DRAMATIC FINALE AS BRINGOLF OVERTAKES CHIEH FOR THE TITLE

Chieh Po Lee’s cruise on the first three days of the 109^th Malaysian Amateur Open Golf Championship came to a screeching halt in the final round at the A’Famosa Golf Resort.

Final day nerves frazzled the 16-year old who struggled to chalk up a five-over-par 77 and was relegated to runner-up spot on eight-under-par 280.

A bad double-bogey start at the par-four first hole was added with a miscalculated slip at the par-five 7^th hole when his caddie had to help pull him out from the edge of the nearby pond. 

“I tried to make it two-on, but failed and while searching for my ball in what I thought was a dry hazard, I slid into the pond,” rued the teen from Taipei.

As Chieh cracked under final day pressure, Daniel Bringolf made good the two-stroke deficit yesterday with a one-under-par 71 to snatch the title by four strokes with a tournament total of 12-under-par 276.

“I was just playing well all the way and aimed at maintaining my form and today everything fell into place,” said the 20-year old from Sydney Bringolf who took the lead with a birdie at the 10^th. “I just thought if I put a little pressure later, it might crack him (Chieh) and I’ll be able to take the lead.”

India’s Abhijit Chadha claimed third place with a closing 71 that left him on seven-under-par 281 while Singapore’s Lam Zhiqun fired the day’s best score of four-under-par 68 to finish fourth on five-under-par 283.

A stroke behind in fifth place was Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan whose even-par 72 today left him on four-under-par 284 total. Reigning Sabah Amateur Open champion, the Philippines’ Jobim Carlos finished on three-under-par 285.

Meanwhile, Abel Tam was the best Malaysian on five-over-par 293 followed by Kenneth de Silva and Mohamad Azman Basharudin who were tied on 294 total.

Aretha Pan recorded a wire-to-wire victory in the women’s category, closing with a one-over-par 73 to finish with a three-day total of six-under-par 210.

Without any prompting, the 17 year-old gushed, “I got my driving license!” referring to her father’s promise upon winning this event. “But today my putting was quite bad. I didn’t need to do many chipping as I found the greens in regulations.”

Starting badly on the front nine, Aretha sank two bogeys but made amends on the back nine with two birdies and a lone bogey.

Philippines claimed runner-up and third spots through Dottie Ardina who closed with a three-under-par finish for a three-day total of 212, followed by Jayvie Agojo on 213 strokes.

The ladies’ two-day International Team event concluded yesterday, with Hsin-En Tsai and Chi Wang finishing with 280 strokes earning Taiwan top spot.

FINAL RESULTS

(Malaysians unless stated)

276      Daniel Bringolf (AUS)           69-69-67-71

280      Chieh Po Lee (TWN)  65-67-71-77

281      Abhijit Chadha (IND)            69-70-71-71

283      Lam Zhiqun (SIN)      74-71-70-68

284      Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA)          71-72-69-72

285      Jobim Carlos (PHI)     68-71-75-71

286      Ryan Peake (AUS)     74-68-73-71

288      Koh Deng Shan (SIN)            71-72-73-72

Natipong Srithong (THA)       71-70-73-74

 289      Wei Hou Liu (TWN)   75-75-67-72

Top Five (Women) (Malaysians unless stated)

210      Aretha Pan Herng       68-69-73

212      Dottie Ardina (PHI)   71-72-69

213      Jayvie Agojo (PHI)     69-71-73

216      Pinrath Loomboonruang (THA)         69-78-69

219      Iman Ahmad Nordin  75-72-72

PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic

MOORE WINS IMPIAN CLASSIC

American Jonathan Moore took advantage of Filipino Artemio Murakami's misfortunes to claim a classy three-stroke victory at the PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic on Sunday.
The 26-year-old rookie shot a closing five-under-par 67 to bag his first victory on the Asian Development Tour with a winning total of 22-under-par 266 at the Impian Golf and Country Club.

Earlier, Murakami was leading by three shots and at the turn he drove into out of bounds on the 10th hole for a double bogey and never recovered. He was forced to settle for second place after signing for a final round 69 in the RM200,000 event organized by Professional Golf Malaysia (PGM).

Chinese Taipei's Chang Tse-peng finished third, four behind the winner, after a 66 while Ben Leong was Malaysia's best finisher at tied fifth place on 274 alongside co-overnight leader Himmat Rai of India, who faded with a closing 75.

