Kiradech digs in..

LASHING rain over the last three days cut the Maybank Malaysian Open to a 54-hole event, as Thai-phoon Kiradech Aphibarnrat dug in like a rodent preparing for an all out Sunday assault.
  After completing round two, none of the players managed to complete the third when the skies opened up at 4pm, forcing the organisers to
shorthen the tournament with a re-start at 9.45am today.
  The last time the Open was played over 54 holes was in 2006, also at the KLGCC. Korean Charlie Wi lifted the thropy then on 19-under 197.
  Kiradech is in position of erasing his defeat at the Open three years ago when he pulled two shots clear with a four-under-par 68 for an 11-under 133.
  But he was stopped at the second hole, after an opening birdie was followed by a bogey to remain at 11-under.
  Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel playing in the last group with Kiradech, trails by one while a group of seven players, who include China’s Wu Ashun, three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Ryder Cup stars Edoardo Molinari and Anders Hansen, are a further shot back on nine-under.
  Big-hitting Kiradech, dubbed Asia’s John Daly, is determined to close out the Maybank Malaysian Open after coming close three years ago when he entered the final round as the co-leader only to finish joint third.
  “I’ve learned a lot from that. I’ve grown up in three years and I have learned a lot on how to play under pressure and how to play when you need to win. I think I have more experience and I hope it will help me tomorrow (today),” said the 23-year-old former world amateur champion.
   With 16 holes separating him from a second Asian Tour title, the burly Thai, who has been suffering from the effects a lingering thyroid problem, knows he holds an advantage although he expects Schwartzel to mount a big charge on Sunday.
  “I feel better. You can say I have more chance to win now that it’s 54 holes. It’s a good chance for me to win my first co-sanctioned title. I still have to do my best and it’ll be tough work tomorrow. Charl is a good player. He’s a top player and he can catch up. I will just do my best. If I can keep playing like how I have been doing in the first two days, I will have a chance,” said Kiradech, who finished fourth in last week’s Avantha Masters in India and also qualified for the British Open last month.
   Schwartzel, who won the Thailand Golf Championship in December and has eight European Tour titles under his belt, birdied his opening hole of the third round to signal his intent of winning his first Malaysian Open title.  He also wants to keep the title in South Africa’s hands following last year’s triumph by close friend Louis Oosthuizen.
   The 27-year-old Wu, bidding to become the third Chinese to win a co-sanctioned tournament after Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong, parred his first two holes of the third round to stay two shots back of Kiradech.
   “I think I still have a good chance. I’m in the championship group and the leaderboard is very tight. It is three rounds now so anything can happen. I have to go back and sleep! Hopefully I get enough rest and play well,” said Wu, who became the first Chinese to win in Japan last season.
   “I have to pray hard … My game is in very good shape and I feel confident. Everything is good. I’m just happy to be in this tournament. Any finish is good for me. I don’t want to think about winning yet. I just want to stay happy,” added the smiling Chinese, who is playing on a sponsor’s invitation.
   India’s Jeev Milkha Singh made a charge up the leaderboard by playing his 11 holes in five under and moving up to eight-under for the championship.
  S. Murthy, one of three Malaysians to make the halfway cut, stands at six-under through four holes of his third and final round with 19-year-old amateur Gavin Green a further shot back where he is two under for his round through 10 holes.
 

Murthy back in contention with eagle..

