The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Negri Sembilan Masters will be the most lucrative event on Asian Tour
- Bad boy comes good
- Donald defends his top spot for first time at Memorial
| Negri Sembilan Masters will be the most lucrative event on Asian Tour Posted: 02 Jun 2011 06:13 PM PDT SEREMBAN: The Negri Sembilan Masters Invitational, a marquee tournament on the Malaysian golf calendar, has made an exciting transition to the Asean PGA Tour while retaining its total purse of RM500,000 (US$165,000). This year's tournament will be played at the Seremban International Golf Club (SIGC) from July 7-10 and will be the most lucrative tournament on the Tour. The tournament will be the fourth leg of the circuit that has nine events this season, offering record overall prize money of US$685,000. Tournament director and captain of SIGC Datuk Mohd Yaacob Kassim said that they were very proud that the Negri Masters had firmly established itself in the region as an event that all the top professionals want to play in. "To further cement its position, we feel it appropriate that it became part of a strong recognized regional circuit that is professionally run to the highest standards," he said. Inaugurated in 2005, the Negri Masters boasts an impressive list of past champions. The most recent being S. Sivachandran, who triumphed last year to become the first Malaysian winner of the event. Other past champions are Japan's T. Wasa (2005), Singaporeans M. Murugiah (2006) and Lam Chih Bing (2009), Filipinos Juvic Pagunsan (2007) and Benjie Magada (2008). The executive chairman of Asean PGA, A.C. Wong, said the region's top players were certain to turn out in force. "As part of the Asean PGA Tour, the championship will be guaranteed of the strongest line-up as the top 60 players on the Tour's Order of Merit will be teeing up next month," he said. Among them, he said, would be Juvic, who won the Asean PGA Order of Merit last season, Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant and Filipino Artemio Murakami. The Malaysians expected to compete include Danny Chia, Nicholas Fung, who finished second on the Order of Merit, and defending champion Sivachandran. The Asean PGA Tour began earlier this month with Prom Meesawat of Thailand emerging as the winner in the Singha Pattaya Open. The next stop is the ICTSI Mt. Malarayat championship in the Philippines from June 8-11. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 02 Jun 2011 06:12 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: It's hard to believe that Azizul Hasni Awang was once expelled from the Bukit Jalil Sports School in the very early days of his track cycling career because of disciplinary problems. But, thankfully, the 23-year-old Dungun born-cyclist is now back on track. It's not so much that early marriage has made him a better person. It's the fact that he was starting to beat guys bigger and more experienced than him on the track that has made him determined not to go back to his old wayward ways. And Azizul, who was feted as a hero by many after making his way to the finish line with a nine-inch splinter sticking through his calf at the final leg of the World Cup in Manchester in March, will be taking on a new role later this year. * Full report in The Star today Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Donald defends his top spot for first time at Memorial Posted: 02 Jun 2011 06:12 PM PDT DUBLIN (Ohio): World number one Luke Donald (pic) of England plays for the first time since taking over the top spot in the rankings in this week's Memorial, a US$6.2mil US PGA event hosted by Jack Nicklaus. Donald, compatriot Lee Westwood and Germany's Martin Kaymer have all been atop the rankings in the past three weeks, setting the stage for a shootout in the final major tune-up event for the US Open in two weeks outside Washington. With former world number one Tiger Woods now fallen to 13th in the rankings and in the 19th month of a win drought since the scandal of his sex life was exposed, the top spot has again become an achievement within reach for many. "As a kid you dream about winning majors and winning tournaments, but for me, I always kept an eye out on the world rankings and had an interest in it," Donald said on Wednesday. "I suppose for the bulk of my career Tiger was so far ahead that it never really crept into my mind. But in the last year or so, there has been more of an upheaval in the rankings. There has been a lot more movement, so I knew the opportunity was there." Donald said he feels like he is the top player in the world as he makes final preparations for the US Open and what he hopes would be his first major title. "The way the world rankings are, consistency is very highly weighted," said Donald. "If you can keep playing well week in and week out, keep earning those points, then you're going to climb in the world rankings and I don't think there's anybody been more consistent in the last nine months than me." Donald sees the top ranking and a major title as somewhat different feats. "Being ranked number one is self-satisfactory in terms of you feel good about what you've done," he said. "Winning a major makes you seem more accepted as a great player from your peers." Donald, who played alongside Nicklaus in the 18-time major champion's last major round in 2005 at St Andrews, earned the praise of this week's host as well. "Luke's game has come a long way," Nicklaus said. "There isn't anybody who spends more time working on his golf game than I've seen in Luke Donald. He spends his time chipping and putting, chipping and putting. He wears out the practice greens. "And I think that the effort he has put into it has been rewarded." Donald took top spot by winning a playoff over Westwood last Sunday at the European Tour's PGA Championship at Wentworth, making him only the 15th player to become world number one in a quarter-century of rankings. He will play the first two rounds at Muirfield Village in quest of the US$1.1mil top prize alongside the past two US Masters winners, US star Phil Mickelson and reigning champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Players Championship winner K.J. Choi of South Korea are among those in a world-class field that lacks Woods, who is recovering from left knee and Achilles tendon injuries. — AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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