Shah Alam: Defending champion Joonas Granberg of Finland says he will return to the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters next month as a better and improved player.
Granberg won his first Asian Tour victory in last year’s edition after earning his card from Qualifying School and is aiming to retain his title against a stellar line-up at the RM1.2 million (approximately US$395,000) Asian Tour event at the Kota Permai Golf and Country Club from September 5 to 8.
He enjoyed a memorable debut last year where he shot a course record of 10-under-par 62 in the opening round before going on to defeat Thai rising star Panuphol Pittayarat by one shot.
“Your first international Tour victory means everything to a player. I won the Finnish Tour Order of Merit three times and I wanted to prove to myself that my game was good enough for a major international Tour. One could say that as a player, I was born at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters,” said Granberg, who is only the second Finnish player to win on the Asian Tour.
The success came as a surprise to Granberg but he is relishing every moment of it as it opened many doors in his fledging golf career. “I didn’t expect to do well inmy first season on the Asian Tour and I was really fortunate to clinch the first victory so soon. Of course every player starts the tournament with the number one spot in mind but it takes so much to make it really happen.
“For some reason it always seems like it was bound to happen. I´m still glad my first victory took place at the Selangor Masters as I’m now part of the tournament’s history,” added the 25-year-old.
“The Asian Tour has meant a lot to me. It has shaped and established me as a golfer and opened doors for the big co-sanctioned events. My first victory on the Asian Tour has generated well deserved publicity for the Tour here in Finland, and I suspect there will be even more of my countrymen attending the Asian Tour Q School in the coming years.”
Granberg will be joined by 2010 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters champion Angelo Que of the Philippines, who is a three-time Asian Tour winner.
Que, who welcomed a new born baby girl late last year, has one tied seventh place finish in Indonesia this season and is on a mission of returning to the winner’s rostrum.
“I want to win every year! It is getting harder especially with the talent here but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible. I just need to work harder and be more consistent and maybe then I can win a title every year,” said Que, who amazingly shot two holes-in-one during practice at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters last year.
Among other players who will feature in the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters, which will be beamed live to a global audience during the last two rounds, include this season’s Asian Tour winners David Lipsky of the United States, Kieran Pratt of Australia and Mardan Mamat of Singapore.
