The two-time Asian Tour winner birdied four of his closing seven holes to take a one-shot lead into the final round with a three-day total of 20-under-par 193 at the ฿4 million (approximately US$121,700) event hosted by Thai legend Boonchu Ruangkit.

England’s Steve Lewton carded a 68 to share second place on 194 with home talent Itthipat Buranatanyarat who matched yesterday’s efforts with a 64 at the Rancho Charnvee Resort and Country Club.

The 23-year-old Jazz made an eagle on hole five but dropped his very first shot of the tournament on hole 11 after missing the green when his ball landed in the greenside bunker.

“I think everyone in the group was struggling in the beginning, I didn’t get the momentum right and finally everyone started playing better towards the end.

“My first bogey just came from out of nowhere. It was an easy shot and I just hit it in the bunker and didn’t make an up-and-down. But that was a good wake up call for me because from then on, I was able to find my momentum again,” added the young Thai.

Jazz lost in a play-off in 2016 and missed out yet again the year after with a bogey on his last hole to settle for tied-third. With his game in shape, he remains optimistic but refuses to get ahead of himself.

“I don’t have much pressure going into tomorrow. It’s good that my game is in good shape. I’m not thinking about winning and I am just taking this as a sign that I am back and playing good golf again,” added Jazz.

Countryman Itthipat, who made the fourth ace in his career in the second round, also made a late charge with four birdies and one eagle on his back nine.

“I didn’t start too well. I was missing a lot of putts and I three-putted hole five. But hole eight turned things around for me. I almost hit it on the green from the tee box and tapped in for birdie,” said the 25-year-old.

The Thai made the mark at Asian Tour Qualifying School this year after finishing in third position. He will go into the final round with the same focused mindset that helped put him in contention today.

“On the back nine, I really got more focused with my shots. I stayed patient and focused on my own game instead of on the leader board. I am excited for tomorrow and will just keep playing my own game,” added Itthipat.

Lewton, who held a one-shot lead going into the third round, traded four birdies against one bogey after struggling with a cold putter.

“It was a pretty frustrating day. I hit it very good and just didn’t make enough putts. I played pretty steady all day. All my birdies were inside six-feet but I just couldn’t hole anything to get any momentum going,” added the one-time Asian Tour winner.

The Englishman stays positive heading into the final round and hopes to channel the same mindset he had when he carded his personal-best score of 62 in round two.

“Going into the final round I will just try and play like the first two rounds. I just want to have fun and make plenty of birdies tomorrow,” added Lewton.

American Johannes Veerman (64) and South Africa’s Mathiam Keyser (65) share tied-fouth on 197. Defending Champion Namchok Tantipokhakul signed for a 69 to sit in tied-20th on a 202 total.

The Boonchu Ruangkit Championship which is jointly sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT), will be celebrating its fifth edition this year where the winner is projected to earn 10 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

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

Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on all ADT events with the winner earning a minimum of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

Ends.

Leading third round scores:

193 – Jazz Janewattananond 63 64 66

194 – Itthipat Buranatanyarat 66 64 64, Steve Lewton 64 62 68

197 – Johannes Veerman 65 68 64, Mathiam Keyser 65 67 65

198 – Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng 65 66 67

Through his connections in international sports he has persuaded world renowned athletic trainer, performance specialist and sports therapist Marko Yrjovuori to travel to Bangkok.

Yrjovuori has worked with professional athletes and sports teams across the world, including the American professional basketball team LA Lakers. He has worked with sports stars such as Kobe Bryant, James Harden and Pau Gasol.

He has come to Bangkok to join the school’s programme and give young athletes the opportunity to develop their talents within Thailand.

Traill said: “I want to see sports men and women from Thailand perform at the highest level, whether it be in the NBA or the English Premiership Football League. I am happy to work with the Sports Authority of Thailand to ensure that this is achieved.”

AFP Sport looks at five memorable moments in the 31-year-old Scotsman’s career:

Murray wins hearts

The third round at the 2008 edition of Wimbledon could be seen as the moment the then 21-year-old Murray gained the respect and affection of the home crowd. Two sets down against the talented but mentally fragile Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Murray roused the crowd and clawed his way back in the gathering gloom to overcome his opponent in five sets and reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. “That was the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court. To come back from two sets to love and win it is an awesome feeling,” said Murray.

