The 23-year-old Nirun started his round on fire, chipping in from 50 yards on his first hole for an eagle. He went on to trade two bogeys against three birdies to compile a two-day total of eight-under-par 136 with Kasidit (65) and Poom (68) at the Bukit Jawi Golf Resort.

Three players sit in fourth place one shot behind the leading trio at the RM225,000 (approximately US$54,000) Asian Development Tour (ADT) event. They include Singapore’s Jesse Yap (71), Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto (66) and American Sam Gillis (67).

Nirun, who earned his maiden ADT victory in 2015, had a hot putter to thank for his round where he only totalled 25 putts.

“I was just really confident all day. Especially starting off with an eagle helped to kick-off the momentum. I knew that even if I missed the green I could get up and down from anywhere because I have been putting it good these two days,” said Nirun.

Hoping to translate his consistent tee-to-green approach into a victory this week, the Thai will be adopting the same game plan for the next two days.

“This course is very narrow so I just need to stay focused off the tee and keep making greens. If the pin is in a good position, I will keep attacking it like today, but if I feel I need to aim for the centre of the green then I will trust my instincts,” added Nirun.

Starting on the first hole, Kasidit birdied four of his opening six holes before dropping a shot on hole eight for an outward 33. He notched four more birdies and dropped a shot on hole 16 before grabbing a birdie on his way home for an inward 32.

“The course is difficult but I managed to make a lot of birdies today because I was hitting it well. I am very happy with how I played and hopefully I will keep up this momentum for the next two days,” said the Thai, who made his breakthrough on the ADT in 2017.

Play was suspended at 2.55pm local time due to heavy rain but resumed at 4pm. The halfway cut was set at one-under-par 143 with 50 players advancing to the final two rounds.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

Leading second round scores:

136 – Kasidit Lepkurte 71 65, Nirun Sae-Ueng 67 69, Poom Pattaropong 68 68

137 – Jesse Yap 66 71, Kosuke Hamamoto 71 66, Sam Gillis 70 67

138 – Trevor Simsby 67 71, Suttijet Kooratanapisan 70 68, George Worrall 72 66

139 – T. Kiishaan 71 68, Naoki Sekito 70 69, Kheng Hwai Khor 70 69, Pawin Ingkhapradit 68 71, Leunkwang Kim 71 68, Jack Murdoch 69 70, Shahriffuddin Ariffin 71 68, Shinichi Mizuno 70 69, Jakraphan Premsirigorn 71 68

The 11-time champion showed no sign of the knee problems which forced him to quit ahead of an Indian Wells semi-final against Roger Federer a month ago.

The 32-year-old had expressed pre-tournament caution regarding the health of his knee — a worry which appeared to be groundless after a 76-minute masterclass.

“I’m happy for this very positive start. I had good feelings on court,” he said.

Nadal collected the opening five games of the afternoon in 17 minutes as he set the tone for another dominant display in the principality.

He was equally in control during the second set, where he saved three break points in the fourth game and two more in the sixth.

“It was a great start, it’s good to be back here,” the 17-time Grand Slam winner said, keeping talk of his knee to a minimum.

“I can’t pretend to not have pain at all, but professionals normally play with pain,” Nadal said.

“It’s part of the sport at the highest level and it’s no limitations at all. I was able to move well and be confident with the things that I did.”

Bautista Agut has now lost to his Spanish countryman in all three of their meetings, while Nadal improved his incredible record here to 69-4 as he takes aim at a fourth consecutive title at the event.

“This is just the first match and it’s been a very positive start,” Nadal said. “The results say that.”

Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem, who lost to Nadal in Paris last June, beat Slovakia’s Martin Klizan 6-1, 6-4.

Thiem, who won the Indian Wells title over Federer, made a successful switch to his favourite surface as he prepares for the pre-French Open sequence of events.

Fourth seed Thiem won with a break in the final game after Klizan held a 40-0 lead.

– Upbeat Zverev –

Alexander Zverev rediscovered traces of his best form with a 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The German, locally based, reached the third round as he tamed the 18-year-old who broke through for a Miami semi-final last month.

The 21-year-old Zverev played the semi-finals in Monte Carlo a year ago but has yet to hit his stride this season.

That may be starting to change.

“This is the first time this season I’ve felt really healthy,” said Zverev, who lost prematurely at both Indian Wells and Miami, as well as in Marrakech last week.

“I’ve been training well but haven’t been able to take that into matches.

“I live just 500 metres from here, I’m comfortable on this court. I’m starting to feel better about my game.

“I’m really ready for the clay season.”

