Danthai Boonma (Tha) First round 67 (-4)

I’m very happy with my score today. It was very windy but I was able to stay bogey-free. I’m playing on this golf course for the first time too. I told myself I’ve to keep all my tee shots on the fairway to give myself that momentum. But my putting was very good today too. So that’s why I did not make any bogeys. I had to keep my ball flight low and hit my approach to the front of the green. I played at The Open last year and used some of those experience here.

Brendan Jones (Aus) First round 68 (-3)

It’s still very early but I’m happy to have put myself into a good position with today’s score. It was very challenging especially with the wind and narrow fairways. You got to be really accurate. I’m glad I managed to do that today. It’s always nice when you are in a good position but you just cannot get too carried away as it’s only the first round and there’s still a lot of golf to play.

Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) First round 70 (-1)

I was not as sharp with my irons today. But my chipping and putting were very good. So overall, I’m pleased with my score. I’ve played on this golf course many times already and I know what to expect. I’m used to such windy conditions and I know how to tackle the fast greens here. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) First round 70 (-1)

It was disappointing to end with a bogey but overall I’m pretty happy with myself as the conditions were really tough. I’m satisfied with how I hit the ball as you got to be really committed off the tee. You have to be sharp here. The fairways are very narrow here and it’s important to get your ball onto them. Physically, I’m very close to where I want to be. I can see that in my results.

Chiba prefecture, Japan, May 8: India’s Rahil Gangjee is confident his year-long experience of playing in Japan will put him in good stead for the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup which starts on Thursday.

Gangjee clinched an emotional victory in Japan last April when he ended a 14-year title wait on the Asian Tour then.

Besides a two-year winners’ exemption on the Asian Tour, Gangjee also earned a two-year exemption on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) where he has regular playing opportunities now.

While he has yet to savour the euphoria of winning again, the Indian knows he has to instill the same self-belief that saw him end his barren run last year.

Like Gangjee, Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva also had to wait long before he made his Asian Tour breakthrough in Chinese Taipei last year.

Da Silva, who started playing on Tour after coming through the Qualifying School in 2011, had a top-15 finish in China last week and is looking forward for another shot at glory at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup.

Australian rookie Zach Murray, who claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough in New Zealand in March, is hoping to spring a surprise again and establish himself as another genuine contender when the tournament gets underway.

The towering Australian, who stands at 1.96cm, first served notice of his talent with his wire-to-wire victory in what was only his third start on the Asian Tour since coming through the Qualifying School last December.

Did you know?

• Rahil Gangjee ended his barren run on the Asian Tour that stretched over a decade when he won the Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Japan last April.
• Before that win, Gangjee’s last victory on the Asian Tour came in 2004 in China where he beat a top field that included Europe’s Ryder Cup heroes Phillip Price, Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo.
• Adilson Da Silva became the first Brazilian to win on the Asian Tour following his victory
• Da Silva enjoyed a career high in 2016 when he was given the honour of striking the first tee shot at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when golf made a return into the programme after 112 years.
• Da Silva has won multiple times on the Sunshine Tour. He started playing extensively in Zimbabwe from between 1996 to 2003, winning more than 30 titles and five Zimbabwean Order of Merit crowns. Played in the British Open in 2000 and 2007.
• Zach Murray claimed his breakthrough on the Asian Tour with his win in New Zealand in March.
• That victory was achieved in what was only his third start on the Asian Tour since coming through the Qualifying School where he finished fourth last December.
• Murray was ranked as high as 19th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking before he turned professional last year.

Ends.

Rahil Gangjee (Ind)

I’m loving this place. It has been a year and it’s awesome! But it has been intense especially with me trying to learn how to play on each golf course here. Every golf course is in perfect condition and they have been a good challenge. I have a few issues with trying to remember holes because you play on so many new golf courses and you tend to forget a few holes. Hopefully, it gets better this year as I’ve played an entire year in Japan already. It can get a little demoralising when you know you should be doing better and playing to your full potential. But I have gone through those phases before and I knew the kind of emotional turmoil that I will be going through. It was tough but I took it as a challenge. I worked with my mental coach on what’s happening and why it’s happening. I’ve also worked a lot on my technique. And my game has now changed.

Adilson Da Silva (Bra)

I’m happy I played well last week. I hit the ball well, drove it well and I did not miss many fairways last week. My putting was really good too. I’m happy so coming into this week, I have high expectations. I feel that this golf course suits my game as it’s fairly narrow. I really like Japan and I’m considering whether to try for the Qualifying School now. Winning in Taiwan last year made me see things differently. It just provides you with a brand new perspective. You feel like you can win in any tournament you play in.

