Ho Yu-Cheng of Chinese Taipei is on track to land his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title as he carded a third round 66 to open up a four-shot lead at the PKNS Selangor Masters.
The 25-year-old was in superb form as he nailed four birdies in a flawless outing at the challenging Seri Selangor Golf Club, set up as a par-70 course for the US$175,000 tournament which is co-sanctioned with the domestic Toyota Tour.
Ho tops the leaderboard with a 54-hole total of six-under-par 204 (68, 70, 66), four ahead of Japan’s Naoki Sekito who signed in a solid 68. Malaysia’s Daeng Rahman lies third on even-par 210 after a third round 70.
“My driving was good today and I found most of the fairways, which allowed me to set up good birdie chances with my second shots. All my birdies were from inside nine feet,” said Ho.
“I’ll just play my own game tomorrow and try to keep to the same strategy. Let’s see how the final result is,” he added.
Playing in his rookie season on the ADT, Ho is currently in 10th place on the Order of Merit and a win would secure his Asian Tour card for 2024 as one of the top-10 in the final standings. He came close to winning in August at the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia, holding the 54-hole lead and eventually settling for second place.
“This is my first year playing on the ADT and it’s been a good experience. I’ve learnt a lot from playing in the ADT tournaments,” noted Ho, who has won multiple times on his domestic circuit.
Naoki Sekito of Japan
Three-time ADT winner Sekito, 26, relied on a sharp short game to keep himself in the hunt.
“You can lose a lot of shots easily on this golf course, so although I may be four shots back, I’m still in a good position. If I keep playing like I have the past two days, I think I have a chance to win,” said Sekito, who won the OB Golf Championship in Indonesia in late September for his third ADT title.
Third round leader Rory Hie fell back with a round of 77 and is eight shots off the pace. However, the popular Indonesian ace believes he still has a chance if he posts a low score tomorrow.
“I feel like I didn’t play that badly today. It’s just that kind of course where it’s so easy to make mistakes. It was one of those days that you know you’re going to have,” said Hie.
“I still feel like I have a chance if I shoot anywhere around five-under tomorrow. Anything can happen on this golf course, so we’ll see how it goes,” added the 35-year-old, who has one Asian Tour title to his name at the 2019 Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship in India.
Daeng Rahman of Malaysia
Daeng was satisfied with his consistent play so far with rounds of 71, 69 and 70, putting him in contention for his first ADT victory.
“I’m quite happy with the results, although it could have been better. My putting hasn’t really been on point, and I missed a lot of short putts for birdie,” said the 23-year-old.
Daeng has won four times on the Toyota Tour, including the 2015 Danau Closed as a 15-year-old amateur and this year’s Camry Cup. He credited swing changes made under the guidance of former LPGA Tour player Lim Siew Ai, now an elite coach, for his return to form after a poor start to the year.
“I started the year really badly and was struggling with my swing and confidence. I made a lot of changes to my game and the last few tournaments have been positive for me, and I’m getting my confidence back. Siew Ai helped a lot,” said Daeng,
Malaysia’s rising star Ervin Chang kept up his daily improvement with a superb, bogey-free 66. The 25-year-old is in tied fourth position on one-over par 211 (76, 69, 66) with the Thai duo of Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij and Poosit Supupramai, the first round leader.
“I’m playing better each day, although I’m still struggling with my tee shots. Today I was hitting my irons and wedges well, and my putting was superb. I just felt good out there and I made some really good par saves. Hopefully I can continue to do that,” said Chang, who turned professional in 2022 and has chalked up one pro win at this year’s Mirai Cup on the Toyota Tour.
Currently in 27th position on the ADT Order of Merit, Chang will be gunning for a strong finish tomorrow but noted that he will have to stay patient.
“There’s always a chance to go low but Seri Selangor is a course where anything can happen. You can play here a thousand times and it still challenges you. You just have to be patient out there,” said Chang.
Daeng and Chang will have extra incentive as the organisers will be awarding the best Malaysian finisher with an additional RM10,000 on top of the tournament prize money.
Malaysian number one Gavin Green was among those who missed the halfway cut of six-over-par following the conclusion of the second round this morning, adding a 79 to his opening 69. A total of 13 Malaysians progressed to the final 36 holes.
The final round commences at 7.22am tomorrow with the leader flight of Ho, Sekito and Daeng teeing off at 8.50am.
The PKNS Selangor Masters is the first stop of the closing three-event stretch on this year’s ADT and is also the penultimate tournament of the 2023 Toyota Tour. With the lucrative prize money on offer, the tournament will play a pivotal role in determining the top 10 players on the ADT’s final Order of Merit who will earn Asian Tour cards for 2024.
Since its inception in 2007, the Selangor Masters has seen two Malaysian winners in Ben Leong, who won the second edition in 2008, and Shahriffuddin Ariffin who was triumphant last year. Both Leong and Shahriffuddin are competing in this week’s Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour.
The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) is the title sponsor for the second year running, while the event promoter is PKNS Golf Management Services Sdn Bhd.
Crafted by Australian architect Ross Watson, the Seri Selangor course opened for play in 1998 as Malaysia’s first genuine public facility and provides an enthralling golf experience with its strategic design and speedy greens.
LEADING ROUND 3 SCORES
204 (-6) Ho Yu-Cheng (TPE) 68-70-66
208 (-2) Naoki Sekito (JPN) 75-65-68
210 (E) Daeng Rahman (MAS) 71-69-70
211 (+1) Ervin Chang (MAS) 76-69-66
Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (THA) 66-74-7
Poosit Supupramai (THA) 65-74-72
212 (+2) Kenneth De Silva (MAS) 69-72-71
Suttinon Panyo (THA) 73-69-70
Deyen Lawson (AUS) 73-68-71
Rory Hie (INA) 68-67-77
