Kristoffer Broberg of Sweden. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg led 35 jubilant and relieved players through at the Final Stage of the Asian Tour’s Qualifying School with their Tour cards safely secured.
Broberg, three off top spot at the start of the day, eagled the par-five 18th at Springfield Royal Country Club, in Hua Hin, Thailand, to fire a six-under-par 66, and beat Japan’s Shogenji Tatsunori by two shots.
The Swede, who also eagled the second and the 12th, finished the five-round boiling cauldron of competition on 18-under.
Tatsunori closed with a 67, two ahead of Justin Warren (68) from Australia, Spain’s Carlos Pigem (72) and Justin Quiban (73) from the Philippines. Quiban started the day with a one-stroke lead.
Broberg is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, the most recent coming at the 2021 Dutch Open, and his experience and quality were on display from the start, when he birdied the first, eagled the second and made another birdie on the next. He only made two bogeys.
“It feels pretty good. I played great today, I made three eagles today and putted really well,” said 37-year-old Broberg – a professional since 2010.
“I just tried to finish it off today, you know what I mean? It’s just hard to tell, I tried to be like more like relaxed, like a practice round, and just hit some good shots and then make some putts.
“It’s been great being here in Hua Hin. I’ve been staying with Rikard Karlberg [at Black Mountain] and his wife and kids, so I’m missing my family now. so I want to go home to prepare for the upcoming events.
Twenty-five-year-old Tatsunori topped the money list on Japan’s challenge Tour last year – where he won twice – and is ecstatic about his next challenge.
He said: “I just wanted to make the cut at each stage. I never thought I would come second. My putting made this possible, it was so good and I always stayed very calm and relaxed. I will divide my time between the Asian and Japan Tours this year.”
Some of the other notable names to earn their cards were American John Catlin, Koreans Jeunghun Wang and Wooyoung Cho, Thailand’s Danthai Boonma and Australian Sam Brazel.
Chinese golfer Ye Wocheng also earned his card through the school for the second year in a row.
Catlin, a four-time winner in Asia and three-time champion in Europe, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have my playing status back in Asia. I wasn’t able to fulfil my quota of events last year so had to come back to school here. This Tour is where it all started for me. My game is actually in good shape, and I am excited about the year ahead.”
The American, who bases himself in Hua Hin for much of the year, closed with a 72, to end on 10 under in a tie for 15th.
Four players ended in a sudden-death play-off for the 35th card: Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura prevailed on the fourth extra hole over Chilean Matias Dominguez, with Nick Voke from New Zealand and Japan’s Taihei Sato eliminated earlier.
Some well-known names who did not make it through today were Indonesian Naraajie Ramadhanputra, Thais Kosuke Hamamoto and Panuphol Pittayarat, and Korean Yu Bin Jang, including Malaysia’s Galven Green.
The Asian Tour’s first event of the new season, the US$1million IRS Prima Malaysian Open, tees-off in just over three weeks at The Mines Resort and Golf Club, from February 15-18.
It’s one of 20 events that the Tour recently unveiled, with a significant number of important tournaments to be added.
Once finalised it is expected that the schedule will surpass last season – which saw 23 events staged with total prize money of US$35 million.
Scores after round 5 of the The Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage 2024 being played at the par 72, 7203 Yards Springfield Royal CC course (am – denotes amateur):
340 – Kristoffer Broberg (SWE) 71-69-68-66-66.
342 – Shogenji Tatsunori (JPN) 69-73-65-68-67.
344 – Justin Warren (AUS) 72-74-62-68-68, Carlos Pigem (ESP) 67-71-67-67-72, Justin Quiban (PHI) 69-68-70-64-73.
345 – Ryosuke Kinoshita (JPN) 72-70-67-69-67, Hanmil Jung (KOR) 72-66-70-70-67, Charlie Lindh (SWE) 67-73-71-66-68, Junggon Hwang (KOR) 68-71-65-72-69, Stefano Mazzoli (ITA) 69-67-73-67-69, Danthai Boonma (THA) 71-68-68-67-71.
