A Lim Kim held off a late charge by Nelly Korda to win the 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.

Korean Kim birdied three of her closing four holes for a 20-under-par 268 (65-69-67-67) total, two shots ahead of World No. 1 Korda on 270 (71-67-67-65).

Sweden’s Linn Grant was third on 15-under-par 273, while Korean Jin Young Ko and Australia's Minjee Lee tied for fourth on 14-under-par 274. 2024 champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand was sixth a stroke further back.

Taking a three-shot lead into the final round, Kim was caught by Korda when the American birdied the par-five 15th hole. Playing in the final group behind Korda, Kim responded with birdies on 15, 16 and 18 to seal her third career LPGA victory.

“Today, overall the game was good. I think what I was trying to pull off today, I got it done.," said Kim, who won the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2024 LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei.

In the off-season, Kim had been working on changing her stock shot shape from a draw to a fade. “All my career, I've used a draw. I'm a really good draw player. But 130 yards and inside, my game is not too good, so I wanted to change my shape and then worked on it and then make it,” noted the 29-year-old.

Chasing her 16th LPGA title, Korda rued a few missed putts over the week. “I wish I had a couple of those putts back this week. I three-putted 9 twice for par, and when you think about it that way, you're never going to be happy with the outcome. But I think first week back, get into contention and play well, there is never anything bad about it.”

The LPGA Tour remains in Florida this week for the US$2 million Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands at Bradenton Country Club, before heading east for its early season Asian swing of three events – the Honda LPGA Thailand (Feb 20-23 / Siam Country Club, Pattaya), HSBC Women's World Championship (Feb 27-Mar 2 / Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore) and the Blue Bay LPGA (Mar 6-9 / Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, Hainan, China).

Thailand’s Tawit Polthai broke through for his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the PKNS Selangor Masters, fighting off a late charge by Filipino veteran Juvic Pagunsan at Seri Selangor Golf Club.

Tawit ended his campaign with a round of two-under-par 69 for a 72-hole aggregate of 16-under-par 268 (70-64-65-69), three shots ahead of Juvic (72-66-67-66). Thailand’s Poom Pattaropong claimed third place on 11-under-par 273, one shot clear of compatriot Runchanapong Youprayong.

The US$200,000 PKNS Selangor Masters is the season-opener of this year’s ADT, and is co-sanctioned by the domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour. The field of 144 players is made up of 80 from the ADT, 40 from the PGM, and 24 tournament invitations.

Taking a five-shot lead into the final round, Tawit looked to be cruising to victory when he extended his advantage to eight shots at the turn. The 30-year-old from Bangkok was playing imperiously, chalking up five birdies against just one bogey on his front nine.

The vastly-experienced Juvic was not about to throw in the towel. The 46-year-old turned on the heat with three birdies in a row from Holes 11 to 13, adding another at the 15th. And with the highly-respected Seri Selangor layout beginning to bare its teeth, Tawit dropped shots on 11, 12 and 14, sandwiched by a birdie at Hole 13, to see his lead cut to two shots with three holes to play
However, a bogey by Juvic at the tight par-four 16th, when he failed to get up and down after missing the green, derailed the Filipino’s charge. After both players parred their last two holes, an elated Tawit was drenched by his fellow Thai players on the 18th green in an early Songkran celebration.

“I’ve waited a long time to win an ADT tournament, and now I’ve finally made it, so I’m very happy. This is the first tournament of the season so it’s a good start to the year. I will focus on the ADT this year and try to finish in the top 10 on the Order of Merit to get my Asian Tour card,” said Tawit, who was playing in the event on a tournament invitation.

“I felt a little bit of pressure for the first two rounds because I had an invite for this tournament, but after the first two rounds I just went from there,” he added.

This was Tawit’s fourth appearance in the PKNS Selangor Masters, with his previous best finish of fourth coming in the 2023 championship. The victory earned him a handsome cheque for US$35,000.

Tawit’s score matched the tournament low total recorded by his legendary compatriot Thaworn Wiratchant at Kota Permai in 2012, and bettered the previous low score at Seri Selangor of 15-under-par by Malaysia’s Ben Leong in the 2008 event.

Juvic was pleased with the way he played this week, despite coming up short. The Filipino ace has two ADT titles to his name and one Asian Tour win at the 2007 Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational.

“I almost made it, but I missed my second shot at Hole 16 and made bogey, so that was the turning point. I’m very happy with the way I scored, and it’s been a good week for me. I always enjoy playing in Malaysia,” said Juvic, who has also won twice on the Japan Golf Tour.

