Jasin [MELAKA]: Young Brandon Lau continued with his good form to take the opening round lead at the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Orna Championship on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old, who won the 10th leg of the Tour’s Development Circuit – Qualifying School at Glenmarie Golf & Country Club last week, fired an impressive six-under 66 at Orna Golf & Country Club, to lead by a stroke from Lam Yu Shuen.

The trio of Akhmal Tarmizee Nazari, Nicholas Fung and Wilson Choo were tied for third with matching 68s, while Kenneth Tobuse, S. Sivachandhran and amateur player Low Khai Jei, who had a top-three finish at the Northport Glenmarie Championship, were joint sixth on 69.

What some might view as puzzling, Lau said he felt much more comfortable today than he did in the Tour’s feeder circuit event last week. “I hit the ball solidly today and made a few good putts, so overall I’m happy with where I am,” said the Kota Kinabalu native, who graduated from Florida Institute of Technology this year.

Starting on the 10th tee, Lau strung together six birdies in as many holes to give clear indication that if he keeps up this sort of form, he will be a force to reckon with.

“It was an up-and-down round for me until the six holes,” he added in hindsight. “I was two-under over my first nine holes and then had two bogeys immediately before the six birdies,” he added.

Leading first round scores
66 – Brandon Lau
67 – Lam Yu Shuen
68 – Akhmal Tarmizee Nazari, Nicholas Fung, Wilson Choo
69 – Kenneth Tobuse, Low Khai Jei (A), S. Sivachandhran
70 – Ben Leong, Shaifubari Muda, Muhd Wafiyuddin Abd Manaf, Khor Kheng Hwai
71 – M. Sasidaran, S. Murthy, Solomon Emilio Rosidin, Sukree Othman