Subang: Mohd Wafiyuddin Abdul Manaf and Nur Durriyah Damian have been rewarded for their consistent results this year by being named to the Malaysian Golf Association squad for the upcoming 27th South East Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar.
Universiti Utara Malaysia undergraduate Wafiyuddin will join the established trio of Gavin Kyle Green, Abel Tam and Low Khai Jei in the men’s squad while Durriyah will feature alongside Michelle Koh and Vivienne Chin in the ladies team for the golf event, which will be played from December 15-18 at the Royal Myanmar Golf Club in Naypyidaw.
MGA vice-president and national team co-manager Low Teck San admitted that the national selectors vetted through the recent performance of all players under their stable before filling the final berths in the squad.
“We recognised early on that Gavin, Abel and Khai Jei will form the foundation of the men’s team and we needed to identify another player who can add value and strength to the men’s team.
“Wafiyuddin has produced very consistent results in the local amateur meets over the last two years and more recently, we were impressed by his display at the Chinese Taipei Amateur Open as well as the Asian Amateur Championship. While he may lack a little confidence abroad, we believe his match temperament and overall game will stand up to the test in Myanmar,” noted Low.
Leading lady amateur Kelly Tan Guat Chen is a notable absentee after expressing her desire to focus her attention on making it through the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying School, which concludes on December 8 in Florida.
“We would have liked to maintain the same squad that won the Santi Cup at the South East Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship but we understand that Kelly is on the brink of achieving a major breakthrough for herself and the country and we wish her all the best.
“We need players to be a 100% committed to this tournament and Durriyah, who was part of the bronze medal team in Palembang two years ago, will take Kelly’s place. Having played in the last Games, Durriyah is our best pick and we hope that the international exposure she has received thus far will bear fruits during the tournament.”
MGA is optimistic that they will return will at least two gold medals and in the process, end a drought which stretches back to the 2001 edition in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are sticking to our target and I feel that Gavin and Michelle can deliver the goods in the individual competition while the men’s team should start among the favourites. By roping in the expertise of coach Tony Maloney to help strategise our campaign, we believe that our squad will be well-prepared for the Games,” noted Low, who added that the centralised training will commence after the conclusion of the Johor Amateur Open on December 1.
