KLHC romp away with third double..

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) claimed their third Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) double when they thrashed Tenaga Nasional Nasional 3-0 in the TNB Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
  The final was played under a steady drizzle, but he pace was simply sizzling as KLHC pinned Tenaga deep in their own defense in the first half.
  And it only took Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin nine minutes to hammer in the lead past Tenaga's goalkeeper S. Kumar.
  Spurred by the goal, Ismail Abu justified his national recall by scoring a sizzler in the 11th minute and Amirullah Aziz handed the title to KLHC with a 32nd minute reverse stick shot for a 3-0 lead into the breather.
   Second half failed to see a Tenaga fight-back, and KLHC were the undisputed champions.
  "Credit to my players who scored early in the match to relieve the pressure after which the match became easier to control," said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.

  Meanwhile, the MHL saw a first yesterday when Sapura and Maybank were declared joint third-fourth when their match was abandoned due to torrential rain.
  Sapura and Maybank were at 2-2 when the match was abandoned at the 58th minute due to heavy rain and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation technical committee decided to declare them as joint champions.
  Maybank took a 2-0 lead off Muhammad Irfan (12th) and Hafi Hafiz (23rd) but Sapura drew level with a brace from Izwan Firdaus (46th, 54th) to share the spoils.
  The President's Cup final was also abandoned with four minutes remaining on the clock when Johor HA were leading 4-2.
  After 45 minutes the rain did not stop and Johor HA were declared as champions in their MHL debut.
   Johor HA assistant team manager Hashim Yusof said his players and officials will share the RM30,000 purse. Armed Forces received RM20,000.
  Johor shocked Armed Forces by taking the lead in the fourth minute through Samiullah Saleem. However Armed Forces got back into the game when Zaini Sarip scored a freak goal in the 7th minute.
   Armed Forces re-took the lead in the 27th minute through Syafiq Yaacob off a penalty corner drag flick.
   But Johor levelled the score in the 31st minute when Zaki Ismail pounced on a loose ball to make it 2-2, and the score stood till halftime.
   Johor surged ahead after the break when Nor Hafiq Ghaffar scored off a penalty corner in the 38th while Zaki Ismail made it 4-2 in the 51st minute and pouring rain handed them the title without playing for the last four minutes of the match.
   RESULTS: TNB Cup Final: KLHC 3 Tenaga Nasional 0; Third-Fourth: Sapura 2 Maybank 2 (match abandoned, joint champions).
   President’s Cup Final: Johor HA 4 Armed Forces 2; Third-Fourth: Thunderbolts 5 Bukit Jalil 3.
  ROLL-OF-HONOUR: Most Promising Player: Harmesh Singh (Sapura); Best Player: Ahmad Kazamirul (KLHC); Best Goalkeeper: Khairulnizam Ibrahim (Sapura); Top Scorer: Faizal Saari (Tenaga, 20 goals); Fair Play: Nur Insafi.

Stacy Lewis in love with Malaysia

WORLD No 2 Stacy Lewis from the United States loves coming to Malaysia not only for the golf, but also the shopping and culture which she said is the coolest in the region.
  "Unfortunately, we don't get to do a whole lot extra out of play.  But I like coming here as i feel very comfortable. They put us up in a great hotel and there's a lot of good shopping around our hotel.
  "You get to experience the culture I think is one of the coolest parts of this region. I have seen different things across the globe and Malaysia is one of my favorite countries to come to in Asia," said Stacey who alsp played in the last two editions.
   She played in the Pro-Am yesterday and gave the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course the thumbs-up.
  "The course looks good, actually it is always great here. It's in such great shape every year.
  "It's a course you really have to hit it straight on. Then, of course, the greens are tricky. You have to make some putts. They're pretty tricky so the closer you can hit it, the better.
   "I really like playing here. I think the heat and everything kind of reminds me of home," said the Texan.
  She also feels the course would favour a 'ball striker'.
  "I think it's really a ball striker's course. If you look at the people that have won and have played well here, they're people that are pretty high up on fairways and greens in regulation. So I think that's just the key to this golf course. I think last year I was hitting it pretty good and I think I've even kind of moved up the stats this year, too," said Stacey.
  And her goal for the year?
  Since the middle of the year, my goal has been to be the Player of the Year. It's something an American hasn't done since 1994. I wanted to end that trend. That's the big picture goal."

Jean Chua's time to impress..

MALAYSIAN Jean Chua would be making her third appearance in the Sime Darby LPGA, but expecting her to end at the top of the podium would be a tall order.
  The same can be said about Ainil Johani and Aretha Pan.
  "Coming home (as she plys her trade overseas) definitely means a lot to me.  It's my third year playing in the Sime Darby LPGA, but still, it's never the same playing at home, in front of my family and my friends.
  "It's amazing, as I've been away all year. I had a great year, so I'm actually ready to give my best at the KLGCC," said Jean.
  Jean is a member on the LPGA’s developmental Symetra  Tour and has only missed one cut in  her last 13 events coupled with four top-10 finishes.
  When asked how this week would be different from the previous two years: "It's definitely a big difference. Playing with the top 60 in the world, the level is unbelievable. It's competitive and being one of the younger ones and representing Malaysia, you do definitely have a lot of added pressure.
  "People expect you to perform well but you've really got to try to just focus and play your own game. Just go out there and do what I've been doing all year.  I should be fine, actually.
   And on her form in the Symetra Tour: "It was my first full year on Symetra as I only played half season last year.
  "I was top 10 most of the year, but had a disappointing finish, but still, all my stats and everything has improved. So I had a really good year, and I'm really glad where I finished. I've still got a full exempt into final stage so I can get a second try for Q school there."
  Jean is a product of the Sime Darby Foundation, which supports the sporting quests of young Malaysians.
  "Last year, I focused a lot more on playing for the people. I think I tried too hard to measure up to how I did the previous year and tried to play the same game instead of just playing my golf.
  "I was trying to play more for the people. So I think this year I would have to focus more on just playing my game, not trying to compete with the other girls or try to measure up, the length or the shots, just do what I can do and score well and do just how I did in the other tournaments this year."