347 – Wooyoung Cho (KOR) 67-72-75-65-68, Matt Killen (ENG) 68-72-70-67-70, Jared Du Toit (CAN) 72-74-63-66-72.
348 – Sam Brazel (AUS) 69-67-74-70-68, Poosit Supupramai (THA) 74-71-66-68-69, Maverick Antcliff (AUS) 69-69-69-70-71, Jose Toledo (GTM) 71-66-70-69-72, John Catlin (USA) 72-66-69-69-72, Jeunghun Wang (KOR) 65-68-72-70-73.
349 – Manav Shah (USA) 71-75-67-68-68, Austen Truslow (USA) 72-72-68-68-69, Jordan Zunic (AUS) 74-69-68-67-71, Taichi Nabetani (JPN) 71-63-77-66-72, Honey Baisoya (IND) 69-69-68-70-73.
350 – Ye Wocheng (CHN) 70-73-74-64-69, David Meyers (RSA) 72-74-69-67-68, Chankyu Park (KOR) 70-72-71-66-71, Lachlan Barker (AUS) 74-68-69-67-72, Liu Yanwei (CHN) 71-68-70-69-72, Harrison Crowe (AUS) 74-71-71-68-66.
351 – Christian Banke (USA) 72-74-65-68-72, Varun Chopra (USA) 70-69-75-69-68, Yuta Sugiura (JPN) 77-70-66-70-68.
352 – Tomoyo Ikemura (JPN) 68-71-75-69-69, Nick Voke (NZL) 65-75-69-71-72, Taihei Sato (JPN) 68-69-75-67-73, Matias Dominguez (CHI) 68-71-71-69-73.
353 – Tomoharu Otsuki (JPN) 68-72-68-73-72, Jared Edwards (NZL) 73-70-70-69-71, Abel Gallegos (ARG) 71-73-69-69-71, Rakhyun Cho (KOR) 78-69-66-69-71, Angus Flanagan (ENG) 72-71-70-70-70, Naraajie Ramadhanputra (INA) 72-71-68-72-70, Sean Ramos (PHI) 73-72-70-68-70, Kosuke Hamamoto (THA) 70-74-69-70-70, Michael Herrera (USA) 75-71-67-70-70, Tunyapat Sukkoed (THA) 75-65-69-68-76.
354 – Sangpil Yoon (KOR) 71-69-73-69-72, Sungjin Noh (KOR) 75-72-69-67-71, Panuphol Pittayarat (THA) 68-74-71-71-70, Joe Heraty (ENG) 72-73-68-71-70.
355 – Aman Raj (IND) 73-68-71-69-74, Liu Yung-hua (TPE) 72-70-70-69-74, Ben Jones (ENG) 71-71-69-72-72, Matt Sharpstene (USA) 69-74-68-66-78, Xiao Bowen (CHN) 76-68-70-70-71, Yubin Jang (KOR) 74-72-71-67-71, Andy Kang (USA) 71-71-74-68-71.
356 – Rikard Karlberg (SWE) 75-69-74-66-72, Otto Van Buynder (RSA) 72-72-68-72-72, Tawit Polthai (THA) 71-72-70-71-72.
357 – Hamza Amin (PAK) 71-70-68-73-75, Douglas Klein (AUS) 72-72-68-68-77, Rahil Gangjee (IND) 73-71-69-71-73, Galven Green (MAS) 73-70-71-70-73.
358 – Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (THA) 74-70-74-66-74.
359 – James Leow (SIN) 77-69-66-71-76, Runchanapong Youprayong (THA) 70-74-69-71-75, Denzel Ieremia (NZL) 70-70-73-71-75, Peter Wilson (AUS) 69-74-71-70-75, Gregory Foo (SIN) 72-74-68-70-75.
