The native of Concord, Calif., shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Saturday and surged to the top of the leaderboard at -19, setting the tournament’s 54-hole scoring record at 197. She carries a three-stroke lead over Australia’s Hannah Green into Sunday’s final round.

With a win, Noh could accept immediate Membership to the LPGA Tour or defer that Membership to the 2020 season. She would also become the third Monday Qualifier to win an LPGA Tour event, joining Brooke Henderson (2015 Cambia Portland LPGA Classic) and Laurel Kean (2000 State Farm LPGA Classic).

“I was hoping for a good week, but to be in contention, I’m really excited,” said Noh, who turned professional in January at age 17. “Yesterday, too, I was just like, I couldn’t really sleep. I was excited to come out and try to move on moving day.”

Noh’s 64 on Saturday was the low round of the day, with four birdies on each side. Her birdie at the par-3 second hole was the moment she pointed to as the force behind her successful round.

“After the first birdie, I can keep going but just getting that first one is, like, tough, when you’re starting the round,” said Noh, who was also in contention at July’s Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, where she entered the final round one stroke off the lead and ultimately tied for sixth. “So I was just really glad to start off with a birdie early in the round and it just kind of kept going throughout the front nine.”

Green followed up Friday’s bogey-free 63 with a lackluster 73 on Saturday. After carding consecutive birdies at holes 4 and 5, three bogeys over her final 12 holes dropped her from five strokes ahead of the field to three behind Noh.

“The greens were a lot quicker, I think a lot quicker than the practice green and maybe that threw a few people off,” said Green, the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner. “It certainly surprised me once I got out there, and I still found it really difficult, even towards the end of the round, to get the pace correct. But the pins, I didn’t find too difficult. You could easily be on the wrong side of the pin, but I think just with it becoming a bit firmer and a little bit of wind made a huge difference today.”

Canadian Brooke Henderson and the USA’s Brittany Altomare are tied for third at -14. Henderson is the last Monday Qualifier to win an LPGA Tour event, a win that came at the 2015 Cambia Portland Classic and earned her LPGA Membership.

WITH A WIN

Yealimi Noh would earn LPGA Tour Membership; she could accept immediate Membership, making 2019 her rookie year, or defer her Membership and rookie season until 2020

Noh would become the third Monday Qualifier to win a LPGA Tour event, joining Brooke Henderson (2015 Cambia Portland Classic) and Laurel Kean (2000 State Farm LPGA Classic)

Noh would become the first 18-year-old to win since 2016, when Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson both won at age 18

Hannah Green would earn her second win of the 2019 LPGA Tour season, joining the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Brooke Henderson would earn the 10th win of her LPGA Tour career

Brittany Altomare would become the sixth Rolex First-Time Winner of the 2019 LPGA Tour season

NOH READY FOR SUNDAY EXPERIENCE

Yealimi Noh knows what it takes to win on the amateur level. In 2018, she won the Girl’s Junior PGA Championship, U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in consecutive weeks. She also knows what it takes to be in contention on the professional level, playing in the final group at the 2019 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic in her first LPGA event as a professional.

Noh was not able to seal the deal in Wisconsin, starting the day one stroke off the lead but falling into a tie for sixth with a final-round 68, unable to keep up with the firepower around her. On Sunday in Portland, she will have a second chance for LPGA glory, hoping to join AIG Women’s British Open champion Hinako Shibuno as non-Members to win 2019 LPGA Tour events.

“I’m just really excited to play tomorrow,” said Noh. “I’m just hoping I won’t get too nervous coming down the stretch. I’m just excited to play.”

And what exactly would it mean to her to win on Sunday? “It would change my entire like, year, my life. That would just be a dream come true.”

HENDERSON KNOWS NOH’S CHALLENGE

If there is anyone who knows what Yealimi Noh is facing, it’s Brooke Henderson. In 2015, Henderson reached the Cambia Portland Classic field as a Monday Qualifier and won the tournament as a 17-year-old non-Member. With that victory, she successfully petitioned LPGA Commissioner Mike What for immediate Tour Membership. Noh has already turned 18 and does not have that hurdle ahead of her. But Henderson fully knows the challenges Noh will face when she takes to Columbia Edgewater in Sunday’s final round.

“I had I think a five-shot lead on Sunday, so I was just terrified. Just like don’t give that away. I was just trying to make more birdies and stay ahead of the crowd,” said Henderson of her life-changing win four years ago. “It’s really fun. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and you can make it easier on yourself if you can go out and play one round well, as opposed to going to Q-School. If you can capitalize, it changes your whole life.

