Malaysia’s Gavin Green will be the man to watch when he returns to defend his title at the PGM Northport Championship which starts on Wednesday.

Fresh off recording his career-best finish on the Asian Tour last week, the 23-year-old is ready to ride on his rich vein of form as he makes his return to the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club, where he won his second Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory and first as a professional last season.

“I have had a lot of good memories here and I have got good confidence coming into this week. I am happy with my result last week but I have got to put that aside now.

“To finish second in such a big event in India is a huge thing. But this week’s a brand-new week for me. I have to play my own game again. I’ll play like it’s a new tournament,” said Green, a three-time winner on the ADT.

Green will lead a talented 137-man cast from over 20 countries, including 30 ADT winners, to the RM200,000 (approximately US$44,600) event, which is the third leg of the schedule this season.

He will also spearhead the local challenge alongside 2013 ADT Order of Merit champion Nicholas Fung, Ben Leong and Khor Kheong Hwai, who just claimed his second straight title on the local circuit earlier this month.

Since it was launched as a gateway to the Asian Tour in 2010, the ADT has unearthed many exciting talents including Thai hotshot Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang.

The duo holds a combined total of 10 victories on the ADT and honed their skills on the secondary circuit before claiming their breakthroughs on the region’s premier Tour in 2016.

Order of Merit champions Johannes Veerman (2016) and Casey O’Toole (2015) of the United States have also moved on to ply their trades on the Asian Tour following successful seasons on the ADT.

Green was the latest to jump onto the bandwagon as his second-place result in India last week propelled him to fourth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, allowing him to secure his playing rights for 2018.

“I have got no more pressure and I think it is a huge improvement for me as I have been struggling to play in the weekend. I just haven’t been able to finish it,” Green said.

Green became the first amateur to win on the ADT when he won the PGM Vascory Templer Park Championship on home soil in 2014. He secured two titles in 2016 to finish second on the Order of Merit, which earned him his Asian Tour card for 2017.

Order of Merit leader Brett Munson of the United States, Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat, who won on home soil last week, as well as one-time Asian Tour winner Steve Lewton of England will also feature in the PGM Northport Championship.

Other notable players include Oscar Zetterwall of Sweden, Indonesia’s George Gandranata, Filipino Jay Bayron, Janne Kaske of Finland, South African Mathiam Keyser, Scotland’s James Byrne, Singapore’s Quincy Quek and Hsieh Chi-hsien of Chinese Taipei.

The ADT, which is celebrating its seventh season this year, will continue to reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2018.

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com

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