MALAYSIAN LPGA: First Round Scores

PIC: Brittany Lang of the United States.

FIRST Rd Scores: 66 Maria Hjorth (Swe), Brittany Lang (US), Dewi Claire (Ned), Choi Na Yeon (S Kor).
67 Paige MacKenzie (US), Azahara Munoz (Sp); 68 Christel Boeljon (Ned), Feng Shanshan (Ch), Kim I.K (S Kor), Stacy Lewis (US), Suzann Pettersen (Nor), Michelle Wie (US).
69 Katie Futcher (US), Mindy Kim (US), Amy Yang (S Kor), Sophie Gustafson (Swe), Jimin Kang (S Kor), Yani Tseng (Tai).
70 Amanda Blumenherst (US), Frances Bondad (Aus), Julieta Granada (Par), Candie Kung (Tai), Jiyai Shin (S Kor), Sun Young Yoo (S Kor), catriona matthew (Scot).
71 Jenny Shin ( S Kor), momoko Ueda (Jpn), paula Creamer (US), Natalie Gulbis (US), Morgan Pressel (US), Angela Stan ford (US).
72 Sandra Gal (Ger, Am), caroline Hedwall (Swe), Amy Hung (Tai), Ji Eun-Hee (S Kor), Cristie Kerr (US), Kim Mi Hyun (US), Ai Miyazato (Jpn), pak Sr Ri ( Skor), Melissa Reid (Bri).
73 Beatrice Recari (Sp), Kristy McPherson (US), Pornanong Phatlum (Thai); 74 pat Hurst (US), Mika Miyazato (Jpn), karrie Webb (Aus), Meena Lee (S Kor), Park Hee Young (S Kor), Jennifer Song (US), Chella Choi (S Kor), mina Harigae (US), Karen Stupples (Eng), laura Davis (Eng), Cindy Lacrosse (US).
75 Han Hee-Won (S Kor), Porani Chutichai (Thai), Brittany Lincicome (US), Aretha Pan (Mas), Kyeong Bae (S Kor), Christina Kim (US), Gerina Philler (US).
76 Jean Chua (Mas), Katherine Hull (Aus), Juli Inkster (US), Vicky Hurst (US), Ainil Johani (Mas).
77 Kelly Tan (Mas), Wendy Ward (US); 79 Anna Nordqvist (Swe); 80 Tiffany Joh (US), Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai (Thai); 82 Rynn O’Toole (US).

MALAYSIAN LPGA: Four ladies sit pretty

Pic: Yeon Na Choi of South Korea.

By Jugjet Singh

THE first round of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia saw four ladies from four different countries sharing the joint lead at the sun-baked Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) yesterday.
The course played to a par-71, and the weather was hotter than the ladies putters as the four leaders returned tied on five-under 66.
Yeon Na Choi of South Korea, Maria Hjorth of Sweden, Dewi Claire of Netherlands and Brittany Lang of the United States sat on the clouded leader-board which could swing either way today.
Because snapping on their high heels are Paige Mackenzie of the USA and Azahara Munoz of Spain on four-under 67s.
Brittany Lang broke into song when asked about her round: “I played really well after getting off to a great start with a birdie on the third to be one-under, after which, the balls just sailed in,” said the American.
Brittany followed with a birdie on the fifth and eighth, before her only blemish on the 11th, to come out tops with three more birdies on the 12th, 16th and 17th.
“This is my second year at this course and this this time around the greens are a lot softer. I guess they've got a lot more range which makes the course easier, because last year it was tricky with the firm greens, so I'm thankful for that. That's probably the only change.
“It just felt very effortless today (yesterday). I really just tried to get out of my own way and have more fun. By doing that, I’ve had more energy, I’ve had more fun, and I’m playing better,” said Brittany.
Swede Maria felt a peace on the greens, and the birdies just followed.
“ Well, everything was really good. I felt very comfortable. I felt at peace out there and everything went really well. I hit a lot of greens, as I was driving well the whole morning.
“It’s the first round I know, but being tied for the lead is a big boost. You can always if you put yourself in a good position.
“Last week I had a bad first round (Solheim Cup), and it just became hard to catch up. Obviously for a four day tour nament, it makes it a little easier to catch up, but it’s always great to be up there and not too far off. You have a good chance, and you just have to go out there tomorrow and try to dot same thing,” said the Swede.
World No 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan had a bad day as she could only manage a two-under 69 to be placed tied 13th.
The other top 10 players Suzann Petterson of Norway was three-under-68 and on tied-17th; Cristie Kerr of the US was one-over 72 for 32nd while Stacy Lewis of the US had three- under 68 to be tied at the seventh spot.