PLAYER NOTES

Rolex Rankings No. 297 Yealimi Noh (65-68-64)

• She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens, with 27 putts
• Noh is playing in the seventh LPGA Tour event of her career; her best finish is a tie for sixth at the 2019 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, where she was one stroke off the lead heading into the final round
• Noh turned professional in January 2019 after winning the 2018 Girl’s Junior PGA Championship, U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in consecutive weeks
• She earned a spot in the tournament via the Monday Qualifier; two Monday Qualifiers have won an LPGA Tour event – Brooke Henderson (2015 Cambia Portland LPGA Classic) and Laurel Kean (2000 State Farm LPGA Classic)
• Noh is playing as a non-Member of the LPGA Tour

Rolex Rankings No. 26 Hannah Green (64-63)

• She hit seven of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens, with 29 putts
• This is Green’s second season on the LPGA Tour; she has one victory at the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
• This is Green’s 17th event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she won the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and three other top-20 finishes
• She is competing in her second Cambia Portland Classic; she missed the cut in 2018

AON RISK REWARD CHALLENGE HOLE

No. 12, par 5

Petronas Yamaha SRT duo Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli set the pace on Day 1 at the Misano Test, the Frenchman’s 1:32.996 in the afternoon pipping his teammate by just 0.023 and making him the only rider in the 1:32s. The duo sit over two tenths clear of third-fastest Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) at the end of the first day of track action, with the reigning Champion the only non-Yamaha in the top five.On a sunny Thursday at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, neither Quartararo nor Morbidelli were testing anything in particular, but they both lit up the timesheets. It was the rookie’s first visit to the venue on a premier class machine so the main aim was to find the best setup for the Grand Prix weekend, with electronics the main goal for Friday. Morbidelli, meanwhile, wanted to test the Michelin tyres to find the best balance, with the aim of improving grip.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales were trying a second version of Yamaha’s 2020 engine, having tried a first one at the Brno Test. Viñales and Rossi finished fourth and fifth respectively to place all four Yamahas inside the top five, with the Iwata factory rolling out a different exhaust, similar to Suzuki’s double exhaust setup, as well as a carbon swingarm and a carbon cover on the front brake. ‘The Doctor’ had three bikes in his garage, while Viñales was out testing the front aero that was seen in Brno and the new tail unit we also saw in Czechia.

Championship leader Marquez had three bikes at his disposal for most of the day and then four by the end of play, with fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) given three to play with. Marquez’ completely black bike seemed to have a cover on the swingarm, while there was also some carbon reinforcement at the top of the chassis. HRC test rider Stefan Bradl was also on track with two bikes to use, one in Repsol colours and one in his usual HRC livery. The German was also on track with EG 0,0 Marc VDS duo Alex Marquez and Xavi Vierge on Wednesday, and now continues his program.

Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile, is still suffering from pain, reporting it was worse than at Silverstone. The five-time World Champion decided to end Day 1 slightly early as he continues his comeback from injury.

At Ducati, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was back on his GP19 in the afternoon session having been declared fit to ride earlier in the day, as were Quartararo and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Ducati Team Manager Davide Tardozzi said the Italian’s testing plan was cancelled as ‘DesmoDovi’ checks his physical condition on the bike after his Silverstone crash. Teammate Danilo Petrucci, though, was testing electronics and test rider Michele Pirro had new chassis parts and settings to try, with the fairing he used at the KymiRing seen out at Misano on Thursday. In addition, Petrucci, Pirro and Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller had the swingarm attachment back on their bikes.

At Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, it was a very positive day on the timesheets. Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco finished 6th and 8th respectively, with the duo both working towards the race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. As always, KTM are constantly developing the RC16 and while working on race setup, the Austrian factory were also busy working on the chassis and engine. In the afternoon, test rider Dani Pedrosa took to the track before the MotoGP™ Legend does a full day of riding at the venue on Friday, with Zarco only riding on Thursday. On the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 side, Miguel Oliveira’s test ended after two laps as the Portuguese rider was still feeling the pain from his Silverstone crash. He flew home on Thursday, with Hafizh Syahrin the sole machine for the squad on track from then on, aiming to regain his confidence on the RC16.

In the Team Suzuki Ecstar garage, it was a return to action for Joan Mir after his injury layoff. The Spaniard finished P9 on the timesheets with a best time of 1:33.763 to finish 0.767 off Quartararo’s lap. Teammate and British GP winner Alex Rins was testing some settings for the race weekend, as well as checking parts on the swingarm, some electronics and a slightly different chassis they used in Brno to do some comparison work. Rins also suffered a crash at Turn 8 near the end of the morning session.

According to Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Technical Manager Romano Albesiano, his team were trying a very different setup on the RS-GP. In addition, both Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone were working on electronics, engine braking, the swingarm and the chassis. Espargaro finished 12th fastest with a best time of 1:33.842, with Iannone claiming P17.

Reale Avintia Racing’s Karel Abraham left the circuit early as he was suffering from injury. The Czech rider was on the bike in the morning, with teammate Tito Rabat completing an impressive 74 laps in the afternoon. The Spaniard will complete a full day of testing on Friday.

