Leong ready to capture Asia-Pacific Matchplay title

27/08/2002

BEN Leong is in the right mood to take the SportExcel Asia-Pacific Junior
Matchplay golf championship by storm at the Rahman Putra Golf Club
beginning today.
The 16-year-old Malaysian golf prodigee is confident because he upstaged
the best golfers in Sarawak and Brunei for the Keningau Open title in
Sabah on Sunday.
Leong carded rounds of 75, 70 and 71 for a three-day total of 216 for
the Keningau Open title. He beat Sarawak's top golfer Lee Ka Tung (222)
and Brunei's best Seruji Setia (224) for the top spot, and is now ready
for the match-play which will see top juniors from New Zealand and China
taking part.
"My training at the David Leadbatter Academy in Florida has been
improving my game and right now, I am in the right frame of mind to wrest
the Asia Pacific match-play title which I won two years ago," said Leong.
Leong did not defend his title last year but the hours he has been
clocking in Florida has done wonders to his game.
"I start at 6am with physical training and then head for classes till
noon. In the evening, I am at the greens practicing and this routine is
for five days a week," said Leong.
And his target?: "I hope to win the United States Amateur Open before I
reach 20," said the lanky lad.
The match-play has attracted 24 golfers from New Zealand, China, South
Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. Malaysia will field 13 golfers and according
to SportExcel chairman Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar: "We still have a long
way to go before we can produce an international golfer."
"SportExcel has formed the base, but I feel that it will be years before
we can have a golfer who can win honours at the international level," said
Tunku Imran.
THE GOLFERS: New Zealand - James Davis (handicap +1.0), Sam Hunt (+2.6);
Taiwan: Chan Yuan-Heng (5), Tsen Hua-Yen (5); China: Wang Ming Hao (6),
Henry Han (10); South Korea: Kim Bun Jun ((4), Lee Won Jun (3), Chun Jae
Han (3); Thailand: Teeranun Mitrpanont (3), Panuwat Meenlek; Malaysia: Ben
Leong (0), Khor Kheng Wai (4), Hilmi Abdul Rahman (5), Shah Farique Khalid
(7), Aidil Haris (10), Haziq Hamizan (10), Chin Chin Ian (5), Edmund Au
(4), Alfred Tan (4), Mohamed Hanifah (3), Daniel Ng (9), Eugene Lim (5),
Hanis Helmi (1).
(END)