Sapura plan for fight back

PIC: S. KUHAN red carded against Nur Insafi.

THREE teams have virtually booked their semi-final slots in the TNB-Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), while only one quarter-finals tie threatening to swing either way.
Today, double champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club, who hammered Division One champions SSTMI-Thunderbolt 7-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals, will return to the field to score more goals in the lop-sided clash.
Maybank also have a 5-0 cushion against UniKl, while Tenaga Nasional beat Yayasan Negri Sembilan (YNS) 5-1 to cement their semis slot.
All three clashes will be held tomorrow at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Sapura, who ended up at the losing end with a 1-2 score and a red card to their skipper S. Kuhan, are looking to bounce back.
“Nothing went right in that mid-week match. I am not one to make excuses, but many of my players have a job and family to think of first, before playing hockey.
“So, it would have been better if the math had been held on a weekend. However, having said that, we can’t afford another blunder on Saturday and throw away our second life- line,” said Sapura coach I. Vickneswaran.
Sapura hammered Nur Insafi 7-1 in the League match, so it came as a surprise on how they fared in the quarter- finals.
“I believe many factors worked towards our poor show in the first leg, but since it is only a slim one-goal lead, we will work twice harder to bounce back and play in the semi- finals,” said Vickneswaran.
TODAY: Q-finals (second leg): SSTMI-Thunderbolt (0) v KL Hockey Club (7) (KLHA Stadium, 6pm)
TOMORROW: Q-finals (second leg): Nur Insafi (2) v Sapura (1) (National Stadium, 4pm), Yayasan NS (1) v Tenaga (5) (National Stadium, 6pm), UniKL (0) v Maybank (5) (national Stadium, 8pm)
Note: First round scores in parenthesis.

Sapura in a big mess

Nur Insafi goalkeeper Ezuan Ghazali fends off a shot by a Sapura player in their TNB Cup match at the National Hockey Stadium yesterday. — Picture by Supian Ahmad

