Westwood in command...

ENGLISHMAN Lee Westwood continued his love affair with the Maybank Malaysian Open when he opened with a  brilliant six-under-par 66 to share the lead with Irishman Graeme McDowell at the Kuala Lumpur Gold and Country Club.
   The Englishman fired seven birdies which was matched by his equally impressive Ryder Cup team-mate McDowell at the West Course.
   Malaysia's Danny Chia also had a tale to tell, as he held on to his game strongly with a 67 to tie for third with Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and South Korean Kang Sung-Hoon at the US$3 million event sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours.
   Westwood put himself in strong position to win the Maybank Malaysian Open for a record-equalling third time after displaying another dominant performance at a venue where he won by seven shots last year.
   “I’ll take that. I putted very nicely and started the ball on line well. I left a couple short in the middle when I was fooled by the grain, but overall I’m very happy. It’s probably the toughest I’ve ever seen this golf course play,” said Westwood.
   And he only had the win to battle with in the first round as he found the course in similar condition like last season.
   "It’s (the course) is in very similar condition. The wind just made it that little bit harder – not the fact it’s blowing particularly hard, but that it’s changing direction. It gets very confusing,” added the Englishman, who is ranked 30th in the world.
   McDowell, playing in the Maybank Malaysian Open for the first time since 2008, kept his emotions under control on a humid day. He made only one bogey on the par four sixth hole but battled into contention with two birdies in his closing three holes.
   “This morning I was really trying not to over-react to any mistakes I made. It really is too hot to get mad out there, so you have to keep your emotions under control and obviously stay hydrated and cool and try to embrace it,” said McDowell.
    Playing in only his second event in 2015, the Northern Irishman fancies his chances of winning his first title this year.
   “I work off the course over the winter improving some things physically and in my swing, and things seem to be clicking really well. It is early days, but I’m feeling relaxed and my attitude’s good too. If I can continue that for the rest of the year then good things will come,” he added.

PJCC gunning for full points

PETALING Jaya City Council (PJCC)  will be gunning for full points this weekend as they look to close the gap with UniKL in Division One of the MHC-MILO-NSC Junior Hockey League.
    As the league heads into the third weekend, UniKL hold the lead  with 12 points, while last seasons double champions SSTMI Thunderbolts are hot on their heels with 10 points after four games.
   However, PJCC have only played three games thus far and are third with seven points and this leaves them with a slight advantage.
   Coach Azlansaufi Ahmad side has had a lengthy break after holding defending champions Thunderbolts 2-2 last Friday as they prepare for SSTMI Juniors today at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor.
   "We have not taken things easy and have been training hard, if the boys can go into tomorrow's match with a proper mindset I think we can come away with all full points.
   “This week we play two games in as many days and I have told the players that they will have to be on their toes in JB to ensure that we go into the match against Politeknik with a right mindset.”
   Politeknik Malaysia have proven that they are no pushovers as they only lost 4-3 to UniKL.
      “Some teams (like Politeknik) tend to get off on a slow start, but they have played two of the strongest teams so far and shown some good signs.
   Today will also will see table toppers UniKL host Olak PKT Tigers while BJSS will be in for a torrid time when they go up against Thunderbolts.
   TODAY: Division One: SSTMI Juniors v PJCC( Taman Daya Stadium, 4.45pm), BJSS v SSTMI Thunderbolts (Ministry of Education Stadium, 6.45pm), Olak PKT Tigers v UniKL Young Guns (National Stadium II, 4.45pm).
Division Two: 1 MAS Pahang v 1 MAS Perak (Temerloh, 4.45pm), BJSS Juniors v Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rahman (Ministry of Education Stadium, 4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Sport School v SM Sains Raja Tun Azlan Shah (KLHA Stadium, 4.45pm), ISMO PHA v Nurinsafi / Penang Hockey (Azlan Shah Stadium, 4.45pm), SMSJ Knight v 1 MAS Melaka (Batu Pahat, 4.45pm), 1 MAS TBSS Tampin v 1 MAS Johor (Seremban II, 4.45pm).



Division 1 League Table:

P         W        L          D         F          A         PTS

UniKL Young Guns                4          4         0          0          10          4      12
SSTMI Thunderbolts           4          3          0          1          15         5       10
MBPJ                                       3          2          0          1          9          3         7
KLHC                                        4          1          2          1          5          7            4
BJSS JR                                    3          1          2          0          3          9            3
Politeknik Malaysia                        3          1          2          0          5          11          3
SSP/MSP/Thunderbolt         4          1          3          0          10         9           3
Olak PKT Tigers                     4          1          3          0          5          9            3
SSTMI Juniors                      4          0          4          0          2          14           0