     From Grand Slam bridesmaid to bridegroom

Murray’s breakthrough in terms of transforming himself from a Grand Slam finalist — he had lost in four finals — to a champion came on the hard courts at the 2012 US Open beating Novak Djokovic in an epic five setter. This time it was Murray who surrendered a two-set advantage. However, showing his extraordinary mental strength — he had not lost when holding a two-set lead since losing to David Nalbandian at Wimbledon in 2005 — he rattled off the decisive final set 6-2. “When I realised I had won, I was a little bit shocked, I was very relieved and I was very emotional,” said Murray.

Murray puts Perry out to grass

British tennis had waited 77 years for a homegrown player to win their Grand Slam event on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Tim Henman had given home fans a decent run without lifting the trophy and Murray lost the 2012 final to Roger Federer. But in 2013 Murray defeated Novak Djokovic — who had beaten him earlier in the year in the Australian Open — after converting his fourth match point at the end of three hours of duelling to deliver the Holy Grail to 15,000 spectators packed into Centre Court. He sank to his knees in celebration, watched as ever by his proud mother Judy. “Roger is probably the greatest player ever, Novak is one of the mentally strongest ever. I never had experience on my side. To beat him was so tough; it was such a tough match,” said Murray.

Golden Olympic history  

The Olympic title may not carry any prize money but the joy on Murray’s face when he beat Roger Federer in straight sets in the 2012 singles final showed how much he treasured it. His biggest win to date had the added pleasure of coming on the same Wimbledon Centre Court where only weeks earlier he had lost to the same opponent in the final. “It’s number one for me — the biggest win of my life,” said Murray. “I have had a lot of tough losses in my career and this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final.” Murray was to defend his title and become the first man to win two singles golds when he outlasted Juan Martin del Potro in a gruelling final in Rio four years later, with both players reduced to sobbing into their towels at the end. “This was tough emotionally and physically, there were lots of ups and downs. This was much harder to win than London four years ago,” said Murray.

Driving force behind Davis Cup glory

Murray ended another long wait for British tennis fans when in 2015 he all but single-handedly delivered the Davis Cup for Britain after a 79-year hiatus. Murray won his opening singles and teamed up in the doubles with brother Jamie to put them 2-1 up against Belgium in Ghent before sealing victory with a singles win on the Sunday over Daniel Goffin. He was smothered by his team-mates before being lifted into the air. “I probably haven’t been as emotional as that after a match that I’ve won,” said Murray.

The second-seeded mixed doubles partnership displayed superior skills to subdue their opponents 21-16 21-14 in just 39 minutes in front of 200 cheering officers from the Royal Thai Air Force.

Seeking their first home title together, the Thai pair are back at the Masters for the first time since losing the 2017 final, their best attempt together at home. Sapsiree was forced to skip last year’s event due to a knee injury.

“The opening game was a bit tough as we had to adjust to our game plan. But after we settled down, things went pretty much our way,” said Sapsiree, whose only home crown was in the women’s doubles with Puttita Supajirakul at the 2016 Thailand Open.

“The [air-conditioning] draught made it a bit uneasy to hit. You have to control your shots well under these conditions,” said Dechapol, whose only win with Sapsiree came at the 2017 Swiss Open.

Up next for them are compatriots Niphitphon Puangphupet and Savitree Amitrapai, who moved past  Parinyawat Thongnuam and Kittipak Dubthuk 21-16 21-19 in an all-Thai duel.

“At least a Thai team is guaranteed a spot in the final – we’d love to be that duo as we want to win at home,” said Sapsiree.

In the women’s singles quarter-finals, sixth seed and last year’s losing finalist Pornpawee Chochuwong beat Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 21-15 21-12.

In the men’s singles eighth seed Lu Guangzu of China beat  Firman Abdul Kholik of Indonesia 21-15 21-17.

Matchwinner Chanathip Songkrasin believes Thailand can still reach the Asian Cup round of 16 after his wonder strike secured a 1-0 win over Bahrain and lifted the Kingdom’s spirits from the depths of despair.

Hopes of progressing in the region’s top tournament had virtually evaporated after the 4-1 opening-game loss to India that led to the instant sacking of coach Milovan Rajevac.

Under the charge of caretaker coach Sirisak Yodyadthai, however, the War Elephants roared back to life thanks to a stunning 49th-minute volley from the Consadole Sapporo star.

