Kajang, Selangor: Nicholas Fung was crowned the new Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Order of Merit winner on Saturday – the latest in a growing list of achievements for the 21-year-old Sabahan sensation.
Nicholas confirmed his status as the burgeoning domestic circuit’s numero uno with a tied sixth finish alongside reigning champion R. Nachimuthu at the season-ending PGM-Maybank Tour Players’ Championship at Impian Golf & Country Club.
Despite only starting 14 of the 20 PGM tournaments this year, the Kota Kinabalu native totalled RM159,635 on the back of two victories and five runner-up finishes to steer RM14,036 clear of runner-up Sukree Othman. The latter could have thrown a spanner into Nicholas’ celebrations with a win at the RM300,000 Tour championship but only managed a share for second. Nachi was third place on RM141,036.
“Yes, I am very happy to have finished the year as the Order of Merit champion and it is a new high in my young career,” said Nicholas, who elected to turn professional in 2010.
“I definitely feel that I’ve taken my game a notch higher this year and it has enabled me to finish ahead of my more experienced competitors. I would like to thank the PGM Tour, especially its chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid for putting together this great Tour for our local professionals.”
Nicholas endured a lean spell for much of the year, coming short time and time again before he broke through with a playoff victory over Iylia Jamil at the PGM Negeri Sembilan Classic in October.
He followed that swiftly by lifting the Palembang MUSI Championship on the ASEAN PGA Tour but had to play second fiddle again to Filipino Jay Bayron at the PGM Eastwood Valley Masters. But it proved only a temporary setback as he clinched the penultimate event at Glenmarie Golf & Country Club to lead the Order of Merit coming into the final tournament of the year.
“I had to be patient as I was in contention at almost every one of my tournaments this year. I was playing some very good golf and managed my game as well as my emotions very well but my putter tended to go out of sync especially during the latter stages of tournaments. It was something I worked hard with my coach Toshiyuki Wasa and the win at Seremban proved very much the turning point of my season,” he added.
“It’s been overall a great year for me. Outside the course, Spritzer and LJ Design have come on-board as my personal sponsors (joining Sabah Tourism and PING) and their support has been a major boost to my resources to travel abroad and participate in tournaments,” shared Nicholas.
He now stands a chance of becoming a double Order of Merit winner when he returns home for the much-awaited Sabah Masters from January 9-12, which is the final event on the ASEAN PGA Tour’s 2012 schedule.
“I’m going to take a breather and enjoy my Christmas before turning my attention on the Sabah Masters. I might skip the first leg of the 2013 PGM Tour at Kinrara to be at my best for the Sabah Masters. I have some unfinished business at the tournament as I finished second last year,” expressed Fung, who has a slim US$1,200 lead over newcomer Gunn Charoenkul of Thailand in the regional Money list.
