Roberts, an Australian businessman and a veteran in the Asian yachting circuit, finished first in the two races held on Tuesday on his boat Team Hollywood, a big improvement on his second and third place finishes on the first day of racing.

Very little separated the five boats contesting the class on Tuesday, but as the wind picked up speed to 10-12 knots with gusts up to 19 knots as the boats made their way around some islands off Phuket in the final race of the day, tactics were the key.

First day leader WindSikher, raced by Nick Burns and Sarab Singh, came second overall after Tuesday’s two races, where they finished with two third places.

However, Thai-registered boat THA 72, with former world Optimist champion and two-time Asian Games gold medalist Noppakao Poonpat at the helm, ended the day in third place with two second-place finishes on Tuesday.

With so little separating the five boats in the leading class, Noppakao’s experience may prove to be the edge the Thai boat needs by the time the last races are held on Saturday.

“Thank you to the Whitcraft family for giving me the opportunity to sail on their boat,” she said. “I think we did very well today, and I feel happy about that. I think we will keep improving every day.”

In the IRC 1 class, Russian helmsman Alexey Mashkin steered MegaZip to a third and first place on Tuesday for the provisional overall lead. Australian Larry Dean on Fujin was second overall, with fellow Aussie Craig Nicholls on Aquarii in third place.

Despite being one of the smallest boats in the IRC 2 class, Morten Jakobsen steered his Thai-registered boat Over Here into first place overall after a first and third place in Tuesday’s two races.

China’s Shen Sheng was second overall aboard Kata Rocks BigBoys Sailing Team, while the Royal Thai Naval Academy finished third. Experienced sailor Veerasit Puangnak was at the helm of the Royal Thai Navy boat, which this year was crewed by cadet sailors, who are expected to improve with every outing. Their first place in the final race of the day showed how quickly the cadets are learning the ropes.

Hong Kong-based sailors did well in the Premier class, with Geoff Hill sailing Antipodes into provisional first place overall with a first and second placing. Thailand’s Inthinai Yingsiri was second overall aboard Pine-Pacific, while Hong Kong’s Michael Brinkers sailed Bella Uno into third overall.

In the Multihull Racing class, Australian Dan Fidock leads on Fugazi with two first places on Tuesday, followed by Germany’s Gaetan Verhegge on Team Red Blood and Great Britain’s Dan Moore on Frankenstein.

Britain’s John Newnham leads the Firefly 850 Sports class on Twin Sharks, followed by the Thai-registered Voodoo with Hans Rahmann at the helm and Neil Aye from Great Britain on Mamba in third place.

The waters off Phuket are set to become even more crowded on Wednesday when 24 one-metre radio-controlled boats start four days of racing for the first time with the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, as well as 120 young sailors, who will be contesting the International Dinghy Fleet.

An international field will pilot the radio-controlled boats, with competitors from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and China.

With regatta organisers keen to promote sailing among the country’s youth, the comprehensive classes which start on Wednesday off Kata Beach will involve 120 young competitors who will contest the Optimist Boys and Girls, Laser 4.7 (Mixed), Laser Standard, Laser Radial and 420 classes.

The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is organised by the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organising Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket.

There will be five days of racing for keelboats and multihulls, with a reserve day on Thursday, December 5. For the International Dinghy classes and the IOMC class, four consecutive days of racing will start from Wednesday.

Spearheaded by former world champion Ratchanok Intanon, Thailand have dominated the women’s title for the four successive time. It marked their seventh victory after their previous triumphs in 1965, 1971, 2005, 2011, 2015 and 2017 (no team competition in 2013).

The defending champion got off to a great start when former world No 1 Ratchanok overcame a second game lapse to beat rising Indonesian star Gregoria Tunjung 21-13 12-21 21-14. Tunjung suffered a leg injury while running down a shot from the Thai and had to be carried off the court.

Indonesia struck back in the second rubber when Ni Ketut Istarani and Apriyani Rahayu beat Rawinda Prajongjai and Puttita Supajirakul 21-17 21-18 in the women’s doubles.

However, 2017 women’s singles champion Busanan Ongbamrungphan put Thailand upfront again with an easy win over the error-prone Fitriani Fritiani 21-8 21-10. The Chulalongkorn Univeristy graduate exacted sweet revenge over the diminutive rival who beat her in the January’s Thailand Masters final.

Phataimas and Chayanit

Thailand sealed the deal in the fourth rubber when Chayanit Chaladchalam and Phataimas Muenwong ousted Siti Fadia Ramadhanti and Ribka Sugiarto 21-8 21-17.

