KOTA KEMUNING, March 5 — Mohammad Wafiyuddin Abdul Manaf and Nicholas Fung are the two Malaysians within striking distance of tournament leaders after Day One of the Bandar Malaysia Open that is taking place at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club this weekend.
Wafiyuddin carded a credible 4-under par 68 while Fung came in at 3-under 69 to lead the 47 other Malaysians in the 156-field draw.
Wafiyuddin rued several missed greens on the Par 5, a traditional hunting ground for low scores, and admitted he could have played lower if not for a few errors.
“At the ninth hole, I drove to the right side of the fairway and I had no chance to get on the green,” said Wafiyuddin after his round.
“I tried to get the ball as close to the green, but my second shot was a bit heavy, missed the up and missed par.
“Overall, I feel good about my game. I’m comfortable with the course as I feel I had good preparation. I played the PGAM Junior Invitational here last week and I think I can score better today as there were a few holes I missed on regulation.”
Veteran golfer Fung started the day brilliantly with birdies on holes one, three and five to one bogey on the eight. On the second nine, he birdied hole 11 and par-ed every other hole to finish with an unblemished 69.
“It was a good start for Day One. I three-putted the eighth hole but overall everything is good, and I’ll just keep on going (like this),” said Fung.
“I’m not hitting it as good as the last few days so I’m going to hit some balls at the range later on to prepare for the next three days.
“I’m pretty confident with the course because we have a home course advantage, and this is very important for the Malaysian players. If the weather stays hot, I think it’ll be better for the Malaysians,” he added.
Fung said he expects the cut-off point will be 2- or 3-under tomorrow so he’s not going to pressure himself to go low, but rather just go out and enjoy himself.
The Bandar Malaysia Open had to be suspended at 5.55pm today due to inclement weather.
Play will resume tomorrow at 7.40am with half of the 156-player field expected to face the cut.
