RATTANON RACES INTO LEAD AT SJM MACAO OPEN WITH SUPERB 61

October 10: Rattanon Wannasrichan’s nickname is “Fluke” but there was certainly no element of luck in his nine-under-par 61 today at the SJM Macao Open.

The outstanding opening round gave him a two-stroke lead over Australian Sam Brazel, who returned a 63 – who like the Thai leader eagled the par-five 18th.

Filipino Miguel Tabuena, Chinese-Taipei’s Chang Wei-lun and Liu Yung-hua plus Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren, shot 64s, here at Macau Golf & Country Club, while Chinese-Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan and Gunn Charoenkul from Thailand are next best placed following 65s.

Rattanon has been playing this event for 10 years but hasn’t come close to shooting such a low round here before.

He started on 10, making four birdies on the back nine, all four in-a-row from hole 13, and an eagle on 18, where he drained a 40-footer. Birdies on three, four and nine completed one of the finest rounds of his career.

“It’s not my lowest as I have shot 10 under on the Asian Development Tour but it’s amazing,” said the 29-year-old, who tied for fourth in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters at the weekend for his best result of the season.

“I was just hoping to shoot a couple under today, didn’t expect to go so low. But I do like this course, there are a lot of chances to shoot birdies.”

He is trying to win for the second time on the Asian Tour, having won the 2017 Thailand Open. He came close to a second title in 2022 when he was beaten by Korean Tom Kim at The Singapore International following a sudden-death play-off.

“It’s a great start but there is a lot of golf still to be played,” he added.

Americans John Catlin, who won the International Series Macau at this same venue in March and is ranked first on the Asian Tour and International Series, and 2023 Open winner Brian Harman, are in a group of players tied for 11th following 67s.

Defending champion Min Woo Lee has started slowly with a 68 – last year he fired rounds of 62, 64, 65 and 63 – while South African Jbe Kruger, winner of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, is in a group of players who shot 70.

Thailand’s Poom Saksansin, runner-up here last year, has work to do after firing a 71.

Scores after round 1 of the SJM Macao Open being played at Macau Golf & Country Club, a par-70, 6,750-yard course (am - denotes amateur):
   - 61 - Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA).
   - 63 - Sam Brazel (AUS).
   - 64 - Miguel Tabuena (PHI), Chang Wei-lun (TPE), Bjorn Hellgren (SWE), Liu Yung-hua (TPE).
   - 65 - Wang Wei-hsuan (TPE), Gunn Charoenkul (THA).
   - 66 - Poosit Supupramai (THA), Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA).
   - 67 - Daniel Van Tonder (RSA), Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA), Siddikur Rahman (BAN), Brian Harman (USA), John Catlin (USA), Jeunghun Wang (KOR), Suteepat Prateeptienchai (THA), Douglas Klein (AUS).
   - 68 - Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA), Meenwhee Kim (KOR), Panuphol Pittayarat (THA), Khalin Joshi (IND), Hung Chien-yao (TPE), Atiruj Winaicharoenchai (THA), Justin Warren (AUS), Leon D'Souza (HKG), Sampson Zheng (CHN), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Min Woo Lee (AUS), David Drysdale (SCO), Jason Knutzon (USA), Prom Meesawat (THA), Yeh Yu-chen (TPE), Seungtaek Lee (KOR), Manav Shah (USA).

   - 69 - Trevor Simsby (USA), Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (THA), Natipong Srithong (THA), Lu Wei-chih (TPE), David Boriboonsub (THA), Kosuke Hamamoto (THA), Chapchai Nirat (THA), Ian Snyman (RSA), Mardan Mamat (SIN), Charng-Tai Sudsom (THA), Sihwan Kim (USA), Berry Henson (USA), Jaco Ahlers (RSA), Carlos Pigem (ESP), Matthew Cheung (HKG), Kevin Yuan (AUS), S.S.P. Chawrasia (IND), Huang Chi (TPE), Justin Quiban (PHI), Ben Jones (ENG), Shahriffuddin Ariffin (MAS), Wen Cheng-hsiang (TPE).
   - 70 - Deyen Lawson (AUS), Kristoffer Broberg (SWE), Suradit Yongcharoenchai (THA), Yurav Premlall (RSA), Jbe Kruger (RSA), Xu Wang (CHN), Honey Baisoya (IND), Karandeep Kochhar (IND), Pui In Hun (MAC), Chanat Sakulpolphaisan (THA), Matt Killen (ENG), Jonathan Wijono (INA), Varun Chopra (IND), Minhyeok Yang (KOR), Wade Ormsby (AUS), Ngai Si (MAC), Scott Hend (AUS), Denzel Ieremia (NZL), Liu Yanwei (CHN), Harrison Crowe (AUS), Saptak Talwar (IND), Settee Prakongvech (THA).
   - 71 - Michael Maguire (USA), Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (IND), Austen Truslow (USA), Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND), William Harrold (ENG), Lachlan Barker (AUS), Jose Toledo (GTM), Hongtaek Kim (KOR), Brendan Jones (AUS), David Meyers (RSA), Jordan Zunic (AUS), Rashid Khan (IND), Poom Saksansin (THA), Zach Murray (AUS), Todd Sinnott (AUS), Naoki Sekito (JPN), Sean Ramos (PHI), Peter Gunawan (INA).
   - 72 - Jack Thompson (AUS), Koh Dengshan (SIN), Ollie Roberts (SCO), Chikkarangappa S. (IND), Chen Guxin (CHN), Aaron Wilkin (AUS), Eric McIntosh (SCO), Chan Shih-chang (TPE), Jed Morgan (AUS), Miguel Carballo (ARG), Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA), Zhang Jinshen (CHN), Chiu Han-ting (TPE).
   - 73 - Rory Hie (INA), Gabriel Tomas Manotoc (PHI), Nick Voke (NZL), Dodge Kemmer (USA), Phachara Khongwatmai (THA), Maverick Antcliff (AUS), Itthipat Buranatanyarat (THA), Ho Yu-cheng (TPE), Ervin Chang (MAS), Zhang Zihong (CHN), Isaac Lam (HKG).
   - 74 - Lei Kun Wang (am, MAC), Sun Haohua (am, CHN), Ryan Van Velzen (RSA), Marcus Fraser (AUS), Liu Yen-hung (TPE), Zhang Jin (CHN), Lv Junhan (CHN), Steve Lewton (ENG), Pattaraphol Khanthacha (THA), Zhang Lianwei (CHN).
   - 75 - Fang Xiang (CHN), Ye Wocheng (CHN), Michael Herrera (USA), Yashas Chandra (IND).
   - 76 - Tanapat Pichaikool (THA), Tsai Kai-jen (TPE), Wei Tianyou (CHN).
   - 77 - Li Jun Hong (CHN), Lion Park (KOR), Aung Sann Myo (MYN).
   - 78 - Cui Jingguo (CHN).
END.
   - Michael Regan Wong, Hong Kong - DQ