In terms of tyres, Michelin provided the teams with the same allocation as they will have for the race weekend. In addition, the tyre manufacturer gave the riders the new rear that had previously been testing in Barcelona and Brno in a medium compound. And, there was also a new front casing, which has been developed to improve grip under braking. This was tested for the first time on Thursday.

That’s Day 1 complete at Misano, with plenty hustle and bustle up and down pitlane. They’ll be back out for another action-packed day on Friday, and in the meantime, interviews, full results and highlights from Day 1 can be found onmotogp.com.

Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) 1:32.996Franco Morbidelli* (ITA – Yamaha) +0.023

Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) +0.226

*Independent Team rider

Rossi out on one of three bikes in the garage…Espargaro made KTM the third fastest factoryMir back on track after his Brno test crashMarquez had multiple machines to take out tooPirro was fastest Ducati……and Aleix Espargaro the fastest Aprilia

Madappa together with Itthipat, hold a one-shot advantage over Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto, Indonesian amateur, Naraajie Emerald Ramadhan Putra and India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu after the trio returned with matching 66s.

Madappa is searching for his second Asian Tour win after his breakthrough on home soil last year while Itthipat is coming into the week, fresh off a tied-sixth finish in Kuching a fortnight ago and seeking his maiden victory on the region’s premier Tour.

Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, who was part of the Thai national golf team that finished fourth in the team event at last year’s Asian Games which was also held at the Pondok Indah Golf Course, continued to impress when he returned with a 67.

“It was a roller-coaster round for me and although I’m in the share of the lead, I feel I still need to work a lot on my short game as I feel that is my weakness today. Overall, my form is good but I just need to be more confident on the golf course. I tend to lose my focus and the key is to recover well after making bad shots. I did some of that today but hope to be more consistent in that aspect,” said Itthipat.

Thai-Japanese Kosuke said: “I’m happy with my round and hopefully I can keep it going for the next three days. I played on this course a couple of times when I was still an amateur and was even here for the Asian Games last year. I finished seventh in the Men’s individual and the country finished fourth. The greens are firmer and the rough is not as thick as last year. I just have to keep playing good golf and the rest will take care of itself.”

Sadom, who broke into prominence when he became the record fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour in Bangladesh, is among the five players bunched in a share of sixth that also include compatriot Jazz Janewattananond and Indonesia’s Rory Hie at the US$500,000 full field Asian Tour event.

Playing for the first time in Asia, South Africa’s J.C Ritchie returned with a 69 to end the day in a share of 24th place, four shots of the pace.

Ranked 120th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Ritchie is the second highest-ranked player after Jazz (58th) and is playing on a sponsor’s invitation, which has been extended as part of the closer collaborations and reciprocal opportunities with the Sunshine Tour.

Leading scores after round 1 of the Bank BRI Indonesia Open 2019 being played at the par 72, 7243 Yards Pondok Indah GC course (am – denotes amateur):

65 – Viraj Madappa (IND), Itthipat Buranatanyarat (THA).

66 – Kosuke Hamamoto (THA), Naraajie E. Ramadhanputra (am, INA), Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND).

67 – Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Rory Hie (INA), Yikeun Chang (KOR), Daniel Van Tonder (RSA), Aman Raj (IND).

68 – Jake Higginbottom (AUS), George Gandranata (INA), Daniel Chopra (SWE), Shiv Kapur (IND), Naoki Sekito (JPN), Joshua Andrew Wirawan (INA), Philip Eriksson (SWE), Rashid Khan (IND), S. Chikkarangappa (IND), Johannes Veerman (USA), Jarin Todd (USA), Micah Lauren Shin (USA), Aaron Pike (AUS), Chanyoung Park (KOR).

Chutinant Bhirombhakdi, president of PCT, said at a press conference yesterday that apart from facilitating the athletes, the support will also boost morale.

“In the upcoming Asean Para Games, Thai para-athletes will be participating in all 16 sports and the main goal of the athletes will be to improve their abilities and best their personal records,” he said. “More than 30 per cent of the athletes will be newcomers. This will be a valuable experience for them before entering the Paralympic Games in the future.”

Rungfa Kiatipoj, head of Sustainability Development Special Project at CP Group, said the CP Group values para-athletes as much as other national athletes.

“Every para-athlete has shown determination, dedication, patience and discipline by successfully overcoming their obstacles and are now representing their country. As a result, Thai para-athletes have shown great performance and are a source of pride for the country. The upcoming Asean Para Games and Paralympic Games will be important competitions for Thai para-athletes to perform their best. We are pleased to provide our expertise in nutrition and telecommunications to support Thai para-athletes, staff and members of the media at both tournaments,” she said.

