Thailand’s Amarin Kraivixien, Filipino Carl Jarno Corpus and Hong Kong rookie Yin Ho Yue fired matching opening rounds of nine-under-par 63 to jointly lead the US$250,000 Aramco Invitational Tournament in Saudi Arabia.

Taking advantage of benign weather and ideal scoring conditions at Rolling Hills Golf Club, the trio set a new professional course record in relation to par at the season-ending event of the 2025 Asian Development Tour (ADT).

Chasing his first win on the ADT, Amarin amassed an eagle and eight birdies against a solitary bogey. The 29-year-old got off to a good start with a birdie on his first hole, which helped calm his nerves.

“In the last four or five tournaments, I’ve started with a bogey on the first hole which is really frustrating. But today, on the first hole I hit a good tee shot and a good second shot, and made a solid 15-footer for birdie. That took the nerves away and I was just enjoying my round after that,” said Amarin.

Aiming to become the fourth consecutive Thai winner of the tournament following Itthipat Buranatanyarat (2024), Denwit Booribonsub (2023) and Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (2022), Amarin credited a new 3-wood for his strong showing on the four par-five holes which he played in five-under-par. The eagle at the 17th came after a soaring second shot that settled five feet from the flag.

“All the credit goes to my new 3-wood, which I bought on Saturday just a day before I flew here! That second shot on 17 was probably the best I ever hit with a 3-wood,” said Amarin.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Carl Jano Corpus of the Philippines pictured on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, during Round One of the 2025 Aramco Invitational at Rolling Hills Golf Club. The US$250,000 event is staged from November 26-29, 2025. Picture by Jason Butler / Asian Tour.

Corpus has already won once this season, picking up his maiden ADT title at the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts in June, and lies third on the Order of Merit. The 24-year-old paid tribute to his caddie, Rafael, a fellow Filipino who is part of the greenskeeping staff at Rolling Hills, and is a single-handicap golfer.

“My cousin Aidric (Chan) had a Filipino caddie last year, who was one of the greenskeepers here. He messaged Aidric about this year’s event, and I asked if there was another Filipino who could caddie for me. It’s always nice to have someone on your bag who can speak Filipino, and Rafael and me were just joking around the whole time and talking about home. He really helped with reading the greens. It’s also his birthday today, and that kind of gave me an extra gear,” said Corpus, who had seven birdies and an eagle at the 12th hole.

“This is my first time playing the Rolling Hills course and it’s in really great shape. I’m so happy to be playing on good greens; how fast and pure they’re rolling is just amazing.”

Playing in his rookie season on the ADT, Yue noted that staying focused on the task at hand helped him record nine birdies on a blemish-free scorecard.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: Hoho Yue of Hong Kong pictured on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, during Round One of the 2025 Aramco Invitational at Rolling Hills Golf Club. The US$250,000 event is staged from November 26-29, 2025. Picture by Jason Butler / Asian Tour.

“It was pretty smooth sailing the whole day. I kind of focused on what’s ahead of me, what’s underneath my feet. I had a few good putts here and there, but I just felt that I played really steady golf. I was really consistent and stayed patient all day,” said the 25-year-old Yue, who goes by the nickname ‘Hoho’.

Earlier this month, Yue led the Egyptian Open by two shots heading into the final round and carded a closing 74 to settle for joint 8th position.

Englishman Finlay Mason shot an eight-under-par 64 to lie in fourth place, a shot ahead of Malaysian Khavish Varadan and Thailand’s Chayutpol Kittirattanapaiboon.

Othman Almulla was the best-placed Saudi golfer in T37 position following a solid opening round of two-under-par 70.

Staged at Rolling Hills for the fourth year running, the Aramco Invitational will determine the final ADT Order of Merit standings and the top 10 players who will earn promotions to the Asian Tour next season. Additionally, the top-five players on the final ADT Order of Merit will be given starts at the Asian Tour’s US$1 million Saudi Open presented by PIF, which takes place December 10-13 at the Dirab Golf & Country Club.

Main picture: Amarin Kraivixien of Thailand pictured on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, during Round One of the 2025 Aramco Invitational at Rolling Hills Golf Club. The US$250,000 event is staged from November 26-29, 2025. Picture by Jason Butler / Asian Tour.