Historic Overseas Debut for China Tour at 2026 Bangkok Classic
June 20: A fascinating quest that took Michele Ortolani (main image) to unheard-of places across the globe finally fructified in the form of a first international win for the Italian at the inaugural US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open on Saturday.
The 29-year-old Ortolan, who has missed just one cut this season in 10 starts and was runner-up after losing in a playoff at the Singha-SAT ADT Hua Hin Championship, was rewarded for his persistence and consistency. At the par-72 Luisita Golf and Country Club, he shot a final-round three-under-par 69 to reach 16-under total, which eventually proved to be one better than runner-up Ching-hung Su (68) of Chinese Taipei.
Argentina’s Franco Scorzato (69), and Malaysia’s Galven Green (72), were tied third at 14-under.
Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT
Sean Ramos and Clyde Mondilla grabbed the two spots to the US$2 million Philippine Open on The International Series as the two leading Filipino golfers.
Ramos (71) was tied fifth at 11-under, his second top-five finish on the ADT this season, while Mondilla (68) was tied 11th at -8. Angelo Que (69, -10, tied 8th) was the second-best Filipino in the field, but he is already exempt to the tournament later in the year.
The front nine gave no hint of who’d pick up the trophy at the end of the day. At the turn, Ortolani, Ching-hung and Scorzato were tied for the lead at 13-under par, with Green just one behind at -12.
The back nine became a neck-and-neck race between Ortolani, playing in the lead group, and Ching-hung, playing one group behind. Both players made three birdies on the back nine, but the crucial difference was the Chinese Taipei player’s bogey on the par-4 14th hole. That was followed by a decisive, if conservative, birdie on the par-five 16th hole by the champion.
Ching-Hung Su of Chinese Taipei. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT
The Milan-based Ortolani played several years on the Alps and HotelPlanner Tours in Europe, before deciding to ply his trade in Asia. He secured his ADT playing rights in 2023, and has also been a popular member on the PGT of India Tour. He said he knew in his heart that a win would come soon.
“It’s been a long while, and it’s always special to get that first win,” said Ortolani, who narrowly missed securing his Asian Tour card by a mere US$42 last year after missing the cut in the season-ending Aramco Invitational.
“In my mind, I already believed that I would have won eventually this year, because when you see this consistency, and it’s been since last year. I believe that you just need to do the work. I have learned that positive or negative thoughts are still thoughts that come in your way. I learned to deal with them and how to just stay in my lane.”
Ortolani said he had no idea where he was, or what Ching-Hung was doing, but he would have still played the 16th hole with a 2-iron off the tee and a 5-wood for his second shot. He did that and was left with a 15-footer birdie putt after a chip with a 54-degree wedge.
Sean Ramos (left) and Clyde Mondilla of the Philippines. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT
“I had no idea of the scores. But even if I did, I would not have played that hole differently. I would have still played three shots. Probably, I would have had a little more pressure (if he knew the scores), but I tell you I already had a lot of pressure.”
On his journey so far, Ortolani added: “The decision to come to Asia and go to India has been tough, but it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Being in India has taught me a lot about gratitude for the life I get to live, and even playing golf there has taught me a lot. Like I need to put the ball in the fairway, try to make birdies with the wedges.
“So, at first people called me crazy, and now it has worked out. I think it really validates everything I’ve done. Hopefully, it’s only the beginning.”
Despite getting so close to his first win on the ADT, Ching-hung wasn’t disappointed. It was his third consecutive runners-up finish, following back-to-back PGA Tour of Taiwan events earlier this month.
“I feel I’ve performed quite well in all aspects this week. When I teed off today, I didn’t set my sights on winning; I just focused on hitting my shots well,” said Ching-hung.
“I also finished second in two previous Taiwan Tour events, so this second-place finish gives me a lot of confidence. It showed me that I need more patience and hard work to win.”
Ramos, who missed retaining his card on the Asian Tour this year after “missing it by a hair” last year (finished 71st in the Order of Merit with 65 players keeping their cards), was delighted to secure his place in the International Series event later this year.
“Very excited, of course,” said Ramos. “Being able to go back out there and then prove myself, and hopefully play better than I did last year in the last international Series, it would be great. Hopefully, I can get a win or play really well for that week.
