| |
Kuala Lumpur, March 4
SASI SERVES UP LOCAL DELIGHT AT MAYBANK MALAYSIAN OPEN
Sasidaran emerged as the best-placed Malaysian after the opening round of the Maybank Malaysian Open on Thursday, giving himself a chance to improve on his dismal record in the event.
Sasidaran fired a three-under-par 69 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club to lie four shots behind co-leaders Rhys Davies of Wales and Spaniard Ignacio Garrido in the US$2 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
Danny Chia, last year's halfway leader, and Ben Leong shot matching 71s while Anis Hassan, who earned his place in the elite field through local qualifying, returned a commendable 72 on a steamy day in the city.
Sasidaran, 33, collected six birdies against three bogeys. "I putted really well today. I kept my focus and kept the ball in regulation play. I made just one or two mistakes but managed to recover well," he said.
The highlight of the day was a monster birdie conversion on the 17th hole when he rolled in a snaky 40-footer. His fast start, which was one shot better than his previous best opening round at the Open also at KLGCC in 2006, put him in a good position to finally play in all four rounds at the Maybank Malaysian Open.
"This is a good start. I'll try to maintain a good rhythm for the rest of the week," he said. "I've played in four previous Malaysian Opens and have never made the cut. I'm looking forward to doing so this week."
Since playing on the Asian Tour in 2003, Sasidaran has failed to establish himself against the region's finest, with only one top-10 to show for in 49 starts. But he reckons he has put in the hard work in pre-season this year and believes he can turn the corner.
"We try to play well in every tournament, not just the Maybank Malaysian Open. Sometimes, it happens, sometimes it doesn't. If it happens at the Maybank Malaysian Open, it is even better," he said.
"I've worked hard on my game this year as all Malaysians are trying to win the event."
Leong, who has won once on the Asian Tour, rued a cold putter. "It could have been a lot of better. I hit it really well and close but didn't convert the putts. I'm satisfied with one-under because we have three more days to go and we'll see what happens," said Leong.
"I have been preparing really well and getting off to a good start certainly helps."
While the tough weather conditions challenged the players to the limit, shooting nine opening pars in a row was also testing for Leong. "I was a little bit frustrated. It is not like I wasn't hitting it close. I was hitting it decently and it is makeable but I have been hitting the edges the whole day. I told myself to be patient out there and so far I'm still in the game and that's the main thing," he said.
|
|