It revived Thai hopes, clinched just their second win in 22 Asian Cup games and was their first win over Bahrain for 38 years.

“We have been through a lot of things but it’s the team spirit that united us,” said diminutive midfielder Chanathip, 25, after netting his sixth international goal in his 47th appearance.

“Everyone in the team ran a lot and helped each other. This win was worth the exhaustion.”

The battling performance also restored faith among Thai fans, who took to social media to salute their attitude and applaud the more adventurous approach that had been absent for so long under Rajevac.

With one win and one defeat, Thailand, are now third in Group A behind hosts the United Arab Emirates (four points) and India, who also have three but a better goal difference, courtesy of the thumping win over Thailand. Monday’s encounter with the UAE will decide Thailand’s fate.

A win would propel the Kingdom into the round of 16 as either group winners of runners-up, while a draw could yet take them through as one of the four best third-placed finishers, depending on results from the other five groups. A loss, however, would almost certainly condemn them to an early exit.

However, Chanathip, Thai FA’s Player of the Year in 2018, is confident that the new-found momentum will help them achieve their primary target of at least making the knockouts.

“The game with the UAE will be tough but we are going in the right direction. If we continue this way, there’s still a chance,” Chanathip said.

Interim coach Sirisak made several changes to Rajevac’s line-up, restoring Suphan Thongsong to the defence and replacing goalkeeper Chatchai Budprom with Siwarak Tedsungnoen.

He also swapped the previous 4-3-2-1 formation with a more attacking 3-5-2.

“We had to change the players as we had a new game plan,” said Sirasak after prevailing in his maiden game in charge. “I told them that if they stuck to the game plan, we would make it.

“But as of this point, I cannot guarantee who will be picked for the game with the UAE. I have to figure out a game plan first and use the most suitable players.

Monday’s do-or-die encounter with the UAE will be played at the Hazza bin Zayid Stadium in Al Ain (11pm Bangkok time) and will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and Fox Sports. India play Bahrain in Sharjah at the same time, guaranteeing that no team can gain an advantage by knowing the result of their opponents’ match beforehand.

The 25-year-old shot seven birdies and an eagle to lead on 16-under-par-126 in the Asian Development Tour season opener, which offers a minimum of six world ranking points for the winner.

Lewton, winner of the 2014 Mercuries Taiwan Masters, an Asian Tour event, is in the hunt for his first win in two years since winning a Philippines Golf Tour title in 2017.

Jazz also had another fantastic day, carding a 64, while while compatriots Itthipat Buranatanyarat (64), Kosuke Hamamoto (65) and Finland’s Janne Kaske (66) share third place on 130.  Thai No 1 Kiradech Aphibarnrat was eight off the pace after a 69.

“It was a really great round today. I hit it a lot better and closer than yesterday on a lot of holes but I missed some chances on the front nine. I changed my swing when I was back home and it seems to be working a lot better,” said Lewton.

The one-time Asian Tour winner grabbed birdies on holes three, six, 10 and 11 before chipping in from 20 yards for an eagle. He nailed birdies on 14, 15 and 16 to take his place atop the leaderboard.

“I hit a good drive down the middle and had about 260 yards to the pin. Then I hit my three-wood dead straight and just chipped in from 20 yards for my eagle.

“My short game was really good but I think my driver was the best part of my game today. I only missed two fairways all day and made 16 greens,” added Lewton.

Taking advantage of his course knowledge from when he played the event in 2017, the Englishman was rewarded for his aggressive approach.

“Having played here in 2017, I came into this week a lot more prepared because I knew I could be more aggressive on some holes. On some tee shots I could take 50 yards off if I took the corners and got the right line,” added Lewton.

Jazz had his sharp-shooting iron-play to thank for despite struggling on the greens today. He only missed two greens but totalled 30 putts in his second consecutive bogey-free round.

“Everything was on par today. It was the same as yesterday, a really solid round. I just couldn’t get putts to roll in,” said Jazz, who lost in a play-off in 2016 and settled for second place.

“Really striking it well since I made those changes to my swing last year. My longest putt was about 15-feet today. (About the eagle) I played that hole early in the morning so there wasn’t much wind. I hit my approach to about three-feet and tapped that in for eagle,” said the 23-year-old.

