Asian Games men's Hockey results

Smith charges ahead

AUSTRALIAN newcomer Cameron Smith snatched a one- shot lead from Thai duo Chapchai Nirat and Sattaya  Supupramai after a bruising third round at the Worldwide  Holdings Selangor Masters at the Seri Selangor Golf Club  yesterday.
   Smith, the 2013 Australian Amateur Champion, battled to  an even par 71 which included three bogeys over his closing  four holes to put himself in position for a maiden Asian Tour  victory with a three-day aggregate of eight-under 205.
    Big-hitting Chapchai, a three-time winner but not since  2009, shot a 69 while Sattaya moved into contention with a 68  which included six birdies and two dropped shots over his last  three holes at the RM1.3 million event.
   An ailing overnight leader Anirban Lahiri of India strug gled to a 76 which included two closing double bogeys and  ended a tough day three shots behind Smith.
    The best placed Malaysian’s are bunched at tied 38th, on  two over 215 total.
   Danny Chia and Hans Jamil returned 73s yesterday, while  Khor Kheng Hwai had a 72.
   Current Order of Merit leader David Lipsky of the United  States kept himself in the hunt for a second title in three  weeks with a battling 69 which left him two back alongside  Australian Jake Higginbottom andTaiwan’s Hung Chien- yao.
    The 21-year-old Smith led into the final round of the CIMB  Niaga Indonesian Masters in April before settling for tied  second place behind Lahiri. The Aussie is determined to go  one better at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.
    “I’ve been in this position a couple of times now. Hopefully  I can close the deal. I need to stay patient and stick to my  game plan. With a bit of luck, hopefully I can win,” said  Smith.
    Two back at the start of the day, Smith looked menacing,  holing a birdie on 11 and another 25-foot eagle on 13 to surge  ahead of the pack. He three putted the 15th hole for bogey  and errant shots on 16 and 18 led to further shots.
   “I played pretty good but it was a disappointing finish.  That’s golf. It was pretty tough out there and I didn’t putt that  well ... no one to blame except myself. I’m going to relax and  do some putting in my room,” he said.
    The 30-year-old Sattaya hopes to build on his recent  victory on the Asian Development Tour as he searches for a  career breakthrough.
   “I’ve won on the ADT and I’ve gained confidence from  there. Playing on the Asian Tour is slightly different because  there are so many good players,” he said.

ASIAN GAMES: Malaysia 8 Singapore 2

Malaysia beat Singapore 8-2 in the Asian Games Hockey Group A match on Saturday and will next play Bangladesh, followed by S Korea and Japan.
   Need to beat two more teams to confirm semi-finals spot, and in cross-over, India or Pakistan the likely opponents.

MALAYSIA

Razie Rahim 2'min (PC) - MAS
Fitri Saari 3'min (FG) - MAS
Rahim Razie 17'min (PS) - MAS
Firhan Ashaari 30'min (FG) - MAS
Razie Rahim 35'min (PS) - MAS
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin 37'min (FG) - MAS
Izwan Firdaus 48'min (FG) - MAS
Shahrun Nabil 51'min (FG) - MAS 

SINGAPORE 
Enrico Marican 11'min (PC) - SIN
Silas Noor Shah 28'min (FG) - SIN 

Shaaban in the hunt..

MALAYSIA’S Shaaban Hussin slam-dunked an eagle from 120 meters as he stayed within touching reach of second round leader Anirban Lahiri of India at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters at the Seri Selangor Golf Club yesterday.
   The home hero battled to a one-under-par 70 for a two-day total of four-under-par 138 to lie in tied ninth place, six shots behind the pacesetter at the RM1.3 million Asian Tour tournament.
    After snaring successive eagles during his opening round, Shaaban, who is playing on his home course, enjoyed another memorable moment when he holed out his approach shot for a delightful two on the par four first hole, his 10th of the day, with a wedge.
   “I’m definitely happy because I’m still up there on the leaderboard. I started off slowly but luckily I came back with my eagle on the first hole. I didn’t get off to a good start and my confidence went down,” said Shaaban.
   “I tried to stay focused and I started to fight back. The turning point was the eagle on one. It was an excellent shot with my pitching wedge and my ball went straight into the hole ... there was no bounce. I thought my ball had gone over the green but I saw some scratches on the edge of the cup and then I found my ball in the hole.”
    Much to his dismay though, he gave the two shots straight back on the second hole with a double bogey but the slender Malaysian finished strongly with three more birdies over his last five holes to trail his playing partner Lahiri, who leads on 132.
    “It was a simple double bogey. I wasn’t really in any trouble but walked away with a double,” he lamented.
    Five years ago, he was also in contention at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters before finishing tied 11th. He is fired up to improve on that showing this weekend.
   “I think I can do better. I want to finish lower than what I did previously. I think I’m in contention and anything can happen. Hopefully I can minimise my mistakes and avoid the bogeys and double bogeys,” he said.
    Ben Leong, the 2008 Selangor Masters champion, continued his comeback from injury with a second round 69 to safely make the cut with his 141 total while the other Malaysians who made the halfway cut were Hans Jamil (142), Danny Chia (142), Sukree Othman (143), Khor Kheng Hwai (143), Nicholas Fung (144) and Md Azman Basharudin (144).
    Iylia Jamil is even par for the tournament with several holes to complete while Kenneth De Silva is one-over with three holes to complete on Saturday morning following a weather delay in the afternoon.

Lahiri shows his class

INDIAN star Anirban Lahiri enjoyed a birdie binge en route to a seven-under-par 64 for a two-shot lead after the first round of the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters at the Seri Selangor Golf Club yesterday.
The 27-year-old Lahiri, currently second on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, sank 10 birdies against three bogeys to put himself in prime position for a second win of the season.
Countryman S.S.P. Chowrasia carded a 66 to share second place with Taiwan’s Chan Yih-Shin while another Taiwan golfer, Hung Chien-Yao carded a 67 for fourth place in the RM1.3 million Asian Tour event.
Malaysia’s Shaaban Hussin emerged as the best home player, firing a 68 to share fifth position with, amongst others, Australian rookie Cameron Smith, Thailand’s Sattaya Supupramai and Chapchai Nirat and American Berry Henson.
Shaaban, who played alongside Lahiri and David Lipsky of the United States, made the most of his home course knowledge, firing successive eagles on the fifth and sixth holes.
“Making those two eagles was unbelievable but on the next hole, I pulled my tee shot and then made double!
“I was trying to go for a third straight eagle,” said Shaaban, who was in contention at the event in 2009 before settling for joint 11th place.
An in-form Lahiri, who finished tied fourth in Taiwan last weekend and was runner-up here last season, was delighted with his blistering start.
“I’m really happy with how I played. I got off to a good start and made a couple of good putts.
“It could have been even better. I missed some short putts but I hit it really good,” said Lahiri, who is a four-time Tour winner.