A GOOD night’s sleep saw veteran S. Murthy return with a stunning seven iron shot for an eagle to lift his game back into contention at the halfway stage of the Maybank Malaysian Open on Saturday morning.
  The 42-year-old, then went into his third round, four-off the leaders after a 67-70 saw him at seven-under, but his game was yet again stopped short by a lashing thunderstorm.
  It might just be another blessing as he hit a bogey in his second hole itself, when rain halted third round play at 4pm, for him to go for glory on Sunday.
  Murthy almost blew his second round as he appeared to be slipping when he soared to three over through eight holes before being saved by fading light on Friday.
  A disappointed Murthy came out charging in the morning, shooting an eagle on the sixth hole, four birdies and a bogey for a two-under-par 70 and a seven-under-par 137 total to lie in tied seventh place at the cut.
   “This is golf,” explained Murthy about his quick turn in fortunes.
   “I kept my focus, kept aiming at fairways and greens. I holed out from 170 yards with a seven iron on the (par four) sixth hole (for eagle). It was dead centre and it went in the hole. It was a nice feeling. And then I birdied eight and nine. I need to stay focused. Two more rounds to go.”
  With his best finish being tied 56th in 1999, Murthy could well provide the silver lining as Malaysia has never produced its own champion at the Maybank Malaysian Open.
  Murthy is game to give it a shot but reckons he needs the crowd support to give him a lift as he challenges the likes of leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Wu Ashun and Charl Schwartzel for the Seagram Trophy.
  “Since I’m already in this position, there’s nothing to lose,” he said.
  “I always enjoy the crowd support. Looking forward to some crowds in the third round following my group.”
  With the typical Malaysian afternoon thunderstorms being a bane for players, Murthy knows he must remain patient to keep up his glorious run.
  “I waited so long (to tee off yesterday) and it wasn’t the weather’s fault that I played poorly. It was my own fault for the bad start. As a player, you have to prepare well. I hit a few good shots but made two three putts on 11 and 14 for bogeys. Suddenly, I was three over for the day. Then play stopped which was quite good for me,” said Murthy.
  “As a golfer, you deal with the weather problems. I prepared myself. I hit a few balls yesterday while waiting for my tee time (2.50pm) and then started to eat a bit and have some drinks to relax myself. Hit some balls again and kept warm.”
  He arrived at KLGCC a bit earlier than usual yesterday morning to spend more time at the practice putting green, which paid off as his putter got hot on the back nine.
  “After last night, I felt bad. I couldn’t really take it especially the 11th hole. It is a tough par three but I hit the green and then made a three putt. I felt bad after that and then missed again on 14. When I came back this morning, I spent a bit more time on the practice green. I just tried to stay calm.
  “I’m swinging it good, it feels great. I was putting well this morning.”
  Since turning 40, Murthy has enjoyed a new lease of life by winning twice on the local PGM Tour. He credited his coach, whom he knows only as “Mathy”, for his turn around in golfing fortunes.
  “I’ve been working on my back swing with my coach. Previously, it was more inside and now it’s more parallel. I’ve worked with Mathy for two years now. I saw him and then started winning two local tournaments. It’s helped a lot.”
  Amateur  Gacvin Green was just a step behind at five-under at the 10th hole of the third round, while Danny Chia was even par at the ninth hole.

Only three left standing...

THE 22-strong Malaysian contingent in the Maybank Malaysian Open was cut short to only three, as 19 others fell by the wayside at the rain-battered Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
  While S. Murthy, Danny Chia and amateur Gavin Kyle Green will see action until Sunday, the most notable exit was made by Shaaban Hussin.
  Shaaban was the only Malaysian who made the half-way cut in the Open last year, but he was shown the exit door after rounds of 75-74 for a total of five over 149.
  The cut was set at 144.
  The other pprofessionals who failed were Sukree Othman (73-72), Nicholas Fung (72-75), S. Siva Chandran (72-75), R. Nachimuthu (70-80), Rashid Ismail 81-69), Kenneth de Silva 74-77) and P. Gunasegaran (77-75).
  While the amateurs who gained valuable two-rounds of practice were Solomon Emilio (77-70), Arie Fauzi (74-75), Low Khai Jei (82-73), Abel Tam (76-81) and Afif Mohamed (83-82).

Rain halts Third Round..

