Kuala Lumpur: Experience played its part as Danny Chia raised local cheers with a superb opening effort of five-under 67 at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Thursday.
The enigmatic Chia rolled back the years as he traded seven birdies with two bogeys to take a share of third alongside rising English star Tommy Fleetwood and South Korean Kang Sung-hoon at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
The trio were just one back from titleholder Lee Westwood and Ryder Cup star Graeme McDowell, who lead the US$3 million tournament with matching six-under 66s.
Thailand’s Prom Meesawat, Alejandro Canizares of Spain, Danish veteran Anders Hansen and Englishman Richard Bland returned with 68s to lie two strokes off the lead with a further six players, including Ryder Cup winning skipper Paul McGinley, bunched on three-under.
Chia put in one of his best displays at KLGCC’s tough West Course, reminiscent of his 2008 and 2009 performances at Saujana Golf & Country Club, when he co-led the tournament after two rounds to captivate the imaginations of a nation.
Starting on the back nine, the 42-year-old mixed two birdies with two bogeys to make the turn on even-par but ramped up his game on the inward nine with four consecutive birdies from #2 before converting a 30-foot birdie putt on #7 for good measure.
“The putter got hot on the back nine and I started making some putts. Initially, I was a little agitated with the way I was hitting the ball on the front nine – maybe the nerves got to me a bit. But after I made birdie on the 11th (his second), I started to hit it much better. The key was to drop some putts and put a good score on the board,” said Chia.
“I’m just trying to take it one shot at a time and focus on the present. I think it’s just experience. I’m not as nervous as before and whatever comes tomorrow, I’ll just take up the challenge,” added the seasoned campaigner.
Chia is enjoying the second lease of his playing career after undergoing a major surgery on a debilitating neck and shoulder injury in 2013.
He played through the pain barrier last season to secure his 2015 Asian Tour card and has three top-ten finishes from as many starts this year, including a victory at a winners-only event on the domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour last month.
“I can’t ask for more. I won at the start of the year and have been hitting the ball as good as I have during any stage of my career. A lot of good things have been happening with my game. I specifically worked on my putting with my coach Steven Giuliano ahead of this week and it has been solid,” noted Chia, who was Malaysia’s first winner on the Asian Tour when he triumped at 2002 Acer Taiwan Open.
Countrymen Mohd Iylia Jamil produced a solid 70 to lie further back while Nicholas Fung battled to a 71.
“I’m very pleased. I didn’t expect anything this morning, just stepped on the tee box and do whatever I can for today. For the first seven holes, it was okay and then, I had to scramble a bit to stay even at the turn. All the fun started on the back nine – I chipped in for birdie on the 12th and made a really good birdie on #16,” said Iylia.
Fung, who made his first cut at the national Open last year, was running stead on three-under before dropping two late bogeys which he attributed to poor management.
“I made some silly mistakes on seven and eight. On seven, the pin was back left and my caddie told me to go for the middle of the green which would be an easy putt. But I went for it but pushed it so far right that I didn’t have a stance and then I had to make a 15-foot putt for bogey,” said Fung.
“Everything worked well. Putted great and hit it good. Just made two mistakes. I have no pressure this week. I’ve played so many times on the course and after making the cut for the first time last year, I just told myself to out and play and hopefully make it better than last year.”
National amateur sensation Gavin Kyle Green got off to a slow start with a 74 while his brother Galven, who is making his debut at the Open, posted a 76.
Leading first round scores:
66 – Lee Westwood (ENG), Graeme McDowell (NRI)
67 – Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Danny Chia (MAS), Kang Sung-hoon (KOR)
68 – Alejandro Canizares (ESP), Anders Hansen (DEN), Prom Meesawat (THA), Richard Bland (ENG)
69 – Richard T. Lee (CAN), Paul McGinley (IRL), Andrew Dodt (AUS), Jake Higginbottom (AUS), Paul Waring (ENG), Stephen Gallacher (SCO)
Malaysians as they fared:
70 – Iylia Jamil
71 – Nicholas Fung
73 – Sukree Othman, R. Nachimuthu
74 – Gavin Kyle Green (Am), Airil Rizman Zahari, S. Sivachandhran
75 – Khor Kheng Hwai
76 – Galven Kendall Green (Am), Wilson Choo, Daeng Abdul Rahman Abd Aziz (Am), Arie Irawan, Kemarol Baharin
77 – Shaifubari Muda
78 – Shaaban Hussin
79 – Hans Jamil, Mohd Farhan Syariff,
81 – Chan Tuck Soon (Am), Ben Leong
83 – Mohd Rizal Amin, Lam Yu Shuen
