-pay ranks in 2011 and knows he has to stay on top of his game despite taking the third round lead with his three-day total of four-under-par 209.

New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia, who comes from a family of sporting stars, made his move by firing a flawless 66 to share second place with Micah Lauren Shin of the United States.

Shin lost grip of his overnight lead after marking his card with two birdies, one bogey and a double bogey for a 72.

Zimbabwean Scott Vincent meanwhile returned with a 68 to give himself another chance for his maiden breakthrough on the Asian Tour.

Vincent, together with Korea’s Y.E. Yang, and Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma are bunched in fourth place, three shots back of Asaji.

The Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup is the Asian Tour’s first stop in Japan this season and second of four co-sanctioned events with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.

Did you know?

• Yosuke Asaji turned professional in 2012. His best result at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup came in 2017 when he finished tied-10^th.
• Asaji’s best result since turning professional came in 2018 when he finished tied-fourth at the Kansai Open Golf Championship on the JGTO.
• Denzel Ieremia comes from a rich sporting family where his uncle, Alama is a famous All Black.
• Ieremia graduated with a finance degree from the Iowa State University and turned professional in February this year.
• He played rugby when I was younger but claims he ‘was too small and everybody smashed me’ and decided to play golf instead.
• Micah Lauren Shin is based in Davao and came through Qualifying School in 2017. He made his breakthrough that same year when he won the Resorts World Manila Masters.
• Shin’s tournament winner’s exemption ends this season and he needs to finish inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit to keep his card.
• Scott Vincent came through Qualifying School in 2016. He did not miss a single cut in six tournaments that year and in 2017, he notched three top-three results to finish in 17^th place on the Merit rankings to retain his playing rights.
• He finished fifth on the Habitat for Humanity Standings in 2018, thanks to nine top-10 results – the most number of top-10s made by a player without a win last season.
• The winner of the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup will qualify for The 148^th Open which will be held at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland in July.

Ends.

Yosuke Asaji (Jpn) Third round 68 (-3), Total 209 (-4)

Anything can happen on this golf course. So even if I’m leading by one shot, anything can still happen. You got to be really patient here and be really sharp with your driving. If not, it will cost you. They are many good players here this week and you have to be on top of your game. It’s great to see the crowd coming out to watch the event and I’m looking forward to the final day tomorrow.

Micah Lauren Shin (Usa) Third round 72 (+1), Total 210 (-3)

The course is obviously very tough and I’m just trying to hang in there for as long as I can. I’m just trying to play the best I can. I’m just one shot back. But I don’t want to think too much about it and just play well. I was hitting it very badly today and just didn’t get into the right spots. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Denzel Ieremia (Nzl) Third round 66 (-5), Total 210 (-3)

It was a solid. I hit the driver pretty good and long which gave me a lot of birdie chances the last few days. Mentally, it has been cool and I’m just enjoying the week. This is the hardest course I’ve played as it’s very demanding off the tee and if you miss the fairways, it going to be very hard to get it onto the greens.  It requires all aspects of your game to be good. I was very lucky to get an invitation from APGC (Asia Pacific Golf Confederation). This is my first time in Japan and I’m just enjoying the week.

Scott Vincent (Zim) Third round 68 (-3), Total 212 (-1)

I putted really well and gave myself a lot of good chances and managed to make quite a few putts out there today. I didn’t hit it particularly well but just managed it really well, put myself in places where I could make a play. So I’m very happy with how the day went. This is probably one of the hardest courses I have ever played so you have to bring your A-game. I just got to play solid and steady tomorrow. If I can do a lot of the things I did today I’ll have a good chance, so tomorrow is going to be a good battle out there and hopefully I can play some good golf.

Chiba prefecture, Japan, May 10: Micah Lauren Shin of the United States fired a sublime four-under-par 67 to take over the lead from Thailand’s Danthai Boonma after the second round of the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup on Friday.

With the course conditions at the Sobu Country Club playing to his advantage, Shin was in his element as he marked his flawless card with four birdies for a two-day total of four-under-par 138 to take the second day’s honours.

Boonma, who held the overnight lead, looked to have fallen out of contention when he struggled to an outward 40.

The Thai however, rallied back strongly with two birdies in his last two holes to sign for a 73, moving into a share of second place with Australia’s Brendan Jones, Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura and Korea’s Y.E. Yang.

A proven winner in Japan, Jones knows that anything can happen despite heading into the weekend just two shots back of Shin.

The Australian has been playing regularly in Japan since 2001 and won his 15^th title in Nagoya last month.

The weekend cut was set at four-over par with 60 players making it into the final two rounds.

The Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup is the Asian Tour’s first stop in Japan this season and second of four co-sanctioned events with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.

Did you know?

