Suchart Arunseangroj, director of AP Honda, more commonly known as Honda Motorcycle Thailand, said the company had long been supporting local racers in their efforts to take part in major competitions, including the World Grand Prix series.

This year, he said, that mission would continue and its focus would be on improving the Race to the Dream project to prepare Thai riders for bigger challenges around the world.

“Since its establishment in 2017, the project has welcomed many Thai talents, improved their driving skills and physical fitness so that they could represent the country in the future,” Suchart said yesterday.

“Based on the Race to the Dream plan, we will this year focus on improving all the steps to meet the standards of the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).”

According to Suchart, the development plan consists of five main areas:

1.  The introduction of two new “Racing Machines”, the NSF1000 and NSF250;

2. A rider exchange project with Mobilityland, which manages the Suzuki circuit in Japan;

3. A new physical development program;

4. The development of a specialist technical team;

5. A search for new racers by Honda ambassador Ratthapark Wilairot, the first Thai to feature in Moto2.

Suchart added: “The main goal of AP Honda in implementing the Race to the Dream project is to make the sport more popular among Thais of all ages and genders. We want to make Thais happy by giving them a chance to support their representatives in world competitions.”

Apart from a specific goal of helping to produce a Thai capable of competing in MotoGP by the year 2025, Honda will support Somkiat “Kong” Chandra in his bid to compete in the Moto2 World Championships with the Idemitsu Honda Team Asia.

The 20-year-old won the Asia Talent Cup 2016 and  finished 9th in the PTT Thailand Grand Prix at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, the 15th leg of the Moto3 World Championship 2018.

“I have always believed in his potential. He is going to have a big surprise for the Thai fans by earning them points in our home race,” Suchart said.

In her last six starts, she has won twice while posting three other top-10s. Her worst result during this sizzling run was a tie for 19th at the TOTO Japan Classic in November.

Korda leads the 2019 Race to the CME Globe with 780 points, and she also sets the pace in the LEADERS Top 10 competition, with three in her first three starts of the year. While her memories of last year’s HSBC Women’s World Championship are somewhat mixed after she came up agonizingly short in her bid to claim a first LPGA Tour victory, she returns this week to the New Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club in buoyant spirits as a twice champion on the women’s circuit.

“I definitely feel more confident,” Korda said after playing in Wednesday’s pro-am competition. “I kind of know the ins and outs of this golf course after playing it once. But I’m just going to approach it like I do every week. It’s a new week. The course is playing completely different than it did last year … so I’m just going to approach it like I approach every week. It was a little disappointing (here last year) but I finished second and I had a good run. I realized that, you know, I can compete with all these top girls out here, so really, I took a lot of positives away from it, as well.”

Having finally clinched her first LPGA Tour victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in October, Korda added a second earlier this month at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, where she triumphed by two shots. Unquestionably the hottest player on the LPGA Tour over the past four months, she knows how she wants the next four months to unfold. “Hopefully a lot of consistency,” she smiled. “That’s something that was a huge goal of mine this year, and I’m just going to take it tournament by tournament. Do my fundamentals, get ready and try to play my best.”

MINJEE LEE REACHES NO. 3 IN THE WORLD

Minjee Lee enters the 2019 HSBC Women’s World Championship as World No. 3 on the Rolex Rankings after jumping four spots—the highest rank she has reached in her four years on Tour. Lee made the jump into the top 10 on May 28, 2018 after her win at the LPGA Volvik Championship and the upward trend continues.

“I’m coming off a pretty good week last week, so I’ll probably just try to take the momentum from last week into this week,” said Lee, who finished last week’s Honda LPGA Thailand as runner-up. “I’m hitting it pretty solid and putting it pretty solid, so hopefully top ten, top five [this week].”

Lee is making her fifth appearance at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and looks to improve on her T6 finish from 2018. With her goals at hand, the 22-year-old has taken note of her maturity level and is satisfied with the progress she’s made—developing into a player ready to challenge for the No. 1 spot in the world.

“I really know what I need for myself now and what works best for me. I think in figuring that out a little bit, I got to settle myself down a little bit more on Tour and I sort of know where I stand and what I need to improve on to try to make it to world No. 1,” said Lee.

Along with Lee, Rolex Rankings World No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn and No. 2 Sung Hyun Park will tee off at 10:20 a.m. on the first tee for Round 1.

2020 OLYMPIC DREAMS FOR SO YEON RYU

So Yeon Ryu is a six-time winner on the LPGA Tour and was a member of the victorious 2018 UL International Crown but there’s one thing that the 29-year-old from Republic of Korea has not yet accomplished. Competing in Olympic Games. With golf’s re-entry into the Games in 2016, Ryu revealed her long-term goal of making the Olympic team in 2020.

