The 27-year-old Frenchman produced rounds of 66-67-66 in Korat to finish the $30,000 Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen at -17, a staggering seven shots clear of English runner-up Luke Joy (England).

Michael Harradine closed with a level-par 72 to leave the Dubai-based Swiss national team amateur in a creditable three-way share of third at -6 with Englishman Jamie Elson and Scot James Byrne.

Lightning forced the suspension of the final round for 60 minutes but it barely slowed Weber who produced four of his seven birdies Wednesday in his last six holes.

“It was great to be able to play my A game,” said Weber who became the second Frenchman after Edouard Espana to win a MENA Tour event and was presented with the trophy by tour patron, His Excellency Pasan Teparak.

“I had a good final round and I am really pleased to have my first win as a professional here in Thailand. It will give me a lot more confidence for the future.”

Harradine was two under through 11 before a double bogey on the par-4, 15th undermined the 33-year-old’s efforts.

His tally of six-under, however, saw Harradine easily clinch the amateur title by six shots from Thai Worathon Zeng, who finished on level-par 216, as Dubai-based India amateur No.1 Rayhan Thomas settled for third on +3 after returning a final round 76.

“I struggled on the first seven holes but things started to click thereafter and I played a bit more solid. Unfortunately, I lost a ball in the jungle on the 15^th and then made a birdie on 16. Finished on level par. You are never happy when you finish the round badly, but overall it was a good week,” Harradine said.

Joy, a two-time MENA Tour winner, made a strong finish, reeling off three birdies in his last four holes en route to a final round 69. But the Englishman’s late surge was not enough to threaten Weber,who was only playing his second MENA Tour event after leading through 36 holes in the MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan GC (where he is an ambassador) before fading to a T7 finish.

MahaSamutr Masters champion Jazz Janewattananond finished solo 10th on -4 after a final-round 70, one behind his Thai compatriot Pattaraphol Khanthacha who finished in a four-way tie for fifth.

Defending champion Wolmer Murillo carded a 71 for a share of 11th on -3 while Tyler Hogarty, the winner of last season’s -1 red numbers on one under, tied for 13th.

The MENA Tour will travel to Chonburi next week for the May 16-19 Pattana Golf Championship, the third and final event on the tour’s Thailand swing and its first 72-hole event.

An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation and enjoys the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status.

A guaranteed spot at the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (for the MENA Tour champion), multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy, Maybank Championship Malaysia, and the KLM Open, await MENA Tour members, in addition to playing privileges on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, and exemptions into the final stage of the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour Q-Schools.

Caption: His Excellency Pasan Teparak, patron of the MENA Tour, presenting the winner’s trophy to Lionel Weber as Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour, and Stacey Walton of GLS Asia, look on.

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The frugal Frenchman has reportedly gone 36-holes at the MENA Tour’s Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen using the same ball, no small feat given the evasive jungle fringing most of the fairways on the Seve Ballesteros-designed layout in Thailand.

The well-worn sphere is clearly behaving – Weber backed up an opening 66 with 67 Tuesday to move to 11-under for the $30,000 championship in Korat.

It earned him a four stroke buffer over Englishman Luke Joy heading into the final round of the 54-holer and a second shot at a maiden MENA Tour title in as many weeks.

Weber co-lead through 18 and 36 holes at last week’s MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan GC (where he is an ambassador) only to fade to a share of 7^th with a final round 75.

He’s hopeful of a happier ending in the second event of the tour’s Thailand swing Wednesday.

“I feel my game is in great shape,” said Weber who rolled in seven birdies, five on his front nine, against two bogeys Tuesday. “Although I hear some players have lost many balls, I am still playing with the same lucky one. The course is pretty tricky and you need to shape the ball a lot and I did that.

“Also, you need to focus on every shot. It always feels good to be in Thailand as it’s a great place to play golf.”

Switzerland’s Dubai-based amateur Michael Harradine stayed in the frame with a second round 71 to share third with Thailand’s Pattaraphol Khanthacha on six under as Blake Snyder (USA) occupied solo fifth a further shot adrift, one ahead of Scotland’s James Byrne.

Joy, who went bogey-free in his Tuesday 68, has given himself a grand shot at a third MENA Tour title

“It’s a course where you have to be very patient. It’s quite fiddly. It goes from fairway to jungle and there is not much in-between. I actually lost my ball on Monday as we were playing in fading light after a thunderstorm forced suspension of play,” Joy said.

“I played quite steady today and going bogey-free always feels good. This is a course you do not want to overpower yourself. In fact, I have used my driver just three times.” said the talented Englishman.

Harradine v Thomas in amateur race
Swiss national team representative Harradine, 33,mixed three birdies with one bogey to extend his lead over his nearest challenger Rayhan Thomas in the amateur division.

Teen Thomas, who is supported by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, made the turn at two-under but dropped four shots in a four-hole stretch from the 11th before making gains on the 16th and 17th that left him in a tie for 14th at one-under — and four behind Harradine.

Last week’s winner, Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand), and defending champion Wolmer Murillo (Venezuela) were tied for 10^th on two-under, one behind a three-man group which included Czech Republic’s Cyril Suk, the winner of the 2014 Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open.

