Daeng making his mark
In-form teenager is by far the star of the first-half of the PGM Tour campaign
DAENG Abdul Rahman has made inroads on the Professional Golf Malaysia (PGM) Tour’s Order of Merit and it comes on the back of some fine form.
In the ladies’ section, United Statesbased Kelly Tan tops the standings with Ainil Johani Bakar in second spot and Michelle Koh third.
Daeng, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Thursday, certainly made his presence felt in the Tour’s opening five tournaments to top the official PGM Order of Merit standings that were listed as of April 6.
Daeng accrued just over RM74,500, which in turn left him with a healthy lead of some RM15,500 ahead of second-placed Amir Nazrin and more than RM22,000 in front of R. Nachimuthu in third place.
That blistering start to the campaign was characterised by concerted efforts that saw him finish in the top-five in three of the first five tournaments – highlighted by a massive 10-stroke victory at the season-opening Perlis Closed Championship at Putra Golf Club in January.
At the PGM Johor Championship, co-sanctioned with the Asian Development Tour at the beginning of March, he registered a tie for fourth place and came agonisingly close to securing a second title of the season when he came up just short in a playoff with Nachimuthu at the Port
Dickson Closed Championship at the beginning of this month.
Daeng was also
in good form at the Darulaman
Closed Championship at Darulaman Golf & Country Resort in Jitra, Kedah in February where he posted a tie for seventh.
In his other event he finished joint 35th at the PGM UMW Johor Championship hosted by Palm Resort Golf & Country Club in Johor Bahru in the middle of last month
Noteworthy of Daeng’s bright first halfhalf of the season is that he was underpar on each occasion in those first five PGM tournaments. Indeed, he was 39-under for the quintet and was twice in double figures under-par. At the Johor Championship he signed for a 16-under 272 total and at the PD Closed where he was tied at the top in regulation, Daeng finished on 13-under-par 275.
Not one to bask in the limelight nor one who is given anywhere near as much credit as he deserves by the media, the teenager will go a long way if he just keeps his head down and gets on with the business out on the course.
Amir is second place on the standings, largely due to some good form of his own. The runner-up in last season’s final Order of Merit, he claimed a first victory of the season with his triumph at the Darulaman Closed in February.
There will be no doubt that Amir will want to go one better this year and land the crown himself.
Nachimuthu’s third place on the table comes mainly from his win at the Port Dickson Clsoed Championship. That effort was a successful defence of his title at Port Dickson Golf Club and earned him a winner’s purse of RM34, 000.
“I set a game plan to win here and kept it. But it was challenging, especially on the greens,” said Nachimuthu who finished tied with Daeng in regulation on 13-under 275.
Wafiyuddin Abdul Manaf fired a 10-under 278 for third place.
In the ladies section in Port Dckson, Aretha Pan won with the best mark on Tour to date and collected RM11, 000 for it. She shot a 12-under par 276 for a four-stroke margin of victory over Ainil Johani Abu Bakar in second place. Michelle Koh was third with a two-over-par 290 total.
Speaking after her win, Aretha said irons were what made the difference between just playing well and winning here. She singled out her her approach shots as to being “the key” factor
in Port Dickson.