However, both Ratchanok and Busanan will skip the individual competition which begins later this week. Both are committed to the BWF World Tour Finals due in Guangzhou next week.

With Scott Hend opting not to tee up at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open this week, the 23-year-old Thai has secured his prime position atop the money list as he cannot be caught by his closest challenger.

Two wins at the SMBC Singapore Open and Kolon Korea Open along with seven other top-10s on the Asian Tour have earned the prodigious talent the divine right to become the fourth Thai after Thongchai Jaidee (2001, 2004, 2009), Thaworn Wiratchant (2005, 2012) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (2013) to be crowned Asia’s number one.

“I’m really honoured to join the likes of Thongchai, Thaworn and Kiradech as the next player from Thailand to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit. It’s an exclusive group of champions which I’m so proud to be in.

“While it’s not a perfect season this year as there are times which I thought I could play even better, overall, it has been a very good one where I took advantage of my opportunities and made the best of them,” said Jazz, who has risen to a career- high of 52nd on the Official World Golf Rankings this year.

Jazz has been one of the revelations this season with wins at the Singapore Open in January, where he beat a field which included Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, and Korea Open in June.

“The win in Singapore was certainly the highlight of the year for me because I won early in the season and that victory broke me into the world’s top 100 then. It opened doors for me and I took advantage of them,” said Jazz, who also won the second edition of the Panasonic Swing series and enjoyed a standout season in Japan with six top-10 finishes in the Land of the rising sun.

In May, Jazz came to global prominence at the PGA Championship where he entered the final round in joint second place before closing with a 77 to settle for tied-14 finish, which was the best-ever result achieved by a Thai player at the PGA Championship.

“Playing in the PGA Championship was not only an unique experience but also a memorable one.

“Playing in front of the large crowds and against the best players in the world is something I’ll never forget,” said Jazz, who went on to make his second consecutive appearance at The 148th Open in July.

Jazz first played his way into the history books of the Asian Tour in 2010 when he became the youngest ever player to make the halfway cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok at the age of 14 years and 71 days.

But his path towards greatness was not littered without road bumps, struggles and setbacks.

He lost his Asian Tour card for the first time in his career in 2016 but bounced back quickly the following year with his Asian Tour breakthrough victory at the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open.

“Those experiences moulded me into a better player. I spent two weeks in the monastery where I found peace and slowly played my way back. That breakthrough in Bangladesh brought back the self-belief that I can actually play good golf and win tournaments,” said Jazz.

Jazz then saw his fortune soared with another win on home soil at the Queen’s Cup in 2018 followed by another two victories at the National Opens of Singapore and Korea this year.

The benchmark for the Thai has now been raised event higher as he sets out to sing another winning tune in 2020.

“I just want to get even better and not rest on my laurels. I want to compete in more Majors and make big moves on the world rankings,” said Jazz.

A total of 75 boats are contesting 10 classes in this year’s regatta, as well as a large fleet taking part in the International Dinghy fleet for young sailors.Two races were held on the first day with Hong Kong’s Nick Burns on WindSikher finishing first in the top flight IRC Zero class.

Thailand’s Kevin Whitcraft finished second overall on THA 72, with defending champion Ray Roberts from Australia third on Team Hollywood.“There was reasonably good wind today, between six and eight knots,” said Race Director Simon James.

“The wind direction changed all the time and the tide was very strong today. By the time we had the second race, the wind became a bit lighter and the tide was getting even stronger.

”Russia’s Alexey Mashkin led an international field in the IRC 1 class aboard his boat MegaZip, followed by Japan’s Nanamori Yasuo on Karasu (Emagine) and Estonia’s Mati Sepp on Loco.Chinese sailors shone in the IRC2 class, taking first and third places. Finishing first was Shen Sheng at the helm of BigBoys Sailing Team (Madame Butterfly), with Thai-based sailor Morten Jakobsen second on Over Here and China’s Minzhi Feng third on Highlead Encoragers (JUDY).

Hong Kong-based sailors finished first and second in the Premier Class, with Peter Cremers steering Shahtoosh into the lead, with Geoff Hill on Antipodes coming second. Local sailor Ithinai Yingsiri kept the Thai flag flying with a third place overall after the first two races.The Multihull Racing Class honours went to Australian Dan Fidock on Fugazi, followed by Germany’s Gaetan Verhegge on Team Red Blood and Hong Kong’s Mark Thornburrow on Bonza.

