 Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand. Image credit: Asian Tour Source: ADT News
Penang, Malaysia, May 5: Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand won his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title with a final round three-under-par 69 at the RM225,000 (approximately US$58,000) PGM Penang Championship on Saturday. The 21-year-old, who entered the last day of the tournament one shot behind overnight leader Miguel Carballo of Argentina, made four birdies against a lone bogey to close with a winning total of 15-under-par 273 at the Bukit Jawi Golf Resort. Carballo was in a prime position for victory, but he had to settle for tied-second after returning a 72. Also in second place is Swede Malcolm Kokocinski, who earned his fifth top-10 finish this year. With this, Kokocinski has taken over the lead on the ADT Order of Merit list from American John Catlin, who was not in the field this week. "I can’t describe my feeling right now! I've had excellent shots during the entire round and I'm thrilled to get my first victory outside my home country and on the ADT," said Nitithorn, who has been in supreme form on Tour in 2018. Before his win, he earned three top-10s in three starts. "I know that Miguel (Carballo) is a very good and experienced player as he has played on the PGA Tour, so I felt a little bit of pressure playing alongside him. I worked out some strategies with my coach, kept my composure and focused on my game. I'm glad that everything worked out!" he added. Wilson Choo of Malaysia finished commendably in tied-10th on a 279 total. Amir Nazrin is the next highest-ranked Malaysian. He carded a 66, the day's lowest score, to finish in 17th place. The PGM Penang Championship is the seventh leg of the 2018 ADT schedule this year. It is also the ADT’s third stop in Malaysia. Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on all ADT events with the winner earning a total of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale. The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season. For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com. Leading final round scores: 273 - Nitithorn THIPPONG (THA) 70 67 67 69 275 - Malcolm KOKOCINSKI (SWE) 70 67 69 69, Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 65 68 70 72 276 - Sydney CHUNG (USA) 72 68 68 68 277 - Justin DE LOS SANTOS (USA) 67 73 70 67, Oscar ZETTERWALL (SWE) 70 68 70 69, Mathiam KEYSER (RSA) 69 69 69 70, Shinichi MIZUNO (JPN) 71 67 68 71 278 - Adam BLYTH (AUS) 68 73 69 68 279 - Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 73 69 68 69, Yutaka ARAKI (JPN) 71 65 73 70, Wilson CHOO (MAS) 70 71 68 70 280 - Johnson POH (SGP) 73 70 68 69, Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) 69 70 72 69, Poom PATTAROPONG (THA) 72 72 67 69, Donlaphatchai NIYOMCHON (THA) 69 70 68 73 281 - Amir NAZRIN (MAS) 71 71 73 66 282 - Kwanchai TANNIN (THA) 70 69 71 72 283 - Sukree OTHMAN (MAS) 69 72 71 71, Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) 68 74 69 72, Nirun SAE-UENG (THA) 70 68 73 72, Ratchapol JANTAVARA (THA) 68 69 72 74  Sukree Othman won his eighth Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour title at the Sime Darby Closed Championship today, while Aretha Pan made it her maiden pro victory.
This was Sukree’s second win of the year, after his triumph in the season-opener at the Perlis Closed in January. For her part, Aretha dedicated her win at Impian Golf & Country Club in Kajang, Selangor to her father, Robert, whose birthday is on Tuesday (April 24) and said she was “very happy”. They both won with three-stroke victory margins. Sukree shot a fourth and final round four-under 68 for an 11-under-par 277 total. That superb effort came on the back of even-par 72s in the first and third rounds and a second day 65, as he turned on the style and made his presence felt. Mohd Nazri Mohd Zain had a final day two-under 70 that propelled him to second place as he signed for a 280 total. Overnight leader Hans Jamil stumbled to two-over 74 and finished joint third alongside Wafiyuddin Abd Manaf, who returned with a fourth round 71 and seven-under 281 total. Kim Leun Kwang was alone in fifth spot, another shot back on 282, while Solomon Rosidin’s 73 left him a tie for sixth with Shahriffuddin Ariffin – the PGM Tour Player of the Year had a first round 74 that really ruined his chances of victory, although final round 69 did earn him a top-10 finish that could be considered a decent recovery. Sukree was understandably pleased with his week at Impian and said: “In the second round and today I played well. I hit the ball solid and made some putts, while on the first day and yesterday I just managed to keep it together and try