Kuala Lumpur: Singapore’s Jerome Ng sizzled with a closing four-under 68 to win the Kuala Lumpur Amateur Open on Thursday as the Lions snatched a 1-2-3 finish in the men’s division.
The 25-year-old Ng overcame a seven-shot deficit coming into the final round at Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam, finishing two shots clear of countrymen Abdul Hadi Uda Thith (71) and Johnson Poh (70) as well as second round leader Muhd Wafiyuddin Abdul Manaf, who faded on the back nine to finish with a 77.
Ng, who is also the reigning Selangor Amateur Open champion, was naturally delighted that his patient approach worked out on a tough-scoring layout.
“I just stuck to my own game plan. I made some really good putts and pulled off a couple of good saves as well. The key was to stay calm and take your chances when they came. I was happy with the score I shot and was preparing myself for a possible play-off but it turned out that I did enough in the end,” noted Ng, who totalled two-under 214.
“Experience definitely played a part out there today as it was dry and windy and over the last few months after the South East Asian (SEA) Games, I’ve been trying to condition myself to fare better in such conditions and the practice paid dividends today,” said the seasoned campaigner, who claimed his fifth title on Malaysian soil.
Local hope Wafiyuddin looked set to coast to victory until an error-strewn back nine threw a spanner in the works. “It was a disastrous day for me today as I committed costly mistakes on the final nine. It is definitely a bitter pill to swallow, especially after leading for 36 holes, but I will learn from that,” said the Universiti Utara Malaysia undergraduate.
In the ladies division, SEA Games double gold medallist Princess Mary Superal stamped her mark with a resounding 13-stroke victory, garnering six-under 210 on the back of rounds of 71, 71 and 68. Singapore’s Koh Sock Hwee (72) and national amateur Nur Durriyah (78) were tied for second on 213.
Leading final round scores
Men
214 – Jerome Ng (SIN) 76-70-68
216 – Abdul Hadi Uda Thith (SIN) 71-74-71, Johnson Poh (SIN) 76-70-70, Muhd Wafiyuddin Abdul Manaf 69-70-77
217 – Jin Cheng (SIN) 72-71-74, Muhd Afif Muhd Razif 69-76-72, Marc Ong (SIN) 71-74-72, Lucius Toh (SIN) 69-72-76
218 – Park Chang Uk (KOR) 71-71-76
220 – Gregory Foo (SIN) 73-75-72
Ladies
210 – Princess Mary Superal (PHI) 71-71-68
223 – Koh Sock Hwee 76-75-72, Nur Durriyah Damian 74-71-78
227 – Bernice Olivarez-Ilas (PHI) 76-73-78
228 – Nur Eliana Ariffin 73-76-79
231 – Hilferah Tan 82-71-78, Gavrilla Christina Arya 81-72-78
231 – Dianne Luke 78-75-78
232 – Goh Jen 76-76-80
233 – Kelie Kan Kah Yan 76-76-81
