An albatross and a hole-in-one provided the fireworks in the opening round of the PKNS Selangor Masters, which saw Nicklaus Chiam of Singapore grab a one-stroke clubhouse lead with a scintillating seven-under-par 64 on the demanding Seri Selangor Golf Club layout.
Chiam lived up to his name in the sunny morning conditions for the season-opener of the 2026 Asian Development Tour, amassing ten birdies against three bogeys. The 30-year-old loves how the Seri Selangor course plays, but admitted he hadn’t been able to perform well in previous attempts.
“Today’s 64 was a pleasant surprise. My longest putt for birdie was from 14 feet, so I guess I performed well from tee to green. It’s a great start, for sure, and I’m definitely sticking to my game plan for tomorrow’s second round,” said Chiam, who was named after the legendary Jack Nicklaus.
In joint second place were two Thais, Kosuke Hamamoto and Amarin Kraivixien, who carded six-under 65s.
Kosuke Hamamoto of Thailand
Hamamoto’s round included the tournament’s first ace, which he nailed at the par-three eighth hole with a six-iron from 195 yards. Thus was the 26-year-old’s sixth career hole-in-one and fifth as a professional.
“I last played here two years ago, and I absolutely love the layout. It’s not long but it’s tricky. I’m just hoping for a good finish this week,” said Hamamoto.
Playing in the afternoon session when conditions cooled with some showers, Kraivixien shrugged off heat exhaustion from yesterday’s practice round to match Hamamoto’s score. The 29-year-old was elated to be returning to Seri Selangor, where he has enjoyed some strong finishes including T5 in 2023 and T8 last year.
“I like this country in general, as it’s very similar to home. This golf course suits the way I place each shot, as I’m not a very long hitter, and having some good finishes here definitely helps with confidence. This is definitely the ADT event that I look forward to the most each year,” said Kraivixien.
Amarin Kraivixien of Thailand
Matthew Cheung of Hong Kong, China, lies fourth following a round of 66, one shot ahead of American journeyman Berry Henson.
Gregory Foo achieved a rare albatross when his six-iron second shot at the 468-metre, par-five sixth hole ended up in the hole.
“I hit a good tee shot and was left with about 185 metres. From where I was, I could just see the top of the pin and went for it. I knew I carried the bunker and thought I had a chance for an eagle putt. When we got to the green, I couldn’t see my ball, until the scorer said the ball was in the hole,” said the Singaporean, who wound up with a round of one-under-par 70.
The best-placed Malaysians to finish were Seri Selangor ambassador Zia Izzuddeen and Khavish Varadan, with rounds of one-under-par 70 to lie joint 16th.
Seasoned campaigner Sukree Othman was two-under-par after 15 holes, but was among 12 players who could not finish their rounds due to failing light. They will return to the course at 7.45am tomorrow.
2025 champion Tawit Polthai of Thailand carded a one-over-par 72 and lies T41.
For the second year in a row, the US$175,000 tournament is the season-opening event of the 2026 Asian Development Tour (ADT). The field of 144 players is made up of 80 players from the ADT, 40 from the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, and 24 invitees. With the top 10 players on the final Order of Merit earning Asian Tour cards for the following season, there is much incentive for the ADT players to do well this week and start their 2026 campaigns on a positive note.
This is the 13th staging of the PKNS Selangor Masters, which is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS). PKNS has been the title sponsor since 2022.