Para-athletes from 11 nations will be participating at the 10th Asean Para Games 2020. The sports at the competition include athletics, swimming, archery, badminton, table tennis, wheelchair tennis, weightlifting, wheelchair volleyball, wheelchair basketball, goalball, boccia, 7-a-side football, bowling, chess and triathlon. Some 323 Thai para-athletes, 91 trainers and 53 assistants will be present at the Asean Para Games. The 16th Paralympic Games 2020 will be held in Tokyo with 22 sports.

Els said he will keep close tabs on Thai duo Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jazz Janewattananond and Korea’s Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An before he determines his four captain’s selections in early November.

After the first top-8 players were finalized through a one-year qualifying process last week, the South African legend said he would not hesitate to call up more rookies to fill his team’s roster despite already having four debutants – Haotong Li of China,  C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei, Mexican Abraham Ancer and Australia’s Cameron Smith –  through automatic selection.

“I’ve said to the guys in the meetings that I’m not scared to choose rookies. If I see a rookie playing really good golf and he’s up for it, then I’ll go for him,” said Els in a media teleconference earlier today to discuss his team’s preparation for the prestigious team matchplay showpiece.

“But they’ve got to really show me something to go down the list that far, because I’ve got guys knocking on the door like Jason (Day) and I’ve got Justin Harding and I’ve got Jazz (Janewattananond), who’s won twice on the Asian Tour this year. I’ve got Sungjae Im, who’s played 34 events on the PGA TOUR and made it to the TOUR Championship as a rookie. I’ll speak to the top eight and we’re going to have a lot of discussion about who their new four friends are going to be because they’re going to have to play together and blend as a team.”

The highly-talented Jazz, 23, missed out on automatic selection by two rungs on the team’s points list while a knee injury scuppered Kiradech’s fight to gain a top-8 spot despite safely keeping his PGA TOUR card through three top-five finishes, including twice at World Golf Championships events.

The Korean trio of An, a former U.S. Amateur champion, 21-year-old Im, who has enjoyed a strong rookie season on the PGA TOUR by qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship, and Sung Kang, who claimed a first PGA TOUR win in May, are also very much on Els’ radar.

“You know, Sungjae has been playing on the PGA TOUR Tour, he’s played 34 events. He won the Korn Ferry Tour last year … hopefully Sungjae keeps playing good and he gets himself on the team. I’m definitely looking at him,” said Els.

“Sung Kang was playing really well, won in Dallas, and was looking really good. His form has slipped a little bit. I love his attitude towards the game. I even look at Ben An, his game is really great. He almost won in Greensboro this year, and he’s had some really great finishes. He’s one of the supreme ball strikers around the world, which I really love and which you need to do in Melbourne. Those two guys I’m definitely looking at, especially Ben An. He’s on kind of my favourite list.

“A lot of these guys are going to be playing the big events in the next couple of weeks and months. You know, from Asian players, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, he’s kept his card very comfortably here in the U.S. To keep your card on this TOUR is tough, especially as a rookie, and a lot of these guys have had that pressure on them this year. So Kiradech has done very well. Jazz is having a great year. I played golf with him in Malaysia this year, saw his game from close by. He’d be great around Royal Melbourne.”

Els keeps emphasising to his team members that the Presidents Cup could be a life-changing experience, especially when the International Team has won the event only once previously against the U.S. Team. The lone victory came at the 1998 edition at Royal Melbourne.

“I really hit it right to them that this could be a real – one of the biggest events of their lifetimes because – just because we are such a diverse team from right around the world. We have huge following. We have people from Asia, from Mexico now, we’ve got possibly Canada. We have an audience of billions of people if you look at the countries’ numbers,” said Els.

Playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week, Ritchie is aware of the benefits that his compatriots have reaped from playing on the Asian Tour and hopes to follow their same path to glory.

Ritchie, who is leading the Order of Merit on the Sunshine Tour, will have his title ambitions put to test against a strong international field where players from 24 countries have gathered for the US$500,000 full-field Asian Tour event.

In one of the marquee groups for the opening two rounds, Ritchie will be playing alongside Indonesia’s number one Danny Masrin and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond who is expected to feature prominently on the leaderboard, having already won twice this season and finishing strongly at the Pondok Indah Golf Course in the 2017 edition.

Sweden’s Daniel Chopra is looking forward to another memorable ‘homecoming’ as he returns to the Pondok Indah Golf Course, ready to rekindle all the fond memories he has of the host venue.

All eyes will also be on Indonesia’s George Gandranata who is among the 31-strong local contingent at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open which is also the Asian Tour’s first stop in Indonesia this season.

Did you know?