“To make the 2020 Olympic Korean Team is going to be really tough, but if I’m playing really well in 2019, I can put myself in a really good position, so that’s my goal — even though it’s not really this year, that’s my long-term goal,” Ryu said with determination.

For the Olympic hopeful to qualify for her national team, Ryu’s strategy is to capitalize on every opportunity in 2019 with her sights on a win at this week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship.

“Hopefully my game is going to be better and better all the time and by Sunday I’m good enough to hold the trophy,” said Ryu, who will tee off in round one with fellow countrywoman Inbee Park and American Lexi Thompson. “For this week, like I said, hopefully I can have a better timing, and if I am great enough, for sure I want to win this tournament.”

WIND A BIG FACTOR ON AON RISK REWARD CHALLENGE, SAYS LIZETTE SALAS

The designated Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole at the HSBC Women’s World Championship is the par-five 13th and Lizette Salas will be keeping a close eye on the wind before she decides on her strategy there and tees off.

On this dogleg-left, the tee shot is key with bunkers on the left and right protecting the landing zone. Players can either tee up short for safety or go long and right, beyond the first three bunkers, in a bid to reach the green in two. Care is also needed with a bold approach here, since over-hit shots will more than likely bounce over the back of a deceivingly elevated green.

“It’s a very demanding tee shot and the second shot is typically blindsided – you can’t really see where the ball is landing,” said Salas, an Aon ambassador whose sole LPGA Tour victory came at the 2014 Kingsmill Championship. “You are basically landing in a very narrow fairway, unless you take a more aggressive second shot and maybe possibly end up in that bunker short of the green and your third shot be a bunker approach shot. It all depends on how the wind is.

“The wind tends to be in your face right-to-left on that hole so that can also be a big factor in either going for it or playing a little more conservative. My approach is to just look at the wind first, and the pin placement as well. If the pin’s in the back, I don’t think there’s any greater reward to go for it because that back side you’re going to short-side yourself and it’s a very steep roll-off behind the green. It would be even more a risk-reward opportunity if the pin is in the front and the wind isn’t that aggressive. There are tons of factors that play into it. It’s a really demanding hole from the get-go.”

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS

18 holes: 62 (-10), Sei Young Kim (fourth round), 2018

36 holes: 131 (-13), Lorena Ochoa, 2008

54 holes: 200 (-16), Lorena Ochoa, 2008

72 holes: 268 (-20), Lorena Ochoa, 2008

The spirited 37-year-old will spearhead the Asian Tour challenge in the talented field when he make his debut appearance at the NZ$1,250,000 (approx. US$850,000) event, which is slated to take place at the scenic Millbrook Resort and The Hills.

The four-time Asian Tour winner is also relishing the opportunity to play alongside close friend and former National Cricket Team captain Stephen Fleming in the event, that is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Known for his love for cricket, Kapur took time off to participate in a cricket match at the Millbrook Cricket Ground on Monday. He also made an unforgettable trip to the beautiful Milford Sound with his family amidst his preparations for the event.

Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat is looking to better his tied-55th place result from last year as he gears up for a second attempt at the New Zealand Open. He sang praises of the event’s Pro-Am format, which he deemed will help him stay relaxed and bring out his ‘A’ game.

Coming off the back of a victory, Australian Daniel Nisbet is hoping to kick start his title defence with a bang at the prestigious event, where he closed with a superb nine-under-par 62 to win by two shots for his maiden Asian Tour title at the Millbrook Resort 12 months ago.

A total of 152 professionals from 17 countries will play the first two rounds alternately at Millbrook Resort and The Hills before the second round cut of top 60 and ties.

The final two rounds will be played at The Hills and the New Zealand Open Champion will be the leading player after 72 holes of stroke play.

The tournament also hosts 152 amateur players, each partnering with a Professional in a two-man best-ball event, competing for the NZ Pro-Am Championship.

Notable Pro-Am celebrities to look out for include Black Caps legend Stephen Fleming, former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, Tom Walsh, the world indoor and outdoor champion shot putter and newly-crowned New Zealand Sportsman of The Year, as well as Hayden Paddon, a former World Rally Championship driver.

The new partnership launches today with a film that features familiar faces from the Manchester United first team and team management, bringing these magical moments to life.

Manchester United Group Managing Director Richard Arnold comments:

“Marriott International is the leader in its field and we’re excited to be partnering with them as Marriott launches its new travel programme, Marriott Bonvoy. Together we look forward to creating some unforgettable moments for Marriott Bonvoy members, inspired by the thrill and excitement that only Manchester United can create for fans around the world.”

