Varadan gets job done in playoff for maiden win
Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan triumphed in a two-hole playoff against Thailand’s Jazz Janewattanond to clinch the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club.
The pair were tied at 15-under-par after the final round of the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event, with Varadan birdieing the last to post the clubhouse lead two groups ahead of Janewattanond, who made three birdies over his closing holes to force a playoff.
“It feels great,” said Varadan after lifting the trophy. “It’s always special to win a golf tournament against a strong field, and to get my first professional victory means a lot. I’ve been knocking on the door for a while, so it’s nice to finally get it done.”
Reflecting on returning to a playoff after losing the previous event, he added: “I thought, here we go again. But honestly, I felt more comfortable this time. Not that I wasn’t before, but I felt more settled. Hopefully I don’t have to be in too many more playoffs — it would be nice to get the job done a bit quicker.”
Having his father alongside him throughout the week also played an important role. “It’s always great to have my dad with me. Golf can be a very lonely sport, so having that support around the course means a lot.”
Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand pictured in action during Round Three of the US$100,000 Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club on March 19, 2026.
He was quick to thank those closest to him after securing the win. “Thanks to my family, my sisters for putting up with me, and my coaches for tuning me up and staying patient with me. This one’s for you guys.”
Third place was taken by Thailand’s Witchayapat Sinsrang with a bogey-free 64 — the low round of the day alongside Argentina’s Frank Scorzato. The position was shared by Vietnam’s Nguyen Nhat Long (68), Korea’s Seungtaek Oh (69), Canada’s Henry Lee (69) and overnight leader Jonathan Wijono (71) of Indonesia.
“Today I played really well. I drove it well, my irons were good and I putted very well, so I just tried to give myself as many chances as possible. Everything came together,” said Witchayapat after his round.
“I’ve been thinking about the wind — it’s been coming from the same direction each day, so that helped me plan how to play each hole and decide which way to go,” he added.
A group of players finished tied for eighth, including Scorzato, Australia’s Adam Coull (66), Hong Kong’s Hoho Yue (66), the USA’s Henry Chung (67), and Thailand’s Newport Laparojkit (68) and Poopirat Klinkesorn (69).
Looking ahead, the Asian Development Tour moves on to Thailand for the Singha-SAT ADT Hua Hin Championship, to be played from April 22–25 at Royal Hua Hin Golf Course. With a prize fund of THB3,000,000, the historic layout is set to provide a strong test as players continue their early-season push for form and momentum.
Main pcture: Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan pictured in action during Round Three of the US$100,000 Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club on March 19, 2026.
Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters after carding a four-under-par 68 on day two at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club.
The US$100,000 event, the second of the season on the Asian Development Tour, is being played over 54 holes from March 17–19.
Wijono leads on 11-under-par and is chasing his maiden professional victory.
“I feel great. I’ve been hitting it really solid the past few days and I think the putter is really helping me build some confidence and momentum,” he said.
Having previously competed at the venue in 2024, Wijono believes conditions have improved.
“I think it’s in better condition. The putting greens are much faster and rolling purely. A few holes have changed but the feel is kind of the same,” he said. “The wind is not as strong as when I played here before, but I feel confident on this golf course.”
“I’m excited, obviously, trying to get my first win, but we’ll see. I need to stick to my plan, which is just to stay focused on every shot, and we’ll see what happens,” he added. “Of course a win would mean so much to me — a first win and something that would help me internationally as well.”
A key factor behind his recent form has been a switch to a long putter after a difficult spell on the greens.
“I’ve been struggling. When I played in the Philippines I had my trusty putter and was missing two-footers — I think I missed three each day,” he said. “I missed the cut by one, so with six in total it was pretty bad.”
“I changed putter in Selangor which was better, but on some short putts I still felt like I would twitch. My coach said he was fed up with the drama after three years with the putter and told me to be more open-minded and try a long putter — and it works.”
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond carded a 69 to move into second place on 10-under-par.
“It was a bit tougher today with the wind. It’s been blowing since the morning, but overall I’m in a pretty good position to try and get that win,” said Jazz.
He added that some of the pin positions did not suit his eye but remained satisfied with his position heading into the final round.
“A win would mean a lot more confidence going onto a bigger stage. When you haven’t won for a while, you need to learn how to win again because winning is a skill that you need to practice,” he said. “I’m definitely going to do my best to win tomorrow and give it all I have.”
Jazz also welcomed the prospect of playing alongside Wijono in the final group.