Two-time ADT winner Itthipat stole the thunder with a fantastic ace on hole seven from 154-yards with his pitching wedge.

“This is my fourth hole-in-one! I stepped up to the tee and hit a perfect pitching wedge straight at the pin, it took a backspin and went right in. That was definitely the highlight of my round,” said the Thai.

Kaske, a two-time ADT winner, was disappointed with his driver which he admits is usually his strongest part of his game. He made up for it with a hot putter where he only navigated around the course in 27 putts.

“Putting and my iron play helped me a lot today. There is something wrong with my driver, it just didn’t feel right at all. I noticed it on the range and I knew something was off. So, I need to get that fixed going into the next two rounds because that’s usually the strongest part of my game,” said Kaske.

The halfway cut was set at five-under-par 137 with 62 players advancing into the weekend rounds. Defending Champion Namchok Tantipokhakul signed for a 65 to sit in tied-13th on a 133 total.

The Boonchu Ruangkit Championship which is jointly sanctioned by the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT), is celebrating its fifth edition this year where the winner is projected to earn 10 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

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

Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on all ADT events with the winner earning a minimum of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

Ends.

Leading second round scores:

126 – Steve Lewton 64 62

127 – Jazz Janewattananond 63 64

130 – Janne Kaske 64 66, Kosuke Hamamoto 65 65, Itthipat Buranatanyarat 66 64

131 – Witchayanon Chothirunrungrueng 65 66

132 – Sorachut Hansapiban 64 68, Mathiam Keyser 65 67, Sam Gillis 67 65, Danny Masrin 68 64, Sadom Kaewkanjana 65 67, Joohyung Kim 68 64

The run, due between 5am-9.30am, is to raise proceeds to be donated to improve the health and well-being of child patients and their families.

It features two categories: Mini Marathon 10.5 Km. (Entry fee Bt 500) and Fun Run 3 Km. (Entry fee Bt 400).

Online registration can be made at https://bit.ly/2z0p56o or at participated McDonald’s restaurant from now until February 16, 2019.

For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/rmhcthailand or contact Amazing Field Co., Ltd. Tel. 02 277 6670 – 1, 02 696 4928

UAE survived a hairy start to beat India 2-0 but it was a bleak night for the well-travelled Stange, 70, who watched as Syria lost 2-0 and was given his marching orders shortly afterwards.

“The Syrian Arab Football Federation has decided to dismiss coach Bernd Stange,” said a statement on the organisation’s Facebook page, adding that former national coach Fajr Ibrahim would take charge for the final Group B game against Australia.

Stange follows Thailand’s Milovan Rajevac to the exit, after the Serb was dismissed following the War Elephants’ 4-1 defeat to India. They recovered to beat Bahrain 1-0 on Thursday.

However, Jordan’s win made them the first team to book their place in the knockout stages, following their upset of defending champions Australia.

In Abu Dhabi, Khalfan Mubarak and Ali Mabkhout were on target for the Emiratis, who were fortunate to scrape a 1-1 draw in their curtain-raiser against Bahrain after a controversial late penalty last Saturday.

“The Bahrain result was a disappointment and I humbly apologised to the fans,” said UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who steered Japan to the Asian Cup title in 2011.

“But the players showed great spirit and willpower tonight and we deserved the victory. It’s important to grow into the tournament.”

India captain Sunil Chhetri overtook Lionel Messi in international goals as the Blue Tigers stunned Thailand 4-1 in their opening game to earn comparisons with Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli for his heroics.

The evergreen striker forced a smart save from UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa before the home side drew first blood against the run of play.

Mubarak whipped the ball home from an acute angle four minutes before halftime for the Emirates, who were runners-up the last time the country hosted the Asian Cup in 1996.

Mabkhout sealed the points with a cool finish two minutes from the end — his 47th goal in 75 internationals — to give the scoreline a somewhat flattering complexion but left UAE top of Group A on four points.

– Car alarm –

Until Mubarak’s strike — his first for his country — the 2015 semi-finalists had been largely restricted to pot shots that threatened little but the fleets of luxury cars in the stadium parking lot.

India, who finished runners-up on their Asian Cup debut in 1964 when it was a four-team competition won by Israel, will still fancy their chances of reaching the knockout phase for the first time.

“We created enough chances to win two games so I think we deserved at least a draw,” said India coach Stephen Constantine.

