Malaysia’s Gavin Green tees off at 11.15am (6.15pm Malaysian time) in tomorrow’s first round of the Open Championship at Carnoustie.
The 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner is paired with American Sean Crocker and Englishman Ash Turner as he makes his Major debut in the 147th edition of the championship. The long-hitting 23-year-old will be hoping to emulate compatriot Danny Chia, who became the first Malaysian to make the cut in a Major in the 2010 Open at St Andrews.
Green had a confidence-boosting outing in last week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, carding rounds of 69, 67, 65 and 68 to finish T19 on 11-under-par 269 at Gullane.
“I’m excited, of course! You can feel the buzz in the air and I’m just going to go out there, try to enjoy myself and do the best that I can. I’m just trying to stay a little grounded and not get too excited.
“It’s very humbling to be able to represent Malaysia in a Major like The Open. I am very happy to have the opportunity to do so and I hope that I can continue to make the country proud. Whenever I see the Malaysian flag flying in the tournaments that I play in, I will feel very privileged to be able to represent the country,” said Green.
Green is relishing the challenge of playing in his first Major with his father, Gary, on his bag and his mother, brother and grandmother supporting him from outside the ropes.
“Walking up the 18th and seeing the famous leaderboards is pretty special! We stood on the 18th green a bit and just took in the peaceful atmosphere and I could just imagine how fantastic it would be when the stands are full of spectators! The course’s impressive! When the wind blows, it will be very challenging,” he said.
Other notable Asian players in the field at Carnoustie include Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Jazz Janewattananond and Danthai Boonma, India’s Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma, as well as Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, all winners on the Asian Tour.