Moore, a former US Walker Cup team member, delivered the knock out blows with three straight birdies from the 13th hole as he celebrated a first title in Asia which was made special as his wife Claire was caddying for him.

"It feels great, it was a lot of fun. My wife is with me and we're having a great time," said Moore, who was third in last week's Clearwater Masters in Malaysia which was won by countryman Barry Henson.

"Artemio played phenomenal golf and I felt kind of bad seeing what happened to him. It was a lot closer than it was. I was trailing by quite a lot as he shot five under on the front nine. He played great. But some putts fell in for me at a crucial time.

"I had a good week last week and it is kind of funny as I've actually tried to play more conservative golf and suddenly, I start shooting low scores. It's a crazy game," added the American, who pocketed RM35,000 (approximately US$11,666).

Murakami was cruising comfortable after he turned in 31 but stumbled with a poor tee shot on 10. "The momentum changed when I hit it out of bounds. From there, I couldn't get my tee shots onto the fairways and I had tough second shots. It was his day," said the Filipino.

"I missed a birdie chance from eight feet on the ninth hole. If that one had gone in, it could have been a bit different. But Jonathan played so good. I'm still happy as I managed to shoot a 69.

"I hope to keep my momentum going until next weekend. Everything has been working this week. I'm happy with my swing and I'm really enjoying playing golf right now."

Rai, rated as one of India's rising stars, was disappointed to falter at the final hurdle after leading for the opening three rounds. "I started off terribly. I was quite shock after the first couple of holes as I didn't do much wrong. I drew a bad lie on the second hole when I lost it right and it ended on the face of the bunker. My attempt to get out hit the wall and I drew a bad lie again," said the 23-year-old Indian.

"It was still good experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm playing well and I'm looking forward to next week and the rest of the year. Obviously I'm disappointed now but I think I have many more opportunities to come."

Leading final round scores
266: Jonathan Moore (US) 68-66-65-67
269: Artemio Murakami (Phi) 65-67-68-69
270: Chang Tse-peng (Tpe) 66-74-64-66
271: Will Yanagisawa (US) 67-67-69-68
274: T.J. Kim (Kor) 73-66-68-67, Ben Leong (Mas) 69-72-65-68
277: Danny Chia (Mas) 69-69-72-67
279: Hanafiah Jamil (Mas) 68-71-73-67, M. Sasidaran (Mas) 66-75-70-68, Hsu Chia-jen (Tpe) 69-71-69-70
280: Mithun Perera (Slk) 74-70, 68-68
281: Kemarol Baharin (Mas) 70-69-74-68, Rashid Ismail (Mas) 77-68-67-69, R. Nachimuthu (Mas) 70-69-72-70.

PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic

India's Himmat Rai stayed firmly in the hunt for a first Asian Development Tour victory at the PGM-ADT-CCM Impian Classic on Saturday but will have in-form American rookie Jonathan Moore for company in the final round.


Rai, who has held the lead since the opening day, shot a third round of five-under-par 67 at the Impian Golf and Country Club for a 17-under-par 199 total in the RM200,000 (approximately US$67,000) tournament.

Moore, a former US Walker Cup team member and featuring in his first season in Asia, enjoyed five birdies and an eagle for a 65 which pushed him atop the leaderboard with Rai.

Co-overnight leader Artemio Murakami of the Philippines will start Sunday's final round one shot back after signing for a 68 while American Will Yanagisawa finished the day in fourth place, four behind, after a 69.

Malaysian Ben Leong produced the day's lowest round of 64 to move to sixth place on 206.

Rai, 23, birdied all the par fives to give himself a shot at winning a second professional victory after his lone win on the Indian circuit in 2009. "I enjoyed it, I played well. I hit the ball good and did the same things as the past two days. The flags were accessible but I'm playing to the middle of the greens and made a few putts," said Rai, who totaled six birdies on the card.

"I've been putting well for a while now. It's always been my strong point. It's exciting and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Winning is always a great thing and it'll be good to get the job done."

The 26-year-old Moore, who was the NCAA champion in America in 2006, birdied the opening three holes, including a chip-in on the second, before finishing strongly with another eagle on the penultimate hole where he rifled a seven iron approach to five feet of the flag.

"It was great, a lot of fun. I got off to a quick start and had a nice chip in which got things going. I didn't expect it at all and then I eagled the 17th again. It was a good day," said Moore, whose wife Claire is caddying for him.

Last week, the American finished tied third at the Clearwater Masters and he'll be looking to improve by a couple of notches and emulate countryman Barry Henson's victory.

