Kuala Lumpur: Michelle Koh gave her critics something to think about as she signed off her campaign at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia with a brilliant five-under 66 to join Kelly Tan as the best-placed Malaysians.

The duo finished in a share for 49th on two-over 286 with Kelly recording a closing one-under 71 at the East Course of Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. They both earned US$6,688 for their efforts.

Michelle bounced back from yesterday’s setback as she traded seven birdies with two bogeys, inclusive a stretch on the inward nine when she nailed three consecutive gains.

“I can be proud with that [effort]. It was really fun golf. I gave myself a lot of opportunities today, I kept hitting the pins and converted my share of birdies. Unfortunately,  I had to spoil it by three-putting the last hole.

“Today, I narrowed down my focus a lot better and got my feel back, which resulted in good hits and a lot better putting. I had a lot to think about overnight, the 78 did not reflect how I was feeling or playing. I just felt that I had to go out there and do my best, and show that I can actually do this,” shared the 24-year-old rookie, who plays on the China LPGA Tour.

The Kuantan lass finished as the best amateur in the field last year with a 10-over-par 294 overall and admits that there is steady improvement in her game. “I can feel and I do see the difference, just based on the score. But I’ve just started working technically and I believe that I can look forward to better improvement in the future.

“It’s definitely a great experience and there were many good lessons learnt this week – I should have known not to get on the buggy yesterday. I’ve learned that golf is fun if you let it be fun. If you want to make it tough for yourself, then it will be a tough sport,” added Michelle, who has two more big assignments on her schedule this season – the Sanya Ladies Open and the Hero Women’s Indian Open, both on the Ladies European Tour (LET).

Meanwhile, Kelly was just pleased to end “the toughest assignment on her schedule” with an under-par finish. “My temperament was very good. I took one shot at a time and just moved on when it didn’t come my way. Made the turn on three-under but the fourth hole has been my bogey hole all week,” said the Johorean, who turns 21 in a fortnight.

“I think I handled myself quite well but I know that it wasn’t my best performance on Tour this year. You always look back at rounds that you think you could have done better and of course, my first round let me down a bit as it left me needing to claw back for a result.

“I knew that it was going to be difficult. I took it really seriously and when things were not happening, I just tried too hard to fight it when maybe, I should have been more relaxed,” added Kelly.

“It has been a long year for me in terms of the travelling and the number of tournaments that I’ve played. Coming back from China last week, I could tell that my body was tiring. Nonetheless, I am proud of my effort and definitely, pleased with what I’ve achieved this year,” she noted.

The Malaysian Angels as they finished >
+2 286 – Kelly Tan 74-71-71-70, Michelle Koh 72-70-78-66
+11 295 – Aretha Pan 73-72-76-74
+12 296 – Ainil Johani Bakar 73-73-76-74
+25 309 – Jean Chua 75-84-77-73
+31 315 – Michele Low 75-79-80-81