Zverev swept the opening set in 30 minutes but had to get through a series of three straight breaks of serve between him and his opponent before finally advancing in 78 minutes.

The third seed will next face Italy’s Fabio Fognini, who reached the third round when French opponent Gilles Simon withdrew because of back problems.

Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas moved ahead, defeating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 7-5.

“I need to maintain my focus, my concentration, my aggressive mindset when I’m on the court,” Tsitsipas said.

“If all these are combined, then I have nothing to fear and I have nothing to be afraid of when I’m on the court.

“This is the first big clay court tournament, not everyone is very well prepared for that. It’s been a long hardcourt court season before the clay.”

Britain’s Cameron Norrie defeated Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, while Pierre-Hugues Herbert stunned 2018 finalist and fifth seed Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-4.

In one of the most dramatic matches in Champions League history, Son scored twice in the space of three minutes early in the first half to give Tottenham a 2-1 lead in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

City hit back to take a 4-2 lead that would have sent them through to the semi-finals.

But Fernando Llorente bundled in Tottenham’s decisive late third goal — awarded after a VAR review.

That was enough for Tottenham, whose 4-3 defeat secured an away goals triumph after they won the first leg 1-0.

Tottenham still needed another VAR assist before they could celebrate a first Champions League semi-final berth as Raheem Sterling’s goal in the final seconds was ruled out for offside against Sergio Aguero.

In total there were five goals in the first 21 minutes — the fastest five goals scored in Champions League history.

It was all too much for South Korea forward Son, whose side will face Dutch club Ajax in the last four.

“I have never seen something like this, It was a very tough game, a very crazy game. But we are very proud of our team-mates. It was madness,” Son said.

“Sometimes you are annoyed with VAR but today it is ‘thank you and good decision’.

“We fought together for 90 minutes. We showed unbelievable character and fight.”

Mauricio Pochettino’s men were 12 minutes away from being eliminated in the group stages before a late fightback against PSV Eindhoven.

Now they are in their first European semi-final since the 1984 UEFA Cup.

Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen admitted he was relieved after City’s late goal was ruled out as he had given the ball away in the build-up.

“I think I must be one of the luckiest guys on the planet today. With the last one they scored, I thought it was over. Thank God the ref gave offside,” Eriksen said.

“The whole game was a roller coaster, it was goals, goals, goals, goals and drama everywhere.

“It was a fun game to play but I’m lucky we’re on the good side.”

Injured Tottenham striker Harry Kane, sidelined by ankle ligament damage, joined in the celebrations from home.

The England captain tweeted a video of himself shouting “let’s go, come on” in front of a television showing Tottenham’s celebrations.

He accompanied the video with the caption: “Omggg! I love you boys!!!!”

Guardiola has failed to reach the Champions League semi-finals in any of his three seasons as City manager, extending his long wait to win the tournament for the third time — with his last triumph coming as Barcelona boss in 2011.

Here AFP Sport looks at Guardiola’s frustrating exits from Europe’s elite club competition:

2016-17: Eliminated by Monaco on away goals in last 16, won first leg at home 5-3, lost second leg away 3-1.

Guardiola’s first Champions League campaign with City came to a surprising end against French side Monaco, featuring a young Kylian Mbappe.

Monaco scored three times at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg, but City hit four in the second half to seemingly take control of the tie.

However, in the second leg hapless City couldn’t prevent Tiemoue Bakayoko’s late goal handing Guardiola his first Champions League last 16 exit as a manager.

2017-18: Eliminated by Liverpool 5-1 on aggregate in quarter-finals, lost first leg away 3-0, lost second leg at home 2-1.

Traumatised by the vicious reception from a huge mob of Liverpool fans who attacked the City team bus with missiles outside Anfield, Guardiola’s team crumbled in the first leg.

Goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane put Liverpool three up by the 31st minute.

In the return in Manchester, City scored early on through Gabriel Jesus, but never built up enough momentum for a comeback as Salah and Roberto Firmino struck for the Reds after half-time,

2018-19: Eliminated by Tottenham on away goals in quarter-finals, lost first leg away 1-0, won second leg at home 4-3.

Handed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Danny Rose’s handball conceded a first half penalty, City blew it as Sergio Aguero’s spot-kick was saved by Hugo Lloris.

Even an injury to Tottenham striker Harry Kane couldn’t inspire Guardiola’s side, who played a cautious game and were beaten by Son Heung-min’s late goal.

Roaring into a 4-2 lead after trailing 2-1 in the second leg, City were heading for the semi-finals until disaster struck in the 73rd minute when Fernando Llorente bundled home despite a VAR review of a potential handball by the Tottenham striker.