Malaysian Hariz Hezri impressed with rounds of 69, 73, 66 and 72 to finish as leading amateur in joint 11th place on four-under-par 280. The 19-year-old’s performance was even more impressive as he upstaged his professional compatriots.

Best amateur finisher Hariz Hezri and best-placed Malaysian Shahriffuddin Ariffin takes group photo with winner Tawit Polthai and VIPs.

“Overall, it’s been a pretty good week. I learnt a lot from playing with the pros, especially on how to manage my game. It’s a good confidence builder for me, especially yesterday when I shot 66,” said Hariz, who is a first-year business student at Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Korean amateur Jung Jiwon, who earned his place in the tournament by winning last week’s Selangor International Junior Golf Championship at Seri Selangor, did well to finish joint 19th on one under-par 283 (70-72-71-70), along with Malaysian amateur Aiden Kei (69-75-67-72).

It was also an impressive outing for 14-year-old Japanese amateur prodigy Daichi Hayashi, who ended his fourth PKNS Selangor Masters appearance in tied 24th place on even-par 284 (67-71-74-72). Based in Kuala Lumpur, the talented teenager trains with the PKNS Golf Academy.

The RM10,000 bonus for best Malaysian professional went to 2022 PKNS Selangor Masters champion Shahriffuddin Ariffin, who was joint 14th on two-under-par 282 (69-74-70-69). The 25-year-old from Malacca also pocketed US$2,768 from the regular prize pool.

The PKNS Selangor Masters is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, which is a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), who have been the title sponsor since 2022

The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 as a local event before joining the Asian Tour the following year, when Malaysia’s Ben Leong emerged triumphant. It was played on the Asian Tour until 2014, before returning as an Asian Development Tour event in 2022 when Shahriffuddin became the second Malaysian to claim the title. Seri Selangor has been the venue on each occasion, except in 2011 and 2012 when the tournament was played at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.

Indonesia’s Naraajie Ramadhanputra carded a brilliant eight-under-par 63 to surge into the halfway lead at the 2025 PKNS Selangor Masters.

The 25-year-old was in sparkling form at Seri Selangor Golf Club as he raked up an eagle and six birdies on the par-71 course, for a 36-hole total of 10-under-par 132 (69, 63). Naraajie leads by two shots from Thailand’s Tawit Polthai, who carded a second round 64 which was also blemish-free.

The US$200,000 PKNS Selangor Masters is the season-opener of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and is a co-sanctioned event with the domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour. The field of 144 players is made up of 80 from the ADT, 40 from the PGM, and 24 tournament invitations.

“I hit it pretty good on the first nine and set up a lot of scoring chances. On the second nine, I just hung in there and made a lot of long putts. I was really comfortable on the greens and happy with the way I putted today,” said Naraajie, who is chasing his fourth ADT title.

While not official due to the preferred lies ruling in place, Naraajie’s round matched the Seri Selangor course record of 63, recorded first by Thai legend Thongchai Jaidee in the 2008 Selangor Masters, followed by 2009 winner Rick Kulacz of Australia when it was an Asian Tour event.

Turning professional in June 2022 following a stellar amateur career which included a victory in Malaysia at the 2019 Saujana Amateur Championship, Naraajie made headlines when he triumphed in his first professional start at the ADT’s 2022 OB Golf Invitational. He won again at the PIF Saudi Open to finish third on the ADT Order of Merit that year, earning his Asian Tour card for 2023. While he struggled on the main circuit, Naraajie won again on the ADT at the 2023 Singha Laguna Phuket Open.

Having had a lacklustre 2024 season when he finished 57th on the ADT Order of Merit, Naraajie was happy but cautious with his strong start.

“I’m happy with my start but we’ll see how it goes the next few rounds. The golf course is tricky; you have to hit the fairways and can’t be too aggressive except on a few holes,” noted the Indonesian, who has played three times in the PKNS Selangor Masters with his best finish of tied 19th coming last year.

Chasing his first ADT title, Tawit nailed seven birdies to storm up into second spot on eight-under-par 134 (70, 64).

“I played well today and hit a lot of good shots, and got some lucky bounces from the bad shots as well. I made lot of putts today,” said Tawit, who was fourth in this event in 2023.

“I like this golf course as it really tests you mentally. You have to shape your shots and it’s a super fun course,” added the 30-year-old.
Thailand's Runchanapong Youprayong (68, 68) and Jakraphan Premsirigorn (68, 68) share third position on six-under-par 136, one shot ahead of American Shotaro Ban (68, 69).

First round co-leader Zia Izzuddeen is the best-placed Malaysian, adding a second round 71 to his opening 67 to lie in joint sixth position on four-under-par 138.