“It was a great tournament, almost staged like a major championship. So many people attended that week and so many of my friends talked about it and have started playing golf because of it.”
The Asian Development Tour heads to Thailand next week for the Bangkok Classic.
June 19: On a perfect Moving Day, players with the three lowest rounds of the day moved to the top of the leaderboard in the inaugural US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open, with Malaysia’s Galven Green (main image) grabbing a narrow one-shot advantage after a sensational eight-under-par 64.
At the par-72 Luisita Golf and Country Club, Italian Michele Ortolani had the second-best round of the day – a seven-under 65 – and he climbed to second place at 13-under par total. England’s Thomas Plumb (66), who had the third-best round of the day, was one shot further behind at -12.
Overnight leader, Argentina’s Franco Scorzato, kept himself in the mix with a one-under 71, which was good for a tied fourth place at 11-under with Chinese Taipei’s Ching-hung Su (70) at 11-under.
Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT
Two spots for the US$2 million Philippine Open on The International Series later in the year is up for grabs for two leading Filipino golfers, and Sean Ramos, who recently lost the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in a playoff, kept a stranglehold on it with a 67 that moved him to tied sixth place at 10-under, two better than Angelo Que (-7, tied 10th).
Brother of Gavin, one of the finest golfers Malaysia has produced, Green is looking for his first win in an Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) event. He had several top-five finishes on the ADT before this, including a tied third at the 2024 Indonesia Pro-Am presented by Combiphar & Nomura.
Green started the day four shots behind the leader, but enjoyed a good start with birdies in his first two holes, and then made the turn at five-under for the round with an eagle on the ninth hole. He then added three more birdies on the back nine, including the last two holes, to bookend his round perfectly.
“Honestly, it’s just about making the putts out here. If you can hit some greens and make some putts, you would have done well here, and that’s what I did, said Green who hit his mini driver twice to reach the green on the ninth hole and made a 20-footer putt for his eagle.
Thomas Plumb of England. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT
“Obviously, there is a lot of golf to play still, and it would be my first international win. So, it will mean a lot, for sure. But it’s a different day and golf is golf. It’s always a different day and you always try your best. You want to win every tournament, but in golf, it is not always the case.”
Like Green and Plumb, Ortolani, a typical journeyman in the game who has cards on the Alps Tour, the PGTI in India and on ADT, is also looking for his first international win.
After finishing his round with back-to-back birdies, he said: “Today was a fantastic Moving Day. I would say, my seven-under was almost flawless, except for a little accident on the 16th (hit into the water) where I ended up making a bogey. But I bounced back very nicely with two birdies on the 17th and 18th, so I’m very happy.
“It feels good. I have been working really hard. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I have been knocking on the door a few times, so I’m very grateful to be in this position. Every time I am in this position, I learn something new and add something to my experience. Hopefully, I can seal the deal tomorrow.”
Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT
Ramos, who shot his best round of the tournament so far, made a solitary bogey on the 11th hole, but compensated for that with six birdies.
“I started well with birdies on the first and third holes, and then I got cold. I don’t know why, but for some reason I tend to get cold for long periods on this course. And then made a few birdies from the 10th hole onwards. I three-putted the 11th, which was a little clumsy of me,” said Ramos.
“There obviously is a little bit of pressure (of being the top Filipino player), but I think coming off the playoff in Malaysia, I feel a little bit more experienced of being in contention now.”
Including the visit to the Philippines, the ADT is set to have tournaments in seven countries this season. It will also travel to Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.
June 18: Argentina’s Franco Scorzato may be struggling with the language and food in Asia, but proved once again that his golf is ready to flower in the continent. For the second successive event on the Asian Development Tour, he moved into contention, snatching the halfway lead in the inaugural US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open.
At the par-72 Luisita Golf and Country Club, Scorzato birdied the 18th hole to shoot a six-under-par 66 round and reached a 10-under-par total after 36 holes. That gave him a one-shot edge over Chinese Taipei’s Ching-hung Su (70), and Japan’s Naoki Sekito (69), who were tied second at nine-under par.
Macau’s Kelvin Si (70) moved to solo fourth place at 138, one ahead of Australia’s Darcy Brereton (67), American Brent Ito (70) and Thai Suttinon Panyo (67).