England’s Zane Scotland (+10), Scot Clarke Lutton (+8), Spaniard Leo Lilja (+11) and England cricketer-turned-golfer Craig Kieswetter (+14) were among the notables who missed the cut, made at five-over 149.

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The Thai was dialed into his laser-guided distances as he took advantage of a breathless early tee time to card an equal best of the day 68 to join overnight leader Lionel Weber atop the leaderboard at the MahaSamutr Masters in Hau Hin on Wednesday.

Frenchman Weber (67-71) and Janewattananond are tied at six-under 138 heading into the final round at Banyan Golf Club, a shot clear of England’s Jordan Garnish (68-71).

Suradit Yongcharoenchai and Ratchapol Jantavara share fourth a further shot back as Varanyu Rattanaphaibulkij, also of Thailand, and England’s Zane Scotland, who shared the overnight lead with France’s Weber, slipped to T8 after carding 75s.

“I had a pretty solid round today,” said Janewattananond. “ I started early in the morning and that helped. It got a bit windy on Tuesday afternoon, but this morning we had a bit of an advantage as it was very still out there,

“I did well on the back nine, scoring three of my four birdies. I love the idea of using range finders and golf buggies on the MENA Tour. I think I just need to get my rhythm going as there are a lot of good golfers on the leaderboard.”

France’s Weber, who is also a Banyan Golf Club ambassador, made three birdies against two bogeys en route to a second-round 71 to hold on to his overnight lead as Wolmer Murillo of Venezuela, who finished second here last year, kept his hopes alive, moving into a tie for 6^th on three under after a 71.

Dubai-based Brazilian Tiago Lobo fired an impressive 68 to join India’s Rayhan Thomas atop the amateur standings on one-under, six ahead of Victoria Tip-Aucha, the first female to play in a MENA Tour event and now the first to make a cut after rounds of 73-76.

An eagle on the par-5, 3rd highlighted the round of Lobo while Thomas, who was two under for the day and six under for the championship through 14, had to settle for a 73 after dropping three shots, including a double bogey on the par-3 17^th. 

Elsewhere, England Andrew Marshall carded back-to-back 73s that left him tied for 32nd in an 11-man group which included Craig Hinton, the winner of the MENA Tour’s Order of Merit title last year.

The cut was made at four-over 148 with 44 professionals and 10 amateurs making it to the final round.

Craig Kieswetter may have missed the cut by two shots, but the former England cricketer provided one of the highlights of the day, acing the par-3, 15th from 134 yards with a pitching wedge for his second career hole-in-one — and the first in a professional tournament.

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Scotland fired an opening five-under 67 at Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin to join Thai ace Varanyu Rattanaphaibulkij and Frenchman Lionel Weber atop the leaderboard of the 54-hole event.

American-Thai 15-year-old Tip-Aucha, the first female to play the developmental Pro-Am tour, signed for a one-over 73 to be T41 overnight. She is sixth on an amateur leaderboard lead by Dubai-born Indian No.1 Rayhan Thomas who carded a tidy two-under 70 in his first MENA Tour start of the season.

After birdieing her opening hole, Tip-Aucha made the turn at level par before double bogeys on the 10th and 12th stalled her momentum. Unruffled by the mid-round wobble, the sponsors’ invitee picked up three shots in her last five holes to sign her card with a smile.

For context, Victoria Tip-Aucha’s opening 73 was a shot better than Dubai-based Swiss national team amateur Michael Harradine

“I started off well, but got to the point where I was four-over. I think I did well to bring it back to one over, which was good,” said Tip-Aucha who has won five Thailand girls golf circuit events this year.

Scotland missed the cut at the Casablanca Open and finished a disappointing T43 at the later Mohammedia Open in Morocco before a back injury forced his withdrawal from last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic. But some concentrated range time back in England has clearly worked wonders as he went bogey free to be one of 29 players to better par, 10 Thai players among them.

Weber, who is an Banyan Golf Club ambassador, cashed in on his home course knowledge to reel off seven birdies against two bogeys.

Frenchman Lionel Weber took advantage of familiar surroundings

“I just didn’t putt very well, but still made some birdies out there which was quite pleasing,” said the Frenchman.

Lee Corfield, a four-time winner on the MENA Tour, overcame a first hole bogey to card a 68 that left the 35-year-old Englishman in a three-man group tied for fourth along with countryman Jordan Garnish and Thai Suradit Yongcharoenchai.

Thomas, who is supported by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, leads the amateur division by one from the Thai trio of Runchanapong Youprayong, Worathon Zeng and 14-year-old Phichaksn Maichon, who recently won the 13-14 division at the 2016 Junior World Championships in the U.S.

Elsewhere, 2016 order of merit champion Craig Hinton carded a level-par 72, English compatriot and current moneylist leader Andrew Marshall a 73 as former England cricketer-turned-golfer Craig  Kieswetter returned a 78 after making the turn at level par.

UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh endured a difficult opening round, signing for an 81 that left him a mountain to climb to make the cut.