The hotly contested locally-built multihull Firefly 850 Sport Class saw John Newnham on Twin Sharks win both races today for the overall lead, followed by Hans Rahmann on Voodoo and Peter Taylor on Ballerina.

Closer to Kata Beach, more than 100 young sailors practiced for the International Dinghy fleet, with racing divided into Optimist Boys and Girls, Laser 4.7 (Mixed), Laser Standard, Laser Radial and 420 classes. Racing for the young sailors starts on December 4.Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Organising Committee, said: “For 2019 and in past years, we have had a special focus on growing the dinghy components of our overall regatta, as we in the sailing community in Thailand can feel the positive effect this is having over the years as the sport of sailing continues to grow in popularity here.”

The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is organised by the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket.There will be five days of racing for the keelboats and multihulls, with a reserve day on Thursday, December 5. For the International Dinghy Classes, four consecutive days of racing will start from Wednesday, 4th December.

Sponsors of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta include Principal Host Sponsor Kata Group, and Strategic Partners: RMA Group and Belt and Road International Regatta. Co-Sponsors: Haadthip PCL. and Ford. Equipment Sponsor includes B&G Electrical Marine.

The 24-year-old Li will become the first golfer from mainland China to feature in the biennial team competition from December 9-15, an accomplishment he hopes will add further spark for the game to reach greater heights in his home nation.

A two-time European Tour winner, Li qualified automatically as one of the top eight golfers for the Ernie Els’ International Team and he is determined to ensure a memorable debut by helping the team lift the Presidents Cup. Since 1994, the International Team has won the Cup only once previously in 1998 when it was played at Royal Melbourne.

“Everyone in the team must play as best as we can. Then we may have a chance to win. It definitely means a lot to me to be on this team,” said Li. “I was quite close to be in the team in the last edition. I feel I put a lot of effort to get into this team. I just want to go there (Royal Melbourne) and show my golf to the world.”

After launching his career by winning the inaugural PGA TOUR Series-China Order of Merit in 2014 following a three-win season, Li has blossomed into a leading international star. One of his triumphs on the European Tour came at the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic where he defeated reigning FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy with a final-hole birdie after battling head-to-head in the final round.

Earlier this year, the tenacious Chinese showed his match play prowess by progressing into the knock-out phase at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play after defeating Ryder Cup star Alex Noren and World No. 1 Brooks Koepka in the group stage. When he represented Asia in the 2018 EurAsia Cup in Malaysia, he was unbeaten in three matches, owning a 2-0-1 record.

He knows all eyes will  be on him in Australia.

“As Chinese golfers, it is our responsibility and obligation to promote Chinese golf to the world and I’m proud to be one of them. I think we should try hard with better performances to show Chinese golf,” he said.

Li has forged a close friendship with South African legend Els, whom he played with during the final round at the 2017 Open Championship and shot a closing 63 to finish third for his best result in a major.

“Ernie is a very special person to me personally. He has a lot of experience and I can learn a lot of great things from him. It’s my honour to be part of his team,” said Li. “Hopefully I can get some points, especially against Tiger and the best golfers in the world. I’m very excited to get there. To be fair, our team is not as strong as the U.S. Team. So we just want to play our best and hopefully beat them.”

With C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei also making his debut for the International Team, there is every likelihood that Li and Pan will be paired by Els in either the Four-ball or Foursomes sessions at Royal Melbourne. Li is looking forward to returning to Melbourne where he received plenty of local support when China finished joint second in the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf in 2016.

“I have talked a lot with C.T. during tournaments. It would be great (to play together),” he said. “I’ve been there to Melbourne a couple of times and I just want to be back again. It will be incredible for sure and the people will support us.”

Li is looking forward to the day when China has the opportunity to host the Presidents Cup. Since the event’s inauguration, South Korea remains as the only Asian nation to have hosted the prestigious team event in 2015.

“I think such events will help promote Chinese golf a lot. I’m looking forward to having the Presidents Cup in China one day. Chinese golf should be impacted positively,” he said.

With 10 classes of Keelboats and Multihulls and six International Dinghy Classes, and the new IOMC class, the regatta aims to grow sustainable sailing communities and help develop the skills of a new wave of sailors and reaffirm Phuket as the hub for Asian Water Sports and Marine tourism.