DEFENDING champions KL Hockey Club (KLHC), Maybank and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) recorded convincing victories on a day Nur Insafi upset last year’s finalists Sapura in the quarter-final first leg of the TNB Cup yesterday.
Sapura were expected to breeze past Nur Insafi but the Penang-based side turned the tables to win 2-1 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. It was a surprising result, considering that Sapura had beaten them 7-1 in the Premier League.
And to make matters worse, Sapura captain and former international S. Kuhan was sent off by umpire R. Anbanathan for allegedly using foul language on him in the 48th minute. It was the first red this season. Four players were also sent to the sin-bin for yellow card offences in the match.
Nur Insafi sounded the board after 14 minutes when Damandeep Singh broke on the left to score past Sapura goalkeeper Khairulnizam Ibrahim.
Manraj Singh could have levelled for Sapura but the son of former national coach Sarjit Singh missed a sitter in front of the Nur Insafi goalmouth.
Harris Fadzila Zulkafli scored Nur Insafi’s second goal in the 47th minute before Sapura’s Kuhan received a red card a minute later.
Sapura, however, reduced the deficit through Megat Azrafiq Megat Termizi’s penalty corner attempt two minutes from time.
“Nur Insafi capitalised on our mistakes. This is sports... sometimes you win and sometimes it is just not your day. I need to make changes as Kuhan is suspended for the second leg,” said Sapura coach I. Vikneswaran yesterday.
Two goals each from Hafifihafiz Hanafi and Zulhairi Hashim helped former champions Maybank record an impressive 5-0 victory over UniKL. Engku Abdul Malek Engku Mohd also added his name onto the score sheet after scoring from a penalty stroke.
Despite the huge margin of victory, Maybank coach Wallace Tan said the tie is far from over.
“We scored five because we took our chances well. UniKL are a tough team and we cannot afford to take them lightly in the second leg,” said Wallace yesterday.
KLHC effectively blanked Division One champions SSTMI-Thunderbolt 7-0 with penalty corner specialist Razie Rahim and Tengku Hamad Tajuddin Abdul Jalil scoring five goals between them.
National forward Faizal Saari powered TNB to a 5-1 victory over Yayasan Negri Sembilan (YNS) with three goals in the 21st, 60th and 70th minutes.
Amin Rahim (16th) and Amir Farid Ahmad Fuzi (33rd) were TNB’s other scorers while YNS replied through Shahbaz Ali (69th).
RESULTS — Q-final, 1st leg: Maybank 5 UniKL 0, Sapura 1 Nur Insafi 2, Tenaga 5 Yayasan NS 1, KL Hockey Club 7 SSTMI-Thunderbolt 0.
FIXTURES — Tomorrow: SSTMI-Thunderbolt v KL Hockey Club (KLHA Stadium; 6pm); Saturday: Nur Insafi v Sapura (4pm), Yayasan NS v Tenaga (6pm), UniKL v Maybank (8pm) — Matches at the National Hockey Stadium (Pitch 2) in Bukit Jalil.

Yani aims to go seven-up

Paula Creamer (in pink) watches as a boy makes a shot during the coaching clinic at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club yesterday.

WORLD No 1 Yani Tseng will look to extend her dominance of women’s golf when she chases her seventh tournament win of the year against a star-studded field at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
The Taiwanese player, 22, is full of confidence after already winning six tournaments this year, including last week’s LPGA Hana Bank Championship in South Korea.
She is the top draw at the US$1.9 million (RM6 million) event, which tees off in Kuala Lumpur today, but will need to contend with a top-flight field that includes nine of the world’s top 10 golfers.
“Obviously, I’m feeling confident, especially after winning in South Korea last week,” she said.
Yani, who is the youngest golfer — man or woman — to win five majors, is the undisputed No 1 on the Rolex Rankings. She attributed her form to her enjoyment of the game.
“People say I have had a good year, but I just enjoy the game and I think that’s why I’ve been doing well,” said Yani, who won this year’s LPGA Championship and the Women’s British Open.
“Every day, every hole, I just focus and try my best.
“For me, I can easily get over not playing well one week and focus on the next tournament.”
The Malaysian event, now in its second year, will also feature top 10 players Suzann Petterson, Cristie Kerr, Na Yeon Choi, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Ai Miyazato, and Paula Creamer.
Michelle Wie, ranked No 14 in the world, and defending champion Jimin Kang also have entered the four-day stroke play event, which has no cut and is being played at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC).
Cristie, the American World No 3,who finished 35th in South Korea, admitted she has yet to fully recover from a tendonitis injury to her right wrist that is causing her severe pain.
"It is still not 100 per cent right but I’m managing the pain,” said the former World No 1.
“I’ve played through a broken rib, I’ve played through knee issues, neck issues, but this is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced but I’m managing it.”
Meanwhile, Yani, the Sultanah of Kedah Haminah Hamidun and her teammates, Datuk Aishah Ahmad and Puan Sri Lee Hong Jegathesan took second place in the Pro-Am competition yesterday.
The foursome shot a best net score of 49 but lost out on the top spot on countback to the team of Park Hee Young, Joe Carlos, Ho Kay Tat and Tan Thiam Hock.
In third place was Laura Davies and Tunku Puteri Intan Syafinaz, Ida Farhany and Ezani Bakar.
Former TV3 sports editor Abu Bakar Atan scored a hole-in-one on the Par 3 17th. — AFP