Mercedes Benz Asean Tour

Khon Kaen, Thailand, July 15: Red-hot Chawalit Plaphol claimed the first round lead at the Singha E-San Open on the Mercedes-Benz Tour on Thursday with a scorching seven-under-par 65.

The 35-year-old Thai won the ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Championship in the Philippines by eight strokes late last month and continued in the same vein of form over the challenging Singha Park layout.

Chawalit fired eight birdies against a solitary bogey for a two-shot advantage over countryman Wittawat Sae-Ung and Thai-based Australian Blair Wilson.

A two-time winner on the Asian Tour and once in Japan, Chawalit is looking to rediscover the touch that made him one of Asia’s brightest prospects.

Khon Kaen, Thailand, July 14: A resurgent Chawalit Plaphol will bid for back-to-back victories on the Mercedes-Benz Tour at this week’s Singha E-San Open.

The 35-year-old Thai kick-started his comeback campaign with an emphatic eight-stroke win in the US$50,000 ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Championship, the fifth leg of the Mercedes-Benz Tour, in late June.

The triumph took him to sixth spot in the Order of Merit and a step closer to a place in the US$5 million Barclays Singapore Open in November.

Chawalit will face stiff opposition over the tricky Singha Park layout in the North-Eastern Thai city of Khon Kaen from July 15-18.

Batangas, Philippines, June 26: Thailand’s Chawalit Plaphol completed a stunning comeback victory by an eight shot margin in the US$50,000 ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Championship at Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club today.

He fired a final round four-under-par 68 for a brilliant tournament total of 22-under-par 266 – one shot away from matching the Mercedes-Benz Tour record.

Juvic Pagunsan from the Philippines finished second after shooting a 67. He claimed the previous Tour event, the Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand, by seven shots.

Batangas, Philippines, June 25: Thailand’s Chawalit Plaphol made a sensational eagle on the par-four  16th for a three-under-par 69 to maintain a five-stroke lead over Tony Lascuna from the Philippines after the third round of US$50,000 ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Championship.

Chawalit, who pulled away from the pack with a course-record tying 64 at Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club on Thursday, struggled with his form and had a rollercoaster round of three birdies against three bogeys after 12 holes.

But the 35 year old banged in back-to-back birdies from the 13th, dropped a stroke on 15 before knocking in his wedge shot from 110 yards for an eagle on the next hole.

Chawalit has a 54-hole aggregate of 18-under-par 198 in the Mercedes-Benz Tour event.