Kevin Whitcraft, president of the Organising Committee, said: “We are delighted to welcome all international and Thai sailors to the 33rd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. For 2019 and in past years, we have had a special focus on growing the dinghy components of our overall regatta, as the sport of continues to grow in popularity here. The International Dinghy fleet isa fast-growing racing programme designed to promote and encourage youth sailing in Thailand. In the 33 years since its inception, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has gained a reputation as both a highly competitive event on the water featuring some of the world’s best boats, skippers and crews, as well as a social function where visitors enjoy the traditional warm Thai hospitality in one of the best holiday destinations in the world.”

The keelboats and multihulls have been divided mainly into 10classes, namely IRC Zero, IRC 1, IRC 2, Premier, Bareboat Charter A, Bareboat Charter B,Multihull, Multihull Cruising, Firefly 850 and Modern Classic/Cruising Class.

“This year is the biggest Premier Class we’ve had for many years,” added Race director Simon James. “The biggest yacht in this year’s regatta is the Singapore-registered Team Spirit (Swan 90). There will be three IRC Racing Classes, split on design and performance, while the Modern Classics will combine with the Cruising Class. The Multihull Racing will be split into two classes, high performance and cruising.”

The comprehensive classes with more than 100 competitors contested by the International Dinghy fleet are Optimist Boys and Girls, Laser 4.7 (Mixed), Laser Standard, Laser Radial and 420.

Appearing for the first time at this year’s regatta is the International One Metre Class (from December 4-7) that has attracted many foreign competitors and is also open to disabled sailors. The IOMC is being organised by the committee of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy, the Province of Phuket, Thailand RC Sailboat and the International One Meter Class Association (IOMICA).

Phuket Governor Pakapong Tawipat said “As a Mecca for marine and sports tourism hub, Phuket is pleased to welcome all Thai and international sailors and visitors to the 33rd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Phuket is a world renowned beach destination. Recently Phuket Town was named one of Asia’s most picturesque towns by CNN and also has been included in the ‘World’s Best Places to Visit’ and ‘Best Places to Visit in Asia’ 2019 rankings released by the U. News & World Report. These recognitions reaffirm that Thailand and Phuket province continue to offer visitors from around the globe memorable holiday experiences with world-class hotels and restaurants and our yacht and boat building and charter businesses are first rate. We hope that our sailors and visitors enjoy the warm hospitality and high-quality leisure experiences of Phuket province.”

Kata Group Resorts Founder and President Pramookpisitt Achariyachai added: “Kata Group Resorts is once again honored to support the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Kata Group Resorts has been a prominent player in the hospitality industry in Thailand since 1980, making it one of the kingdom’s longest established hotel operators, with a collection of properties in highly desirable and prime beach locations. Our family oriented Beyond Resort Kata has been the traditional home to the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta for 23 years, offering genuine Thai hospitality and high- quality leisure experiences to guests. We, therefore, look forward to welcoming our sailing friends and new arrivals and we hope you enjoy our warm hospitality.”

There are five days of racing for the keelboats and multihulls, with a reserve day on Thursday. For the International Dinghy Classes, four consecutive days of racing will start from Wednesday.

The 21-year-old scored 102 in the free skate for an overall 152.67 points.

Ing, who won silver at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games when winter sports made its debut, had scored 50.67 in the short programme on Friday to be second behind Filipina Alisson Perticheto (53.65).

Perticheto, 22, scored 79.11 in the free skate to take the silver with a 132.76 total.

In the men’s figure skating, Pagiel Sng finished fifth with his total score of 135.17.

Malaysia’s Julian Yee won the event (202.62), while Christopher Caluza of the Philippines (180.22) and Micah Kai Lynette of Thailand (174.06) were second and third.

The quartet of Amran Selamat, Tengku A. Shazril Ezzani Tengku Sulaiman, Rashid Hasnan and Syed Ahmad Saipulrudin Sayed Mohd successfully defended their title by defeating the hosts 7-5.5 at the Inigo Zobel Polo Facility in Batangas on Sunday (Dec 1).

The victory saw them avenge their earlier 5-8.5 loss during the group stage last Tuesday (Nov 26).

The first two golds on the opening day were won by Loh Choon How in wushu and Sam Jee Lek in breakdance.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/others/2019/12/01/sea-games-third-gold-for-malaysia-in-polo#g4r0Isw6IX0y68BL.99

The Games are underway in several cities inclduing Tagaytay (where the cycling cross country is took place) , the Philippines.

Keerati clocked a time of 1:36:15 hours, narrowly beating host Surban Nino, who finished just eight seconds behind.