Zach Murray (Aus)

I’m really excited as my game is in good shape. I missed a couple of shots last week in China but overall, I’m still feeling very confident about my game. I have a lot of different experiences since Qualifying School. Of course, winning in New Zealand was amazing and it has been a bit of a whirlwind. I sort of calmed down now and I’m settling in things. I want to continue putting in more good performances and try to get as high as I can on the Order of Merit. I’m enjoying my time in Asia but I’m also hoping to see if I can play more in Europe as too.

Prayad Marksaeng (Tha)

I like playing in the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup because I got a good track record at this event. I won this event in 2008 although it was not on this golf course. But it’s still feels good to play in an event which you know you’ve won before. I’ve been playing in Japan for almost 25 years already and I’m very familiar with the golf courses here. I’m still young but it great to see the even younger boys from Thailand doing well. They just need to continue to gain more experience, playing in big events like this to gain more exposure and get used to the various playing conditions.

Ben Campbell (Nzl)
When I was an amateur, I played a few events in Japan including this one and I really enjoyed my time here. The courses are always in amazing conditions and I always love coming back. It’s awesome to see events like this giving opportunities to amateurs because as an amateur, you want to come out and test yourself against the pros. You want to be able to benchmark yourself against the pros. It has been good playing on the Asian Tour. I played well enough last year to keep my card and I was off to a good start this season. It’s a great Tour and it’s not a massive distance away from home. It’s nice to be able to spend some time at home too.

Shinichi Mizuno (Jpn)
The last time I played on the Japan Tour was when I was 17. So it has been a really long time and I’m just excited and happy to be back. I don’t really come back to Japan as often as I would like to. I only come back whenever I play in tournaments or the beginning and end of the year to see my grandparents. It has been a steep learning curve and I haven’t been able to post a good result since that breakthrough on the ADT in Malaysia last year. But I got a good feeling that my game is coming back and I need to be more confident of myself. If I can do that, I should be able to do well. I haven’t made any cuts on the Asian Tour yet and hopefully, I can do that this week.

Ends.

Chiba prefecture, Japan, May 7: Thai veteran Prayad Marksaeng is relishing the opportunity to compete in another ‘home’ event as he knows he is still young enough to vie for his 11th Asian Tour title at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup which starts on Thursday.

At 53, Prayad has also enjoyed multiple success in Japan and with more than two decades of playing in the Land of the Rising Sun, he is way too familiar with conjuring the winning formula again.

While Prayad maybe at ease with playing in another event in Japan, he is wary of the challenges coming from his younger rivals and hopes to draw from his experience to stay ahead of the game at the Sobu Country Club.

With the involvement of the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the tournament has welcomed a large number of amateurs over the years.

New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, who earned his Asian Tour card from Qualifying School last year, had the opportunity to play in the event before he joined the play-for-pay ranks and still holds fond memories of his time then.

As a professional now, Campbell is hoping for that breakthrough on the Asian Tour, having come close on a few occasions already.

Having secured his Tour card through the Asian Development Tour (ADT), Japan’s Shinichi Mizuno is on a steep learning curve but is hoping to make the cut for the first time in four attempts this year.

The Nagoya- born Mizuno moved to Hong Kong when he was a six-year-old and won his maiden ADT title at the season-ending event in Malaysia last year.

Did you know?

• Prayad Marksaeng is one of Thailand’s most successful golfers with 10 Asian Tour victories.
• He was a member of Thailand’s winning golf team at the 1987 South East Asian (SEA) Games and turned professional in 1991.
• Prayad has won multiple times in Japan and started playing on the Japan Senior Tour after turning 50 in 2016.
• He topped the Merit rankings on the Japan Senior Tour in 2016 (4 wins), 2017 (4 wins) and 2018 (5 wins).
• Ben Campbell was ranked as high as sixth on the World Amateur Golf Rankings before he turned professional in 2012.
• He earned his first Asian Tour card through the 2018 Qualifying School, where he finished tied-seventh after five rounds.
• Campbell enjoyed one top-five finish in Perth this year. In his rookie year in 2018, Campbell finished tied-second in Bangladesh and tied-third in Fiji.
• Shinichi Mizuno earned his breakthrough on the Asian Development Tour when he won the season-ending event in Malaysia last year.
• With that victory, Mizuno finished in seventh place on the Order of Merit to earn his playing rights on the Asian Tour this year.

Ends.

May 7: Here’s what Taehee Lee had in his bag when he won The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship.

Driver: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero 9*                 Shaft: Mitsubishi-Chemical Diamana BF Series 70 S

Fairway1: TaylorMade M6 15*                              Shaft: Fujikura Speeder TR 757 X

Hb1: Callaway Epic HB 18*                                   Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD HY 85 X

Hb2: Callaway Epic HB 20*                                   Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD HY 95 X

Irons: Callaway X Forged 18 (5-P)                         Shaft: TrueTemper Dynamic Gold

Wedge1: Titleist Vokey Design SM4 54*

Wedge2: Titleist Vokey Design PROTO 58* K-Grind

Putter: Odyssey Works 5

Ball: Titleist Pro V1 x (2019)

Shoe: FootJoy

Cap: OK Bank

Bag: Callaway

Glove: Titleist

Note: 4 Iron Titleist T-MB 716. No 3 Iron

May 7: Here’s what Mikko Korhonen had in his bag when he won the Volvo China Open.

Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero 10.5*                 Shaft: Aldila NV 2KXV Green 65 TX

Fairway1: Callaway Rogue 3+                              Shaft: Aldila NV 2KXV Green 75 TX

Hb1: Titleist 818H2 19*                                       Shaft: Aldila NV 2KXV Green 75 X

Irons: Titleist 718 CB (4-9)                                  Shaft: Precision Project X 6.0

Wedge1: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 46* F-Grind

Wedge2: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 54* M-Grind

Wedge3: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 58* M-Grind

Putter: Yes! C-Groove Tiffany

Ball: Titleist Pro V1 x (2019)

Shoe: FootJoy

Cap: Mercedes-Benz

Bag: Vessel

Glove: FootJoy

Note: 3 Iron Titleist T-MB 718 w/ Aldila NV 2KXV Green 85 X

May 6: Here’s five takeaways from The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship and the Volvo China Open.

• At 14 years, 170 days, Kuang Yang is the second youngest player after Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond to make the weekend cut on the Asian Tour.
• At the other end of the scale, elder statesman and Asian Tour board member Zhang Lianwei, 54, is the only man to have played in all 25 editions of the Volvo China Open, winning it in 2003.
• Of the 45 Chinese players who began the tournament, 10 made it through to the weekend, setting a new record for the Volvo China Open.
• The Maekyung Open trophy is retained on home soil for the 15^th consecutive year and running. American Mark Calcavecchia was the last foreigner to win the event in 2004.
• The play-off between Taehee Lee and Janne Kaske is the eighth play-off recorded in the tournament’s 38 years of history.
• Taehee Lee trained under Korean legend Sangho Choi, a two-time winner of the Maekyung Open, at the Namseoul Country Club from 2003 to 2010.
• Janne Kaske was left to rue a missed opportunity for his breakthrough win on the Asian Tour but took pride in his solid outing, which marked his best ever result on Tour since plying his trade in Asia in 2015.

Benjamin Hebert (Fra) Third round 64 (-8), Total 199 (-17)

That’s golf, a crazy game isn’t it. I played very badly in the front nine, where I didn’t feel good in my swing and just tried to keep focused on what I’m going and I found my rhythm in the back nine so I’m happy. I had driver on the ninth which didn’t help me a lot, and I feel very confident with my three wood I can hit it low and long which helped me a lot on the back nine. It’s my first time leading after 54 holes and we’ll see. I’ve worked to be in this position and it’s going to be a very early start so hopefully we’ll have some good conditions and we’ll see what happens.

I don’t want to look ahead, I just want to focus on the rest of my day, my rest and see what happens tomorrow.

Jorge Campillio (Esp) Third round 68 (-4), Total 202 (-14)

It was a good round. I didn’t putt as well as the first two days but overall it was a very good round. I got my round going on nine and managed to save par on 11 and I played my finishing holes well with those two birdies. I wish I could make more putts but it was good as I have a chance tomorrow. It was exciting for the crowd as they brought the 18^th tee box up. It provided you with chances for eagle or birdie. I hope to use my experience from last week to win but if Benjamin plays like he did today, then it’s tough. Hopefully I have a chance tomorrow.

Wu Ashun (Chn) Third round 72 (Even), Total 203 (-13)

I had a very good start but got into trouble in the back-nine. I don’t understand how I got those four bogeys. I hit some really bad tee shots, making it tough for myself to save par after that. When I finished playing the 15^th, I told myself I had a good chance of making birdies in the last three holes and I was happy I managed to birdie 16. The crowds were great and I’m very happy to see so many of them out here this week.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) Third round 65 (-7), Total 207 (-9)

I’m really happy with the way I’ve been hitting the ball. There’s still one more day left. You can really score on this course today as it was set up in a way where you can take your chances and go really low. But I’m not expecting anything. I made several mental errors which I don’t normally make. Although I’m not feeling 100% physically fit now, my dad told me, ‘can you imagine if you’re fully fit’. I got to be smart off the tee and take my chances.

Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (Tha) Third round 65 (-7), Total 207 (-9)

I’m going to give my 100% tomorrow. Mentally, I’m strong. I started off with a bogey as I missed the fairway and could not save par. But after that, I told myself to stay patient and keep trying. My putting was very good today and I’m really happy I made a strong comeback after that only bogey on the first hole. I know I have a chance tomorrow but I must not be too carried away.