Overnight leader, Thomas Plumb of England slipped to tied seventh place at six-under total after a round of 74, where he was joined by Malaysians Galven Green (69) and Marcus Lim (72) and Italian Michele Ortolan (68).
Naoki Sekito of Japan. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT
The tournament is offering spots in the US$2 million Philippine Open on The International Series later in the year to the two leading Filipino golfers. Of the 45 Filipino players that made the starting field, 15 made the cut with Sean Ramos (71) the best placed at tied 12th place at five-under par total.
The 23-year-old Scorzato was second by two shots going into the final round of the am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars earlier this month, but did not have the best Sunday and dropped to tied 12th place. He was confident he had learned enough from his experience to do better this week.
“I’ve played very well over the last two days. My tee shots in particular have been very good and I have been able to take advantage by putting myself in the right positions,” said Scorzato, who made eight birdies in his round.
“Yes, I was in a great position going into that final round in Morocco, but I unfortunately didn’t have a good day. It’s all about the experiences and the learning. I think it will help me going forward into the weekend rounds this week and in the future.”
Ching Hung Su of Chinese Taipei. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT
On his first year in Asia, Scorzato added: “It’s been an incredible experience thus far, from the people, the tournaments to the organisers and the incredible countries I have visited for the very first time.
“I first heard about the Asian Tour via my friend Miguel Carballo (a two-time ADT and Korn Ferry Tour champion). He has been on the Asian Tour for many years and I made the decision to try it out and managed to join through Q School.
“I’ve really enjoyed all the countries I have visited so far. The biggest challenge so far for me is the food and I haven’t quite managed to get accustomed to it yet, but the level of hospitality in all these places has truly been incredible. The people have been so welcoming and amazing.”
Sekito, a three-time champion on the ADT, showed his class on a day when he did not hit the ball too well. He hit only 10 fairways and was one-over after his first eight holes, but somehow battled it out for a three-under 69 in the end.
Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT
“Compared to yesterday, I would say my hitting was quite bad today. I hit only 10 greens, but I still made a lot of good ups and downs, and like yesterday, my caddy helped me a lot on the green. I had like a 20-footer for birdie on the last hole, and I made it. So, I’m very happy to finish with 69 today,” said Nekito, who is playing his third ADT event of the season.
The 28-year-old revealed he suddenly increased his swing speed while practicing with a baseball bat during the winter months in Japan last year. That led to a drastic change in his club set-up. He is also playing with a new driver and three-wood this week.
“I think last year, I almost changed all 14 clubs in the bag. I used to have six hybrids, so my longest iron was six-iron until last year, but I have my four-iron back now. I started hitting longer last year, and I had to change everything,” said Sekito, whose last ADT win was the 2023 OB Golf Championship.
“I don’t really go to the gym and work out, but last year, when I had no events, like in the first two- three months, I kept on swinging a heavy baseball bat. And once the weather started getting warm, I saw I was actually hitting it longer.”
Including the visit to the Philippines, the ADT is set to have tournaments in seven countries this season. It will also travel to Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.
June 17: Thomas Plumb (main image) snatched a narrow one-shot lead in the opening round of the inaugural US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open on the Asian Development Tour following a clean card with eight birdies on Wednesday.
Englishman Plumb’s eight-under-par 64 was one better than Chinese Taipei’s Ching-hung Su (65), who recorded a similar number of birdies but slipped because of one bogey on his card.
At the par-72 Luisita Golf and Country Club, Malaysia’s Marcus Lim, Japan’s Naoki Sekito, Korea’s Jaeil Kim, and Macau’s Kelvin Si were tied third with rounds of 66, while American Brent Ito and Hong Kong’s Hoho Yue were a shot further behind at 67.
Ching Hung Su of Chinese Taipei. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT
The tournament is offering spots in the Philippine Open on The International Series later in the year to the two leading Filipino golfers. That race was already heating up with five players – Sean Ramos, Fidel Concepcion, James Ryan Lam, Jeffren Lumbo, and amateur Shinichi Suzuki – tied ninth at 68, alongside the reigning ADT Order of Merit champion Nicklaus Chiam of Singapore.
The 27-year-old Plumb has been playing on various development tours in Europe, before his friend Sam Broadhurst, who graduated to the Asian Tour from the ADT last year, managed to convince him to come out to Asia. That decision is looking like a good one as Plumb felt comfortable in the hot conditions.