In an incredible finish, Guardiola was punching the air in delight when Raheem Sterling fired what looked to be a last-gasp winner, only for VAR to rule it out for offside.

On a wet night at the Estadio do Dragao, Liverpool weathered an early storm against Porto before scoring from their first attempt just before the half-hour, Sadio Mane prodding home for a goal given after a lengthy VAR review.

Already in control of this tie after a 2-0 win at Anfield in the first leg, Liverpool had effectively killed off Porto there and then, but Mohamed Salah, substitute Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk added further goals after the break.

Eder Militao scored a consolation for the hosts 21 minutes from time, but this was another miserable night for them after they lost 5-0 to the same opponents on this ground a year ago.

Liverpool now march on to a clash with Lionel Messi’s Barca, the first meeting of the clubs since a last-16 encounter in 2006/07 that the Reds won on away goals.

“I’m looking forward to it. The news that there is a proper football game between Barcelona and Liverpool is great,” said Klopp as his side move a step closer to matching their run to the final a year ago.

“To be in the semi-finals for the second year running is a big statement. I am really proud of the boys for what they did.”

On the night Manchester City’s quadruple bid died, the dream of a Champions League and Premier League double remains alive for Liverpool and their supporters, whose spirits were not dampened by the dreary weather by the banks of the River Douro.

This was their 17th game without defeat and their eighth straight victory, although Barcelona will offer a far tougher test than Porto.

The first leg of that tie is in a fortnight, and in the meantime Liverpool will revert their focus to domestic matters, with games against Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town up next.

“Tonight we are in the semi-finals and we play on Sunday against Cardiff. That will be 100 percent on my mind when I wake up tomorrow and not Barcelona,” insisted Klopp.

With the matches coming thick and fast, he made three changes to his team here following Sunday’s 2-0 win over Chelsea. Firmino and Naby Keita, who both scored in the first leg, dropped out along with Jordan Henderson.

They were replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner and Divock Origi, with the latter making his first Champions League start for the club. However, the Belgian only played the first half before making way for Firmino.

– Early onslaught –

He had hardly touched the ball during a Porto onslaught in the opening stages, sparked by a Jesus Corona shot just over the bar in the first minute.

They had 13 attempts on goal in the first 25 minutes, but would regret not scoring while on top.

“There was a very good football atmosphere and they used it and it was so powerful the game of Porto and so difficult to deal with,” Klopp said.

“Porto needed an early goal tonight and didn’t score it. I’m completely happy. It’s only important to go through, and we went through.”

Their opening goal came when Salah — his every touch jeered by the Porto support who felt he should have been sent off in the first leg — rolled the ball into the six-yard area for Mane to get his 22nd of the campaign.

The offside flag came up but Dutch referee Danny Makkelie conferred with his video assistants before awarding the goal.

Porto knew their chance was gone, with their fans cursing Mane again — he scored a hat-trick in Liverpool’s win here in the last 16 last season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold released Salah to run through and beat Iker Casillas on 65 minutes to make it 2-0, before Porto got their consolation shortly after when Militao headed in from an Alex Telles corner.

However, Mane missed the target after rounding Casillas, before Henderson set up fellow substitute Firmino to head in Liverpool’s third on 77 minutes and Van Dijk nodded in from a corner to complete the scoring.

“Like at Anfield, it was a harsh result for how we played,” said Porto coach Sergio Conceicao.

“If we had been more clinical, everything would have been different.”

The 32-year-old boxer made the pledge as he left Bangkok yesterday to defend his belt against the former unified flyweight champion, whom he outpointed in February last year at the same venue.

Srisaket, who got married last November to Pornpimol Sarnkaew, is on a winning streak of 20 fights since September 2014. He’s now aiming to extend that impressive run inside 12 rounds.

“Estrada better be well prepared or I will knock him down,” said Srisaket before boarding his flight to the US. “This is a very important bout for me. I’m 100 per cent ready and I’m really confident,” added the Thai who won a unanimous decision in their showdown 14 months ago.

Srisaket has fought twice since his title defence against Estrada, beating South Korean Young Gil Bae by TKO in Bangkok last July and outpointing Mexico’s Iran Diaz in a One Super Series event at Muangthong Thani in October.

The southpaw now owns a career record of 47 wins (41 by KO), four draws and one defeat from 52 fights. The Mexican, meanwhile, has 38 wins (26 by KO) and three defeats from 41 fights.