“I didn’t hit the ball as well today. Tomorrow I’m just going to go for it. My strategy will be different, a bit more aggressive,” said Zia, who is a Seri Selangor ambassador.

The leading Malaysian professional this week will pocket a RM10,000 bonus on top of the regular prize money, an added incentive that was introduced in 2023.

Among the players tied with Zia are the two other first round co-leaders, 14-year-old Japanese amateur sensation Daichi Hayashi and Thailand’s Amarin Kraivixien, who also matched par in their second rounds.

Eleven Malaysians made the halfway cut of three-over-par, including amateurs Hariz Hezri (69, 73) and Aiden Kei (69, 75).
Last week’s Selangor International Junior Golf Championship boys’ individual champion, Jung Jiwon (70, 72), is also safely into the final 36 holes.

The PKNS Selangor Masters is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, which is a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), who have been the title sponsor since 2022.

The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 as a local event before joining the Asian Tour the following year, when Malaysia’s Ben Leong emerged triumphant. It was played on the Asian Tour until 2014, before returning as an Asian Development Tour event in 2022 when Shahriffuddin became the second Malaysian to claim the title. Seri Selangor has been the venue on each occasion, except in 2011 and 2012 when the tournament was played at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.

Thailand’s Tawit Polthai put himself in prime position to claim his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the PKNS Selangor Masters, carding a superb third round of six-under-par 65 to lead the US$200,000 event by five shots.

With one round to go, the 30-year-old from Bangkok sits pretty on top of the leaderboard with a 54-hole total of 14-under-par 199 (70-64-65). Halfway leader Naraajie Ramadhanputra of Indonesia is in second place on nine-under-par, following a disappointing one-over-par 72 which was nine shots higher than his second round 63.

Filipino veteran Juvic Pagunsan (67) lies joint third on eight-under-par 205 with the Thai duo of Jakraphan Premsirigorn (69) and Runchanapong Youprayong (69).

The 2025 PKNS Selangor Masters is the season-opener of this year’s ADT and is co-sanctioned by the domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour. The field of 144 players is made up of 80 from the ADT, 40 from the PGM, and 24 tournament invitations.

Tawit was in superb form as he nailed an eagle and six birdies against two bogeys on the much-feared Seri Selangor layout.

“The course is difficult as the fairways are narrow, and the greens are firm and fast. I just focused on hitting fairways and greens, and waited for the putter to work,” said the affable Thai, who has played in the past three PKNS Selangor Masters with his best finish of fourth coming in the 2023 championship.

Playing on a tournament invitation, Tawit admitted that the pressure to perform was even greater.

“There was a lot of pressure in the first two rounds, and I just wanted to make the cut! It’s good to be the tournament leader now. I’ll just do the same things tomorrow and enjoy the round. Just focus on my game and do everything like I’ve been doing the first three days,” said Tawit.

Naraajie was glad to be still in with a chance of bagging his fourth ADT title, noting that his short game helped salvage what could have been a disastrous round.

“I was missing my shots on both sides today, but my short game was pretty good, so one-over-par is not too bad. I’ll just do my best tomorrow and hope to make a lot of birdies,” said the 25-year-old.

England’s Sam Broadhurst matched Naraajie’s second round score of eight-under-par 63 to move up into joint seventh place on six-under-par 207. While not official due to the preferred lies ruling in place, their rounds matched the course record of 63 set by Thai legend Thongchai Jaidee in the 2008 Selangor Masters and repeated by 2009 winner Rick Kulacz of Australia.

Having earned his ADT status through qualifying school, the 27-year-old Broadhurst was enjoying playing in Malaysia for the first time.

“I hit it better today and my putting’s been pretty good all week. It’s obviously a lot hotter than back home, but I’m trying to manage it by staying hydrated and getting as much rest as I can. You’ve got to pick the places where you can attack, just keep trying to hit fairways and greens, and hopefully the putter gets hot,” said Broadhurst, who has won once on the EuroPro Tour at the 2022 Northern Ireland Masters.

Amateur Hariz Hezri emerged as the leading Malaysian following an excellent third round of five-under-par 66, which catapulted him into 11th place on five-under-par 208. The first-year student at Universiti Utara Malaysia is making his second appearance in the tournament, having missed the cut by one shot in 2022.

“I’m happy with my game today as my irons were sharp and my driving was good. My putter has also been working very well – that is my weapon for this week, and it helped me a lot,” said the 19-year-old golfer from the northern state of Kedah.

Another 19-year-old Malaysian amateur, Aiden Kei, carded an impressive 67 to move up into joint 14th place on two-under-par 211.

