Danny & Airil keep flag flying

Kuala Lumpur, February 12: Malaysia's Danny Chia (pic) and compatriot Airil Rizman kept the local cheers alive in the opening round at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Thursday.
Chia, who is a former winner on the Asian Tour, posted seven birdies against a lone bogey for a six-under-par 66 to lie in a tie for fifth place and was a stroke ahead of compatriot Airil who carded a 67 at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.
Chia, 36, ended the round four strokes behind Korean young gun Noh Seung-yul who fired a blistering 62 for the opening round lead in the Asian Tour and European Tour sanctioned event. Alexander Noren of Sweden was in second place after a 63 while China's Liang Wen-chong was among those in a tie for third place after a 65.
With a new driver in the bag, Chia, who was one under after nine holes, enjoyed a blistering run on the back nine by nailing five birdies.
"I putted well and I was lucky in a few holes. I missed a putt on the fifth hole which cost me a bogey but everything turned around from there and I was putting well again," said the Kuala Lumpur-based golfer, who will be adopting a mixed approach in the second round.
"I can take advantage of the par fives. But for holes like number seven, I can use a driver but the fairway is very narrow. If my ball is not in a good position off the tee, I will be cautious and will choose to lay it up and not go for the green.
"I would like to be aggressive all the time but when it comes to this golf course, I will have to tell myself to be a bit more conservative at some holes," he added.
Airil, who won the 2007 Pakistan Open on the Asian Tour, is relishing his outing at the Maybank Malaysian Open after posting a solid 67 in the US$2.2 million tournament.
"I'm very pleased. I made a lot of putts today which was the difference. I saved a lot of shots too. But my putting has been the key.
"Everything was perfect today. Good weather and the rough is not too long," said Airil.
The other Malaysian golfers in action today include Shaaban Hussin who carded a 71 in joint 41st place, Lim Eng Seng (69th) who was even par for the day and amateur Fung Nicholas who shot a 73 in tied 87th spot.
Ben Leong, who won the Worldwide Selangor Masters last year, was in the mix in 102nd position after a 74 alongside amateur Akhmal Tarmizee while Asian Tour's Iain Steel recorded a 76 to lie in 129th place.

Korean teennager sizzles

Kuala Lumpur, February 12: Korean teenager Noh Seung-yul fired a stunning 10-under-par 62 to snatch the first round lead at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Thursday.

The highly talented 17-year-old, the Asian Tour's rookie of the year last season, hit top form at Saujana Golf and Country Club's Palm course, sinking an eagle and nine birdies to lead by one stroke from playing partner Alexander Noren of Sweden.

Chinese star Liang Wen-chong, the 2007 Asian number one, carded a 65 to lie in tied third place alongside Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin, who was runner-up here two years ago.

A fine 66 from Danny Chia saw him carry the Malaysian challenge as he ended the day in a share of fifth place with England's Nick Dougherty and Australian Adam Blyth.

However, world number 11 Anthony Kim of the United States struggled on the greens in his Maybank Malaysian Open debut and signed for a 78 while two-time champion Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand carded a 69 to lie seven strokes off the pace.

Noh has taken Asian golf by storm after winning the Midea China Classic and registering three other runner-up finishes en route to 10th place on the Order of Merit last season.

Although his sizzling 62 was two shots better than the Saujana course mark, it will not be considered an official record as the preferred lie ruling was in operation. But Noh was elated to end the day atop the leaderboard.

"I didn't make any mistake and putted really well. I'm happy but you don't win a tournament on the first day," said Noh. "The course is not playing easy. It's a tough course but I played extremely well. I had a lot of good fortune."

An unlikely birdie on his opening hole at the par four 10th where he holed a 45-footer for birdie got Noh on his way but it was Noren who set the early pace with a blistering outward 30. The young Korean however came in strongly with a 31 to edge past the Swede. "Alexander played well at the start. I wasn't thinking of beating him but I just tried to catch him. He pushed me along," said Noh.

The Korean eagled the par five seventh hole with a superb two iron approach from 250 yards that landed 15 feet from the flag and then rolled in another 12-footer on the demanding eighth hole to seal his lead in the US$2 million event, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

"The eagle on seven was pretty special. But 10 under today, every moment was a highlight. Every shot was a highlight," beamed Noh.

Noren, who is searching for his first win, opened with four straight birdies but was forced to play second-best to Noh. "He was just unbelievable. I seemed to be one ahead of him all day but then he birdied four, eagled seven and birdied eight to get one ahead of me. I had a lot of fun out there," said Noren.

Liang was delighted to stay hot on the leader's heels with his nine-birdie round. It was especially rewarding as the Chinese ace had to pull out of two events in the Middle East last month following a recurrence of an old wrist injury.

"I putted well and struck the ball well. I only missed a couple of shots which is quite important here," said Liang. "The course is not playing as difficult as before as the rough is down and the greens are receptive to good shots," said Liang.