“I’m still excited even though this is my fifth SEA Games,” the 34-year-old from Prachinburi said after his breakthrough victory in the sports extravaganza.

“After surveying the route, I knew it would be a physical game. I had to rely on my experience and had a good game plan to compete against the host rider.”

Thailand had by Friday already secured a gold medal on Friday when the women’s water polo team dominated the three-nation round-robin competition with wins over Singapore and the Philippines.

The Kingdom’s squad completed its fourth match win on Sunday with another victory over the host, to accomplish their mission in the 30th regional Games of two wins over the Philippines and two over Singapore in total.

Thailand has 1,483 athletes and officials participating in 52 sport disciplines and expects to reap up to 120 gold medals.

Nirun and Green both staged a remarkable comeback from six and eight shots back at the start of the day to end regulation play tied on 15-under-par 273 after posting final rounds of six-under-par 66 and 64 respectively at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.

While Green impressed with his flawless round that contained eight birdies to claim the clubhouse lead, it was Nirun who made heads turn when he eagled just when it mattered most, on the 18th, to overturn a two-shot deficit and force  extra-time.

The duo returned to the par-five 18th hole for the play-off battle where Nirun pipped Green with a par against a bogey to triumph at the US$54,000 event.

Thai overnight leader Atiruj Winaicharoenchai failed to convert his commanding four-shot advantage into victory after battling to a 74 to finish sole third on 275, while Amir Nazrin finished one shot further back after closing with a 71.

Nirun admitted that he was left in disbelief when he eagled the last hole.

“I knew it was going to be tough to overtake Gavin, who was two shots clear at the top. For the last hole, I was just trying to finish with a flourish by aiming for a birdie.

“I hit my shot to about 75 yards and tried to chip onto the green. I didn’t think it would go in!

“I didn’t notice it went in as the pin was behind the hill. I only realised I made the eagle when I heard the loud cheers and fellow players came to congratulate me as I approached the green.

“But the eagle on the 18th really set me up well for the extra hole. Gavin would have a great advantage as he’s capable of hitting it real far. I just focused on my game, put the ball on the fairway, and then the third shot to the green. 

“I two-putted for the win after Gavin failed in his chip-in attempt and missed the putt as well,” said Nirun, who pocketed US$9,529 to move from 51st to 19th on the Order of Merit.

Having collected US$14,842 from nine starts, Nirun has set his sights on claiming a big share of the season-ending US$160,000 Taifong Open in Chinese Taipei next month to make his last-ditch bid to crack into the top-seven.

“The victory has opened up the opportunity for me to try sneak into the top seven.. The Taifong Open is a big money event and I can still earn my Asian Tour card if I could finish top three there.

“Winning my first ADT title in four years has restored my confidence and ambition,” he said.

Maybank ambassador Green was meanwhile philosophical in his defeat.

“I’m disappointed in the playoff of course but I had a good final round. Putts went in and I hit it great to make 17 out 18 greens, I would say it’s still a solid week.

“I have been working really hard on some stuff with the swing and I’m liking the way I’m striking it. It’s a great preparations for the next year’s Maybank Championship, that’s for sure,” said Green.

Order of Merit leader Naoki Sekito of Japan could only manage to finish tied 30th but it was good enough for him to keep himself at the top on US$50,278, giving him a US$21,000 cushion over second-placed Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand (US$29,794).

But with the Taifong Open offering a top prize worth US$28,000, as many as six contenders including seventh-placed Kosuke Hamamoto of Japan (US$22,449) can still topple Sekito to become the ADT number one.

Leading final round scores
273 – Nirun Sae-ueng (THA) 72-66-69-66, Gavin Green (MAS) 71-68-70-64
275 – Atiruj Winaicharoenchai (THA) 66-70-65-74
276 – Amir Nazrin 68-69-68-71 (MAS)
278 – Ryuichi Oiwa (JPN) 69-68-73-68, Seung Park (KOR) 71-68-70-69, Matt Killen (ENG) 68-68-72-70, Suttijet Kooratanapisan (THA) 68-68-72-70
279 – Sarit Suwannarut (THA) 68-69-69-73
282 – Oscar Zetterwall (SWE) 72-71-69-70. Wolmer Murrilo (VEN) 69-69-73-71
283 – Choo Tze Huang (SGP) 66-77-68-71, Ben Leong (MAS) 74-68-69-72
284 – Shinichi Mizuno (JPN) 66-70-72-76
285 – George Gandranata (INA) 70-73-72-70, Adam Blyth (AUS) 71-72-70-72