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Had it not been for American 15-year-old Victoria Tip-Aucha’s historic appearance in Hau Hin, Thomas’ return to the MENA Tour would have undoubtedly generated the main interest ahead of the $50,000 MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan GC.

Regardless of how Tip-Aucha fares as the developmental tour’s female pioneer, Thomas’ performance will garner much attention after his growing reputation enabled the Dubai-based Indian amateur No.1 to bypass the first three events of the season for better things – the very purpose of the MENA Tour.

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American teen set for historic MENA Tour start in Thailand

Thomas created headlines when he made the cut at February’s Dubai Desert Classic and played alongside 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett in the final round. It followed a practice round tee time with Rickie Fowler in Abu Dhabi and earned the teen a late invite to the Hero Indian Open, his fourth European Tour start (after playing the Qatar Masters in 2016).

Since then Thomas has focused on the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley GC near Augusta National where a closing 68 saw him finish a credible T13 in what is widely regarded as the world’s leading junior tournament.

The invaluable U.S. experience, coupled with his emergence in Thailand last season when he finished second at the Mountain Creek Open and third at the MahaSamutr Masters, has Thomas raring for this week’s 54-holer.

“It feels good to return to golf courses where you have enjoyed some good finishes,” said Thomas who kicked on from Thailand to become the MENA Tour’s first amateur winner at his home Dubai Creek Open last September.

“I have been working very hard with my coach Justin Parsons and the good thing is that I am feeling confident about my game.”

Thomas won’t have it all his own way in Thailand, of course. Englishman Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner, is back after a back injury saw him skip last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic. Bahrain-based Daniel Owen will look to rebound from a disastrous final round 82 at Tower Links after leading through 36-holes with a pair of 66s.

Other notable contenders include Lee Corfield, Craig Hinton and Andrew Marshall, all multiple winners on the tour, and cricketer-turned-golfer Craig Kieswetter, who graduated from the tour’s qualifying school earlier this year.

They’ll all be mindful of Wolmer Murillo, the 36-year-old Venezuelan star who won the Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen by three shots and followed it up with a second-place finish in the MahaSamutr Masters a week later when the tour travelled to Thailand for the first time in 2016.

Murillo, who is attached to Banyan Golf Club, will be keen to pick up where he left off last year, but will have to contend with a 139-player field including 13 MENA Tour winners. The tournament will have a distinct Thai flavour with a strong home contingent of 25 golfers.

UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh will spearhead the challenge in the MENA Division, confident of racking up some good results.

“I am working on certain aspects of my game and hope to get things dialed in sooner than later. It’s always a work in progress,”Al Musharrekh said.

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The 22-year-old Sydneysider rattled off six back nine birdies in a final round 66 to finish -13, three shots clear of Englishmen Andrew Marshall and Jamie Elson who shared second.

Owen had started the final round with a five shot lead after back-to-back 66s but stumbled to a 10-over 82 to finish -2 in a disappointing share of 23rd.

The Englishman’s spectacular reverse – six bogeys and doubles on the par 5 13th and 18th holes – brought back memories of a similarly spectacular collapse by his fellow Englishman Jake Shepherd, who also blew a five-shot lead, incidentally in the same tournament in 2011.

Stojanovski turned professional at the 2014 Dubai Creek Open and became the first Australian to win a MENA Tour title at an event he clearly enjoys; his previous best finish was a top 6 at Tower Links in 2014.

“I am really delighted to win for the first time on the MENA Tour. I played some solid golf and really pleased to get the job done,” Stojanovski said after receiving the winner’s cheque for $7200 from Tower Links GM Simon Payne and the MENA Tour’s Trevor Varri.

“I just played my own game and didn’t think about what others were doing around me. I focused on every golf shot that I hit and that helped,”

“I started off okay, but finished strongly. My short game was quite good and I holed some nice putts when I needed to. Overall, just kind of everything fell together.

Owen’s stunning meltdown notwithstanding, idyllic conditions at Tower Links brought a raft of red-figure rounds with Marshall leading the way, his sparkling 65 moving the Englishman up from overnight tied 17th to second overall.

England’s Josh Walsh and Germany’s Georg Schultes matched Marshall’s best score of the tournament to climb up the leaderboard as Welshman Stephen Dodd, who started the day in a tie for second, settled for tied 13th on five under after a final round 74.

Walsh joined fellow Englishmen Max Williams and Stuart Archibald for a share of fourth on -9 while Schultes finished in a three-way tie for seventh a further shot adrift.

England’s Todd Clements comfortably kept up his dominance in the amateur division, carding a tidy 68 to finish on -7 to beat his nearest challenger Tiago Lobo of Brazil by five shots as Sam Hobday, who also returned a final round 68, settled for third a further shot back.

Next up on the MENA Tour is a three-event Thailand swing that gets under way with the MahaSamutr Masters, sponsored by MahaSamutr Country Club, Hua Hin, at Banyan Golf Club on May 2.

A guaranteed spot in the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (for the MENA Tour champion), multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy, Maybank Championship Malaysia, and the KLM Open, await the MENA Tour’s leading performers, in addition to playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour, and exemptions into the Final Stage of the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour Q-Schools.

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