Bag of mixed fortunes at Junior Open
Malaysians leave St Andrews with fond memories and valuable experience
IT MIGHT be the business end of Malaysian Junior Premier Elite things at the British Open today, title at Nilai Springs Golf & but Vinisha Gunaseelan and Country Club in Negri Sembilan. Feirish Nor are returning from Vinisha got off to good start at their debuts at the Junior Open the Eden course and was in the Championship on the Eden course top-20 after the first round, at St Andrews with fond memories shooting a deserved 70. She was and mixed fortunes. two-under for the tournament
Malaysia’s two representatives after 12 with birdies at the par-4 in the Junior Championship did 1st hole and the par-5 9th. themselves proud by getting into a However, a double-bogey at the tournament that had both the par-4 13th erased her red figures. boys and girls compete in one But Vinisha bounced back with event. another birdie at the par-5 16th
This year’s winner was South before a bogey at the next hole left Africa’s Martin Vorster who her even-par. secured a wire-to-wire victory Speaking to TeeUp after the with a five-under-par 205 total. Junior Open Championship, her
Vinisha, for her part, did well to father CDR Gunaseelan, who has make the cut and finish in a been an officer with the Royal creditable tie for 37th place. Malaysian Navy for more than 25 Meanwhile, Feirish missed the cut years, said they were proud of her after the second round, shooting performance and hoped that she 76 and 84 for a 160 total. would take the positives from her
Vinisha traveled to Scotland experiences there and further full of confidence and it came as consolidate her career. no surprise that she held her own “Playing against world-class against the best amateurs in opposition like that is obviously the world. tough,” he said. “So, to come
The 16-year-old, who had through as Vinisha did is very rounds of even-par 70, 78 and 76 , good in our view. And we won back-to-back tournament sincerely hope that she can build titles on home soil before leaving on it and further improve her for St Andrews, the Home of Golf. game overall.
She won the 12th Sabah “She did well in the build-up to International Junior Masters at the Junior Open Championship, Kudat Golf & Country Club at the winning those two tournaments, beginning of this month and few and it’s nice to see that she did days later clinched the SportExcel well at St Andrews.”
Feirish, who knows that he did not do as well as he might have, need not dwell on the scores. Instead, he should enjoy the event and use it to better his own game.
Malaysia Ladies Golf Association executive director Datuk Rabe’ahtul, who was at the Junior Open with the players and Malaysian Golf Association commitee member Datuk Paduka Feizal Nor Nurbi, said: “The experience from an event like this can be of great value to the players. They can learn from it and make use of it.”
Indeed, playing in tournaments such as this do not come around very often and it is these events that can, and should , help to elevate one’s game with a view to competing at the very top of the sport. Just as the world’s best players are doing today at Carnoustie Golf Links in Augus, Scotland.