All eyes on Asian women...

ALL eyes will be on Asian women when the Sime Darby LPGA event tees-off at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country today.
  Seventy-two players, which features 49 of the top 50 players, will be competing at the US$1.9 million event which offers the winner a whopping US$285,000 prize.
   Rolex Rankings No 4 and defending champion Na Yeon Choi will lead the cast as she returns to KLGCC to defend her title after an outstanding finish in 2011.
  Then, she shot a final-round 68 and held off a Sunday charge from Yani Tseng to capture her fifth-career LPGA victory. Choi has recorded five top-10 finishes in the 2012 season along with a victory at the US Women’s Open to indicate her form.
   "After I won the US Open, I had some pressure from my own expectations, and also my fans. They expect me to play well like in the US Open all the time. But then, I just go out and have fun and hopefully the scores would be low at the KLGCC," said Choi.
  The other Asian to look out for is Yani Tseng, the No 3 in the world: "I always look forward to playing in Asian tournaments because it's kind of my hometown, my hometown of Taiwan.
  "It is always noce as I have my following in Asia and it's always fun to play in front of a supportive the crowd.
  "I have a good memory at the KLGCC lasy year, too, as I was in a title fight right til the end. I didn't play well the first couple of days, but I finished well in the end," said the runners-up.
   But the two Asians will have to bring out their best for all four-days, as coming off her fourth-career victory at the Navistar LPGA Classic is world No 2 Stacy Lewis from the United States who is looking to continue her dominant 2012 season.
   Lewis, a three-time winner already this year, holds a commanding lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race with 184 points, 56 points ahead of South Korean Jiyai Shin. She also leads the Tour in top-10 finishes, tallying 14 top-10s in the 20 events she has competed in this year.
  However, it would be difficult to predict a winner as the tournament has a stellar cast and will see all four of  the year’s major winners battle at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and  Country Club.
    The quartet of Yoo Sun Young (Kraft Nabisco Cham pionship), Feng (LPGA Championship), Choi (US Open) and  Shin Jiyai (British Open) are part of the 72-woman field,  which comprises the top-62 players on the LPGA Tour and 10  sponsors invites.
  The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia is the first of four consecutive events for the LPGA Tour in Asia, followed by the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship in South Korea, the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship and the Mizuno Classic in Japan. 

Johor HA lift President's Cup..

THE Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) saw a first yesterday when Sapura and Maybank were declared joint third-fourth when their match was abandoned due to torrential rain at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
  At press time, the TNB Cup final between Tenaga and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club had yet to start.
  Sapura and Maybank were at 2-2 when the match was abandoned at the 58th minute due to heavy rain and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation technical committee decided to declare them as joint champions.
  Maybank took a 2-0 lead off Muhammad Irfan (12th) and Hafi Hafiz (23rd) but Sapura drew level with a brace from Izwan Firdaus (46th, 54th) to share the spoils.
  "We decided to declare Sapura and Maybank as joint champions and they will share combine the third placing prize of RM30,000 and the fourth prize of RM20,000 and share it," said Tournament Director V. Rajamanickam.
  The President's Cup final was also abandoned with four minutes remaining on the clock when Johor HA were leading 4-2.
  After 45 minutes the rain did not stop and Johor HA were declared as champions in their MHL debut.
   Johor HA assistant team manager Hashim Yusof said his players and officials will share the RM30,000 purse.
  "It was indeed a historic moment for Johor HA as we won the President's Cup in our maiden attempt itself.
  "And that is why the Johor HA management decided that the players and officials will share the prize money," said Hashim.
  Johor HA, who finished fourth in the League, will start early preparations for next season.
  "The silverware will spur us to prepare early and we should have a much better team to go for a double next season," said Hashim.
   Johor shocked Armed Forces by taking the lead in the fourth minute through Samiullah Saleem. However Armed Forces got back into the game when Zaini Sarip scored a freak goal in the 7th minute.
   Armed Forces re-took the lead in the 27th minute through Syafiq Yaacob off a penalty corner drag flick.
   But Johor levelled the score in the 31st minute when Zaki Ismail pounced on a loose ball to make it 2-2, and the score stood till halftime.
   Johor surged ahead after the break when Nor Hafiq Ghaffar scored off a penalty corner in the 38th while Zaki Ismail made it 4-2 in the 51st minute and pouring rain handed them the title without playing for the last four minutes of the match.
   RESULTS: TNB Cup Final: KLHC x Tenaga Nasional x; Third-Fourth: Sapura 2 Maybank 2 (match abandoned, joint champions).
   President’s Cup Final: Johor HA 4 Armed Forces 2; Third-Fourth: Thunderbolts 5 Bukit Jalil 3.
  ROLL-OF-HONOUR: Most Promising Player: xx; Best Player: xx; Best Goalkeeper: xx; Top Scorer: Faizal Saari (Tenaga, 20 goals); Fair Play: Nur Insafi.