"I can't control what the guys are doing. It'll be fun. You've got to keep making birdies as the guys are playing good. It'll be a good shootout," said Moore, who graduated from Oklahoma State University.

Murakami is using the Impian Classic as a warm-up for his defence of the Asian Tour's ICTSI Philippine Open next week and stayed closely behind the leaders. He was disappointed with his back nine after his putter started missing the mark.

"I started strongly but on the back nine, my putter cooled off. I had a few bad breaks and missed four foot birdie chances on the 14th and 18th holes. I just have to play well tomorrow," said the Filipino.



Leading third round scores

199: Himmat Rai (Ind) 64-68-67, Jonathan Moore (US) 68-66-65

200: Artemio Murakami (Phi) 65-67-68

203: Will Yanagisawa (US) 67-67-69

204: Chang Tse-peng (Tpe) 66-74-64

206: Ben Leong (Mas) 69-72-65

207: Akhmal Tarmizee (Mas) 73-68-66, T.J. Kim (Kor) 73-66-68

209: Lindsay Renolds (Can) 69-74-66, Hsu Chia-jen (Tpe) 69-71-69

210: Airil Rizman (Mas) 72-70-68, Danny Chia (Mas) 69-69-72

Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Update

Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Update

Golf in Malaysia will continue to be on the upswing with the launch of the PGM – ADT Impian Classic on the Asian Development Tour next month.

The RM200,000 (approximately US$66,666) tournament will become the latest Malaysian tournament to join the fledgling Asian Development Tour. It will be staged at the Impian Golf and Country Club in Kajang, a 30-minute drive from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, from May 5 to 8. The inclusion of the PGM – ADT Impian Classic will create a Malaysian swing for the region’s rising stars as it will be held the week after the inaugural Clearwater Masters in Batu Gajah, Perak.

YABhg Tun Ahmad Sarji Bin Abdul Hamid, the Chairman, Professional Golf of Malaysia, the event promoter, was delighted to form its first tie-up with the Asian Development Tour. The PGM - ADT Impian Classic is the 7th leg of golf tour in Malaysia known as “PGM Tour” which was established to provide regular competitions to promote the development of professional golf sports in Malaysia.
“We are looking forward to a long-term partnership with the Asian Development Tour. It is our vision and goal to create new playing opportunities for Malaysia’s upcoming players to compete on a higher platform and gain experience to eventually become world-class players,” said Tun Ahmad Sarji.

S.Siva Chandhran

The Asian Development Tour was established last year by the Asian Tour as a platform to unearth new stars of the game. The top three players on the Order of Merit would subsequently be rewarded with Asian Tour cards. Last season, S. Siva Chandhran of Malaysia, Hsu Chia-jen of Chinese Taipei and another Malaysian prospect Akhmal Tarmizee finished in the top three of the rankings to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour, the region’s elite circuit.
PGM Chairman said: “Siva and Akhmal are great examples of our players who have excelled on the Asian Development Tour. We hope to have more Malaysians joining them on the Asian Tour in the near future.”
The scenic Impian Golf & Country Club will be an ideal venue to stage what will be third leg of the 2011 Asian Development Tour. The challenging course features more than 500 trees of various species and is known for its tricky greens.

Ka Tung, June champion of champions

Ka Tung, June champion of champions

Golf Malaysia Champion of Champions Champioship

Viva the Champions!

Over the 2 days about 50 birdies were recorded in the Golf Malaysia Champion of Champions Championship often known as ‘Malaysia’s Masters of Amateur Golf’.

Now in its 24th year, the Golf Malaysia’s Champion of Champions Championship is only open to the current Men’s, Ladies and Senior’s champions of all golf clubs throughout Malaysia and Singapore and this year it included participation from club champions in Brunei.

Held at the breathtaking Berjaya Hills Golf & Country Club, March 25-26, the weather was soperfect – in sunny and cool weather condition, Sibu golf club’s Lee Ka Tung, Saujana golf club’s June Yap and Kelab Golf Perhidmatan Awam’s Mahat Bahari, all bested their opponents to emerged the Men’s, the Ladies and the Senior champion divisions, respectively.

Both Ka Tung and June Yap are now three time Golf Malaysia Champion of Champions title holders.
At the prize giving ceremony the three new champions were presented their green jackets ‘Augusta Style’ from last year’s winners.
In the Golf Malaysia Champion of Champions Invitational category, Salehan Othman (8), from Royal Seri Menanti Golf Club shot a two day total nett score of 151 to be the champion. Haji Sazali Md Hasni (10) from Sri Morib Golf Club has 152 nett for second place and Dato’ Lian Chin Boon (18) from Pulai Springs Golf Resort came third at 155 nett.

