KUALA LUMPUR: Gavin Kyle Green is hopeful that a memorable season can get even better when he tries to earn a coveted spot at the US$7 million CIMB Classic from October 20-23.
The 22-year-old will have to overcome the likes of defending champion Ben Leong, R. Nachimuthu, Sukree Othman and Kemarol Baharin at the Sapura Kencana National Classic, which tees off tomorrow at TPC Kuala Lumpur.
National number one Danny Chia will skip the 54-hole qualifier to feature in the Asian Tour’s Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup in Japan alongside Sabahan Nicholas Fung.
Green, who represented Malaysia at the Rio Olympics has enjoyed a strong year with two victories and seven top-10s at the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and is currently second on the ADT Order of Merit.
Ranked 259th on the Official World Golf Ranking, Green has climbed almost 500 positions since the beginning of the year.
“It has been an exciting year so far and playing in the Olympics was one of the highlights. If I can play in the CIMB Classic it will definitely be a bonus for me. With so many world ranking points on offer, I might have a chance at overtaking Danny (Chia) on the rankings,” said Green, who only lies 13 spots behind the mercurial Chia.
“There will be a strong field at the CIMB Classic again this year so it will be nice to be part of the field. But I can’t get ahead of myself. At this point, I need to focus on qualifying for the event.”
Green who finished T9 at the 2015 National Classic will face defending champion Ben Leong at TPC Kuala Lumpur this week.
Leong subsequently finished T64 in his first appearance at the 2015 CIMB Classic. Both players will be gunning for a chance to compete alongside many of the world’s top golfers.
“It is an entirely differently experience playing in the CIMB Classic. You don’t get to play with the PGA Tour players often and when you do, the experience is amazing,” said Leong. “When I played in the CIMB Classic last year, it was like a dream come true.”
A total of RM150,000 is up for grabs in the SKNC, with the winner taking home RM22,000. The prize money from the event will count towards the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour’s Order of Merit.