“I have nothing to worry about except performing to my best ability. I will try to bring back the WBC belt back to make Thai fans happy again,” added the Thai champion.

Looking to make amends for his loss against Srisaket, a defiant Estrada said: “He could barely make it in our last fight. I won’t miss my chance this time. I’m ready to take the title.”

Srisaket’s promoter Surachart Phisitwutinan expects a tough challenge from the Mexican.

“I have information that Estrada is really well prepared for this bout and I have yet to see any flaws in him,” Surachart said. “He will be fit for 12 rounds. But Srisaket is really determined to win for the fans. Since getting married, he has been so focused on making a better future for his family.”

Maguire turned professional in June of 2018 after playing collegiately at Duke University, where she was a four-time First-Team All-American and two-time ANNIKA National Player of the Year as selected by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA).

The 2017 Ladies’ British Open Amateur Champion, Maguire competed in the 2016 Olympics, representing her home country, and finished in a tie for 21st place. She is a three-time Curtis Cup participant (representing Great Britain & Ireland) who has twice earned her LPGA card through Q School, only to return to college both times.

“The opportunity to play in the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine is a true honor and I could not be more excited,” said Maguire, who spent more weeks (135) as the world’s top-ranked amateur than any player in the history of women’s golf. “It’s going to be special week competing in this major championship against an elite field on a golf course with so much history.”

A member of the Symetra Tour, Maguire claimed her first professional victory earlier this month in the Windsor Golf Classic. She has posted three top-5 finishes in four appearances this year and is No. 1 on the Symetra Tour Money List

Maguire is currently ranked No. 232 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. She has risen over 150 spots since entering 2019 in the 383rd position.

She’ll join a field of 156 that includes defending champion Sung Hyun Park, World No. 1 Jin Young Ko and Americans Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr and Stacy Lewis.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — a collaboration between the PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA Tour — continues the rich tradition of the LPGA Championship. Broadcast in partnership with NBC and Golf Channel, the Championship offers a purse among the highest in women’s golf. The event combines an annual major golf championship with the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit and an ongoing charitable initiative (KPMG Future Leaders Program) – all focused on the development, advancement and empowerment of women on and off the golf course.

Golf Channel will televise the first two rounds of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Thursday, June 20 and Friday, June 21, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET. NBC coverage of the final two rounds, Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23, will air from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET.

Amir, who is chasing his first win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), enjoyed a bogey-free round by marking his card with seven birdies to take a one-shot advantage over Singapore’s Jesse Yap at the Bukit Jawi Golf Resort.

Thailand’s Nirun Sae-Ueng, together with Trevor Simsby and Jeremy Wendelken of the United States are tied for third after they returned with matching 67s.

Malaysia’s Sukree Othman signed for a 68 to share sixth place with Thailand’s Poom Pattaropong, Pawin Ingkhapradit and Japan’s Nari Gamma at the RM225,000 (approximately US$54,000) ADT event.

Teeing off from the back-nine 10, Amir got his charge underway quickly with three birdies in his first four holes.

The Malaysian, who was denied his ADT breakthrough after losing in a three-way play-off in Indonesia last year, birdied 16 and 18 to reach the turn in 31.

After making five straight pars, Amir made further gains on holes six and nine to end the day with a 65 at the PGM ADT Penang Championship which is the fifth leg on the ADT schedule.

“I stayed patient all day and struck the ball really well. My iron play was good and I was really focused throughout the day.

“It was a bitter pill to swallow when I lost in the play-off last year. So I’m determined to make up with a good showing this week. It’s still early days but at least I’m in a good position and have a chance now,” said Amir.

Like Amir, Sukree is also hoping to secure his first ADT win after opening his campaign encouragingly.

A multiple winner on his home circuit, the 42-year-old believes he can translate his domestic form into wins on the ADT if he continues to play true to form.

“I know I have the game to win on the ADT. I just need to put together four solid rounds and right now, I have a good score already. It’s all about being consistent over the next three days,” said Sukree.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

For more information, visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com

Leading first round scores:

65-  Amir Nazrin (Mas)

66- Jesse Yap (Sgp)

67 – Nirun Sae-Ueng (Tha), Jeremy Wendelken (Usa), Trevor Simsby (Usa)

68- Sukree Othman (Mas) , Poom Pattaropong (Tha) , Nari Gamma (Jpn), Pawin Ingkhapradit (Tha)

69- Bjorn Hellgren (Swe), Austen Truslow (Usa), Kenneth De Silva (Mas), Fakhrul Akmal (Mas), Jack Murdoch (Aus),