SINGAPORE: Fresh off a well-deserved break, Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung cannot wait to get his season started at the SMBC Singapore Open, which is celebrating its 51st edition this year.

Although Fung has not made the cut in his last five appearances here, the 26-year-old is hoping to put an end to that dismal record having finished the 2016 season in a career high of 12th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

“I think it’s always important to play well in the first event. I have been playing well since last year so I am hoping to continue my good form into this new season,” said the Sabahan ahead of the US$1 million tournament, which starts Thursday.

“This is my fifth time playing at the Sentosa Golf Club but I have never make the cut before. It’s a very tricky golf course. There are a lot of traps out there. But if you can avoid them, you should be able to play well here,” he added.

Fung knows that he has to keep improving his putting stats if he is to add a Asian Tour victory to his existing 17 professional wins – 15 of which have come on home soil.

“I am not the best with my putter on Tour but I think I am one of the straightest hitters here. If I can keep the ball in play and sink a few putts, I believe I can put myself in contention. Apart from winning, my target is also to finish inside top-10 on the Order of Merit. I missed out on that last year so hopefully I can achieve it this year.”

The other Malaysians in the field are Asian Tour winners Danny Chia and Ben Leong as well as Gavin Kyle Green, who qualified through the Asian Development Tour.