Playing in the afternoon session from the first tee, he made two birdies on his first eight holes, and then added half a dozen more over the next 10 holes.
Marcus Lim of Malaysia. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT
“Before I started out in Asia on ADT, Sam was the first person who kind of gave me the nudge to come out here. I played a Q School event with him last year at Huddersfield, and he was like, you need to do it, you need to go and try it. He’s loved it out here, and I don’t see myself going anywhere else for a minute. This has been so much fun,” said Plumb, making his first visit to the Philippines.
“Today, I got off to a fairly slow start, a few pars, and then just the birdies kept coming after that. I holed a few, and then it was kind of steady. I just played really well. It was perfect.
“I birdied the 10th, 11th, and 12th, and then it just kind of kick-started there, and all of a sudden, I was minus six through 12. I thought I could actually get a good round going, like a really low one.
“I was always in play off the tee, and never really hit it outside of 20-25 feet. From that range, you feel like you’re never going to make a bogey from there. So, I think the biggest part of the game that went well was just hitting it close.”
Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT
Ching-hung started from the 10th tee with three birdies in a row, before making the turn with his solitary bogey on the 18th hole. On his back nine, he added more birdies on the third and fourth holes, and added a second hat-trick of birdies from the sixth to eighth holes.
Lim started with four birdies in his first five holes but rued the two bogeys on the two par-three holes of the front nine of the course (his back nine, having started from the 10th tee).
“I just played. I was solid today. I had a good start and just tried to stay calm after that. However, when I crossed over, I made two bogeys on both the par three holes (second and sixth), which were big mistakes. I made two three-putts, and that is something that I want to avoid tomorrow.”
Including the visit to the Philippines, the ADT is set to have tournaments in seven countries this season. It will also travel to Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.
May 31: Tanapat Pichaikool showed that he was over with his days of struggle with the game when the Thailand star won the US$160,000 am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026 on Sunday by two shots.
The 26-year-old started the final round leading by two shots after a magnificent eight-under-par 64 round on Saturday and managed to end it with the same margin on top of the leaderboard following a battling two-under 70.
Tanapat left a good-looking birdie putt inches short of the cup on the 18th hole, but the par was good enough as none of his nearest rivals could make a move.
Runchanapong Youprayong (70) started three shots behind Tanapat and finished third at -14, while Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman jumped ahead of him with a birdie on the last hole in his 67.
That birdie on the 18th proved crucial because it sealed Rahman’s place in next week’s US$500,000 am green Bharat Classic, an Asian Tour event at the same Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort venue.
American Henry Chung (67) was in solo fourth place at -13, with the Hong Kong duo of Matthew Cheung (69) and Hoho Yue (70).
Tanapat Pichaikool of Thailand. Picture courtesy: IGPL
The last time Tanapat won was on his 25th birthday in November 2024, when he clinched the Toyota Tour Championship. Even though he held the sole lead throughout the final day, he said it wasn’t easy to get over the line.
Tanapat narrowly missed out on a full card on the Asian Tour last year when he finished 69th in the Order of Merit, as he struggled with his swing, but feels he is close to playing his best golf now.
“I was nervous. For the past five hours, it was all up and down. Golf isn’t that easy when you come down to the last couple of holes trying to win a tournament. You know others want to sneak up and shoot five or six under. I knew I just had to stay in the moment,” said Tanapat.
“Lots of changes in the last 18 months. I just kept believing that the choices I made were good choices.
“Swing-wise, I worked a lot on my downswing. I’ve been doing quite a bit of work for the past two months, and I wasn’t getting the result I wanted. And then, all of a sudden this week, all the things are working.
“I switched the driver shaft (to Mitsubishi Tensei Blue 6X on his PING G440 LST) and I think that’s a fantastic decision I made last week. I changed it probably three days before I flew here. It’s new, but it just clicked. I just saw a couple drive which were straight and all of a sudden, it was just robotic.”
Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour
Tanapat added that he was very excited about next week’s Asian Tour event.
“Excited, very excited indeed. It’s on the same course, and I feel I know it inside out. I will just try to play the same golf as I did this week, and hopefully, the result is the same again,” he added.
