Sungai Petani: A return to site of his maiden professional victory has pumped up Sukree Othman as he puts the finishing touches on his preparation ahead of the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Sime Darby Harvard Classic, which tees off today at the Harvard Golf & Country Club.
Despite entering the RM125,000 tournament as the defending champion after his sensational comeback victory last year, Sukree is not allowing complacency to set in and is expecting a tough battle on the cards as a parade of the nation’s top professionals head up north for the first stop on the domestic circuit’s second season.
“No doubt I was able to take a few minutes to reminiscent on my victory [over R. Nachimuthu] here last year. It was an exciting moment in my career and I was pretty much lost for words at that point. So yes, it feels great to be back here,” shared the 35-year-old, who ended a four-year barren run on the paid rank with that victory.
“But I know that I have my hands full this week. The top guys are all here, so it’s going to be anyone’s tournament for the taking. I’m just hoping to play my game and we’ll see how I’m placed going into the final round,” added Sukree.
Sukree predicted that the player that best acclimatises to the true-rolling but hard greens at Harvard will emerge as the champion. “It’s been really hot here all week with a strong breeze, so while we get good distance off the tees, it’s vital to control your approach shots as it is quite easy for the balls to roll off the greens. It also puts a premium on getting your putting right,” he said of the rubber tree-lined layout, which ranks as one of Malaysia’s oldest golf club.
Another player looking forward to the tournament is Danny Chia, who is aiming for a good run-out after a refreshing holiday with his family. “I took almost a month off golf and I just got back into training last week, so I still need to get the kinks out of the system.
“At the end of the 2011 season, I decided that I wanted to improve on certain things and make some important adjustments to my game, so this week will be really about trying some of the new stuffs that I’ve been working on as well as getting some competitive warm-up ahead of my Asian Tour schedule,” said Chia, who’s nonetheless starts as an early favourite to add to his two wins on the burgeoning tour last year.
In another development, ten players earned starts at the Harvard Classic after shooting a score of five-over-77 and better during the one-day pre-qualifying today. Leading the way with rounds of 74 were amateurs Ong Jay Vie and Zaizuri Osman as well as professional Kelana Ibrahim.
Final results – PGM Harvard Classic Pre-Qualifying
74 – Ong Jay Vie (A), Zaizuri Osman (A), Kelana Ibrahim
75 – Tommy Chin
76 – Khairuazree (A), Yusri Shaharom
77 – Cash Lee, SS Goon, Azharudin Akasah (A), Johnny Tan
