Kuala Lumpur: Nicholas Fung overcame a sluggish start to open his campaign with a one-over 73 as compatriot Danny Chia struggled to get into gear at the CIMB Classic on Thursday.

Teeing off on the back nine, Fung bounced back from a rough patch that saw he make the turn on 39 with two consecutive birdies to return in a tie for 49th alongside Paul Casey, Luke Guthrie, Robert Allenby and Mike Weir at the West Course of Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.

It however proved to be a frustrating day in the office for 41-year-old Chia, who had no birdies to show in a card which featured three bogeys for a round of three-over 75.

Having made his first cut in seven attempts at the West Course earlier this year at the Maybank Malaysian Open, Fung admitted that he paid the price for being over-confident going into the round.

“I knew I could do better on this golf course, have gained some distance off the tee and I have been very happy with my putting during the practice rounds but I struggled  from the start.

“I battled to stay even-par through three holes but I snapped hooked my drive on the difficult par-four 13th into the hazard and after that, I was just hitting one bad shot after another,” added the 23-year-old Sabahan, who traded four bogeys with a single birdie on his opening nine.

The national number one lamented that the two hour ten minute weather suspension took the wind out of his sails.

“At the turn, my caddie told me to calm down and to take my time, especially on my iron shots. It helped with my execution and I got into a good stride with back-to-back birdies but play got suspended and it took my rhythm away. Looking back, I’m happy with the day and definitely, looking forward to a better day tomorrow,” shared Fung.

Looking for a silver lining as he made his return to the US$7 million tournament after a two-year absence, Chia found the course a real challenge.

“I wasn’t swinging well all day and it just resulted in little birdie chances, which was quite frustrating. The course was really soft and the penal rough was not easy to negotiate. I mishit a few drives and struggled from the thick stuff, which I just put down to the fact that my shoulder is still a little under-strength, leaving my approaches just short off the mark.

“I just need to work on my driving and if I can hole my putts, I’m confident of moving into red numbers,” said Chia, who is on the comeback trail after a surgery on his neck and shoulder.