2022 champion Shahriffuddin Ariffin and Edven Ying are the best-placed Malaysian professionals in joint 22nd place on even-par 213, one shot ahead of Seri Selangor ambassador Zia Izzuddeen, Fakhrul Akmal and Leunkwang Kim. The leading local professional this week will pocket a RM10,000 bonus on top of the regular prize money, an added incentive that was introduced in 2023.

The PKNS Selangor Masters is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, which is a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), who have been the title sponsor since 2022 The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 as a local event before joining the Asian Tour the following year, when Malaysia’s Ben Leong emerged triumphant. It was played on the Asian Tour until 2014, before returning as an Asian Development Tour event in 2022 when Shahriffuddin became the second Malaysian to claim the title. Seri Selangor has been the venue on each occasion, except in 2011 and 2012 when the tournament was played at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.

The 2025 PKNS Selangor Masters got off to an exciting start with three players sharing the first round clubhouse lead at Seri Selangor Golf Club.

Malaysia’s Zia Izzuddeen, Japanese amateur Daichi Hayashi and Thailand’s Amarin Kraivixien carded matching four-under-par 67s on the par-71 layout to take joint pole position. Two golfers had yet to finish their rounds when fading light halted play at 7.35pm.

Offering a handsome total purse of US$200,000, this year’s 12th edition is the season-opener of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and is a co-sanctioned event with the domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour. The field of 144 players is made up of 80 from the ADT, 40 from the PGM, and 24 tournament invitations.

Making the best start among the 55 Malaysians in the field was Seri Selangor ambassador Zia. Starting on the 10th tee in the afternoon session, he cancelled out three birdies with three bogeys for an even-par first nine, but caught fire over his last nine holes with four birdies.

“All three bogeys on my first nine were three-putts, but I managed to come back strongly on my last nine holes. This my third time playing in the PKNS Selangor Masters; in 2023 I made the cut but did not finish well, while last year I missed the cut,” said Zia, 26.

“I’m really happy as this is my best score in a tournament at Seri Selangor, which is always tough to play. The gameplan tomorrow is to keep the ball on the fairways and hit the greens, and try to make the putts,” added the golfer from Kuala Terengganu.

14-year-old Hayashi meanwhile showed great poise that belied his tender years, negotiating the tough Seri Selangor layout with six birdies against a double bogey. Having missed the cut in the last three editions, the Malaysia-based youngster is focused on making it an outing to remember.

“I had a good round today, except on one hole, so I’m pretty happy. My irons were quite sharp, and my putting was okay. On the par-three third hole, I pushed my tee shot into the water and had a double bogey, but I was able to get over it really quickly,” said Hayashi.

Hayashi played in last week’s Selangor International Junior Golf Championship at Seri Selangor, finishing 10th in the boys’ individual standings.

“The course is much longer, and the greens are faster than last week. My dad is caddying for me this week and he helped me a lot,” noted Hayashi, who trains with the PKNS Golf Academy.

Chasing his first win on the ADT, Kraivixien credited his strong start to the hard work he put in during the off-season.

“I can see the improvement today as I hit a lot of good iron shots and only had one bad hole on 10; made a double bogey there. I’m very pleased with how I finished with birdies on 15, 17 and 18, which are all very tough holes. I love this golf course; it’s really hard but it’s fair and tests every aspect of your game,” said Kraivixien, who finished joint fifth in the 2023 edition and joint 40th last year.

Seven golfers were tied in fourth place with rounds of three-under-par 68, including Thailand’s Natipong Srithong who won the 2015 Resorts World Manila Masters on the Asian Tour.

Experienced Malaysian professional Leunkwang Kim scored a hole-in-one at the par-three 12th hole, en route to an opening two-under-par 69. He lies in joint 11th position with a large cluster of golfers, including four fellow Malaysians – 2022 PKNS Selangor Masters champion Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Seri Selangor ambassador Amir Nazrin, and amateur talents Aiden Kei and Hariz Hezri.

Last week’s Selangor International Junior Golf Championship boys’ individual champion, Jung Jiwon, carded a solid one-under-par 70.

The PKNS Selangor Masters is promoted by PKNS Golf Management Services, which is a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), who have been the title sponsor since 2022. The leading Malaysian professional this week will pocket a RM10,000 bonus on top of the regular prize money, an added incentive that was introduced in 2023.

The Selangor Masters was first staged in 2007 as a local event before joining the Asian Tour the following year, when Malaysia’s Ben Leong emerged triumphant. It was played on the Asian Tour until 2014, before returning as an Asian Development Tour event in 2022 when Shahriffuddin became the second Malaysian to claim the title. Seri Selangor has been the venue on each occasion, except in 2011 and 2012 when the tournament was played at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club.

TRENDING IN NEWS