Chia, who held the joint lead at the halfway stage last year, was thrilled to have another chance to contend at the Maybank Malaysian Open. "This is probably the best round I've shot here in Saujana," said Chia, whose card included a superb inward 31.

Wielding a conventional putter since the start of the year, Chia came to grips with Saujana's tricky greens. "I putted well and I was lucky over a few holes. I missed a putt on the fifth which cost me a bogey but everything turned around from there and I was putting well again," said Chia, who is hoping to become the first Malaysian to win the national Open.

Leading first round scores
62: Noh Seung-yul (Kor)
63: Alexander Noren (Swe)
65: Liang Wen-chong (PRC), Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra)
66: Danny Chia (Mas), Nick Dougherty (Eng), Adam Blyth (Aus)
67: Airil Rizman (Mas), Rhys Davies (Wal), Juvic Pagunsan (Phi)
68: Ross Bain (Sco), Mitchell Brown (Aus), Andrew Coltart (Sco), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Jose Manuel Lara (ESP), Mikael Lundberg (Swe).

Others
69: Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), S.S.P. Chowrasia (Ind), Shingo Katayama (Jpn)
78: Anthony Kim (USA)

Thongchai aims to charm Cobra again

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee (pic) will chase a record-equalling third Maybank Malaysian Open title on his favourite course, the Saujana Golf and Country Club starting on Thursday (12-02-2009).

The two-time Asian Tour number one has won two of the last three Malaysian Opens at Saujana's challenging Palm course, dubbed the Cobra, where his impressive record even caught the attention of the tournament's top draw, world number 11 Anthony Kim of the United States.

Such is Thongchai's confidence that he joked with his caddie that he didn't need a course yardage book ahead of the opening round where he will play alongside Kim and Damien McGrane of Ireland.

"I'm feeling very good. I always like to play at Saujana. I've won twice here and I always like to come back to this golf course," said Thongchai, who is looking to emulate Australian Terry Gale's three victories achieved during the 1980s.

"At the last two Malaysian Opens, I missed the cut as I was sick and injured. But I'm well prepared for this week. I took last week off and I'm ready to go."

Thongchai endured a tough start to last season but ended the year on high by winning back-to-back titles on the Asian Tour to equal compatriot Thaworn Wiratchant's record of holding the most wins in the region with 10 titles.

"I joked with my caddie and told him I didn't need a yardage book. I know every hole on this golf course very well. The only thing that may change are the grains on the greens.

"I'm happy with the way I've started the year. I'm feeling confident. If I don't play well, I'm still capable of shooting under par," said the former paratrooper, who finished tied 13^th in the Abu Dhabi Championship last month.

Kim, who featured in the victorious US Ryder Cup team last year, is strongly tipped to contend in his maiden visit to the US$2 million Maybank Malaysian Open, which is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

While the talented 23-year-old Kim, a two-time winner on the US PGA Tour last year, has attracted plenty of attention in Saujana, he knew very well of Thongchai's track record at Saujana.

"I don't know if I am the man to beat - I just heard that Thongchai has won this event a few times and there are definitely a lot of guys who have a lot of game and I have to set my game up to play at the that level," said Kim.

Japan's number one Shingo Katayama, nicknamed 'Kat in the Hat' for his penchant for cowboy hats, is another man capable of challenging for Malaysia's 48^th national championship.

Coincidently, the 26-time Japan Tour winner's lucky colour is yellow, the same as this week's title sponsor. "I always wear yellow when I win. It's my lucky colour," said the slightly-built Japanese, noting Maybank's colours.

"I would like to play a lot more on the Asian Tour. I would like to win outside of Japan and I like it in Asia. The courses that I've played here are very similar to those in Japan. I love Asia and I would like to visit more Asian countries," added the world number 39.

Local hopes will also rest on Malaysia's Danny Chia, who held the joint halfway lead at last year's Open held at a different venue before he faded at the weekend. No Malaysian has won the tournament in the event's history.

"Just like all the other Malaysian golfers, winning the Malaysian Open is a dream of ours. I still get nervous competing in our national Open. I was among the top players last year (after two rounds) and it came as a surprise more than anything else. But this year, I will keep calm, stay focused and strive to do my best. I feel that I am ready this year," said Chia.

The big-hitting Malaysian has a new Callaway FTIQ driver in his bag but he will be using his trusted three-wood much more to negotiate the palm tree-lined Saujana course in his hope for glory.

"I always thought that my game is not suited for Saujana. That is why I won't be playing my usual game unlike on other courses where I would be smashing it down the fairway. I'll be using a lot of three wood out here," said Chia.

Other top contenders at the Maybank Malaysian Open, the second leg of this season's Asian Tour Schedule, include 2007 champion Peter Hedblom of Sweden, England's Simon Dyson and Nick Dougherty, South African James Kamte, winner of last week's Asian Tour International in Bangkok, Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang, Singapore's Lam Chih Bing and China's number one Liang Wen-chong.