MALBANK MALAYSIAN OPEN GOLF 

SECOND ROUND SCORES
(173 made the cut)
133 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thai) 65-68.
135 Charl Schwartzel (SA) 67-68, Wu Ashun (Chn) 67-68, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 66-69, Wade Ormsby (NZ) 70-65.
136 Victor Dubuisson (Fra) 67-69, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 70-66.
137 Padraig Harrington (Irl) 69-68, David Howell (Eng) 69-68, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 66-71, S. Murthy (Mas) 67-70, Peter Lawrie (Irl) 68-69, Alexander Noren (Swe) 69-68.
138 Scott Jamieson (Sco) 66-72, Liang Wen-chong (Tpe) 70-68, Lee Slattery (Eng) 68-70, Mark Foster (Eng) 69-69, Lee-sung (S Kor) 68-69.
139 Prom Meesawat (Tha) 68-71, Rafa Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 72-67, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69-70, Alastair Forsyth (Sco) 69-70, Joonas Granberg (Fin) 71-68, Anders Hansen (Den) 66-73, Simon Khan (Eng) 71-68.
140 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 71-69, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 69-71, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70-70, Jean Gonnet (Fra) 70-70, Joost Luiten (Fra) 69-71, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 70-70.
141 Gavin Green (Mas) 73-68, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 69-72, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 71-70, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 70-71, Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha) 70-71, Andrew Dodt (NZ) 69-72, Gunn Charoenkul (Thai) 71-70, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 68-73.
142 Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 75-67, Robert Derksen (Ned) 72-70, Angelo Que (Phi) 70-72, Adilson Da Silva (Bra) 68-74, Berry Henson (Usa) 71-71, Mardan Mamat (Sin) 70-72, Danny Chia (Mas) 71-71, Masanori Kobayashi (Jpn) 72-70, Thomas Aiken (SA) 71-71.
143 Mohd Siddikur (Ban) 71-72, Kim Gi-whan (S Kor) 70-73, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 72-71, Thitiphun Chuayprakong (Tha) 72-71, Mo Joong-kyung (Kor) 71-72, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 72-71, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 73-70, Phillip Price (Wal) 72-71, Julien Quesne (Fra) 72-71.
144 Richard Green (Nzl) 74-70, Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 73-71, Scott Barr (NZ) 75-69, Johan Edfors (Swe) 76-68, Baek Seuk-hyun (S Kor) 72-72, Romain Wattel (Fra) 75-69, Thaworn Wiratchant (Thai) 73-71, Oliver Fisher (Eng) 69-75, Thongchai Jaidee (Thai) 70-74, Thomas Levet (Fra) 73-71, Stephen Gallacher (Sco) 71-73, Steve Webster (Eng) 71-73, Marcus Fraser (NZ) 69-75, Lee In-woo (S Kor) 71-73, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 71-73, James Morrison (Eng) 76-68.

KLHC sizzle, TNB struggle

By Ajitpal Singh
 
DEFENDING champions KL Hockey Club (KLHC) got off to a great start in the Malaysian Hockey League while Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) needed a late goal to salvage a draw in yesterday's Premier Division matches in Bukit Jalil.
  KLHC, led by six foreign players, outplayed Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 5-0 at National Hockey Stadium.
  Pakistan international Akhtar Ali scored two quick goals in the third and fourth minutes before Razie Rahim extended KLHC's lead with a penalty corner conversion in the 20th minute.
   Chua Boon Huat (37th) and Harvinder Singh (61st) completed the rout.
  Despite taking a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes, TNB, last season's league runners-up, were held 4-4 by newcomers Terengganu in an earlier match.
  TNB coach Nor Azlan Bakar said a point from the match was better than not earning anything.
  "I am not too worried as this is only our first match. As we are still trying out combinations, I tested all the players today (yesterday). We need to improve defensively and minimise mistakes," said Nor Azlan at National Hockey Stadium yesterday.
  Terengganu coach Nik Rozemi Nik Mohamed, delighted with the draw, said: "I am using this tournament, mainly to prepare the juniors for next year's Malaysia Games.
  "Apart from the eight seniors, the others are being groomed for the Malaysia Games. A point from this match is a good result as TNB are an established side. I packed my midfield after halftime and it made the difference," said Nik Rozemi.
  Terengganu's Mohd Shahrun Nabil deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper Khairulnizam Ibrahim to give TNB the lead after 13 minutes before national striker Faizal Saari added a second in the 23rd minute.
  Terengganu, however, reduced the deficit in the 30th minute through Sufi Ismat Rahul Amin before taking a 3-2 lead with goals from Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Jalil (40th) and Fitri Saari (41st).
  TNB drew level through Faizal's penalty corner trademark flick but Sobirin Ilias regained Terengganu's lead in the 64th minute.
  Muhammad Ramadhan Rosli salvaged a point for TNB when he rifled home from close range four minutes from time.
  RESULTS -- Premier Division: Tenaga Nasional Berhad 4 Terengganu 4, Nur Insafi Warriors 1 Sapura 1, KLHC 5 UniKL 0.
  Division One: SSTMI 0 TNB Thunderbolts 6, Ipoh-MBI 2 UiTM 4, Sunday 2030 KL 1 Uniten 3.
  FIXTURES -- SATURDAY: Premier Division: Maybank v Terengganu (National Hockey Stadium, Pitch II; 6pm).

Murthy back in the running..

