Fledgling professional Paul San is taking a bunch of positives from his fourth place finish in the PGM MNRB Closed Championship, which concluded yesterday at Glenmarie Golf & Country Club.
In what was only his seventh start as a professional since joining the paid ranks last July, the Sarawak-born golfer impressed with rounds of 69, 68 and 70 to take a two-shot lead into the final day of the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour event. However, a closing 74 dropped him into fourth place on seven-under-par, six shots behind winner Gavin Green, the Malaysian No 1, who stormed home with a 64.
It was, nonetheless, Paul’s best finish so far in his short professional career. The talented young golfer credited his wedge game and putting for the excellent scores during the first three rounds at Glenmarie’s Garden Course.
“I wasn’t hitting a lot of fairways or greens, so I had to rely on my short game and putting to save my rounds. I’m usually really dialed in with my irons but the fast and firm greens, along with gusts of wind, made it really tough to keep the ball on the putting surface.
“I’m slightly disappointed with the finish, of course, but I can’t beat myself up too much. My goal was to just shoot another under-par round; that’s all I wanted to achieve on the last day. But the putts just weren’t going in and the short game was struggling a little when the greens got even firmer and faster,” said Paul, who turns 24 on October 17.
“I’m still learning as a player to adapt to constant changes in conditions throughout the week. All things considered, I’m very happy with the way I carried myself out there and how I dealt with the pressure and stress as a whole,” he added.
In fact, Paul figures he may have been too calm during the final round. “I did feel pressure in spurts but most of the time I was really calm … maybe at times even too calm! In the first three rounds, I had stretches where I caught fire; but that fire didn’t really show up in the final round until holes 15 and 16, which was too little too late,” he explained.
With this being his first event since the Bandar Malaysia Open in March, Paul was glad to see that his hard work during the downtime due to the Covid-19 pandemic was paying off.
“It’s truly a joy to see all the work I’ve put in come around. All I’m trying to do is get better and better each day, keeping my head down and eyes forward.
“I have a very supportive team to help me strengthen every aspect of what it takes to be a professional athlete, from instruction, mental training and physical fitness to nutrition and personal well-being. There’s Shane Gillespie and Janet Alexander out in San Diego, and Lim Siew Ai, David Tang, Mark Pajich and Catherine Choong here in Malaysia. I’m very grateful to have each and every one of them in my life. I couldn’t do this without any of them” shared Paul, who graduated from Alabama A&M University last May with a degree in sports management.
“I’m also really grateful for the sacrifices my parents have made in order for me to pursue my dreams; all the love and support they have given me through the ups and downs, the good times and the struggles,” he added.
The performance at Glenmarie, Paul noted, validated all that hard work.
“As Bryson DeChambeau would say, “it’s all about validating the work I put in” … and this week gave me validation that I am on the right track.
“Winning is the best feeling in the world and I know it’ll come eventually. Everyone playing out there would love to win. It’s why we all do what we do. But I can’t control the outcome, so all I can do is play the best I can and hope that one day, come the end of the final round, I get to hold that trophy,” he said.
With borders still closed, Paul has to keep his plans to play the regional tours on the backburner. “I’ll just keep playing as many events in Malaysia as I can until there’s a change. I’m still a rookie on tour, so I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from the more seasoned players and gain as much exposure as I can in the first few years.
“I’m in no hurry because I’m starting to enjoy the journey as a professional golfer more and more each day!”
