Daeng willing to take a risk with his wrist
PETALING JAYA: Youngster Daeng Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz still hasn’t fully recovered from a wrist injury he suffered during the PGM Labuan championship in September.
But that is not going to stop the 17-year-old from attempting to qualify for the Asian Tour this season.
Daeng, who turned professional last year, will try his luck for the first time at the Tour Qualifying School (Q-School) in Thailand next Thursday.
He will be among more than 200 hopefuls battling for the 35 berths up for grabs in the gruelling 90-hole tournament at the Rayong Green Valley Country Club and St. Andrews 2000 in Rayong.
Daeng is convinced that he is well-prepared for the big test – which cost him a US$2,000 (RM8,000) in entry fee – despite having to cope with the wrist injury.
“My swing is all good. I just have to be extra careful when I’m practising,” said Daeng, who holds the distinction of being the youngest winner on the PGM Tour. He lifted his first professional title at the PGM Port Dickson Closed Championship trophy when he was just 15.
“The pain is still there and I’m undergoing treatment. But I’m going to give the Q-School a shot after all.
“I didn’t do well in last year’s ADT (Asian Development Tour, a secondary Tour where the top five performers qualify for the main Tour). This Q-School provides me with another opportunity to join the Asian Tour elites and I don’t want to miss it.
“I have prepared well for it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have signed up.
“Making it to the Asian Tour is one of my top goals as a pro. It will be a big stepping stone for me if I earn my Tour card.”
Daeng didn’t take long to make a big impression as a rookie. In the first three months, he registered two top 10 results and won in Port Dickson.
He suffered a dip in form for the rest of the season and could only manage one more top 10 finish to end up 11th in the Order of Merit.
But he refused to blame it solely on the wrist injury.
“The injury did keep me out of the entire September. But the other reason I didn’t perform well after my win was because I changed my clubs too,” said Daeng.
“I just have to keep grinding it out. It’s a matter of time before I regain my form,” he said.