With the Marriott Bonvoy travel programme, members have access to its extraordinary portfolio of global brands and properties in 130 countries and territories, as well as unmatched member benefits and exclusive Marriott Bonvoy Moments’ experiences.

Marriott International Global Marketing Officer, Karin Timpone, comments:

“We are thrilled to offer compelling benefits to Marriott Bonvoy members, now expanded to include unique Manchester United experiences. This marketing partnership enables our members to access special VIP game experiences by using the points they’ve accumulated during hotel stays for unprecedented, exclusive experiences.”

Marriott Bonvoy Moments enables members to redeem points to purchase any of 8,000 lifestyle, entertainment, sport, culinary and more experiences globally. Exclusive Manchester United Moments that members can bid points for include:

‘Stadium Announcer’ Experience – Marriott Bonvoy members will have the chance to go behind the scenes at the iconic ‘Theatre of Dreams,’ shadowing the stadium announcer with their pre-match preparations. Prior to the game, the member and a guest will soak up the atmosphere pitch side, before enjoying VIP hospitality, including match tickets and a meet and greet with a former player.

Welcome the Team on arrival at Old Trafford – Members and their guest arriving at Old Trafford on matchday will head pitch side to meet a Manchester United legend before making their way to the player’s tunnel to be in prime position to welcome the team as they step off the coach and head into the dressing room to prepare for the game.

‘Kit Manager’ Experience – Members will be able to add a final finesse to the home dressing room at Old Trafford pre-game as they shadow the first team Kit Manager. The member and a guest will help prepare the match kit ahead of the players’ arrival before heading pitchside to be met by a Manchester United Legend. After the hard work is done, the member will be able to sit back and relax whilst enjoying pre and post-match VIP hospitality.

Meet the Legends in Guangzhou, China – the first of several events in Asia Pacific as part of the marketing partnership, winning members can enjoy attending the #ILOVEUNITED live match screening of Manchester United vs Southampton on 2 March 2019 with pre-match on-stage entertainment. Additionally, members can bid for a chance to enjoy a curated dinner at W Guangzhou and arrive in style at the viewing party.  At the hotel, selected members will have the once-in-a-lifetime experience to meet with a Manchester United legend.

A run of three draws in four Premier League games has seen the Reds’ lead at the top of the table over Manchester City cut to just one point.

However, having waited 29 years to win the league, Klopp is focused on looking forward rather than back at opportunities missed in recent weeks.

“Usually in a situation where you can be champions for the first time in your life – for a lot of our supporters it would be the first time in their life, and for a lot of my players as well – it’s pure opportunity,” said the German ahead of Watford’s visit to Anfield on Wednesday.

“You have to use it on the front foot, with all the things you have to always do in football.”

Liverpool’s title chances also received a huge injury boost with the news Roberto Firmino should be fit for Sunday’s trip to Everton in the Merseyside derby, even if Wednesday’s match might come too soon for the Brazilian.

Firmino suffered an ankle injury and had to be replaced during the first-half of Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Manchester United.

“He looks good, we were obviously lucky. It is not as serious as we thought in the first moment – if Bobby goes down and leaves the pitch it is always a bad sign because he’s a pretty hard boy,” added Klopp.

“We play tomorrow and it will be very close for that, but there’s a big chance for the derby.

“Because it’s Bobby, I would say ‘yes’ (there is a chance for Watford), but I don’t know if I would use that chance because we played Sunday and then Wednesday immediately.

“Writing Bobby off is a big mistake because he recovers pretty quick.”

Rodgers was confirmed as Claude Puel’s successor just before kick-off at the King Power after dramatically leaving Celtic despite being on course for a third straight domestic treble in Scotland.

The Northern Irishman saw what his new side are capable of as Demarai Gray and Jamie Vardy put the hosts into a 2-0 lead before Davy Propper pulled a goal back.

“I spoke to them about the incoming manager and just said we had to concentrate on the game. He’s given the players a boost. He said he’s excited to get started,” said Leicester’s caretaker manager Mike Stowell.

“It’s been a difficult season on and off the pitch but I think we should be seventh for the quality we have.

“Today’s win broke four defeats on the spin so hopefully the shackles are off because there’s still plenty of games to play — let’s look upwards not down.”

However, Brighton’s alarming slide towards the bottom three continued as they could not find an equaliser and now have not won in seven league games.

Newcastle are headed in the other direction as once again they were inspired by the performance of record signing Miguel Almiron to end Burnley’s eight-game unbeaten Premier League run with a 2-0 victory.

