Kiradech Aphibarnrat started the DP World Tour’s Asian Swing in brilliant fashion as an eight under par round of 64 earned him a share of the first round lead at the Porsche Singapore Classic.
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The 34-year-old mixed a single bogey with nine birdies to set the target – and the course record – before being joined by Malaysian Gavin Green and England’s Jordan Smith on eight under par after the opening day at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.
The DP World Tour’s Asian Swing, consisting of five events on the Asian continent, begins this week and four-time winner Aphibarnrat made the perfect start to proceedings in Singapore.
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He was level par through three holes after cancelling out an opening birdie with a dropped shot at the third, before gains at the fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth saw him make the turn in 31.
Four further gains followed on the back nine, picking up shots at the 12th, 13th and 15th, with a final red number being added on the 18th for his lowest round since the 2022 Portugal Masters.
The lead was quickly shared with Englishman Smith, who pulled alongside the 2023 Qualifying School graduate in the very next group after posting a bogey-free eight under par effort.
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Malaysia’s Green made the most of being close to home by posting the best effort of the afternoon wave. The 30-year-old dropped just a single shot on a hot day at Laguna National, with his younger brother walking the fairways with him in support.
The leading trio share a one-stroke advantage from Frenchman Ugo Coussaud, who continued his impressive run of form with a seven under round of 65. The DP World Tour rookie was nine under after 13 holes, but a dropped shot at his 14th and a double bogey to finish meant he had to settle for second after 18 holes.
Player quotes
Kiradech Aphibarnrat: “It’s a very good start. Ball-striking was great the whole day, putting was light work, made an easy mistake and bogeyed a par five hole on the third. From 53 yards I missed a shot and the bunker, it was really up-and-down but there was a nice bounce back after, I picked up another three birdies in the last four holes which is a great finish.”
Jordan Smith: “Really happy with how I played today. I had a great day, it was nice and relaxed. I had a lot of fun out there. It was great to finish well. It was just a bit of a tricky second shot with limiting clubs, but I ended up picking the right one and hitting the five wood to a couple of feet and making the eagle putt. That was good momentum halfway through to take into the second nine.”
Gavin Green: “We played well, we didn’t do anything crazy. Nothing special – we just kept hitting fairways, kept hitting greens and made some putts.
“It was good, I think it’s a good stepping stone for him when he’s out here looking at where he wants to be. It’s good motivation for him and hopefully he takes something from this.”
Ugo Coussaud: “That was a solid day. Had some very good, very easy birdies. Hit a lot of wedges close. I think I birdied every par three and every par five, which was a first for me. It was a great day, just not the greatest finish, but it was still a good one.
“Everything went well when you make so many birdies. I hit good tee shots, good wedges and good putts. My wedges were very good, because I had so many tap-in birdies.”
