Seri Kembangan: Two-time winner Shaaban Hussin justified his pre-tournament billing after blitzing to a two-shot lead after the opening round of Sapura National Qualifier on Monday.
Starting from the 10th tee, Shaaban endured a shaky inward 37 before laying a strong statement of intent with a flawless back nine courtesy of six birdies for a two-shot lead over little known Steven Hiew at the RM150,000 event, which rewards the winner with a spot in the lucrative CIMB Classic in October.
Lim Eng Seng, Mohd Rizal Amin and Nicholas Fung took a share of third place on the back of matching 69s while Danny Chia and M. Sasidaran were a further shot back at the Mines Resort and Golf Club.
Shaaban shot five birdies in the closing six holes, draining a monstrous 30-footer on the last, to keep himself in the hunt for a third consecutive appearance at the marquee exhibition, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA TOUR.
“I was a bit shaky at the start and made a couple of avoidable mistakes but I found my feel for the greens on the front nine and got into a rhythm, which allowed me to recover well,” said the 32-year-old.
“It’s easy to get carried away with the prize on offer this week, so it’s important to be mentally strongly and pace yourself properly. This is my ninth straight day of golf, so I have to concentrate if I am to gain start at the CIMB Classic again and in the process, clinch my first victory of 2012,” shared Shaaban, who finished tied-45 in last year’s edition and sole 40th in 2010.
Hiew, who is playing in his first professional event this year due to health issues, produced his best score, trading four birdies with a single bogey.
“I had good luck today because I hit it close and holed all my putts. I’m very surprised with how I played as this is my best round on this course. To be honest, I’m not thinking about qualifying for the CIMB Classic yet. I just hope I can maintain my form,” said the 43-year-old, who owns a company dealing with frozen food.
Fung finished as the highest ranked Malaysian in last week’s Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters and knows he needs to wield a hot putter in his quest of qualifying for the CIMB Classic, which will be headlined by 14-time Major champion Tiger Woods.
“I could have gone lower but missed a few short putts,” said Fung, who mixed six birdies with four bogeys. “I finished well at the Selangor Masters, so I’m bringing a lot of confidence coming into this tournament. Earning a start at the CIMB Classic is very important to me, not only because it is big purse event but more importantly, the exposure and experience one can gain from playing against some of the world’s top players,” he added.
Entering its third year, the CIMB Classic will feature 48 players, with 30 coming from the PGA Tour, 10 from the Asian Tour and 8 sponsor’s exemptions. The players will compete for a US$6.1 million prize purse, with the winner taking home a prize purse of US$1.3 million.
From 2013 onwards, the CIMB Classic will be upgraded to an Official Money Event on the PGA TOUR and will be part of the season-long FedExCup competition. The field will also be expanded to include a minimum of 78 players and will carry a total purse of US$7million.
Leading first round scores
66 – Shaaban Hussin
68 – Steven Hiew
69 – Mohd Rizal Amin, Nicholas Fung, Lim Eng Seng
70 – Danny Chia, Wilson Choo, M. Sasidaran, R. Nachimuthu
71 – Sofian Kepli, S. Siva Chandhran, Kemarol Baharin, Mohd Sukree Othman, Mohamad Azman Basharuddin
72 – Md. Rashid Ismail, Jeremiah Kim, Chan Soo Keong
73 – P. Gunasagaran, Nicholas Pua
