January 25: Tomoyo Ikemura (main picture) moved to within 18 holes of winning his maiden title on the Asian Tour with a last-hole birdie in a round of three-under-par 67 to capture sole possession of the lead after the third round of the US$500,000 Smart Infinity Philippine Open.

In the season-opening event of the 2025 Asian Tour schedule, being played at the Masters Course of Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club, the 29-year-old Japanese golfer from Kagoshima, who is eight-under, finished one ahead of Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana.

Sadom (72), the leader at the halfway stage, overcame a mid-round wobble and finished strong with birdies on his last two holes to stay one ahead of a group of five players. That included Thailand’s Danthai Boonma, who set a new course record with a brilliant bogey-free round of 62.

Other players in tied third place are Swede Bjorn Hellgren (66), Frenchman Julian Sale (67), Bowen Xiao (67) of China and Australian Kevin Yuan (68).

Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.

Ikemura, a two-time champion on the Japan Golf Tour whose best finish on the Asian Tour are a couple of tied second places at the 2018 Leopalace21 Myanmar Open and the 2023 New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport, was cruising at five-under when he made a double bogey on the par-four 12th hole, followed by a bogey on the 15th. However, the five birdies in seven holes from the eighth to 14th, and another on the par-five 18th, ensured he moved to the top of the leaderboard.

“My hitting was really good, but there were a few unlucky shots as well. I hit it in the trees on the 12th hole and got an unplayable lie, but other than that it was a good day,” said the diminutive Ikemura, who played nine events on the Asian Tour last year and finished 53rd in the Order of Merit.

“I’ve been in contention a few times, but I couldn’t win last year in Japan or in Asia. So, my goal this year is to win in Asia. I’ve worked hard over the off-season. I am working towards a new goal this year, to qualify for LIV Golf. A win would be a good start to the year.”

The 26-year-old Sadom, who has been a picture of consistency the first two days and made his first bogey after 28 holes, made two bogeys and a double in successive holes after starting with four pars in a row. The two birdies towards the end put the smile back on his face.

Danthai Boonma of Thailand. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.

“I felt a bit nervous at the start, but everything was good until I hit my shot into the greenside bunker on the fifth hole and made a bogey,” said the two-time winner on the Asian Tour.

“I guess I lost confidence a little bit after that, but I tried hard on the back nine and I am happy I could do well on the back nine.

“A win would mean a lot, because I really worked hard for the past couple of years, and I now have a chance. Tomorrow, my gameplan will depend on the wind. I think today the wind changed, which was the reason I lost confidence with my tee shots. If it’s a similar direction wind like the first two rounds, maybe, I can play the same way as I did the first two days.”

Boonma, who was only one of two players bogey-free on the challenging opening day, made four birdies on either sides of the golf course and was again without a bogey.

“Nothing to complain about today… bogey-free 62 is as good as it gets,” said the Thai star. “I think I controlled myself really well today. I just felt more comfortable than yesterday because I think I had no expectations today.

“The key was that I started really well. I started on hole 10, and I made birdies on 11, 12, and 13, so it made me more confident.”

The Asian Tour heads to the International Series India presented by DLF next week. The US$2 million event is being played at DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurugram at the outskirts of the capital New Delhi.