• Micah Lauren Shin is a Korean-American. His grandparents are Americans while his mother is half-American.
• Shin is based in Davao and came through Qualifying School in 2017. He made his breakthrough that same year when he won the Resorts World Manila Masters.
• Shin’s tournament winner’s exemption ends this season and he needs to finish inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit to keep his card.
• Danthai Boonma made his breakthrough on the Asian Tour by winning the World Classic Championship in Singapore in 2015.
• Danthai has already won twice this year. He won a domestic event in Khon Kaen in February and followed up that victory with another on the Japan Challenge Tour in April.
• Danthai ended his 2018 season in 23rd place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and finished tied-23rd in Korea last week.
• He made his Major debut at The Open last year and has also won two gold medals at the 2012 South East Asia (SEA) Games. The Thai was also a bronze medalist at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics.
• Y.E Yang is the only Asia-born male to have won a Major.
• He overcame a two-shot deficit going into the final round to finish three shots ahead of Tiger Woods, his playing partner and win the PGA Championship in 2009.
• Yang’s last victory came last year when he won The Crowns on the JGTO.
• Brendan Jones is a multiple winner in Japan and has been playing regularly there since 2001.
• The Australian’s 15th and latest win on the JGTO came at the Token Homemate Cup in Nagoya last month.

Ends.

Micah Lauren Shin (Usa) Second round 67 (-4), Total 138 (-4)

I have a new driver and putter in the bag and it has been working out pretty well. I drove the ball really well on this course. I actually like to play on faster greens and I think they work out really well for me. I try not to think too much about it (winning and keeping my card) because I know I can play well as long as everything clicks.

Danthai Boonma (Tha) Second round 73 (+2), Total 140 (-2)

The first thing you have to focus on this course is your tee shot and hitting the ball onto the fairway. But today on the first nine holes I hit the driver very badly. On 14, I hit it right and had to lay up and then I made a bogey. Before that I three-putted 13.  I made a birdie on 17  but on 18 I hit a bad shot off the tee again into the right trees, I tried to lay up in the fairway but can’t because it was too close to the trees and I made a double bogey there.

I shot four-over on the front-nine and was a little nervous then. I knew I had to focus and get back to my game I got back to the basics and kept my focus. On the last two holes, I was back to hitting my driver well again, so that was why on the second shot I can attack the green and pin.

On the last hole I hit the fairway again and had only 70 yards to the pin and made a birdie from the back.

Brendan Jones (Aus) Second round 72 (+1), Total 140 (-2)

This course is brutal. There’s no let up at all. They got the fairways cut so short and we are playing from the rough quite a lot because it’s hard to hit these fairways. I played the first nine holes really well and didn’t do much wrong. But the second nine was pretty ugly. There was a lot of scrambling and I lost my rhythm and was just trying to make pars. Anything can happen on this golf course. I just got to continue to play as smart as I’ve been and give myself a chance on Sunday.

Jinichiro Kozuma (Jpn) Second round 67 (-4), Total 141 (-1)

I’m very pleased with my comeback. I shot a 74 yesterday and it was a good fightback. I told myself not to give up and try again when I stepped back to the tee this morning. While it may not be as windy as yesterday, the conditions are still very challenging. You got to be very accurate with your driving and putting. I did well in those areas and I look forward to the weekend.

K.T. Kim (Kor) Second round 70 (-1), Total 143 (+1)

It’s good to be able to shoot a better score than yesterday. I was two-over yesterday but managed to do better today. It was very windy yesterday but today, the conditions were better. However, you still need to be accurate off the tee as the fairways are very narrow here. The greens are very fast and you have to be sharp with your putting. Of course, I would like to win this tournament again. There are many good players here so let’s see what happens over the weekend.

Chiba prefecture, Japan, May 10: Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma took advantage of the benign morning conditions by firing a four-under-par 67 to move up the leaderboard after the second round of the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup on Friday.

The 34-year-old, who is seeking his first professional win, struggled under gusty conditions on the opening day to post a 74.

However, he hauled himself back into contention by marking his card with four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys before signing for a one-under-par 141 at the Sobu Country Club.

“I’m very pleased with my comeback. I shot a 74 yesterday and it was a good fightback. I told myself not to give up and try again when I stepped back to the tee this morning.

“While it may not be as windy as yesterday, the conditions are still very challenging. You got to be very accurate with your driving and putting. I did well in those areas and I look forward to the weekend,” said the Japanese.

Korea’s K.T. Kim also bettered his opening 73 with an improved 70 to stay in contention for his hat-trick of victories at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup, having won the event in 2010 and 2015.

Kim mixed his outward-nine with one birdie against eight par for a 35. He dropped a shot on four before recovering with a pair of birdies on holes five and six.

The Korean dropped another shot on his closing par-four nine to sign for a 70.

“It’s good to be able to shoot a better score than yesterday. I was two-over yesterday but managed to do better today. It was very windy yesterday but today, the conditions were better. However, you still need to be accurate off the tee as the fairways are very narrow here.

“The greens are very fast and you have to be sharp with your putting. Of course, I would like to win this tournament again. There are many good players here so let’s see what happens over the weekend,” said Kim.

The Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup is the Asian Tour’s first stop in Japan this season and second of four co-sanctioned events with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.

Ends.