and stay in touch at the top (of the standings). “In the end it all worked out alright and I’m pleased to make it two wins so far this season,” added Sukree, who picked up a cheque for RM34,000. Meanwhile, Aretha, who earned RM11,000 for her win, said she was delighted that after a number attempts to land her first victory she finally did and added that it “couldn’t have come at a better time” as her father celebrates his birthday on Tuesday. “This is really very nice. I injured my right wrist which restricted my game and practice, before returning to almost full fitness. It’s not completely healed, but it’s a lot better now,” said Aretha. “So far as the win goes,” she added “that’s because of my short game and putting. I’ve put extra practice into my short game and putting, partly because of the injury and it paid off here. “I’m very happy and I hope I can build on this victory and get my game to improve even further,” added Aretha, who will leave on Monday (April 23) for five events before returning home. She will first compete in China and then travel to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Aretha will round off her trip with two more tournaments in China. Nur Durriyah Damian, who won the first three women’s events on this season’s PGM Tour, finished tied second with amateur player Norezrina Alisa. They had matching six-over 294 totals. In fourth place was Michelle Koh, another five shots back. Leading Final Scores - Men 1 277 -11 Sukree Othman 72-65-72-68 2 280 -8 Mohd Nazri Mohd Zain 67-71-72-70 3 280 -7 Hans Jamil 68-71-68-74 3 281 -7 Wafiyuddin Abd Manaf 69-68-73-71 5 282 -6 Kim Leun Kwang 73-73-69-67 6 283 -5 Solomon Rosidin 69-70-71-73 6 283 -5 Shahriffuddin Ariffin 74-69-71-69 8 284 -4 S. Sivachandhran 69-69-72-74 9 285 -3 Arie Irawan 73-71-70-71 9 285 -3 Wilson Choo 77-69-72-67 11 286 -2 R. Nachimuthu 72-71-72-71 11 286 -2 M. Sasidaran 73-70-72-71 11 286 -2 Zurie Harun 73-71-74-68 14 287 -1 Alex Tiong 75-72-69-71 15 289 +1 Amli Mohiyadeen 72-70-72-75 15 289 +1 Kenneth De Silva 74-69-72-74 15 289 +1 Rizal Amin 69-76-73-71 18 291 +3 Iylia Jamil 72-75-71-73 18 291 +3 Brandon Lau Ka Kin 71-73-75-72 18 291 +3 Amir Nazrin Jailani 72-79-68-72 Leading Final Scores - Women 1 291 +3 Aretha Pan 70-76-71-74 2 294 +6 Nur Durriyah Damian 73-74-75-72 2 294 +6 Norezrina Alisa (A) 71-76-71-76 4 299 +11 Michelle Koh 79-72-73-75  Source: ADT News.
Johor Bahru, Malaysia, April 7: Singapore’s Johnson Poh broke through on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in sensational style when he romped to a four-shot victory at the PGM Johor Championship on Saturday. The 26-year-old dominated the event after shooting a sensational seven-under-par 65 to defeat Sweden’s Malcolm Kokocinski, who settled for second following a 67 at the RM225,000 (approximately US$58,000) event held at Palm Resort Golf and Country Club. Ben Leong posted a 70 to finish as the best Malaysian in third place while Singapore’s Mardan Mamat rolled back the years with a superb 70 to end his campaign in fourth alongside Australia’s Kieran Pratt (67), Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong (67) and Malaysia’s Arie Irawan (70). Poh, who is coached by his father, was delighted to clinch his first ADT title in emphatic fashion after shooting his lowest four-day total of 21-under-par 267. He started off solidly after mixing his card with six birdies against two bogeys through 15 holes but produced a grandstand finish with three straight birdies to claim a comfortable victory. “Feels awesome to finally win on the ADT and my lowest four-round-total in any tournament that I’ve played. I think the biggest thing for me this week was that I stuck to the game plan and stayed calm on every shot. My caddy told me on the last hole, victory is here, and I had to remind him that we still have one more hole to go and we need to finish the last putt before we can celebrate,” said Poh, who won silver medals in the individual and team events in the 2009 and 2015 South East Asian Games The young Singaporean hopes this victory will help him finish inside the top-five on the final 2018 ADT Order of Merit which comes with a 2019 Asian Tour card. Despite missing out on the win, Kokocinski took pride in his finish this week and hopes to bring over his form to his next event which will be on the ADT in Bangladesh. “I actually played really well all week just that Johnson did a little better. I hit all 18 greens today and I only missed four in total all week. I was reading the lines wrong today so if I could just get my putts to drop I could have pushed Johnson further but I am still happy with my finish and I like where my game is right now so I see good things happening pretty soon,” said Kokocinski. Asian Tour winner, Leong, reckons he needs to continue working on his ball striking as he prepares for the upcoming Asian Tour events. “I fought my way around today because I am not really hitting it very well. I think I was just lucky today. It wasn’t easy out there today because it was windier but I stayed patient and hung in there. My usual shot shape is left-to-right, and right now it’s just going straight so I need to fix that before my next couple of events on the Asian Tour,” said Leong. Poh will take home a winner’s prize cheque of US$10,237 and is the third Singaporean to win on the ADT after compatriots Mardan Mamat and Quincy Quek became winners on the ADT in 2012. Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on All ADT events with the winner earning a total of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale. The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season. For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com. Leading final round scores 267 - Johnson POH (SGP) 68 65 69 65 271 - Malcolm KOKOCINSKI (SWE) 68 70 66 67 274 - Ben LEONG (MAS) 67 70 67 70 275 - Mardan MAMAT (SGP) 73 70 67 65, Kieran PRATT (AUS) 70 68 70 67, Nitithorn THIPPONG (THA) 70 69 69 67, Arie Irawan (MAS) 71 65 69 70 276 - Janne KASKE (FIN) 65 69 72 70 277 - Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) 71 70 69 67, Smithti TEERATRAKUL (THA) 69 72 69 67, Tarik CAN (USA) 69 68 72 68 278 - Greg MOSS (USA) 70 71 71 66, Quincy QUEK (SGP) 65 73 71 69, Sorachut HANSAPIBAN (THA) 67 69 70 72, KOH Deng Shan (SGP) 70 66 68 74  Source: ADT News.
Kedah, Malaysia, January 27: American Kurt Kitayama completed a stunning wire-to-wire victory at the PGM Darulaman Championship to win his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title on Saturday. The 25-year-old rookie closed with a two-under-par 70 to defeat a relentless John Catlin, who settled for second place at the RM225,000 (approximately US$55,000) ADT event. It was a dramatic final day where Kitayama's five-shot lead was erased by a battling Catlin, who fired three birdies and a 10-foot eagle putt on the 10th hole to draw level with his countryman. Kitayama, who finished tied-3rd in Qualifying School in January, responded with clutch birdie putts on holes 16 and 18 to secure his first title in Asia with a winning total of 21-under-par 267. “Before hole 10 I felt tight all around and it got to all square, after hole 11 I finally felt more relaxed and was loosening up. I still wasn’t making good shots but I was making good pars and good saves. I was on a cold stretch where I wasn’t giving myself a lot of good looks. I just told myself to stay patient since I still had a lot of golf left and I just needed to give myself more opportunities along the way,” said Kitayama. After playing two years on the Web.com Tour, Kitayama was delighted to taste success in Asia. He pocketed US$10,096.15 for his victory. “I’ve been excited for the schedule I’m hoping to get some sponsor invites after this if not I’ll just have a break after this to go home and just relax. I am hoping to get one of the earlier starts like New Zealand or Perth if not then I think I’ll take a good break,” added Kitayama. Two-time ADT winner John Catlin prides himself on his solid ball-striking this week to finish with a career best four-day tournament total of 269. “I gave it my all. Hole 10 was when it got real. Making that eagle putt just gave me a good chance. Other than a miss hit on hole 12 I played some phenomenal golf today. I was so close, just kept telling myself to keep going. I had a birdie putt on every single hole on the back nine. It was great playing with Kurt he’s a good player, hits the ball miles and you could have sizzled my steak medium rare on his putter the last two days,” said Catlin. Thailand’s Donlaphatchai Niyomchon finished third following a 71 while Nitithorn Thippong, also from Thailand, carded a 67 to settle for fourth place on 277. The PGM Darulaman Championship, by featuring on the ADT schedule, will receive official World Golf Ranking status. The winner will receive a minimum of six Official World Golf Ranking points and the top six players and ties will earn points on a sliding scale. Ends. Leading final round scores: 267 - Kurt KITAYAMA (USA) 63 70 64 70 269 - John CATLIN (USA) 68 68 66 67 276 - Donlaphatchai NIYOMCHON (THA) 71 69 65 71 277 - Nitithorn THIPPONG (THA) 68 73 69 67 278 - Itthipat BURANATANYARAT (THA) 68 72 69 69 280 - Kwanchai TANNIN (THA) 70 69 69 72 281 - Mohammad WAFIYUDDIN (MAS) 75 70 72 64 282 - Thepbodin AMARANAN (THA) 74 68 74 66, Kemarol BAHARIN (MAS) 71 72 72 67, Thanpisit OMSIN (THA) 72 70 70 70 |
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