The pair were locked on 20-under after 72 holes at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin, one ahead of Korean Yeongsu Kim and Micah Lauren Shin of the United States.

Former LIV Golfer Ormsby overcame young Chonlatit on the first extra hole to claim the crown. The 42-year-old triumphed after holing a 12-foot birdie putt while Chonlatit missed his birdie attempt from eight feet.

Ormsby trailed Chonlatit, the clubhouse leader, by one with three to play but made a birdie on 16 to get to the playoff.

It’s the fourth Asian Tour victory of Ormsby’s career and the first since his win in the Hong Kong Open in 2020.

He will now be looking to play his way back onto the LIV Golf League series, having played all seven events of the inaugural season.

The $2 million International Series event — which offers the best performers players an avenue into the LIV Golf League — was wide open on the final day with dozens of players in with a chance before Ormsby and Chonlatit edged ahead.

Behind Yeongsu and Shin was Ormsby’s fellow Aussie Kevin Yuan in fifth.

“I can’t believe I am here,” said Ormsby. “I had a tough week down in New Zealand last week. I was so annoyed with myself as I knew I was playing well. I worked so hard with my coach Grant Field. I am so stoked.

“I hit a good putt on the last to win it, but it didn’t turn right, the grain was hard off the left. It didn’t go in, all you can do is try and hit a good putt. So, I went to the range to get ready. I got a little bit unlucky on the play off hole to find the bunker, but I holed the 12 footer when it mattered.

“The Asian Tour and International Series are high up on my priority list, I’d love to get back on LIV, I just have to try and manage it all. I just so happy I have won an International Series event especially here at Black Mountain, I love the place.”

Chonlatit was diplomatic in defeat.

“I did my best, and I’m super happy with the result and my performance today and this week,” the 24-year-old said.

“My first priority was to keep my card on the Asian Tour, but this week I’m very happy with my performance so I now would like to win one. I’m sure I can, and I will try.”

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Chikkarangappa carded 67, Murray 68 and Jazz 69 at Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin.

That quartet lead the Asian Tour event on 15-under by one shot from another large mob — Koreans Yongjun Bae (65), Mingyu Cho (66) and Jaewoong Eom (68), Micah Lauren Shin (67) from the United States, and Japan’s Yosuke Asaji (68).

Overnight leader Dodge Kemmer from the United States slipped back with 74 and is 12-under.

With 28 players within three shots of the lead the tournament is wide open and the stage set for a gripping final day, in what is the third International Series event of the season.

Bangladesh’s golfing idol Siddikur looked like he was going to shoot an even lower round as six birdies on the front saw him turn in six-under-par 30 and when birdies followed on 12, 13 and 15 the course record of 62, set by American Sihwan Kim last year, looked within reach.

However, the 38 year old, whose nickname is ‘the Tiger of Dhaka’, made his only bogey of the day on 17.

“It was a wonderful day, I was so sound,” said Siddikur.

“My hitting was excellent and at the same time my putting was too good. So, all over it was a wonderful round for me, nine birdies and one bogey, the last two holes a little bit unlucky, but, again, I’m happy for today.”

Siddikur is one of the shortest hitters on Tour, not suited to Black Mountain, which favours the long-ball players, but the Bangladeshi countered that with a brilliant short stick display.

He said: “I especially enjoyed my putting today because the first two days I couldn’t putt that good. The first day my hitting was excellent, but I couldn’t putt honestly. But today, yeah, no complaints on the putting and my hitting was excellent too.”

Chikkarangappa, looking for his first win on the Asian Tour, had a chance to hold the outright lead but made bogey on the par-five 18th but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the day.

“I’ve been playing well, you know I had a great season at the end [of 2022] where I made my card on the Asian Tour, and I had a Tour championship back in my local tour PGTI, and I managed to win that,” said the Indian.

“So that kind of gave me a lot of confidence. And I’ve been in good form, feeling good about the game. And I went back to my coach and Anirban [Lahiri], so we spent a lot of time there for about 20 days. We did a lot of good quality practice and that kind of has given me good confidence, and yeah, I’m feeling good about it.

Jazz didn’t produce his best and also missed a chance to take the lead on his own after failing to hole a 16-foot birdie putt on 18, but he is well placed heading into Sunday.

“Just slow today, nothing really went for me but hung in there, gave myself a good position to go in and play good in the last round,” said the 2019 Asian Tour No. 1.

“I mean golf is golf right, if the ball goes in you play good. You just have to go out there and do the same thing and hope the ball goes in.”

With Black Mountain being his home course he desperately wants to secure his first win here tomorrow.

He said: “I just want to do one for the members you know, I’ve been here with them since I was 15, so it would be nice to do something nice for the club here. But if not, it’s okay, they still can’t fire me, they can’t kick me out.”

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The 35-year-old leads the way on 14-under, ahead of the giants of golf in Thailand, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jazz Janewattananond.

Kemmer is an emerging story. At last year’s season-ending Indonesian Masters in December he agonisingly missed keeping his Asian Tour card by one place on the Order of Merit (OOM), but immediately bounced back with two top-four finishes on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), which helped to finish in the top 10 the ADT OOM, which also provides passage on to the Asian Tour.