All it needed was a good night’s sleep and a stunning seven iron shot for a glorious eagle to lift Malaysia’s S. Murthy back into contention at the halfway stage of the Maybank Malaysian Open on Saturday morning.
   The 42-year-old veteran, who heads into the third round later this afternoon four off the pace, is emerging as the surprise package at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club although his tournament appeared to be slipping from out of his grasps when he soared to three over through eight holes of his second round before being saved by fading light on Friday.
   A disappointed Murthy regrouped last night and came out charging in the morning, shooting an eagle on the sixth holes, four birdies and a bogey for a two-under-par 70 and a seven-under-par 137 total to lie in tied seventh place.
  "This is golf,” explained Murthy about his quick turn in fortunes.
  “I kept my focus, kept aiming at fairways and greens. I holed out from 170 yards with a seven iron on the sixth hole (for eagle). It was dead centre and it went in the hole. It was a nice feeling. And then I birdied eight and nine. I need to stay focused. Two more rounds to go.”
  With his best finish being tied 56th  in 1999, Murthy could well provide the silver lining as Malaysia has never produced its own champion at the Maybank Malaysian Open. Murthy is game to give it a shot but reckons he needs the crowd support to give him a lift as he challenges the likes of leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Wu Ashun and Charl Schwartzel for the Seagram Trophy.
  “Since I’m already in this position, there’s nothing to lose,” he said.
  “I always enjoy the crowd support. Looking forward to some crowds in the third round following my group.”
  With the typical Malaysian afternoon thunderstorms being a bane for players, Murthy knows he must remain patient to keep up his glorious run.
  “I waited so long (to tee off yesterday) and it wasn’t the weather’s fault that I played poorly. It was my own fault for the bad start. As a player, you have to prepare well. I hit a few good shots but made two three putts on 11 and 14 for bogeys. Suddenly, I was three over for the day. Then play stopped which was quite good for me,” said Murthy.
  “As a golfer, you deal with the weather problems. I prepared myself. I hit a few balls yesterday while waiting for my tee time (2.50pm) and then started to eat a bit and have some drinks to relax myself. Hit some balls again and kept warm.”
  He arrived at KLGCC a bit earlier than usual this morning to spend more time at the practice putting green, which paid off as his putter got hot on the back nine.
  “After last night, I felt bad. I couldn’t really take it especially the 11th hole. It is a tough par three but I hit the green and then made a three putt. I felt bad after that and then missed again on 14. When I came back this morning, I spent a bit more time on the practice green. I just tried to stay calm.
  “I’m swinging it good, it feels great. I was putting well this morning.”
  Since turning 40, Murthy has enjoyed a new lease of life by winning twice on the local PGM Tour. He credited his coach, whom he knows only as “Mathy”, for his turn around in golfing fortunes.
  “I’ve been working on my back swing with my coach. Previously, it was more inside and now it’s more parallel. I’ve worked with Mathy for two years now. I saw him and then started winning two local tournaments. It’s helped a lot.”

Thai-phoon Kiradech!

THAI rising star Kiradech Aphibarnrat is in position of erasing his defeat at the Maybank Malaysian Open three years ago when he pulled two shots clear with a four-under-par 68 in the second round on Saturday.
 The big-hitting Thai known for his grip-it and rip-it style of golf which somewhat mirrors John Daly’s game, returned this morning to finish the second round after play was abandoned on Friday.
 The halfway cut was set an even-par 144 with 73 players making the cut. World number three Luke Donald of England will not feature in the last two rounds after shooting a three-over-par 147.
 Kiradech made eight straight pars when play was resumed at 7.45am at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club but kept a cool head on a rather steamy morning. He was rewarded for his patience with a birdie on 18 after hitting an exquisite approach to three feet.
 “I enjoyed my game. I had to cool myself down out there because I only had my first birdie of the day on the last hole. It was a good finish. I tried to stay calm out there because of the heat. I need to save my energy,” said the 23-year-old, who totalled 11-under-par 133.
 He holds a two-shot lead over former Masters Tournament winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, Wade Ormsby of Australia, Gregory Bourdy of France and China’s Wu Ashun at the US$2.75 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
 The memory of finishing third in 2010 after going into the last day as the joint leader is still fresh in his mind but Kiradech says he is more experienced now to seal the deal for a second Asian Tour win since 2011.
 “I was very excited three years ago but I’ve learned a lot since then. I’m much older now and I learned a lot on the Asian Tour. I hope to finish better than 2010,” said Kiradech, who qualified for his first Open Championship debut through the International Final Qualifying – Asia earlier this month.
 “I’ve been playing very well since the start of the year and my game has stayed up there. My iron and approach shots are better compared to last time. My driver isn’t working as well as I would like it to be so hopefully it will work in the last two days.”
 The penultimate round will start at 1.15pm with the leading flight going off at 3.05pm which gives Kiradech time to rest and preserve energy. “I want to go back to the hotel and rest, take a shower and relax to save energy.”