• JC Ritchie turned professional in 2013 and is currently leading the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.
• He holds three wins on the Sunshine Tour is ranked 120th in the world.
• The South African is visiting Indonesia for the first time.
• Jazz Janewattananond is the highest ranked player in the field this week. He is in 58th place on the latest Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and is also the leading Thai player in the world.
• Jazz is the current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader after enjoying a solid season that has been highlighted by two victories and three top-five finishes so far.
• Jazz’s best result at the Indonesia Open came in 2017 when he finished tied-third.
• Jazz broke into top-100 on the OWGR after winning his third Asian Tour title in Singapore in January and marked his career-best ranking when he rose to 52nd position following his fourth victory in Korea in June.
• Jazz’s tied-14 finish at the 2019 PGA Championship, which was his second Major start, was the best-ever result by a Thai player in that Major tournament.
• Prior to his victory in Korea, Jazz also notched back-to-back top-five finishes on the Japan Golf Tour.
• Daniel Chopra has won twice on the PGA TOUR and also once at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2001. He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2015.
• Gandranata remains the only Indonesian to have won once on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), a feeder circuit of the Asian Tour, in 2016.
• He is currently second behind Danny Masrin on the domestic circuit’s money list.
• In the spirit of closer collaborations and reciprocal opportunities with the Sunshine Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, invitations have been extended to leading players from these Tours to play at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open.

Players’ Quotes

JC Ritchie (Rsa)

The Bank BRI Indonesia Open really changed Justin Harding’s life completely. He went from being almost 1000 in the world to being top-50 in the world within a span of 8 months. So, I’m definitely hopeful that this event can change my life too. I’ve always wanted to come to Asia and I’ve always wanted to play on the Asian Tour. I’m glad I finally got the opportunity to do so this week and I’m hoping this tournament can be as important for me as it’s been for the other guys. This is my first time playing in Indonesia and Asia. A lot of our guys that play in South Africa have all said this is one of the better routes to go. Obviously straight to Europe or web.com is tough, but if you can’t do that, then this is definitely the way to go. I have been playing well recently and I’m really looking forward to the week and enjoying it out here. The golf course is beautiful so I’m looking forward to it.

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha)

I missed the event last year so it’s a good place to come I always like this golf course. I got a lot of memories here and have played here since I was really young. Indonesian Open is one of my first events where I finished strongly.  I like to come back to Pondok Indah as well because it’s next to the mall and there’s a lot of rain delays. So if there is any delay you can just walk to the mall and eat something and come back. I’m just here to enjoy the week and I just want to make the best out of it.

Daniel Chopra (Swe)

I’ve quite an amazing relationship and past experience here in Indonesia. I first came here in 1987 as a junior golfer, my coach was based here at Pondok Indah so I would come and spend two or three months every year for a period of four-five years. So when I first had the opportunity to come back and play the Indonesia Open at Pondok Indah a couple years ago, I jumped at the chance to come back. This is like a second home to me with all the memories I have growing up and running around the property as a kid and causing all kinds of mischief. It’s a place that I truly come back to and feel totally and completely at home. I came out a day early, didn’t even play the golf course. I just kind of walked around, got in all the surroundings, got all the memories, I didn’t want to be a little bit over awed the first time I played. I’ve to thank Pak Po specifically for personally inviting me to come and play. I was sitting on the couch when I got the call from the Asian Tour that Pak Po had asked me to come and play. I went straight to the computer and booked a flight to come out here.

George Gandranata (Ina)

There are definitely good vibes coming into this week as this course is very close to where I grew up and where I live. It’s a championship course with a beautiful layout and it’s very challenging. It’s in very good shape as well so I’m really excited, I hope we have a lot of crowds and that one of the Indonesians can contend. I thought I was playing quite well about two months ago but I’ve had a bit of a putting and driving trouble the last two weeks, but I worked on it last week and I’m feeling pretty good so hopefully it will come to fruition this week. Hopefully I’m peaking at the right time so we’ll see.

The Korean-American, who is based in Davao, is coming into the week on the back of a rich vein of form. In his last three events, Shin finished third and tied-third respectively and believes he has the game and right partnership with his father to establish himself as a genuine contender at the Pondok Indah Golf Course.

Shin’s last victory on the Asian Tour was in the Philippines in 2017 which was also a breakthrough year for him. He secured his Asian Tour card for the first time after coming through his third attempt at the Qualifying School in 2017 and apart from his maiden win, went on to post a top-10 finish in Hong Kong to end that year in 12th place on the Order of Merit.

Singapore’s Quincy Quek is also optimistic of his chances having snapped his seven-year winless streak with his second victory on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in Malaysia last week.

Quek, who received a late invitation to the event, now aims to follow-up on that success from the Tour’s feeder circuit and seek his breakthrough on the Asian Tour.

Indonesia’s Benita Kasiadi remains guided by his father to make the country proud and put up a strong performance in front of the home crowd this week.

The senior Kasiadi is the only Indonesian golfer to have won his country’s National open in 1989.

Did you know?