“But if you don’t convert your chances you pay for it — and we paid for it. I have 23 bitterly disappointed boys.”

Jordan have claimed a perfect six points after first-half goals from Mousa Mohammad Suleiman and Tareq Khattab earned their 2-0 win over Syria in a tempestuous Group B clash.

“We know where we are coming from — from very low — but we changed a lot of things,” said Jordan coach Vital Borkelmans.

“Before, nobody believed in these players,” added the Belgian. “Now I think all the media and the Jordan people believe that they have a good team.”

In Dubai, “Thai Messi” Chanathip Songkrasin fired the Thais to only their second-ever Asian Cup win to reignite their hopes, smashing in a first-time shot that rocketed past Sayed Shubbar Alawi in the Bahrain goal.

The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam winner pulled out of last year’s Australian Open to have hip surgery and only returned in June at Queen’s Club in London.

He made just four more tournament appearances before ending his season after Shenzhen in September to concentrate on working his way back to full fitness.

But he was knocked out in the second round on his return at Brisbane last week and called it quits on Thursday after less an hour of a practice match with Novak Djokovic.

“I can play with limitations. But having the limitations and the pain is not allowing me to enjoy competing or training,” the emotional Scot said in Melbourne, breaking down in tears.

“Wimbledon is where I would like to stop playing, but I am not certain I am able to do that.

“Pretty much done everything that I could to try and get my hip feeling better and it hasn’t helped loads,” he added.

“I think there is a chance the Australian Open is my last tournament.”

While he intends to begin his opening round match against Roberto Bautista Agut at Melbourne Park next week, how his body withstands potentially five-set matches in energy-sapping heat remains to be seen.

“I’m going to play. I can still play to a level, not a level I’m happy playing at,” he said.

“The pain is too much really, it’s not something I want to continue playing that way.”

Fitriani Fitriani 

The world No 15 committed a series of unforced errors and all her shots were repelled by the 1.55cm-tall opponent, who wrapped up the second-round encounter 21-10 17-21 21-16 in 62 minutes.

“I really thank God for inspiring me to play so well today. I’m so happy to win the match as she is the defending champion,” said the 20-year-old from West Java, ranked only 33rd in the world and still seeking her maiden Super World Tour level title.

“I tried to be patient and play safe. Nitchaon has powerful shots so my plan was to stay in the rallies and hit everything back. It’s very hard to get the better of her.

“I was a bit surprised I could beat her. From now on I will take one match at a time and hope I can win the tournament.”

Fitriani will next play 2018 Vietnam Open winner Yeo Jia Min of Singapore, who beat Yvonne Li of Germany 21-16 21-18.

Nitchaon was on the verge of tears in her post-match interview and admitted she had been far from her best.

“She was so solid and I ended up making mistakes,” she admitted. “I only have myself to blame. The organisers changed the shuttlecocks today and I just couldn’t hit it at all.”

However 2017 champion Busanan Ongbamrungphan was the first Thai singles player to reach the quarter-final this year after she beat Ruselli Hartawan of Indonesia 21-14 21-9.

Thailand is now without any players in the men’s singles following the defeats of national champion Sitthikom Thammasin and his ex-World Junior Championship teammate Pannawit Thongnuam in the second round.

A day after dethroning the Kingdom’s No 1 player Kantaphon Wangcharoen, Sitthikom was nowhere near his best and was overshadowed by Firman Abdul Kholik of Indonesia 16-21 20-22.

Pannawit, after showing some stunning shots in the first game, faded badly in the decisive game and lost to Cheam June Wei of Malaysia 21-14 17-21 16-21.

Thailand’s top three players, including Khosit Phetpradab and Suppanyu Avihingsanon, have now all been knocked out since the first round on Wednesday.

Top seed Lin Dan of China was put to the test by Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong before advancing  by the skin of his teeth 21-19 15-21 22-20. Eighth seed Lu Guangzu of China also advanced, beating Koki Watanabe of Japan 23-21 21-17.

In the mixed doubles, sixth seeds Savitree Amitrapai and Nipitphon Phuangphuapet beat Venkat Guarav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan of India 21-16 21-17 to set up an all-Thai affair with Parinyawat Thongnuam and Kittipak Dubthuk, 21-12 21-12 winners over Yang Ming-Tse and Wu Ti Jung of Taiwan.