Aidric Chan from the Philippines achieved his inaugural victory on the Asian Development Tour during a competitive final round at the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam, narrowly defeating fellow Filipino Juvic Pagunsan. The tournament, a $90,000 event, saw the two players contend fiercely for the title, with their battle unfolding in the penultimate group, while leaders Filip Lundell of Sweden and England’s Sam Broadhurst, who started the day tied with a three-shot lead, remained largely unaware of the developing duel ahead.
Throughout the front nine, the European leaders exchanged birdies but were unaware that the Filipino duo had caught up and were closing in on their lead. Chan nearly faltered on the 12th hole with a double bogey but recovered spectacularly with an eagle on the following hole. Meanwhile, Pagunsan had overtaken the leaders after they dropped shots, reducing their advantage.
Pagunsan’s bogeys on holes 13 and 14 briefly gave Chan a one-shot lead, though Chan relinquished this with a bogey on 15, leaving them tied with the leaders at the 16th tee. Both players birdied the 16th and 17th holes, tying the score again, and they finished the round with a total of 205 strokes. Chan secured the victory with a par on the 18th, while Pagunsan scored a bogey, giving Chan the clubhouse lead at eight under par.
Unaware of their exact standings, Lundell and Broadhurst only managed pars on the back nine, with Broadhurst missing a crucial five-foot birdie putt on 18 that could have forced a playoff. Ultimately, Chan and Pagunsan both scored 67s, while Lundell and Broadhurst finished with even par 71s. Chan’s winning score of 8-under 205 marked his first international win, with the runners-up finishing one shot behind.
Post-round, Chan expressed his excitement, noting, “I feel really great. I hit a lot of good shots today and had a lot of luck. I was a little out of it at times, but I’m happy those good shots came through.” He also acknowledged the challenging competition and praised the effort of all players involved.
Other notable finishes included a trio of Thai golfers—Waris Manthorn, Kammalas Namuangruk, and Amari Kraivixien—who finished at five under par, followed by Newport Laparojkit of Thailand, Argentina’s Miguel Carballo, and Indonesian Rory Hie. The first-round leader, American Shotaro Ban, dropped to 11th place, alongside Indonesian Kevin Akbar, Jonathan Wijono, and England’s Ben Jones.
Chan’s victory elevates him to third place in the ADT Order of Merit, behind Pagunsan in second and season leader Tawit Polthai, who won the season’s opening event. Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig, recent winner at the ADT Rumaza Open, is in fourth place.
The Asian Development Tour will resume in Taiwan with the US$100,000 Ambassador ADT event at Hsin Feng Country Club from May 29 to June 1.