“It will be good if I get to play with Jonny. He’s someone I know already and he’s on the main tour sometimes, so it’s good to play with someone you know.”
Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand pictured in action during Round Two of the US$100,000 Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club on March 18, 2026.
India’s Aman Raj surged into contention with the round of the day, an eight-under-par 64, to move into a tie for third on nine-under alongside Korea’s Seungtaek Oh (69) and Canada’s Henry Lee (68).
Starting on the 10th, Aman made a fast start with a string of birdies.
“Feeling great. I started off pretty well — I had two birdies to start and then another run of three birdies, so I turned at five under,” he said. “Then I made a three-putt on my 10th hole. I was kind of thinking too much about the line, but then I thought, let’s just keep playing and forget about the score.”
He responded strongly to complete the lowest round of the day.
“Soon I got another birdie, then two more in a row, and one more on the eighth, so I just hung in there and I’m glad I completed a low round,” he added.
Aman credited improved driving for his turnaround after a frustrating finish in round one.
“Just keeping myself on the fairway. At the end of the round yesterday my shoulder kind of gave up and I hit three hazards in the last four or five holes,” he said. “I was actually lucky to save bogey from those.”
“If I keep myself on the fairway and keep giving myself chances to make birdies, I think I can keep it going.”
Looking ahead to the final round, Aman is keeping his approach simple.
“Honestly I’m just trying to take it shot by shot, not really thinking about much,” he said. “The weather is nice and windy, and it’s hot as well, so I just hope I keep myself in play and my brain keeps working.”
Vietnam’s Nguyen Nhat Long matched compatriot Nguyen Tuan Anh with a six-under-par 66 to share fifth place alongside Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan (69), Korea’s Jungsoo Yang (67) and Thailand’s Poopirat Klinkesorn (69).
“I was more focused on my pace of play, my routine, and maybe putting a little better — that’s all,” said Long.
Despite the strong round, he admitted the 12th hole continues to trouble him.
“It hits me in a way that’s very hard to explain,” he said. “Yesterday I hit it inside 20 feet and three-putted it, and the last tournament here I had three bogeys there in three days.”
“I think hole 12 is my Kryptonite,” he added with a laugh. “My goal is just to make a par there.”
Amateur Tuan Anh also impressed with a composed performance, carding seven birdies against a single bogey.
Having performed well at this venue last year, the young Vietnamese player acknowledged the added expectation but is pleased with his position heading into the final round.
With the cut being made at three under par, 52 players will contend the final round which starts at 6.32am off two tees.
Main picture: Jonathan Wijono of Indonesia pictured in action during Round Two of the US$100,000 Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club on March 18, 2026.
France’s Alexis Leray fired a stunning nine-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club.
The US$100,000 event, the second of the season on the Asian Development Tour, is being played over 54 holes from March 17–19.
Leray’s superb effort set a new course record and marked the best round of his professional career.
“I am really surprised, I think it’s really cool,” said Leray. “It’s the first time in my career and it’s my personal best, so it’s really nice.
“It was a really good round. It’s my personal best as a pro, so it’s really cool to start the season on the ADT with this round.”
His highlight came early in the round with an eagle on the par-five fourth.
“I hit a really good drive into the fairway, then a three-wood to maybe four metres behind the hole and holed the putt,” he added. “My putting was on fire today.”
Reflecting on the layout, he said: “Every hole is interesting and you have to hit some really good shots on certain holes. I don’t really have a favourite hole out there.”
Making his debut on the Asian Development Tour, Leray is relishing the experience.
“It’s my first time on the ADT and it’s really nice. I hope I’ll be able to play more tournaments this season, but so far it’s been great. I really like it here.
“Vietnam is really hot for me, but it’s so nice. The people are really kind and welcoming.”
Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono sits in second place on seven-under-par after an impressive round featuring an eagle and a flurry of birdies.
Starting from the 10th tee, he birdied the 13th and eagled the par-five 15th before picking up four birdies early on his back nine. A lone bogey on the fifth was offset by another gain on the seventh.
“My round today was great. I’ve been hitting it well lately,” said Wijono. “I changed to a broomstick putter and it’s like night and day — I’m holing a lot more putts.
“I didn’t really expect that birdie run, to be honest. I was just trying to stay focused on each shot and pick specific targets, and it worked quite well.”
His eagle came in unusual fashion.
“My first shot hit a tree and came back into the fairway. I hit a six-iron over the green and chipped it in for eagle,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting that, but I think today was my day.
“Hopefully I can maintain this routine and we’ll see what happens.”
Sharing second place is Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour, who continues to use the ADT as a platform to sharpen his game.
“It was good today. I started really well,” said Jazz. “It got a bit windy at the end, but I managed to finish nicely with a hole-out from the bunker on the last. It always helps you sleep better when you finish like that.”
The Thai star values his occasional appearances on the ADT.
Nathan Han of the USA pictured in action during Round One of the US$100,000 Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club on March 17, 2026.
“I play one or two ADT events because I love coming back. Before I won my first Asian Tour event, I had just played my first ADT event, so it’s always a good place to reset and find my game.”
“The ADT is quite strong. If you play enough, you definitely get better.”
Reflecting on his form, he added: “It’s a journey. I finished last season quite well, but I expected a bit more. Still, looking at it overall, I can’t be too harsh on myself — but I need to push myself harder.”
“The competition is good here. I felt like I played really well today and I’m still two shots behind.”
“If you earn your card through this tour, I think you have a better chance of keeping it on the main tour rather than going through Q-School. You really get tested here. It’s a great place to play tournament golf, and I’d definitely come back.”
Korea’s Seungtaek Ok is alone in fourth place after posting a six-under-par 66.
A large group share fifth place on five-under-par 67, including American Nathan Han, who only received his call-up to the tournament five days ago.
Han, making his ADT debut, was pleased with his opening effort.
“The round was great. I executed well, hit the ball really well and gave myself a lot of birdie chances,” he said. “I didn’t really make any mistakes, so it felt like a pretty easy round of golf.”
His only dropped shot came at the last.
“I made one bogey on nine, the last hole, a tough par three. I just pushed my iron into the bunker. It wasn’t a terrible swing. I hit a decent bunker shot to about eight feet, but just missed the putt.”
He highlighted the par-five eighth as a key hole.
“It’s a really good hole. It’s reachable so it’s inviting, but you have to be smart. I stuck to my plan and made birdie, which I was really happy about. It’s a great risk-reward hole.”
Playing in Vietnam for the first time, Han has quickly taken to the surroundings.
“I’m in love with it so far. The weather’s been hot, but it’s nice — better than New York,” he said. “The course is in great shape and it’s been a really good vibe.”
“I turned pro in October and got the call five days ago, so we booked flights straight away. It’s my first ADT event, so it’s been a great experience.”
One player – Manav Shah of India – remains on the course after play was called due to darkness and he will complete his final hole tomorrow morning. Normal play for Round Two will start at 6.30am.
Main picture: Alexis Leray of France pictured in action during Round One of the US$100,000 Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters at Royal Long An Golf & Country Club on March 17, 2026.
The maiden staging of the Ever Glory ADT Open will commence an exciting new three-event swing in Chinese-Taipei on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this July – the Asian Tour’s secondary Tour confirmed today.
The US$100,000 event will be played at Tong Hwa Golf & Country Club, in New Taipei City, from 8–11 July, marking the circuit’s first appearance of the season in one of the region’s golfing strongholds.
It will be followed in successive weeks by the Ambassador ADT Open and the HCT ADT Open – marking the first time the ADT will have staged three events in a row there.
The event has come to fruition thanks to the support of the Ever Glory Construction Group, who is title sponsoring a golf event for the first time.
“This marks a major milestone in Ever Glory Construction’s involvement in professional golf,” said Hsieh Chien-kuo, Chairman, Every Glory Construction.
“We firmly believe in golf’s values of discipline, precision, and consistency. They align strongly with our core business management principles.
“We are confident the tournament will make a positive impact on golf in Chinese-Taipei. We want to create greater playing opportunities for home grown players and help them to benefit from the pathway that the Asian Development Tour provides to the Asian Tour. The Ever Glory ADT Open will also strengthen our integration with international golf.”
The field size will be 144 players, with 68 from the ADT and 64 PGA of Taiwan professionals. There will be six invites from the ADT and six from the promoter.
Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “The launch of the Ever Glory ADT Open is tremendous news for our Tour and members. It means we now have three tournaments in a row in Chinese-Taipei – which is an ideal scenario for our members to benefit from.
“Staging tournaments in Chinese-Taipei is always a great experience, and we are truly grateful to Every Glory Construction, the PGA of Taiwan and Tong Hwa Golf & Country Club for their vision and support.”
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