• Micah Lauren Shin enjoyed a tied-second place finish at the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup in May before finishing third at the Sarawak Championship a fortnight ago.
• He played in the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament presented by Panasonic in Jakarta last week and finish tied-third at the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.
• Prior to his start this week, Shin’s lone appearance at the Indonesia Open was in 2017 where he finished tied-35th.
• Shin turned professional in 2013 and  won his maiden Asian Tour title at the 2017 Resorts World Manila Masters, where he defeated Arnond Vongvanij of Thailand on the first play-off hole with a birdie against a par. The victory came after he called a ruling on himself and was penalised two strokes for having 15 clubs in the bag in the final round.
• He was named the rookie of the year that season after finishing 12th on the 2017 Order of Merit.
• Quincy Quek claimed his first Asian Development Tour (ADT) title in seven years after pipping Australia’s Adam Blyth to the PGM Northport ADT Championship by one shot.
• With that win, the Singaporean ended a seven-year winless drought. His first ADT victory was in 2012 in the Philippines.
• Benita Kasiadi turned professional in 2010 and holds four wins on the domestic circuit.
• He was with Indonesia National team before turning professional and the Pondok Indah Golf Course was the team’s home course then.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA vs. ASKREN will air live from Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, October 26, with the prelims starting at 5pm SGT and the main card scheduled to begin at 8pm.

A former UFC title challenger at both welterweight and middleweight, Maia (27-9, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) is considered to be one of the greatest grapplers to ever compete in MMA. With 21 wins, the second-most in UFC history, Maia holds victories over some of the best UFC has, including Jorge Masvidal, Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit and Chael Sonnen. Now, Maia looks to build another long win streak by becoming the first person in history to submit Askren.

Four-time NCAA Division I All-American, two-time national champion, and member of the 2008 United States Olympic freestyle wrestling team, Askren (19-1, fighting out of Delafield, Wisc., USA) is one of the most decorated wrestlers in UFC. Undefeated prior to joining UFC, Askren debuted with a first-round submission over former UFC welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler. Now, Askren intends to bounce back from his first loss against Masvidal by proving he is the best pure grappler in the welterweight division.

Kevin Chang, UFC Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific said, “This dream matchup features world-class grapplers vying for supremacy. Ben Askren is an accomplished wrestler who uses his squeeze to run through opponents, but he’s never faced someone like Demian Maia, arguably the greatest BJJ practitioner to compete in the Octagon. This bout is a throwback for our MMA-savvy fans in Singapore who want to see a clash of fighting styles. We’re excited to see this fantastic main event go down.”

Announced bouts on the card include:

• UFC lightweight veterans collide as Michael Johnson (20-14, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., USA) aims to get back to winning ways when taking on Stevie Ray (22-9, fighting out of Fife, Scotland)
• Promising heavyweight newcomers faceoff as Ciryl Gané (4-0, fighting out of Vincennes, Île-de-France, France) seeks his second UFC win against Dana White’s Contender Series signee Don’Tale Mayes (7-2, fighting out of Louisville, Ky., USA)
• In a battle of heavyweight finishers, Sergei Pavlovich (13-1, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) and Maurice Greene (8-3, fighting out of St. Cloud, Minn., USA) look to establish themselves as the next contenders to watch at 265-pounds

UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA vs. ASKRENon October 26 marks the second of three events in a multi-year partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Sports Hub.

For event updates, please check UFC.com/Singapore, and follow us on Facebook (UFC Asia), Twitter and Instagram (@ufc), and use our official hashtag:

#UFCSINGAPORE

The two events will take place on the same day with the first card scheduled in the morning and the second card in the evening. Set at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on 13 October, ONE: CENTURY 世紀 is ONE Championship’s historic 100th live event.

The first card of ONE: CENTURY 世紀 will be broadcast live on TNT in the United States. The second card will be broadcast globally to 140+ countries via the world’s largest television networks.

Ticket information for ONE: CENTURY 世紀 is available at http://www.onefc.com.

ONE: CENTURY 世紀 features four World Championship bouts, as well as three World Grand Prix Championship finals.

ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore will defend her World Title against ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China.

Two-division ONE World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar will defend his ONE Light Heavyweight World Title against ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera of the Philippines.

Also, ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil puts his World Title on the line against Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines.

Newly-crowned ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon of Thailand will defend his title for the first time against Walter Goncalves of Brazil.

In the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix final, 12-time Flyweight Mixed Martial Arts World ChampionDemetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of the United States takes on Danny “The King” Kingad of the Philippines.

In the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix final, multiple-time Lightweight Mixed Martial Arts World Champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez of the United States faces Turkish sensation Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev.

In the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix final, Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan of Italy battles Samy “AK47” Sana of France for the inaugural ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title and a chance to take home the coveted US $1 million grand prize.

