Malaysia’s Gavin Green is hoping to put on a performance befitting his status as the country’s number one golfer when the Maybank Championship starts tomorrow at Saujana Golf & Country Club.
“I feel good, I’ve been playing well the last few weeks. I got my coach down for a couple of days and worked with him, trying to get ready for this event,” said Green, who has been plying his trade mainly in Europe since claiming the 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit crown.
Green is playing in a home event for the first time in almost a year. The Malaysian’s last appearance on home soil was at last year’s Maybank Championship where he finished tied-39th and he is seeking a much improved performance in front of the local fans this week.
“It’s such a big one for me. I love playing in front of a home crowd. I don’t really get much opportunity like this as I’ve been playing more in Europe nowadays. It would be really good to play well and finish as high as I can,” said the 25-year-old.
Green noted that the renovated greens of Saujana’s Palm Course are playing fast and true. “The greens should be good all week after last year they tore them down and re-did them. The greens are quick, especially with the contours, it gets really fast,” he said.
“You need to be aware of where they put the pins. You’ve got to think your way around. If you miss in the wrong spots you can get into some serious trouble here,” added Green.
12 other Malaysian professionals are carrying the nation’s flag this week. Ben Leong and Nicholas Fung get in through the Asian Tour allocation, and the top 10 players from the 2018 PGM Tour Order of Merit – Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Danny Chia, Amir Nazrin, Sukree Othman, Kim Leun Kwang, Arie Irawan, R. Nachimuthu, Wilson Choo, Kenneth De Silva and Kemarol Baharin.
