Kuala Lumpur: Ervin Chang emerged the sole domestic victor in the just concluded RSGC-AmBank Junior Amateur Open as international participants claimed a lion share of the honours in the inaugural event held at Royal Selangor Golf Club.

The 13-year-old national back-up player closed his campaign with a four-over 76 to beat fellow team mate Amir Nazrin Jailani by seven strokes in the boys’ under-15 category. Chang totalled 11-over 227 over three days to claim his first domestic title of 2012 to bury his disappointing outing at the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) national championship last week, where he only managed to a tied fifth finish.

Chang was notably delighted with his victory considering that it was his first outing at the iconic course in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. “Yes, I’m very happy to have claimed the title. I felt out there comfortable today, the three-shot cushion at the start of the round didn’t affect the way I played today as I kept my rhythm intact. The greens were really challenging but I’m glad to have come out on tops,” he said.

In the other division, Ontario-based Adam Shaw totalled 213 to lift the boys’ under-18 title with a massive 13-stroke advantage while  Dottie Ardina and Princess Superal made it a memorable double for the  Phillipines, claiming the girls’ under-18 and under-15 categories respectively.

“We are confident that the juniors players benefited from the high level of competition here and we are pleased to partner RSGC in offering junior golfers another platform to hone their skills,” said Datuk Mohamed Azmi Mahmood, AmBank’s managing director for retail banking, noting that the bank was a proud supporter of junior golf through its involvement in the Faldo Series Malaysia and the SportExcel National Junior Golf Circuit.

A total of 91 golfers participated in the maiden three-day event.

Leading final round scores

Boys’ Under 18
1st Adam Shaw 213 (CAN) (70-75-68)
2nd Mohammed Izzad Ibrahim 230 (75-81-74)
3rd Nick Ang Xia Ee 230 (74-78-78)

Girls’ Under 18
1st Dottie Ardina (PHI) 214 (71-71-72)
2nd Sarah Ababa (PHI) 221 (76-72-73)
3rd Genevieve Ling I-Ryn 230 (77-75-78)

Boys’ Under 15
1st Ervin Chang 227 (74-77-76)
2nd Amir Nazrin Jailani 234 (79-77-78)
3rd Danial Durisic 236 (79-75-82)

Girls’ Under 15
1st Princess Superal (PHI) 221 (74-74-73)
2nd Daniella Uy (PHI) 225 (76-74-75)
3rd Siti Zulaikha Shaari 233 (77-78-78)