ONE Championship aims to unite the world in celebration of martial arts, Asia’s greatest cultural treasure. For the first time in history, the Shooto and Pancrase organizations will work together to raise Japanese martial arts to unprecedented new heights.

In a series of Japan Super Bouts, World Champions from both Shooto and Pancrase square off in a never-before-seen showdown between the two martial arts organizations.

In a lightweight contest, Shooto Lightweight World Champion Koshi “Luxor” Matsumoto is scheduled to face Pancrase Lightweight World Champion Takasuke Kume.

In a bantamweight showdown, Shooto Bantamweight World Champion Shoko Sato will take on Pancrase Bantamweight World Champion Rafael Silva.

In a welterweight bout, Shooto Middleweight World Champion Hernani Perpetuo goes head-to-head with Pancrase Welterweight World Champion Hiroyuki Tetsuka.

Lastly, in a strawweight contest, former ONE Strawweight World Champion and Shooto Flyweight World Champion Yosuke Saruta battles Pancrase Strawweight World Champion Daichi Kitakata.

Other noteworthy matchups include Japanese mixed martial arts veteran Yushin “Thunder” Okamitaking on Malaysian former ONE World Title challenger Agilan “Alligator” Thani, Senzo Ikeda going to battle with ONE Warrior Series contract winner Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki facing off with former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario, and many more.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) became the sixth different winner at Silverstone in the last six races at the track in a stunning GoPro British Grand Prix, timing it to perfection to sweep past reigning Champion Marc Marquez at the final corner and make it two last-second defeats for the number 93 in as many races. A duel from almost the first to last, the race is the equal fourth closest premier class finish – and one very much written straight into the history books. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completed the podium and closed in in the latter stages, but the battle remained Marquez vs Rins to the line.

Marquez got a storming start from pole, streaking away from the line as Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) slotted into second but some huge drama hit just behind. A crash for Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) saw the rookie slide out and unfortunately for the man behind him, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), the stricken bike was unavoidable. The Italian hit the Yamaha and both machines and men slid out into the run off, out of the British GP.

That left Marquez, Rossi and Rins at the head of the race, and the number 42 wasted no time attacking the ‘Doctor’ for second, tagging right on to the rear of Marquez as soon as he was past. From there the two began to pull away, and Rossi was left with teammate Viñales to contend with as the number 12 plowed past Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and started to cut down the gap.

Then Rins ran wide and Viñales did just behind, leaving both men with a little more work to do. Heads back down though, they both set about getting back into the tow of the machines ahead. Rins got back on terms with Marquez, and with 14 to go Viñales was pulling alongside Rossi. Move made and cleanly past, the gap to the two ahead was now the key focus for ‘Top Gun’.

Not long after, Rins attacked. Around the outside, the Suzuki rider swept past in a stunning move for the lead, and breath was held around the track. Was this a deciding moment? Ultimately it didn’t last long, however, and Rins even specified: “I let him back past, I didn’t want him to see my weaknesses.”

And so it came down to a duel to the end, and what a duel it was. The two remained tagged together as the laps ticked down and everything was set up to perfection for a final lap showdown, although the Suzuki rider had a wobble at Turn 9 after a look behind to check on the approaching Viñales. Regrouping quickly, Rins then took another nibble on the penultimate lap, getting past Marquez for just about a corner before the reigning Champion struck back…and then came a dress rehearsal of sorts.

Coming around the final corner to start the final lap, the Suzuki swept around the outside and was alongside Marquez as the two went elbow to elbow, but Rins ended up on the green stuff and Marquez held firm. The number 42 also lost a few metres with the move, and the pressure was on for the remaining five kilometers of the race. Was there time to catch and pass the man in such charge of the Championship?

Through Maggots and Becketts, the Yamaha of Viñales was almost as close to Rins as Rins was to race leader Marquez, with the number 12 on the limit to try and get in the fight. As the corners passed, however, the Honda and Suzuki edged away – and Rins was more than simply hanging in there. With three corners left the Suzuki was Marquez’ shadow, but was there time? The dress rehearsal from a lap before gave us a clue of what was in store: it was going to go down to the final corner.

Rins had showed some incredible speed there throughout the race, and the number 42 credited that as a big part of his being able to stay with Marquez. That was now his ace, and as the Honda rider tried to defend, the Suzuki unleashed its awesome corner speed as Rins ran wider and then cut back, barrelling alongside Marquez towards the line. And, by hundredths, coming out on top.

The win was the fourth closest in premier class history, Rins’ second of the season and the first time the gloves have come off for the number 42 in a last lap fight for a premier class victory. 40 years since Sheene vs Roberts was split by 0.030, Rins beat Marquez by just 0.013. For the reigning Champion, it was also a second final corner defeat in a row.

