Kuala Lumpur: Muhammad Wafiyuddin Abdul Manas booked his path to Faldo Series Asia Grand Final next year by claiming the overall title in the AmBank Malaysia Championship, which concluded on Thursday.

The 21-year-old undergraduate at Universiti Utara Malaysia carded rounds of 74, 69 and 75 to finish on two-over 218 to hold off the challenge of Chan Tuck Soon. Seasoned campaigner Tuck Soon (72-72-76) topped the boys’ Under-18 division to guarantee his fourth start at the prestigious grand final set to be played at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzen, China.

“Coming into this tournament, I did not have much high expectations as I have not been performing well recently. So, I am delighted to have earned my place in Mission Hills next March,” said Wafiyuddin, who clinched the boys’ under-21 title.

Nur Durriyah Damian (MGA) triumphed in the girls’ Under-21 division on the back of rounds of 77, 73 and 72 to earn a return trip to the Grand Final. The plucky 17-year-old won the 2012 Girls’ Under-21 title and recently returned with a respectable tied-fifth finish at Europe Grand Final in Northern Ireland.

“My experiences at the Asia and Europe Grand Finals have definitely made me a better player. Last year, I won the girls’ under-21 title despite not posting a strong score, so my aim is to card better rounds next year in China,” shared Durriyah.

First timers Hiew Alvin (boys’ Under-16) and Kelie Kan Kah Yan (girls’ Under-16) complete the list of five winners from the Malaysian championship to advance to the final stage. Both expressed their excitement and described their victories as “a dream come true”.

Malaysia will be strongly represented at the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event with Asha Lakshme Balakrishnan claiming a spot by winning the girls’ under-21 category at the Cambodian Championship while resident Joshua Gibbons and Jaclyn Chen Jin Yi booked their berths with victories in the boys’ under-21 and girls’ under-21 respectively at the Brunei Championship last month.