He said: “[After the Indonesian Masters] I had to turn around the next week and go and play ADT and I did really well those two weeks. I came back nicely, and I was proud of myself, to earn my card from the ADT season.”

The American caught the birdie train again on Friday, making eight and dropping just two shots. He was 15-under with two to play but his final bogey of the day came on his penultimate hole.

“I have been hitting it nicely, struggled on the greens last week, but if I can get a few more of those to fall I will be right in there,” said Kemmer, whose best finish on the Asian Tour is third at the Bangladesh Open in 2017. “It would be great [to win this week], it was tough last year.

“The greens were super fast in the practice rounds, they have slowed down a little bit but they are still really good. You have to think your way into the greens, and around the greens. There are no easy two putts, especially above the hole, so it takes a lot of strategy and I enjoy going through that.”

Kiradech, the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion 10 years ago and a three-time winner on Tour, got off to a surprisingly slow start, going round his first nine in even, par but ripped through the second half in five-under.

“I am very happy with my first two rounds, especially the way I started today quite slow,” the Thai star said.

“My putter was a little cold, couldn’t sink any birdie on the front nine. One single birdie, one three putt. I woke up on the back, birdied five of first six holes, they helped me get back into it.

“I don’t think I am far off from my ‘A’ game, but to be honest I know I shot good scores over first two rounds, but it’s not my ‘A’ game out there, I left a couple of strokes out there. I think I know what I have in my pocket, I am playing quite smart, in middle of the green sometimes, which is not normally my game. But I am concentrating on everything and focusing.

Jazz, the Tour’s No. 1 in 2019, is enjoying performing well on what is his home course and where he says he rarely excels in tournaments.

“I’m pretty happy,” he admitted. “I mean, before the tournament I didn’t have much of an expectation, because it’s my home course and I’ve never really performed well, but just changed a lot of my mentality this year. Just take it easy, do whatever, if it comes it comes.”

Last year’s International Series Morocco winner added: “I feel like every year so far when I play my home course, I take it so seriously. I’m not even like stressed out about the tournament this time, but more like practising, grinding it out and stuff.

“Just because when I’m at home I feel like I have to practice, and if I don’t practice, I feel like I’m missing out. So, this year, I just take it very easy, didn’t even do much practice and just come out here and chill. And the score kind of perform a lot better than the past year, so maybe going forward I’ll do this.”

?ACE ALERT?@johnlyras96 sinks the first hole-in-one of the season on the 11th hole at the @bmgolfclub!?#ISthailand #InternationalSeries #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/5KU7RFUFzC

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) March 10, 2023

India’s Honey Baisoya came in with a 62, helped by a front nine of eight-under-par 28, but as preferred lies are being played it could be counted among the official records. Meanwhile, Australia’s John Lyras managed a hole-in-one on the 190-yard 11th hole with a 7 iron.

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The duo lead from Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jazz Janewattananond who fired 65s at Black Mountain Golf Club, in Hua Hin.

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, American Turk Pettit, Andrew Dodt from Australia, Korean Bio Kim and Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, Danthai Boonma, Ekpharit Wu, and Settee Prakongvech, all came in with 66s.

The $2 million event is the fifth event of the season on the Asian Tour, and third International Series tournament.

Last year Tabuena endured an uncharacteristically poor season and only just retained his Tour card. The top 70 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit kept their cards and Tabuena finished 70th, exactly $71.89 ahead of none other than Kemmer, in 71st position.

But he has returned with a vengeance this year and finished in the top 15 in his last two events on Tour, the International Series tournaments in Oman and Qatar.

“It is a bit of a long story, I didn’t play too well last year,” said the 28-year-old.

“I had some time off, but I was lucky enough to keep my card by about 50 dollars, I was the last person to get in, and I told myself that is never going to happen again.

“I worked really hard during the off season, and I guess it is showing a bit. I finished 13th in Oman and top 10 in Qatar. The game has been there, even back home. I am just glad it’s coming together.”

He made four birdies on each nine including one on the final hole.

He added: “The course is pretty gettable in the morning. I was lucky enough to get off to a hot start. I was four under after six. I actually left a couple of putts out there, mis-read two of them. I was lucky enough to finish with a birdie on the last. Can’t complain shooting 64.”

The Filipino’s fine round could not have come at a better time as he was watched all the way by his family.

“My whole family is here, finally, it has been a few years. It’s just been my wife for the past couple of tournaments, but I am very, very grateful to have my dad here, my mum, brother and sister,” said Tabuena, who last victory came in 2018 at the Queen’s Cup, also here in Thailand.

Kemmer made up for not keeping his card via the Merit list by earning it through a top 10 finish on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit.

“Kind of a slow start, got a lot of chances and took a while to figure out the greens,” said Kemmer, who played the back nine in six-under 30 which included a three putt for par on 18.

“I turned in two-under and then started hitting my wedges pretty close, a bunch of them within four or five feet, that took some of the guess work out of the greens.

