Promising talent Arie Irawan of Malaysia will have another opportunity to chase for his maiden victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) when the PGM Port Dickson Championship gets underway from September 24 to 27 next week.
The in-form 24-year-old finished tied-second in Sarawak last week, which is his best result on the ADT so far. He will be hoping to ride on his recent good run of form when he competes in the RM200,000 (approx. US$60,000) ADT event at the Port Dickson Golf and Country Club.
Arie, who is currently the highest-ranked Malaysian on the ADT Order of Merit in sixth position, will headline the local charge alongside Abel Tam, Shaaban Hussin and Airil Rizman at the PGM Port Dickson Championship.
Eight other players in top-10 on the current ADT Order of Merit, including Thai duo Sattaya Supupramai and Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who won twice this season, American Brett Munson and Niall Turner of Ireland will also feature in the ADT event, which is the 17th leg on the schedule this year.
Arie’s recent performance has been impressive, having secured four top-10s within a span of two months since the second half of the ADT season resumed in July.
“I’ve been playing really consistently. I hope to continue that good run of form so I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’ve learnt a lot since turning professional last year. The maturity in my game is getting better. It’s starting to show a lot in my game, what I do best and how I do best,” said Arie.
Arie also credited the ADT for alleviating his game since turning professional in April last year. He will be playing in his 10th consecutive event at the PGM Port Dickson Championship next week.
“The ADT gave me the chance to keep on playing tournaments. We not only play in Malaysia but also Indonesia, Philippines and Chinese Taipei. You learnt to play in different places, different climates, etc. The world ranking points on offer helped a lot too. It is a great stepping stone for players to get onto the Asian Tour,” added Arie.
Sattaya, who was triumphant in Sabah two weeks ago, hopes to tighten his grip on an Asian Tour card with another good result next week so as to stay within the top-five on the merit rankings. He is currently ranked fourth after a season’s haul of US$32,529.
“Every tournament is the same for me. I will just play my own game and try to focus shot by shot out there. I’m feeling really confident with my game right now, especially having worked with my new coach, Boy, for the last couple of months,” said the 30-year-old Thai.
“It’s good to see Thai players like Pavit doing well on the ADT. I think Thongchai (Jaidee) and Thaworn (Wiratchant) have been great inspirations to us. We look up to them and all of us strive to become like them one day. I guess that’s what motivates us to do well,” added Sattaya, a two-time winner on the ADT.
Since its inauguration in 2010, the ADT has grown from five events in the first year to a record 20 tournaments in 2014. The top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn Asian Tour cards for 2015.
All ADT events also receive Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points which is a boost for the game in the region.