Fabian Schar’s stunning long-range effort put Rafael Benitez’s men in front before Sean Longstaff scored his first league goal for the club to give Newcastle a commanding half-time lead they never looked like surrendering.

“It is amazing to be playing every week, it was my dream as a young boy,” said Newcastle native Longstaff.

“There is something different about night games at St James’ Park. The atmosphere is the best in the world, I got lost in the goal. It was amazing.”

– Everton ready to test Liverpool –

Cardiff remain just a point above the relegation zone as Everton inflicted a second heavy home defeat on the Welsh side in five days with a 3-0 win to boost their confidence ahead of Sunday’s Merseyside derby against title-chasing Liverpool.

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored twice either side of half-time before Dominic Calvert-Lewin rounded off a badly needed win for manager Marco Silva in stoppage time.

“The most important thing for us is winning points to boost our confidence and now we have to rest and recover,” said Silva, whose side had not played in 17 days.

“We have a big test on Sunday and I know how important it is for the fans and our opponents. We knew how we lost the first game at Anfield and we can achieve victory at our own ground.”

Huddersfield remain rock bottom, but did secure their first win under Jan Siewert thanks to Steve Mounie’s 91st-minute winner to beat Wolves 1-0.

“I will have one beer tonight –- maybe two. But we have a game on Saturday and there is still something possible,” said Siewert, with the Terriers still 11 points off safety.

The Asian Tour Order of Merit leader will spearhead a strong Asian Tour challenge featuring fellow Thais compatriots Panuphol Pittayarat and Poom Saksansin, as well as India’s Shiv Kapur, Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines and Nicholas Fung of Malaysia, all winners on the region’s premier tour.

The 23-year-old Jazz has been in the form of his life in recent months, posting four top-five finishes in his last six tournaments, including last month’s Singapore Open, where he celebrated his third Tour title.

“It’s my first time here in New Zealand. It’s been really nice so far,” said Jazz, the second Thai after Kiradech Aphibarnrat (No 36) to feature in the world’s top 100 this week.

“I didn’t expect this place to be so beautiful. I am enjoying myself out here and I think that’s the key to playing good golf. You need to first enjoy the place that you’re in before you can play well.”

The Thai No 2’s appearance at two picturesque courses, the Hills Resort and Millbrook Resort, is his third straight event “down under” after he finished tied for 27th and 13th in the ISPS Handa Vic Open in Victoria and ISPS Handa World Super 6 in Perth last month.

Defending champion Daniel Nisbet of Australia, Korea’s KJ Choi and YE Yang, the first Asian to win a Major championship, are also set to headline the long-running event, which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia.

A total of 152 professionals from 17 countries will play the first two rounds alternately at Millbrook Resort and The Hills before the halfway cut, after which the top 60 and ties will play the weekend at The Hills.

The tournament is also hosting the NZ Pro-Am Championship, in which 152 amateur players will be partnered with a professional in a two-man best-ball event.

Among the Pro-Am celebrities taking part are ex-NZ cricket captain Stephen Fleming and his long-time Australian counterpart, Ricky Ponting.

The all-star crew of defending champion Michelle Wie, World Number 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, World Number 3 So Yeon Ryu, World Number 5 Lexi Thompson, and World Number 8 Georgia Hall, announced their arrival into Singapore by visiting the latest attraction – Jewel Changi Airport which will open in the first half of 2019. HSBC, a long-term partner of women’s golf, took the opportunity to welcome the best players in the world with a spectacular launch on the eve of the star-studded event.

One of the main objectives of HSBC’s partnership with the HSBC Women’s World Championship is to help women’s golf thrive in Singapore and beyond. So, it was only fitting that the launch event took place at an incredible new destination which looks set to attract visitors from around the globe for years to come.

Defending champion, Michelle Wie, said of the launch: “As defending champion, this event is very special to me and I love visiting Singapore. We’ve done some cool things in the past with HSBC and getting a sneak peek of Singapore’s latest attraction is right up there with the best.”

World Number 1, Ariya Jutanugarn, added: “Coming to Singapore for the HSBC Women’s World Championship is one of the highlights of my golfing year. As the world number one, I want to test myself at the biggest tournaments in the world and this is certainly one of them. I also hope that by competing so close to my home country of Thailand, I can inspire more people in the region to take up the game.”

USA star Lexi Thompson also commented on the launch: “HSBC continue to be an important partner for women’s golf, and I can’t wait to line up in another starstudded field.” Speaking at the launch, Tony Cripps, CEO of HSBC Singapore, said: “Singapore is an important market for the bank and we’re extremely proud of our long-standing partnership with women’s golf. As we continue to work with our partners to help the sport thrive, we are proud to celebrate these world-class athletes.