Novelty Events

Mazda2 - No one won the Mazda2 car for a hole-in-one at hole No. 11.

Callaway Longest Drive winner - Mohd Shanizam Mohd Mohagi (Kinta Golf Club) boomed a distance of 320 metres and Irene Lam Kui Moi (Kelab Rekreasi Tentera Udara) smacked a distance of 240 metres.

Red Bull Nearest to Sun - The six winners were: Azmi Mahmud, Son Tong Leong, Janice Ling, Mohat Bahari, Ruzanah Baba and Chia Kim Sin.

100Plus Nearest to Bunker - The six winners were: Joan Chin, Haji Sildin Sidol, Ibnu Tahir, Rozana Baba, Jacqueline Ng Sau Peng and Haji Sazali Mohd Hasni.

Results - Men (Top 10) Club Scores
Champion Lee Ka Tung (+1) Sibu Golf Club 71, 72 143
2nd: Mohd Musa Fakir (2) Dauau Golf Club 75 72 147
3rd: Nathan Hauser (1) Saujana Golf & Country Club 76 74 150
4th: Azmi Mahmud (4) Kelab Golf Titiwangsa PDRM 73 78 151
5th: Ahmad Redzaudin Ismail (6) Kelab Rekreasi Sri Mahkota 76 76 152
6th: Mohd Shanizam Mohd Mohagi (1) Kinta Golf Club 72 81 153
7th: Chia Kim Sin (3) Pulai Springs Golf Resort 80 75 155
8th: Ali Sahabuddin Jidin (8) Kelab Golf Kuala Kangsar 77 79 156 ocb
9th: Mohd Pizul Hazmi (3) Royal Pahang Golf Club 77 79 156 ocb
10th: Hj Soldin Sidol (4) Staffield Country Resort 77 79 156 ocb

Ladies (Top 10) Club Scores
Champion June Yap (5) Saujana Golf & Country Club 76 77 153
2nd: Irene Lam Kui Moi (5) Kelab Golf Tentera Udara 76 85 161
3rd: Leow Mee Yek (9) Pulai Springs Golf Resort 84 83 167
4th: Ireen Teng (8) Tropicana Golf & Country Club 85 85 170
5th: Shirley Lee Suk Len (11) Labuan Golf Club 89 82 171 ocb
6th: Janice Ling Hui Shin (6) Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Resort 86 85 171
7th: Stella Chau (10) Bukit Jalil Golf Club 94 81 175
8th: Sue Wong (10) Kelab Golf Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah 87 90 177
9th: Bong Moy (9) Palm Resort Golf Club 88 81 178
10th: Doris Yee (7) Kota Permai Golf Club 85 93 178

Seniors (Top 5)
Champion Mahat Bahari (4) Kelab Golf Perhidmatan Awam 80 80 160
2nd: Datuk A.S. Khamis (7) Nilai Springs Golf & Country Club 86 75 161
3rd: Hamdan Zambahari (7) Glenmarie Golf & Country Club 88 82 170
4th: Michael Hon (8) Monterez Golf & Country Club 83 89 172
5th: Abd Ghani Midi (11) Sungai Petani Golf Club 102 89 191

Invitational - Best Nett Over 36 holes (Top 5)
Champion: Salehan Othman (8) Royal Seri Menanti Golf Club 88 79 151
2nd: Hj Sazali Md Hasni (10) Sri Morib Golf Club 87 85 152
3rd: Dato Lian Chin Boon (18) Pulai Springs Golf Resort 93 98 155
4th: Othman Wanchik (11) Sungai Petani Golf Club 89 94 161
5th: Ahmad Danial Mohd Zahaki (14) ILSAS Recreational Club 92 103 167

Overall Best Nett Champion
Ahmad Redzauddin Ismail (6) Kelab Rekreasi Sri Mahkota 140 ocb

Organised by Golf Malaysia and hosted by Berjaya Hills Golf & Country Club, the championship is co-sponsored and supported by Callaway RAZR Golf (Official Equipment and Golf Ball), Heineken (Official Beer), Singleton of Glen Ord (Official Single Malt whisky), ONLY Golf (Official Apparel), SUNPLAY 130 (Official Sun Block), (Red Bull (Official Energy Drink), 100 PLUS (Official Isotonic Drink) and ICE Mountain (Official Mineral Water).