Junior World Cup, last eight, or bust

THE draw looks tough but national Juniors coach K. Rajan remains optimistic that he can guide Malaysia into the quarter-finals of the Junior World Cup (JWC) in June.
The release of the fixtures by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) yesterday added to his confidence as Malaysia will have ample rest between matches.
They will need it as they have South Korea, Spain, England and the United States for company in Group C.
South Korea and Spain are powerhouses at the senior level while England’s juniors finished ninth, one place ahead of Malaysia, in the 2005 edition of the JWC in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
“The fixtures give us ample time to recover, as there are breaks between matches. My target is to be among the top-two in our group, and qualify for the quarter-finals,” said Rajan yesterday.
Malaysia will open their campaign against England at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru on June 7. England beat Malaysia 3-2 in the 9th-10th classification in the 2005 Junior World Cup.
They play South Korea the next day and after a day’s break, it will be the United States.
They wrap up the preliminary round with a tie against Spain.
“We will be playing three friendlies against the national seniors next week, and it will show how far my team have progressed. When we played them earlier (in the form of Ernst & Young who are virtually the national team), we received a hammering.
“But after the Australian stint, and improving their fitness, I am sure they will fare much better.”
The squad will start training at the competition venue in March.
“It will give us a feel of the pitch, and in the middle of March, we will be playing a Four-Nation there.”
Group A: Argentina, Belgium, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia; Group B: Australia, Chile, Germany, Japan, South Africa; Group C: England, South Korea, Malaysia, Spain, USA; Group D: India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore.
(Groups A & C in Johor Baru, Groups B & D in Singapore).

FIH clears fog surrounding new rule

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) released the revised free hit rules because of the great interest in them. The next Rules of Hockey will take affect from 1 May 2009 and the full set of rules will be published as soon as possible. Please find below the text of the revised free hit rules.
The text of the free hit rules which will apply in international hockey from 1 May 2009 is provided below.
One of the objectives of the FIH and therefore of the Hockey Rules Board (HRB) is to decrease the number and duration of interruptions to the flow of play and to increase the length of time the ball is in active play. A “self-pass” from a free hit has therefore been introduced. It enables the player taking the free hit to play the ball again after taking the free hit which will encourage free-flowing hockey.
As with other actions on the hockey pitch, this must take place safely. Other aspects of the free hit rules have therefore been reviewed. The HRB is concerned that the ball is often played hard, indiscriminately and therefore potentially dangerously into the circle from free hits in the attacking 23 metres area. In future, these free hits must not be played directly into the circle.
FIH believes these are indications of the way it wishes to see hockey develop. Exciting innovations will take place but there will also always be a concern that the game should be as safe as reasonably possible.
These Rules changes above are referred to as Mandatory Experimental Rules. They are mandatory because they must be played throughout hockey; they are experimental to show that they will be reviewed after experience before deciding if they become permanent Rules. When the full set of the Rules of Hockey is published, small changes to some wording and various additional notes will also added to clarify certain current rules. It is anticipated that the full set of Rules will be published in the next month or so.
The text of the relevant free hit Rules will be as follows:

13.1 Location of a free hit:

a a free hit is taken close to where the offence occurred

‘Close to’ means within playing distance of where the offence occurred and with no significant advantage gained.

The location from which a free hit is taken must be more precise inside the 23 metres area.

b a free hit awarded within 5 metres of the circle to the attack is taken at the nearest point 5 metres from the circle

c a free hit awarded outside the circle to the defence within 15 metres of the back-line is taken up to 15 metres from the back-line in line with the location of the offence, parallel to the side-line

d a free hit awarded inside the circle to the defence is taken anywhere inside the circle or up to 15 metres from the back-line in line with the location of the offence, parallel to the side-line.

13.2 Procedures for taking a free hit, centre pass and putting the ball back into play after it has been outside the field:

a the ball must be stationary

b opponents must be at least 5 metres from the ball

If an opponent is within 5 metres of the ball, they must not interfere with the taking of the free hit or must not play or attempt to play the ball. If this player is not playing the ball, attempting to play the ball or influencing play, the free hit need not be delayed.

c when a free hit is awarded to the attack within the 23 metres area, all players other than the player taking the free hit must be at least 5 metres from the ball

d the ball is moved using a push or hit

e the ball must not be raised intentionally directly from the free hit

f if the player taking the free hit is the next player to play the ball, the actions of taking the free hit and of next playing the ball must be two separate actions

g before another player of the team which took the free hit is allowed to play the ball, the ball must move at least 1 metre

The ball does not have to move 1 metre before the player taking the free hit may play the ball again.

h from a free hit awarded to the attack within the 23 metres area, the ball must not be played into the circle until it has travelled at least 5 metres or has been touched by a player of either team other than the player taking the free hit.

WorldHockey