Shah Alam (SELANGOR): Youngster Galven Kendall Green demonstrated his massive potential as he clung onto his overnight advantage to clinch a wire-to-wire victory at the PROTON TSM Golf Challenge on Sunday.

Battling nerves, the 15-year-old from Selangor signed off with a five-over 77 for a two-over 290 total at Glenmarie Golf & Country Club, finishing three strokes clear of 2011 champion Low Khai Jei, who carded a final round best of 71.

A closing 76 saw Ervin Chang settle for third on 294 while Sabah’s Suzairi Iqmah Rahim (78) was a further seven shots back in fourth.

In the girls’ division, national junior Nur Eliana Ariffin of Melaka rode on a consistent four-day performance to upset national number one Nur Durriyah Damian by five strokes.

Eliana, who was just returning to action after completing her SPM examinations, toured the Garden Course with a five-over 77 for a 12-over 300 overall. Defending champion Ashley Lau (79) and Malaysian Games (SUKMA) gold medallist Loy Hee Ying (80) tied for third on 306.

Having recently triumphed at the seventh King Hamad Trophy Golf Championship in Bahrain, Galven was delighted to follow in the footsteps of elder brother Gavin, who won the prestigious national meet founded by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Haji Muhyiddin Yassin in 2009 and 2010.

“It feels awesome to have won and to be able to emulate’s my brother’s success at this championship is really an achievement. I’ve seen him lift this trophy twice, so it’s good to have some bragging rights of my own now!” said Galven, who took a five-stroke lead coming into the final round, thanks largely to an impressive opening round of five-under 67.

He moved eight strokes clear after a birdie on 11th but dropped six shots in four consecutive holes to face a nervous finish.

“I was getting a bit nervous after dropping the first double bogey on 12th and it turned into a real scare when I dropped another double  on the next hole. The pin positions on the back nine were a bit tough and I knew that the pressure was getting back to me. Fortunately, I was able to coast home as my closest rivals failed to make ground,” he added.

Galven received a golf scholarship worth RM50,000 while Eliana walked home with RM40,000 – the funds being channelled through the Malaysian Golf Association to meet the champions’ equipment, training and competition expenses.

Eliana credited her father, golf professional Ariffin Omar, for putting her in the right mindset coming into the final round. “I’m lost for words because I didn’t have any expectations coming into the tournament as I have not been practicising much due to my SPM examinations.

“The win is a true blessing and is the reward for my consistent display, especially yesterday when I came back with a hole-in-one for an even-par finish. It was quite a a challenge to lead into the final round but my father told me to focus on my game and don’t think about beating anyone and that helped,” shared the 17-year-old, who hopes to use the scholarship to participate in more international tournaments.

Leading final round results:
Boys’
290 – Galven Kendall Green 67-71-75-77
293 – Low Khai Jei 70-76-76-71
294 – Ervin Chang 71-74-73-76
301 – Suzairi Iqmah Rahim 76-72-75-78
302 – Muhd Afif Mohd Razif 76-73-78-75
303 – Amirul Aizat Mohd Bahar 77-76-76-74
304 – Chan Tuck Soon 75-78-74-77, Bryan Teoh Wiyang 77-73-75-79
305 – Sazanur Iman Salenin 75-78-76-76, Kuhanesh Ganesan 72-78-72-83
306 – Muhd Thaznim Hamdan 78-77-74-77
307 – Umar Khusairi Mohd Kamal 81-77-74-75, Ahmad Zahir Abd Ghani 75-80-75-77

Girls’
300 – Nur Eliana Ariffin 75-76-72-77
305 – Nur Durriyah Damian 76-72-82-75
306 – Ashley Lau Jen Wen 73-75-79-79, Loy Hee Ying 78-77-71-80
310 – Sarfina Vinota Seretharan 76-75-81-78
314 – Natasha Andrea Oon 81-76-77-80
317 – Nurul Syahirah Nasir 78-79-81-79
318 – Siti Zulaikhaa Shaari 84-78-77-79, Tham Soot Yuet 80-78-79-81
320 – Raeysha Surendran 81-82-79-78
321 – Warda Amira Abd Rawof 81-82-79-79, Nur Musfirah Armalis 78-79-79-85