Rahman may have fallen short by a couple of shots, but he still had the smile of a winner after finishing solo second. The 41-year-old Bangladeshi legend, winner of two Asian Tour titles, is in Morocco with his family and will now have to change his air tickets after gaining an entry into next week’s event.
“Honestly, I really enjoyed myself this week. My family is with me, so I really enjoyed my work without any expectation. I thought I would not get into the next two tournaments because I was so down on the waiting list, I had to change my tickets,” said the 2013 Indian Open champion, who lost his Asian Tour card last year after finishing 94th in the Order of Merit.
“I did not expect much and spent the time taking my baby to the swimming pool and the sea. I think it was the experience of playing without much expectation. So, yes, it was really very important to me to play well this week, and I am happy that I get into the next week.”
Runchanapong Youprayong of Thailand. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour
Runchanapong was eyeing that spot, which eventually went to Rahman, and he would rue the finish as he could not convert a single birdie after making three in his first eight holes and getting to within one shot of Tanapat. He then made a bogey on the 10th hole and finished with eight straight pars.
“I felt like I handled myself well out there. I gave myself a lot of chances, but the putter kind of went cold on the back nine. My distance control also felt a bit off with the wind, but it was a great experience overall to be in the last group and be in contention,” said Runchanapong, who improved to third place in the Order of Merit, one ahead of Tanapat.
“I am just trying to take it one tournament at a time. I have finished 12th on the ADT Order of Merit two times (2023 and 2024). That definitely stings a little bit and I’m just trying to improve that.
“I’m just gonna stick around another week, and hopefully, I can sneak in somehow. Let’s see if there are any withdrawals next week so that I get to play because I love this golf course.”
Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, built on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, will also host next week’s am green IGPL Bharath Classic, a US$500,000 tournament on the Asian Tour. That will be followed by the US$2 million International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco. The next ADT event is the US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open from June 17th to 20th.
May 30: Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool shot a solid eight-under-par 64 to gain a two-shot advantage going into the final round of the US$160,000 am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026.
Pichaikool made an early eagle on the par-5 third hole on a windy Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort course, but immediately dropped a shot on the next hole. That was his only mistake as he added seven more birdies after that to reach 15-under par 201 total, two ahead of Argentina’s Franco Scorzato, who shot a bogey-free 67.
Another Thai star, Runchanapong Youprayong, shot a second 67 of the week to reach 12-under and was in solo third place.
American Carson Herron, son of four-time PGA Tour winner Tim, showed his golfing pedigree and shot the lowest round of the tournament. With nine birdies in his bogey-free 63, Herron jumped up 32 places to tied fourth alongside overnight leader Agusti Quinquilla Madalena of Spain (73) and Italy’s Michele Ortolani (66).
Carson Herron of the United States. Picture courtesy: IGPL
The tournament is the fifth leg of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and is co-sanctioned with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL). Among the IGPL players in the field, Syed Saqib Ahmed (70) was the leading contender at seven-under and in tied 14th position.
The 26-year-old Tanapat finished tied sixth in a PGT of India Tour event earlier this year – his only top-10 finish of the season – and is now hoping to get his third ADT win in a tournament that is co-sanctioned by another Indian body – the IGPL.
Having narrowly missed out on a full card on the Asian Tour last year when he finished 69th in the Order of Merit, Tanapat is looking to bounce back to the form of 2024 when he won the Toyota Tour Championship in Malaysia. He has won thrice on the All Thailand Golf Tour since then.
“It was a great round. It was a bit up and down, but I got some good breaks. The game was a bit off for the next few holes and I picked it up with a birdie on the seventh hole and managed to keep up the momentum until the end of the round,” said Tanapat, who finished second to Itthipat Buranatanyarat in the 2024 ADT Order of Merit.
“The last few months have been a lot of swing changes, and a lot of equipment changes as well. That’s why I did not get good results, but I’ve been patient through all those times for this to come. So hopefully, I can keep this going tomorrow.
“I feel that I have been executing pretty well for the past three days, so hopefully tomorrow I can execute the same things. Let’s see what happens.”
Franco Scorzato of Argentina. Picture courtesy: IGPL
Rookie Scorzato, who has not finished outside the top-23 in his last three ADT starts, will try and seal his best finish on the Tour. His previous best was a tied 8th at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters.
