India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill played near-flawless golf to move into prime position for a maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A, holding the 36-hole clubhouse lead on 11-under-par 133 at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Malaysia.

The 29-year-old had to finish seven holes of his first round this morning, following yesterday’s two and a half hour thunderstorm delay. The weather held better today, but play was still suspended for close to an hour from 4.07pm due to the threat of lightning. Forty-four players, including first round co-leader Alfred Sitohang of Indonesia, will return to complete their second rounds tomorrow morning before the cut to the top 50 and ties is made.

After an opening six-under-par 66 at Saujana’s highly-rated Palm Course, Gill picked up where he left off and carded a second round 67 with seven birdies against two bogeys. He lies one shot ahead of Thai rookie Thanawin Lee, who signed in a pair of 67s.

While Gill won once on the inaugural Indian Golf Premier League last year, the golfer from Punjab was excited to be in contention for a first ADT title in many appearances on the region’s premier developmental circuit.

“I’m very happy with how I’ve been playing, as I hardly made any mistakes. My first round was pretty flawless – fairway, green, many one-putts. In the second round, I made some crucial par saves,” said Gill, who has played ADT events in Malaysia before but never at Saujana.

“When I got to 12-under-par today, I became a little anxious and dropped a shot – so I’ll just try to maintain my tempo and stay calm tomorrow, and keep doing what I’m been doing,” he added.

Lee, who is only 19, hopes to maintain his good form heading into moving day as he chases a breakthrough win in his first year as a professional.

“Overall, my game has been pretty good, and I feel great about my scores in the first two rounds. I’ll try my best to maintain this level over the last two days,” said Lee, who also had to finish seven holes of his first round in the morning.

Lee has played the Palm Course before, as an amateur at the 2023 Saujana Amateur Championship when he finished fourth.

“I like the Palm Course – the condition is great, even with the rain. Playing as a pro is much tougher than as an amateur, as the level is higher. But I love golf and it just feels great to compete in this event. It’s been a pretty nice week,” he enthused.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Sean Ramos of the Philippines pictured in action during the second round of the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A, at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Malaysia.

Among the players who completed their second rounds, Sean Ramos of the Philippines lies third on seven-under-par following rounds of 68 and 69. The 22-year-old from Manila relied on a hot putter to stay in contention for a maiden win on the ADT.

“I played solid the last two days and holed a lot of putts, although I wasn’t hitting it as good as I wanted to. I finished four holes of my first round this morning, which was good as there was no wind and the conditions were softer. The Palm Course is very nice – everything is pure, from tee to green,” said Ramos.

It was a welcome return to form for Malaysian Wilson Choo, an ADT winner in 2015 at the PGM LADA Langkawi Championship. Having focused more on teaching the last few years, the 36-year-old was relieved to card a second round 72 to add to his opening 68.

“I was just trying to hang in there. I haven’t been playing well for the whole year and, coming into this week, I saw my coach, Steven Guliano, and he asked me how I’m feeling – and I just said, ‘nervous’! I made a lot of good putts yesterday, but could not sink enough today,” said Choo.

Malaysia’s leading amateur Anson Yeo did well to card a three-under-par 69 after an opening 72, climbing well above the projected cutline of one-over-par. The 19-year-old was elated to be in the running to finish as one of the top two amateurs who make the cut, which will earn them exemptions into the Final Stage of the Asian Tour’s 2027 Qualifying School.

“There’s still two more days to go. Happy to make the cut, but I could have done better – I hit 17 greens today and was bogey-free, but my speed judgement on putts was off and I left a lot short,” said Yeo.

The ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A is the ADT’s fourth event of the season, and its second stop in Malaysia. The 144-player field for the third edition includes 14 amateurs from seven Asia-Pacific countries competing as invitational players, supporting The R&A’s and the ADT’s shared mission to provide pathways for aspiring young golfers.

The ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A is staged in partnership with the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour.