Shaaban almost in tears

SHAABAN Hussin, 32, was close to tears after he could not muster the physical side of his game to make an impact in the final round of the Malaysian Open.
The lanky Malaysian ended joint 57th, after a final round of one-over 73 for a total of two-over 290.
He won a purse of US$7250, but that was besides the point: "I was close to tears after finishing my round, as I felt that I was a letdown as the sole Malaysian in the Malaysian Open. Also, it was my best chance to get more money and improve my Asian Tour rankings."
And what was the reason?
"My physical side of the game was not good in the last two rounds, and I have been suffering this syndrome in the last three tournaments as well.
"I was a regular gym-goer, but could not have regular sessions for the last month, as I was traveling most of the time," said Shaaban.
He was in Cambodia, then Perak followed by Singapore and finally the Malaysian Open -- and it took a toll on his gym schedule.
"I did well in the first two rounds of all the tournaments, only to lose out in the last two rounds because of fatigue. That is one area I will have to work on further," said the player who will play in the Indonesian Masters at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club from Thursday.
In the Cambodian Open he finished tied-22 (69-69-71-72), and then in the Perak PGM-Clearwater Classic, he lost a two-hole sudden-death playoff against R, Nachimuthu.
His Singapore Open outing last week was much better, as he finished joint 13th (66-65-72).
"The confidence was there going into the Malaysian Open, as I was doing well in the earlier tournaments. But my drive killed me off, as I was only hitting five to six greens in the last two rounds and had to scramble to save my game most of the time," said Shaaban.
He had three bogies on the first, third and 14th. The birdies which counted were on the fourth and fifth.
Shaaban also lamented on the fact that there are a few Malaysian players who do not take up their Asian Tour spots because they prefer to play on the local tour.
"They have a mind-set that it is easier to win money on the local tours. I know that I can earn easily RM10,000 in one leg of the local tour, but how long can I continue to play at home? The competition on the Asian Tour is is tougher, but it gave me experience to play much better."