“We thought there was no better place to launch the event than at Jewel Changi Airport, a destination that represents many of the values that are important to us as a business – a global mindset, a focus on collaboration and a commitment to growth.”

In attendance was ONE Championship athlete Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, accompanied by mixed martial arts legends Rich Franklin and Miesha Tate.

Official photos of the Meet and Greet can be downloaded at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ouam4_5Tho65Q0u5olHv2GkRZdpjRbb9?usp=sharing

Demetrious Johnson, ONE Athlete, stated: “I am very excited to make my ONE Championship debut. I feel as though the organization represents the true values of martial arts which I really take pride in, like being humble and respectful. ONE Championship is everything that is great about martial arts. Even in events like this, where I get to visit the children at the Southwest Boys & Girls Club and share with them the benefits of martial arts in people’s lives, it’s an honor for me to be able to do this. We’re about a month out to Tokyo, and I’m excited to face Yuya Wakamatsu. I think he’s a very tough, well-rounded opponent and it should be a good test for me.”

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of Kirkland, Washington, United States is a mixed martial artist and 12-time Flyweight World Champion with a professional record of 27-3-1. With a highly-technical style and world-class skills, Johnson has dominated his division for the past seven years. During this span, Johnson captured the flyweight World Title and ran up a win streak of 13 bouts since 2012. Today, he is widely-considered one of the best mixed martial artists in the world pound-for-pound. Johnson now looks to continue his legendary career in the world’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship.

Multiple-time mixed martial arts World Champion Rich Franklin is the Vice President of ONE Championship and CEO of the highly-acclaimed ONE Warrior Series. Franklin made his professional mixed martial arts debut on June 19, 1999, defeating his opponent via first-round knockout. He eventually captured the Middleweight World Title in 2005 and successfully defended the belt twice. In a span of just a little over a decade of competing at the highest level, Franklin has become an absolute legend, defeating some of the sport’s biggest names including Ken Shamrock, Evan Tanner, Nate Quarry, Yushin Okami, Travis Lutter, Wanderlei Silva, and Chuck Liddell, among others.

Former multiple-time Women’s Bantamweight World Champion Miesha Tate is one of the biggest and most recognizable names in the martial arts industry, and is a pioneer of women’s mixed martial arts. Tate began her martial arts journey as a wrestler at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma, Washington. She experienced a successful amateur career, even winning a State Championship during her senior year in 2005. Her most notable victories as a professional came over Liz Carmouche, Sara McMann, Jessica Eye, and Holly Holm. Following her time in the cage, Tate later became a broadcast analyst. In November 2018, Tate joined ONE Championship as Vice President.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “At ONE Championship, we are constantly on the lookout for the world’s greatest martial arts talents, especially in Asia. Women’s wrestling sensation Ritu Phogat embodies the true values of martial arts and is a great fit for our organization. I would like to personally welcome Ritu to the ONE Championship family. I’m excited to share Ritu’s story with the world and to showcase Indian martial arts at the highest level, on the biggest global stage of martial arts competition in ONE Championship.”

Ritu Phogat, ONE Athlete, stated: “It is both an honor and a privilege to join ONE Championship, the best and biggest martial arts organization in the world. Wrestling will always be my first love, but I feel that it is time to expand my horizons. I am excited to compete against the best mixed martial artists in the world and to bring glory and pride to my home country. I also look to prove that Indian martial arts is truly world-class. Thank you, ONE Championship, for the opportunity to share my talent on the global stage.”

24-year-old Ritu Phogat is a champion wrestler and top women’s mixed martial arts prospect who hails from India. She comes from a family of martial artists and began training in wrestling at the age of eight under the guidance of her father Mahavir Singh Phogat. Ritu is a Commonwealth Wrestling Championships Gold Medalist, World U23 Wrestling World Championships Silver Medalist, Asian Wrestling Championships Bronze Medalist, and multiple-time Indian National Wrestling Champion.

Hailing from Haryana, Ritu is widely-regarded as one of India’s top sports superstars and one of the most talented wrestlers in the world. Her sisters Geeta, Babita Kumari, and Sangeeta, as well as cousin Vinesh, are also wrestling champions.

In 2016, Ritu bagged a gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship held in Singapore. In 2017, she took home India’s first silver medal at the prestigious World U23 Wrestling Championships held in Poland. In 2018, she placed 5th at the Wrestling World Championships despite only being 24-years-old. Ritu now joins ONE Championship and looks to embark on a promising professional career in women’s mixed martial arts.