“I will try and do better tomorrow, keep swinging aggressively and maybe learn a little bit more about the greens and make even more putts.”

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As Miguel Tabuena shot a brilliant eight-under 64 at the International Series Thailand to take the early Round 1 lead, Asian Tour commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant was busy behind the scenes with his charity cap on.

The International Series has once again chosen the Bright Dawn Foundation to be the benefactor of its CSR initiative in Thailand as competition got under way at Black Mountain Golf Club.

The Thai children’s charity has now received $50,000 from The International Series, which launched in Thailand in 2022, with this year’s cheque handed over by Cho.

Bright Dawn’s mission is to improve the lives of low-income Thai children around rural Hua Hin through the provision of healthcare and educational support to the primary schools they attend.

Donny Nimmo, CEO, Bright Dawn Foundation, said: “Our gratitude towards everyone involved in selecting us as beneficiaries cannot be overstated – this is a significant sum that will vastly improve the lives of the children in our care. Getting this money from the Asian Tour is honestly a godsend.”

Set up 13 years ago, the charity now supports 700 children across five schools. This week’s donation of US$25,000 will support ongoing healthcare and education programmes, including annual medicals and provision of eye tests and glasses to those who need them.

Nimmo added: “We are looking more at agriculture, cradle to grave, with market gardens and a fishpond. They grow fruit and vegetables, which the kids see the lifespan of from planting through to being served in the school canteens. Anything we think can be used as a practical vocational skill.”

Committed to the communities of the places it visits, The International Series’ CSR initiative offers US$25,000 to a broad range of initiatives targeting education, environmental sustainability, golf development programmes, and the well-being of communities in the short and long term.

The series will visit a further seven countries following Thailand, with its aim to donate to local causes to help further the development of each region.

Cho said: “It’s hugely important for us at the Asian Tour and The International Series to be able to contribute to the communities that support us.

“The Asian Tour has been coming to Black Mountain for the last decade. In fact the first tournament here was in 2009. We visit Hua Hin on a regular basis. We have several tournaments per year here, we host qualifying school here and to give back to the community that supports us so much over the years is fantastic.

“It’s really good for us to visit the school and see what they do with our own two eyes. To see the kids in the school in the playground, learning how to use computers, seeing the facilities that have been provided through the Bright Dawn Foundation is remarkable. It’s a great initiative and it’s great for us to be here.”

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DETAILS

When: March 9-12
Where: Black Mountain Golf Club, Hua Hin District, Prachaubkirikhan, Thailand
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,552 yards
Field: 156 players from 26 different countries, including 45 players from Thailand
Last year’s winner: Sihwan Kim
Purse: $2 million

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Andy Ogletree. LIV Golf

ANDY OGLETREE – The International Series Order of Merit leader has won two of the last four International Series tournaments going back to last season, including the most recent one in Qatar last month. The American’s last five Asian Tour starts include two wins and two other top 10s. “Confidence-wise, I don’t know how I could get a lot higher,” said the former US Amateur champ.

SADOM KAEWKANJANA – Thailand’s top-ranked golfer, who played the full LIV Golf season in 2022, tied for 32nd in this event last year. In his eight International Series starts since then, he has six top 10 finishes, including a tie for second earlier this season in Oman.

TAKUMI KANAYA – The winner in Oman currently ranks second in the International Series Order of Merit. The 24-year-old from Japan was ranked as the No. 1 amateur for more than a year prior to turning pro in 2020. His most recent start was a T28 at the Thailand Classic.

RATCHANON “TK” CHANTANANUWAT – The teenage amateur from Thailand, who just turned 16 years old on March 4, makes his first International Series start of the season. It was less than a year ago that he won an Asian Tour event to become the youngest golfer to win on any elite tour.

WHAT THEY SAID

Prom Meesawat. Asian Tour

Australian Travis Smyth had to withdraw after the first round last year at Black Mountain but is glad to return to Thailand. “We’re in paradise,” Smyth said. “The weather is amazing, it’s not too hot. We’re on the ocean and we’re playing a little golf on the side this week, so it’s pretty special. Thailand is unbelievable.”

The 28-year-old has had two top 10s from three events in 2023 and likes his chances. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I were to win this week,” he said.

Describing what it means to him to play so close to where he grew up, Prom Meesawat said: “As a Thai player we’re always very excited to play in Thailand. This week is very special for me in particular as I’m in my hometown where I can stay in my own bed and see my family here in Hua Hin.”

The three-time Asian Tour winner said the International Series is “good for the Asian Tour and it’s exciting for players like me and the younger generation to play for more money and to have the opportunity to qualify for LIV.”

Gunn Charoenkul was plagued by injury throughout the COVID pandemic but has bounced back emphatically, highlighted by earning the biggest payday of his career with a second place in the International Series Qatar. He now stands third in the International Series Order of Merit.

“The International Series is the next level of Asian Tour tournaments and special in every way,” said the Thai veteran, who represented his country in the Tokyo Olympics. “They always pick good golf courses and all of us enjoy playing International Series events, especially when we have one on home soil.”

Gunn played impressively in the New Zealand Open last weekend, finishing in a tie for sixth.

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