Proven Asian Tour winners Ben Leong, Nicholas Fung and Danny Chia are ready to fly the flag for Malaysia when they tee off in the Bandar Malaysia Open which gets underway at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club on Thursday.
The trio, who holds a combined four Asian Tour wins and nine Asian Development Tour victories, are part of the 47-strong local challenge vying to become the first Malaysian to win their national Open, which returns to the Asian Tour this week after a four-year hiatus.
Leong, the only Malaysian to win an Asian Tour event on home soil, is optimistic of his chances but will adopt a relaxed approach when he chases for a second victory and first since 2008 at the US$1 million event, sanctioned by the Asian Tour in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.
“I’m going to treat this like any other event. Just normal, I know it’s easier said than done, but you know, that’s the mindset for this week. We have a good representation of Malaysian golfers this week with 47 of us in total. A big shout out to the Malaysia Golf Association for being so supportive,” said Leong, who won the 2008 Selangor Masters for his only Asian Tour title so far.
Chia, a two-time Asian Tour winner, found an opportunity to give back to the game when he hosted a junior event, which was held in conjunction with the Bandar Malaysia Open, on the same venue last week. The 47-year-old enjoyed a tied-25th place finish when the event was last staged in 2015.
“It’s great to finally play our own national Open again. It’s a great news for Malaysian golf and all the local professionals. I have had a lot of good memories playing in the Malaysian Open, especially on this course,” said Chia.
“We last played the Malaysian Open here in 2008 and I remembered I was tied for the lead after two rounds here. It’s nice to be back here. The course’s looking fantastic. It’s possibly one of the best around this area. The greens are fast. They did a really good job,” added the Malaysian stalwart, who has been struggling with a back injury in recent years.
Fung, whose best finish at the Malaysian Open remains a tied-47th place result in 2014, believes he has the game to contend in his national Open. He got his season off to a disappointing start with two missed cuts in three events but will be looking to turn the corner with a fine showing this week.
“I won’t put so much pressure on myself. I just want to go out there and have fun and enjoy myself out there. If you hit the ball well, the win will come. I had a tied-11th place finish on this course before,” ssid Fung who, like Leong, hails from the East Malaysian state of Sabah,
The flagship event of the Malaysian Golf Association has a 156-strong field with players from 23 countries, including over 50 Asian Tour champions and four Order of Merit winners. The Malaysian Open boasts an illustrious list of past winners which includes India’s Anirban Lahiri and Arjun Atwal, Thai stars Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, as well as Korea’s Noh Seung-yul, who have gone on to lift the coveted Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns following their victories in the storied event.