Viñales, then, was forced to spectate around the final sector, but the 2016 Silverstone winner said he got the maximum from the machine for his 60th podium in third. Teammate Valentino Rossi took fourth and the top Yamaha results continued as Morbidelli completed the top five. The number 21 was also the top Independent Team rider.

He stole that honour from home hero Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) as the Brit took P6, crossing the line half a second ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) not too far behind either as they took P8 and P9 respectively. Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completed the top ten after a solid Sunday showing from the Italian.

Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), Sylvain Guintoli (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) and Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) completed the points.

Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) didn’t finish after he came into contact with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and they both went down, the Frenchman subsequently penalised with three grid positions at his next race. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) crashed but rejoined, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) suffered an issue and, of course, neither Quartararo nor Dovizioso saw the flag. Dovizioso, after examination, was given the all clear and returns home from the UK as normal, although he and Quartararo will need to be declared fit in Misano having suffered concussion.

That’s it from Silverstone, with six different winners in the last six races at the track made a reality by Alex Rins after a truly history-making stunner of a showdown. Next it’s Misano and Marquez’ advantage has increased once again, but it’s twice in a row the reigning Champion has been pipped to the post on race day. Will it continue on the Riviera di Rimini? Find out in three weeks time.

Alex Rins: “Unbelievable, unbelievable! I’ve beaten two legends: Valentino in Texas, Marquez here in Silverstone. It was so crazy. I beat him today but now I need to continue; I know it will be difficult. I made some mistakes, I nearly crashed at the first corner – I had a big moment. Two laps to the end I crossed the line very close to Marc and I thought the race was over but then I saw one lap remaining and thought: ‘wow, Alex, come on you need to keep pushing’. I was able to cut a lot of time in the first and second sectors and then in the last sector Marc was much stronger than me. Into Turn 16 he was able to brake really hard. The last lap was unique though and it was possible for me to overtake.

“I have a lot of confidence with my Suzuki right now. We work so hard during the practices to get the feeling right and I was able to play with my bike to brake harder.”

The official photo finish!Podium L-R: Marquez, Rins and Viñales
Fernandez denies Navarro first win in another last lap classicMarquez crashes, Fernandez takes the spoils and Navarro is forced to settle for second at SilverstoneFlexBox HP40’s Augusto Fernandez battled to his second career Moto2™ victory at the GoPro British Grand Prix after a fierce fight at the front with Campetella Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro, denying his compatriot a first Grand Prix win. Meanwhile, Championship leader (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) made his first mistake of the year as he crashed out of the lead in the early stages. with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), fresh from his win in Austria, completing the podium.

Marquez took the holeshot from pole position and, as had been the case for much of the weekend, he was joined at the front by Navarro. The Spaniards broke clear of the chasing pack, with Navarro quite happy to sit in behind Marquez during the first four laps. Then, the Speed Up rider decided it was time to make a move and slipped past his compatriot only for the number 73 to strike back immediately.

Drama of the highest order would then unfold as the previously perfect Marquez tucked the front into Brooklands whilst leading the British Grand Prix – the second none finish of the season but the first through an error of his own, handing Navarro the lead.

Binder then quickly realised back-to-back race wins were well within his reach and began posting fastest lap of the race after fastest lap of the race, with Fernandez in pursuit with him. The duo managed to latch onto the rear wheel of Navarro with less than ten laps remaining, the South African giving himself a handful of laps to eye it up before going for it, hitting the front thanks to a move into Brooklands with seven to go.

Four were left when Navarro reclaimed the lead, with Fernandez still well in contention too. Binder’s rear tyre looked like it had reached the limit as Fernandez swooped into second but the KTM rider was having none of it. The pair were then side-by-side, rubbing shoulder for nearly an entire sector at Silverstone, which only allowed Navarro the opportunity to break further away.

But Fernandez finally cemented a move on Binder and set his sights on Navarro, with the duo heading onto the final lap with Navarro at the front. Fernandez had managed to close in and then find a way through with just half a lap left, however, leaving Navarro, dreaming of a career first Moto2™ win, pushing everything into a move at Brooklands. He took the lead but it was only momentary as he headed wide, Fernandez swooping back through and then unassailable to the line for his second Grand Prix win.

KTM’s Binder held on to take the final podium place, despite some late tyre trouble and incredible pressure from a determined Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team). Now, with seven rounds remaining, Marquez’s Championship lead stands at 35 points with no less than three riders on 146 points behind him – Fernandez, Navarro and Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP).

ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team’s Tetsuta Nagashima equalled his best Grand Prix finish although in a lonely fifth place, six seconds clear of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Campetella Speed Up) in sixth and Lorenzo Baldassarri (FlexBox HP40) in seventh. Lüthi remained second in the championship thanks to his eighth-place finish, with Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing the top ten.

Another little piece of history in his pocket, Fernandez will be walking tall as Moto2™ head for Misano and home turf for many. Can Marquez bounce back and extend that lead? Find out in three weeks’ time!