The 23-year-old made the turn in three-under with three birdies, and then kept bogeys away on the back nine with two more birdies.
“Today was a good round with no bogeys, which is always great. I hit almost every shot from the fairway, giving myself good birdie opportunities. There wasn’t much more to it than that; it was a very clean round, to be honest,” said Scorzato.
“I’m very happy to be in the last group. I think that reflects how well this week has gone, but at the same time, it doesn’t change anything about golf, and my mindset has to stay the same. I have to stay focused and committed to every shot, which is something I think I’ve been doing very well.”
The 23-year-old Herron has missed every cut in Official World Golf Ranking-recognised events this year, but Saturday was a walk in the park after making it to his first weekend of the season.
“I started in the back nine and I was able to put together a bunch of good shots and make a lot of putts. I kind of cooled down a little bit on the front nine. I kept trying to keep the pedal down, and that’s what I want to do tomorrow and just see what I can do.
“I started the week kind of slow, but I started hitting the ball better than I was in my last few tournaments. So, I kind of found something that clicked. I was just trying to hit some good wedge shots and just do well to square the clubs, and just piece it together.”
This week is the fifth stop of the 2026 season on the ADT. Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, built on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, will also host next week’s am green IGPL Bharath Classic. The International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco, will bring the exciting North African adventure to a conclusion in three weeks.
May 29: Spain’s Agusti Quinquilla Madalena shot the lowest round of the tournament so far to take a four-shot lead at the halfway stage of the US$160,000 am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026.
On Friday at the stunning Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, the 25-year-old Madalena took full advantage of the softer morning conditions. His bogey-free round had eight birdies, and it could have been even better but for a missed eagle putt from six feet on the 18th hole.
The eight-under par 64, added to his 68 in the opening round, took him to 12-under par going into the weekend rounds. He was four ahead of the Hong Kong duo of overnight leader Hoho Yue (70) and Matthew Cheung (68), and Argentina’s Franco Scorzato (68).
Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (67) and Runchanapong Youprayong (70) were also in the hunt, tied fifth at seven-under, where they were joined by Indian teenager Kartik Singh (66).
The fifth leg of the Asian Development Tour event is co-sanctioned with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL). Among the IGPL players in the field, Raghav Chugh and Syed Saqib Ahmed (both 70) were leading contenders at five-under and in tied 12th position, while the leading Moroccan player was Ayoub Id-Omar (68) in tied eighth place.
Agusti hasn’t had a single top-10 finish in Official World Golf Ranking events in his five years of playing as a pro, but that could all change after a flawless round of 64.
Hoho Yue of Hong Kong. Picture courtesy: IGPL
The Spaniard was two-under after nine holes, but had a brilliant stretch of three holes from the 10th onwards. He hit his second shot to tap-in distances on both 10th and 11th holes and then converted a 15-feet birdie putt on the 12th hole to get to five-under par for the day.
He then birdied the 14th and 16th, before his only ‘mistake’ of the day of not converting the eagle putt on the 18th hole.
“That was really good, I think the best golf I have ever played. No mistakes, just a perfect round. I made some good putts, very happy. I struggled to make par on the 17th hole, but it was a good two putt from a very long distance before I missed from about two meter for eagle on the 18th.
“I like the golf course. I think my playing style has adapted to this course layout very well.
“I will try to play the same over the weekend, but maybe, I will not be able to score this well. But I’m feeling good on the golf course, so I am hoping I can keep playing like this.”
“Honestly, I found the course was playing a little easier today. I had the first tee time of the day, so the wind wasn’t too strong, but I didn’t have the best day,” said the 26-year-old.
“I knew it was not going to be as smooth as yesterday. I had to make some adjustments, stay patient, and kind of recover from a rocky start. I felt like nothing was really going my way in the front nine. But I got to give credit to myself for being patient with my game and just let the putts drop.
“I’m pretty happy. It’s definitely not the best ball-striking round of the week, probably, but I’m glad about the score.”
Cheung finished tied second at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open earlier this month and continued his good form from there.
“It feels good. The weather’s been beautiful for me. It was quite calm this morning, so we had some good scoring conditions and I played very consistent. Very happy over the last two days,” said Cheung.
“It’s a great golf course. I like it a lot. It gives you enough space off the tees, but you must hit good shots, because if you lose your golf ball into any cactus, you’re just praying out there. So I’ve been hitting a good off the tee, and hopefully I can continue in the same vein over the weekend.
