Gavin leads local amateurs into fray

Gavin Kyle Green ©The ClubHouse
Gavin Kyle Green ©The ClubHouse

Kuala Lumpur: Top-ranked national amateur Gavin Kyle Green hopes to turn in a strong performance as he return from his Texas base for the Maybank Malaysian Open next week.

The University of New Mexico sophomore heads the amateur roster announced by tournament custodians, the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) for the 52nd edition of the national Open which includes fellow nationals Muhammad Arie Irawan Ahmad Fauzi, Low Khai Jei, Abel Tam, Mohammad Afif Mohd Razif and debutant Solomon Emilio Rosidin.

A notable winner on the local amateur scene, Gavin became the first domestic player in 15 years to triumph at the Malaysian Amateur Open (MAO) last year and a series on brilliant displays for his varsity golf team, the Lobos, since has seen him emerge as one of the top players in the American collegiate circuit.

The strapping golfer has also shown that he can match the professionals of the Asian Tour when he topped the domestic challenge with a T-18 finish at the U$2 million Iskandar Johor Open last December – a tournament which he first appeared in as a tender 13-year-old in 2007.

Speaking of competing in the upcoming Maybank Malaysian Open, Gavin said, “I am very excited. I get to come home for one of the best tournaments around and play on the same field as the world’s best and the former Masters’ champion. It is a great field and it is being played on an excellent golf course. I am looking forward to it.”

He has been keeping up with his training schedule in the run up to the Open, and will play in the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters in Las Vegas and the National Invitational in Tucson, Arizona before returning home to Malaysia just two days before the tournament begins at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on March 19.

He nevertheless hopes to get over the jet-lag quickly – just like he did en-route to his MAO victory at Glenmarie Golf & Country Club and to get a practice round in before the tournament starts, to keep himself in top form.

“I think that I am just lucky to be able to  play in the same field as such golfing greats. I am sure I will learn a lot from them,” shared the 19-year-old, who is ranked 52nd on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).