IN a gripping display of skill and resilience, defending champion Danny Chia showcased his prowess on the golf course by shooting an impressive five-under 67 in the opening round of the Tun Ahmad Sarji Trophy here today.
Chia, at 52 years old, proved once again that age is no barrier to excellence in the sport. Leading by one stroke, he displayed a masterful performance that sets a high standard for the rest of the competition.
In a closely contested field, Syahiran Syakir secured second spot, trailing Chia by a narrow one-stroke margin. Galven Green, another standout performer last season, follows closely, just one stroke further behind in third place. Lying joint fourth are Sukree Othman and Fakhrul Akmal. Both carded one-under 71s.
“I’m quite happy with my game, especially my wedges,” said Chia after his round. “I had a few lucky breaks out there and five under after the first round … I’ll take it anytime.” Chia who started off on the back nine, was one-under at the turn. He added two birdies on the 3rd and 5th before birdieing his last two holes.
Syahiran was visibly happy after his round and felt he had his game under control despite finishing bogey-bogey in his last two holes. “I felt good tee to green. Made a lot of fairways and greens. I played on this course in Sunday’s pro-am and had a practice round yesterday. Yes, I do like this course and hopefully I’ll be in contention on Thursday.”
Toyota Tour 2023 Order of Merit winner Ervin Chang carded a one-over 73. The 25-year-old rising star had rushed back from Oman yesterday after competing on the Asian Tour’s International Series where he finished a credible joint 43rd.
Promising youngster Khavish Varadan who was Malaysia’s best performer in the recent Malaysian Open at The Mines Resort, managed just one birdie against three bogeys for a two-over 74 and a share of 21st placing.
The 54-hole tournament at Saujana’s picturesque Bunga Raya course, marks the opening event of the Toyota Tour which is organised by the Professional Golf Malaysia and delivered by MST Golf.
The women’s championship also looms to be a closely fought battle, with Geraldine Wong taking the lead after carding a one-under 71. Her exceptional play puts her ahead of Ainil Abu Bakar who trails by a single stroke.
Bunched in third place at two-over 74 are HY Bang, Jocelyn Chee and defending champion Aretha Pan, the 2023 Toyota Tour ladies’ Order of Merit champion.
“It was tough out there,” exclaimed both Wong and Pan. “The course was playing long and the greens were somewhat inconsistent. Quite a few fairways were a bit soggy. Yes, it was tough but everyone’s playing on the same conditions.”
Leading Rd 1 Scores (men)
67 Danny Chia
68 Syahiran Syakir
69 Galven Green
71 Fakhrul Akmal, Sukree Othman
(Women)
71 Geraldine Wong
72 Ainil Abu Bakar
74 Jocelyn Chee, Aretha Pan, HY Bang
