Pavit grabs lead in style

Pavit grabs lead in style

Thai star fires seven birdies on trot in Jeju

Pavit Tangkamolprasert attempts a putt during the first round of the International Series Korea yesterday.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert attempts a putt during the first round of the International Series Korea yesterday.

Jeju: Thailand's Pavit Tangkamolprasert is famous for winning a record seven titles on the Asian Development Tour but yesterday he was in seventh heaven on the Asian Tour after sensationally making seven birdies in a row from the first to help him take the lead in International Series Korea.

Pavit, also a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, shot a sublime eight-under-par 63, with the preferred lies rule in play, at the Lotte Skyhill Country Club Jeju to top the leaderboard ahead of Korean Eric Chun, in with a 65.

Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, South Africans Justin Harding and Ian Snyman, and Australia's Brett Rumford all came in with 66s.

The most number of consecutive birdies on the Asian Tour is nine -- achieved by Bernd Wiesberger from Austria at the 2017 Maybank Championship, impressively when preferred lies were not used.

However, Pavit's feat did match the record for most birdies at the start of a round, which three other players have done.

The 33-year-old said: "I was a little but lucky on the front nine, but I hit my long irons and mid-irons quite good. The first nine is quite long for me, I had about 170 to 180 yards mostly. I hit it close and made the putts. I think it is the first time I have had seven in a row."

His eye-catching run came to an end with a bogey on eight, his only dropped shot of the day.

He made birdies on 11 and 16 but also had numerous other chances to make gains.

His round yesterday is the continuation of good form recently which saw him record top-15 finishes in his last two events, last week at the International Series Singapore and prior to that the Mandiri Indonesian Open.

Chun produced one of the finest tournament rounds of his 10-year professional career.

Two birdies on the front nine and four on the back at put him out in front for the first time in an Asian Tour event, when he took the clubhouse lead in the morning.

"I think there were a couple of holes that really defined the round for me," said Chun. "On one I hit it left, chipped out and made par, and on 13 hit it right, chipped out and made par. And those are the two pars that kept the momentum going. They were probably more precious than the birdies."

He birdied the fourth and seventh to make the turn two under, before making further ground on the homeward stretch with birdies on 11, 12, 14 and 17.

Jazz, who won four out of his six Asian Tour titles, including the Korea Open, when he claimed the Tour's Order of Merit list in 2019, started on the back nine and made birdies on two of his last three holes to start the event strongly.

Filipino Angelo Que, Trevor Simsby and Andrew Ogletree from the United States, Australian Ben Campbell and Korea Yunseok Gang carded 67s -- in what is the Asian Tour's 13th event of the season, and fourth International Series tournament.

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