“I actually switched to a broomstick putter the week before Taiwan. I putted it well there, and I’m putting pretty good here. So, I guess it’s working.”
This week is the fifth stop of the 2026 season on the ADT. Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, built on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, will also host next week’s am green IGPL Bharath Classic. The International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco, will bring the exciting North African adventure to a conclusion in three weeks.
May 28: Hoho Yue made a birdie on his final hole to edge ahead by one shot in the US$160,000 am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026, which is being played at the stunning Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort and is co-sanctioned with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL).
In Thursday’s opening round, the Hong Kong player made a sensational eagle on the par-5 seventh hole – where his second shot from 260 yards lipped out for an albatross – and six birdies to finish on six-under par 66.
One behind Hoho at five-under par were American Nathan Han and Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong. An eclectic group of four players – Sven Maurits of the Netherlands, Argentina’s Franco Scorzato, Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung and Spaniard Agusti Quinquilla Madalena – were tied for fourth place at 68.
India’s Raghav Chugh, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Trishul Chinnappa and Sudhir Sharma were the best placed among the IGPL players at three-under 69, while Ayoub Id-Omar was the best among the local Moroccan players, tied 17th at two-under 70.
Yue, 26, played for the University of Oregon while pursuing college in the US. He had five top-10 finishes in different tours, including the Egyptian Open on the ADT, last year, and is looking to get his first win as a professional.
Playing in the afternoon session when the wind picked up compared to the morning tee times, Yue started with a birdie but quickly gave up the gain on the very next hole.
“It was good. It was a long day, and I knew the golf course was going to play hard. I woke up this morning, and I could feel the wind walking out. I knew it was going to be a grind and I had zero expectations. I knew I was just trying to go out there and stay as present as I could, which I did very well,” said Hoho.
Nathan Han of the United States. Picture courtesy: IGPL
“I started off the day with some fears. I was like, ‘Oh, the wind’s blowing in a tougher direction. The course is playing a lot tougher than it played during the practice rounds’. But I knew it would take a bit of momentum and a couple of good shots to get it going. Fortunately. I got hot pretty early, so I just felt like I had nothing to lose. I just had to pedal down the whole day.”
On the eagle on the seventh hole, he added: “Oh yeah, that was pretty sick. My whole group was pretty surprised to see that. The wind was blowing left to right very strong, and I just hit it a left, let the wind take it, and it was my day. The ball ended up lipping out from 260 yards and I made the five-feet putt.”
American Han, who is playing only his second recognised professional tournament, got off to a blistering start. The 25-year-old from New York, who played for Pepperdine University in NCAA Division I competition until last season, showed his class after getting fast off the block with six birdies in his first eight holes. He then ran into trouble on the 18th hole to make a double bogey seven on the par-5 hole, completely against the run of play. He was solid on his back nine for two birdies and a solitary bogey to finish on five-under-par 67.
“I started at 8:05am and I was feeling good, the body was feeling good. I didn’t do anything special, just stuck to my game plan. I hit drives the way I wanted it to, hit some good iron shots, and made a lot of putts,” said Han
“I was six-under through eight, but unfortunately doubled the 18th, my ninth hole of the day. I hit it into the ice plants and would advise that never hit it out of the ice plants if you’re in there. But I did not falter after that, and I just kept the momentum going. I’m happy with how I finished.”
Runchanapong Youprayong of Thailand. Picture courtesy: IGPL
Runchanapong, who finished second in the opening event of the schedule and is currently fourth in the ADT Order of Merit, was solid through the day, except for a solitary bogey on the par-5 14th hole, which was his fifth hole of the round having started from the 10th tee.
“I started off well until I made a bogey on the par five, and then kind of picked myself up again and made a few more birdies. I just hung tight into the round with all the wind going on, but overall it was solid,” said the Thai star.
“It’s fun playing in a place like this. Every time I make a good swing or a bad shot, I can still look out at the views and see the ocean and stuff. It’s very beautiful out here.”
This week is the fifth stop of the 2026 season on the ADT. Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, will also host next week’s am green IGPL Bharath Classic. The International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco, will bring the exciting North African adventure to a conclusion in three weeks.
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